Storm Severs Tip Of North Beach Island; Officials Warn Mariners Against Using New Cut

CHATHAM – Last week’s nor’easter provided a stark reminder that the outer beach, and the inlets that mariners depend on to get from Chatham Harbor and Pleasant Bay to the Atlantic, are anything but stable.

The storm punched a hole in a thin section of the northern tip of North Beach Island about 100 yards south of the North Inlet. Officials advised mariners against trying to navigate through the new cut.

“There’s a lot of sand moving in and out,” Harbormaster Jason Holm said Tuesday. Coast Guard Station Chatham Officer In Charge, Senior Chief Petty Officer Ross Comstock, said there appeared to be debris under the water.

“We strongly recommend mariners stay away from that area for now,” Comstock said.

The storm broke through a spit that had extended across the North Inlet, leaving a mini-island between the southern end of North Beach and the northern tip of North Beach Island. 

With its low profile, North Beach Island is subject to periodic washovers during high tides and storms. Washovers typically do not remain open once a storm or high tide passes. This one seems to be different.

“It appears to be deepening as the tides cycle through,” Holm said.

On Tuesday surf was breaking in the new cut, and harbormaster staff were repositioning aids to navigation. Holm said he expects to be adjusting buoys and channel markers in that area for the next few weeks. That’s not uncommon this time of year, he added, noting that aids to navigation may not always mark deep water.

“We’re still trying to find the best water,” he said, recommending that mariners keep an eye on the tides. “If you see breaking seas, avoid the area,” he said.

The development is part of the natural evolution of the barrier beach, according to Natural Resources Director Greg Berman.

“These dynamic coastal systems are constantly shifting — especially near the inlet, where this sand spit has moved in and out of position repeatedly in the past,” he wrote in an email Tuesday. “Conditions will likely change rapidly, and we’ll continue to monitor it closely as it's creating some potentially dangerous currents for boaters.”

Currently the original North Inlet appears to be the best way for mariners coming from Pleasant Bay or the Ryder’s Cove area to reach the Atlantic, Holm said. Part of the spit that was severed protected the inlet. 

Right now the South Inlet just south of Lighthouse Beach appears the more stable of the two, with 3.5 to four feet of water at low tide, Holm said.

“That could change next week, just like the North Inlet did,” he said. “Until things calm down a little bit, we’re cautiously optimistic until we can take a closer look.”

The North Inlet was formed by a northeaster in 2007, cutting off the southern end of Nauset (North) Beach and creating North Beach Island. A rapid peeling back of the beach followed that resulted in a number of camps being demolished or lost to erosion. The cut eventually stabilized and has been used by commercial fishermen and recreational boaters, although the deep-water channel and shoals shift more or less constantly. 

Navigating Chatham’s waterways, both in Chatham Harbor and along the south side, is always challenging and can change overnight, as this latest development demonstrates. Both Holm and Comstock said they hope to get aerial photos of the North Inlet and the new cut this week to try to get a better handle on the existing conditions.

The Monomoy Yacht Club’s annual navigation update, at which officials provide mariners with details about the conditions of the town’s waterways, is scheduled for Saturday, June 14 at the Chatham Orpheum Theater.