This New England

-- Photo by CHARLES PINNING

A summer place: At Elephant Rock Beach Club, in Westport, Mass.

Elephant Rock is on Buzzards Bay, the warmest large body of salt water in New England, in the summer anyway.

While water temperatures on Massachusetts Bay might reach the upper 60s on warm summer days when a southeast wind brings in warmer surface water, Buzzards Bay water can reach the upper 70s on really warm days with a southwest wind.

A cruel reality on Massachusetts Bay is that the hottest days usually have a west-southwest wind, which blows the warm surface water away from the shore, thus ensuring that the water doesn't get much over the low 60s.

Thus, just when you most want to go swimming to beat the heat you're dissuaded by excruciatingly cold water. On the Buzzards Bay coast, though, a southwest wind, off the water, cools the air and warms the water! New England's Gulf of Mexico!

The only major drawback of the southwest wind on New England's south coast is that, as on the Maine Coast east of Portland, it also often brings in fog in the late afternoon -- albeit a rather romantic fog, beloved by photographers.

 Tags  Buzzards Bay Elephant Rock Beach Club Maine Coast Mass. Westport

Comments

Katie said:

Dear Mr Pinning - I have a question for you about this photo - I was hoping you could send me your email address to ask.

Link | August 28, 2009 4:31 PM
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