Letterbox Name:  Pirates In Hingham Harbor

Terrain: Three offshore islands in Hingham Harbor, Hingham, Plymouth County, MA.

Difficulty: Accessible by boat. High tide same as Boston high tide. At low tide, Hingham Harbor has large areas of exposed mud and reaching the islands can be difficult. As always take proper precautions when out on the open water.

Round Trip Time: 2 hours at the most, more if you stop to swim and/or picnic.

Placed on: 17 August 2001 by the lonemasswolf (lonemasswolf@covad.net)

Caution: Busy boat traffic, especially on weekends, including high-speed ferry from Hingham.

Driving Directions: 

Launch Site: Hingham Harbor Park.

Take exit 14 (Route 228) off Route 3. Follow Route 228 to the intersection with Route 3A (6.7 miles). Follow Route 3A north to the Hingham Rotary (1.5 miles). Continue around the rotary and find Hingham Harbor Park on the right, just before Hinghams bathing beach.

Letterbox Clues:

Starting from the boat ramp, paddle north, passing tiny Button Island, to the first of your quest sites.

Sarah Island. On the northeast side of the island there is a small point with a solitary good-sized Oak growing there. Beach your vessel, and proceed to the oak. Starting in front of the tree facing the water, step off 8 paces on a heading of 95^O. The Sarah Island Letterbox lies here covered by many stones. After you have stamped in, be sure to cover the box with all those stones (add on if you so desire). The more stones, the less chance it will float away. Now, return to your vessel and navigate your way to Ragged Island to the west.

On the west side of Ragged Island are many small rocky inlets and stony beaches. Make your landing in any one of these. Then climb over the rocky points to the south shore. Continue along the south shore until you spy a dead tree growing out of the rocky ledge. From this tree, climb to the top of the rocky bluff. Meander around a bit until you can see a small red brick house to the south, a boat house at the end of a point of land to the north, and a yellow house to the west. From this spot, bushwhack along a general heading of 100^O until you find a multi-pronged dead stump sprouting from the rock. The Ragged Island Letterbox hides beneath a ledge near this stump. It is concealed with leaves and grass. Stamp in, carefully rehide the box, and return to your vessel.

Cast off once again, and make your way to Langlee Island (located due north of Sarah Island). On the southeast shore of the island you will find a small stony beach. Beach your craft here, and locate a small path on the left side of the beach (facing the island). Follow this path, quickly reaching a fork where you should bear right. Now you will come to a large oak tree in the middle of a clearing. Cross the clearing, and continue up the rocks. Just as you reach the edge of the overlook, look to the left where you will see a split rock. The Langlee Island Letterbox is hidden here. Do not reach into hidden spaces without checking them out first. Find the box, and take it to the top of the overlook for stamping in. This may be a good spot for a picnic. When replacing the box, beware prying eyes; this appears to be a popular place.

You have now captured the Pirates of Hingham Harbor. If you are still game, you might want to paddle to the northern most art of Worlds End, where another treasure lies in wait.

WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER

Letterboxing, like any outdoor sport, carries the risk of unforeseen hazards.  "Letterboxing North America" supports a policy of not knowingly placing letterboxes in areas that will create undue risk to the letterbox hunter.  However, as conditions may vary, it is the responsibility of the letterbox searcher to become thoroughly familiar with the conditions in the area to be searched, to adequately prepare for those conditions, and to conduct oneself safely and responsibly with respect to those conditions and with respect to his or her personal abilities and limitations.  "Letterboxing North America" and the individual letterbox sponsors assume no liability for events, which may occur, related directly or indirectly to one's searching for a letterbox. 

Do not let children hunt for letterboxes unsupervised.