Cape Cod Maritime Days for 2009

For the last 16 years Cape Cod Maritime Days has celebrated the link to the ocean this peninsular has recorded since the pilgrims first stepped foot on its shores in 1620.

Henry David Thoreau traveled through the outer Cape in the 19th century when it was wild and its shoals were notorious for shipwrecking. He was struck with wonder at both the beauty and harshness of the sea. A sea that provided a great living to the whaling industry and their captains and built fine homes on the Cape, but also one where many lives were lost.

Today the Stellwagen Bank feeding grounds are visited by cruise boats that just come to marvel at the whaling giants. Or admire the lighthouses that remain as beacons on the coast still warning passing ships of the dangerous Cape Cod shoals – ever shifting.

In May with the return of spring Cape Cod remembers its heritage to the ocean and fills the calendar with lighthouse and walking tours, boat-building exhibits, kayaking excursions, and historical lectures.

Here is a sampling of what to expect:

Boatbuilding Demonstrations
Boat Tour of the Historic Lower Cape
Kayak the Waterways of the Lower Cape
Walking Tour: Re-examine the Great Beach through the eyes of Henry Beston
Chatham Maritime Festival
Lighthouse Tours
Open House at Three Sisters Lighthouses
Tours at Nauset Lighthouse
Thermometer-Mania Tour
Catboat Sarah Lecture & Video
Cape Cod Maritime Museum Lectures and Book signings
New Life for a Life-Saving Station
Walking Tour: Where the Spark of Magic Happened
Harbor Your Arts Artist Shanties
Heritage Kayak Guided Fishing Tour
Opening of the Dennis Lifesavers Exhibit
Hyannis Waterfront History Walk
Maritime Matinee: “Around Cape Horn”
Open house at Nobska Lighthouse
Spring Tour of Bourne’s Historic Boatyards
Columbia: The 18th Century Maritime Adventures of Privateer and Explorer John Kendrick
Memoirs of Old Truro
Tours of Race Point Lighthouse
History and Restoration of the Hay Barge from Nauset Marsh
Lighthouse Inn Tours
Researching Cape Cod’s Civil War Years
“Hoisting their Colors: Cape Cod’s Civil War Navy Officers”
Kayak the Upper Reaches of the Herring River
Songs of the Sea Concert
Truro's Naval Officers in the Civil War
Talk and Book Signing – Stauffer Miller
5th Annual Ocean to the Bay Road Race
Eastern Mountain Sports Kayak Fishing Tour
Maritime Exhibit at Captain Bangs Hallet House
Maritime Matinee: “The City that Lit the World”
A Whaling Family’s Story
Marine Rummage Sale
13th Annual Cape Cod Maritime History Symposium
Fourth Annual Cape Cod Canal Boating & Water Safety Day
Master of the Sweet Trade: A Story of the Pirate Samuel Bellamy, Maria Hallett and the Whydah

Many of the above events are offered multiple times throughout May. For a complete list along with dates, times, and locations see the official Cape Cod Maritime Days site here

Take advantage of these exciting events this spring during Cape Cod Maritime days, and be part of the heritage and celebrations of the sea.

For more suggestions and ideas for destinations in the area visit my special planning page on Cape Cod vacations here.

Cliff Calderwood
Executive Director
New England Vacation Guide