How to miss the Peg-and-Line tide on purpose

Peg-and-Line Wharf works on a twenty-two-minute window twice a day. If you arrive when the Gudgeon Clock says you should, you will be standing on wet stairs arguing with a ladder. Arrive when the basin goes slack and the same stairs are a dock.

Marge will tell you the clock is historical. The tide is not historical. It is this afternoon. If you are walking to Little Mackerel, leave the office when the chalkboard says flood, not when the bronze hand looks ceremonial.

Check availability for the island run if you like a confirmation number. The slip does not take numbers. It takes slack water.