Plymouth Long Beach may be about to close to off-road vehicles, but that doesn’t necessary mean an end to picnicking on the pristine sands.
Plymouth Watersport has reopened ferry service to the outer beach for anyone still interested in spending a day on the beach after the Crossover closes.
The shuttle service opened last weekend and will continue throughout the summer. The ferry shuttles passengers from Town Wharf to the tip of Long Beach. The ride can take from six to 15 minutes, depending on the tides. Roundtrips cost $18 for anyone 12 and older, and $12 for children from 5 to 11. Children 4 and younger travel free when accompanied by two or more adults.
Rick Johnson of Plymouth Watersport said the shuttles will run at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. When tides permit, Plymouth Watersport will also consider trips to Brown’s Bank, the large sandbar just east of the beach, for an additional fee.
Shuttle service to the outer beach has a storied history. More than a century ago, bathers traveled by boat to a pavilion on the outer beach. The pavilion disappeared in a massive storm in the late 1890s.
Shuttle service reopened, largely for waterfront tourists, in the 1990s. Declining interest led Plymouth Watersport’s previous owner to discontinue the service several years ago. New owner Nate Cavacco included provisions to re-establish the ferry service in his business plan when he contracted with the town for a lease on the wharf four years ago.
The reopening of service coincides with the town’s imminent plans to close the outer beach to off-road vehicles. The closure is required by the discovery of a piping plover nest.near Ryder Way, the access road to the outer beach.
Once the eggs hatch, the town will close the Crossover until the federally protected birds are able to fly.
Johnson said people who use the shuttle will be required to sign a waiver acknowledging that there are environmentally sensitive areas of the beach that must be avoided.
The shuttle will drop passengers on a sandy stretch on the inside of the beach, just below the point. The ride from Town Wharf is about eight minutes at high tide, when the shuttle can travel beneath the breakwater bridge. The ride could take up to 15 minutes at low tide, when the shuttle must follow the channel around the breakwater.
For more information or to make reservations, call 508-747-1577.
