The Cape Coddah
Posts
☀️ Chatham Beach Breach

☀️ Chatham Beach Breach

Plus: Ever take a ride on a NanTukTuk?

Cape Coddah
May 30, 2025

Good morning Cape Cod. This is The Cape Coddah, the newsletter that gives you the same feeling as finding $50 in an old jacket pocket.

In this week’s Cape Coddah:

Veteran killed in hit & run
14 Cape towns oppose Pilgrim plan
Events and live music

Let’s get to it.

CAPE DIGEST

🌎 From Dennis Summers to World Stage

Two brothers with Dennis ties are key figures at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. Lee McGuire, selected from 1,500 applicants, serves as a youth ambassador giving tours at the USA Pavilion, while his brother Kai was appointed Director of Protocol by the State Department.

Lee took a gap year from George Washington University for this opportunity. The USA Pavilion features four themed areas showcasing American excellence, including a moon rock display honoring the 1970 Osaka Expo. The World Expo runs through October with over 150 countries participating. Read the full story.

🦪 Shellfish Harvest on Hold After Storm

Shellfishing areas across Bourne, Mashpee and Falmouth are currently closed following last week's heavy rainfall, which dumped nearly 6 inches on Falmouth—double the 3-inch threshold that typically triggers closures.

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries prohibits all shellfish harvesting from affected waters until testing confirms safe fecal coliform levels. Closed areas include Waquoit Bay, Little River, Hamblin Pond, Great River and Jehu Pond in Mashpee.

"Significant flooding, how quickly we get rain, and rain after a dry period can cause quicker closures," explained Chuck Martinsen, Falmouth's deputy shellfish warden. Shellfishers should check town websites and posted signs before harvesting once reopening is announced. Read the full story.

Start learning AI in 2025

Keeping up with AI is hard – we get it!

That’s why over 1M professionals read Superhuman AI to stay ahead.

Get daily AI news, tools, and tutorials
Learn new AI skills you can use at work in 3 mins a day
Become 10X more productive

🌊 Storm Creates New Chatham Cut

Last week's nor'easter punched a hole in the northern tip of North Beach Island, about 100 yards south of Chatham's North Inlet. Unlike typical storm washovers that close naturally, this cut appears to be "deepening as the tides cycle through," according to Harbormaster Jason Holm.

Officials strongly advise mariners to avoid the new cut due to dangerous currents and potential underwater debris. The harbormaster's staff is repositioning navigation aids throughout the area.

For now, the original North Inlet remains the best route from Pleasant Bay to the Atlantic, with the South Inlet offering a more stable alternative with 3-4 feet of water at low tide. Read the full story.

@THECAPECODDAH

📸 @homeportcapecod | 📍 Sandwich Boardwalk

Tag @thecapecoddah to get your photos in the Coddah!

☢️ Cape Voters Say No to Nuke Vapor

Nuclear activists are heading to Gov Healey's office June 10 with ballot results from 14 Cape towns and Plymouth opposing Holtec International's plan to evaporate radioactive water from the closed Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant.

The Cape Downwinders coalition argues the Ocean Sanctuaries Act should prevent Pilgrim's vapor from reaching Cape Cod Bay, maintaining no radiation exposure is completely safe.

Holtec spokesman Patrick O'Brien calls this fear-mongering, stating the public would receive just 0.00032 millirem of radiation—compared to the 620 millirem Americans average annually from natural sources. The non-binding measure puts pressure on state officials to intervene. Read the full story.

AROUND THE CAPE

A lucky painted turtle is recovering after a golf ball strike left an "unmistakable divot" in its shell but missed vital organs by centimeters.

National Seashore's new stairs at Marconi Beach are complete and open to visitors, with rangers now finishing an accessible viewing platform.

Cape scientists are attaching "shark spy" camera tags to great whites to study their movements, feeding habits, and interactions with fishermen.

LOCAL BUSINESS

📈 Startup Pedals Past Island Skepticism

After rejecting a corporate sales job to travel the world, 26-year-old Michael Gormley brought pedicabs to Nantucket despite fierce local resistance. His first summer was miserable—sleeping in his truck and relying solely on tips while facing community skepticism.

Persistence paid off in year two. With four tuk-tuks and partnerships with hotels and wedding planners, business took off. NanTukTuk now earns up to $4,000 for events and $10,000 from advertising contracts.

Though he loves being his own boss, Gormley doesn't see it as forever: "At the end of the day, NanTukTuk allowed me to network tremendously and avoid the corporate world," planning just one or two more seasons. Read the full story.

THE ISLANDS

"Sirens," Netflix's new series is inspired by Molly Smith Metzler's eye-opening summer working among the ultra-rich at a Martha’s Vineyard yacht club.

Endurance athlete Lewis Pugh finished a frigid 62-mile swim around MV to challenge "Jaws"-inspired shark misconceptions.

A family seeks the missing dog tags of Ernest Gentile Sr., a decorated Navy SEAL after they mysteriously surfaced at a Nantucket food festival.

🙏 BECOME A SUPPORTER

Each week, we spend many hours curating and crafting this email entirely for free. Help us keep this resource available (and growing!) by becoming a supporter.

Already a supporter? Thank you so much.

CIVIL NEWS

🚨 Florida Vet Killed in Wellfleet Hit & Run

Police are seeking the driver who struck and killed Timothy Duval Jr., a 24-year-old Army veteran from Tallahassee, on Ocean View Drive Saturday night before fleeing the scene.

Investigators believe an SUV or pickup truck hit Duval near Long Pond Road around 11:37 p.m. Wellfleet Police Chief Kevin LaRocco says they're "following several leads" but have made no arrests.

The young father was visiting Cape friends, staying in Truro. He had become separated from his group after a concert at the Beachcomber. Anyone with surveillance footage or information should contact Detective Michael Allen at 508-349-3702. Read the full story.

PET OF THE WEEK

👋 Meet: Bowie
🐾 Bulldog/Pit Bull Terrier
🎂 3 years old
♀︎ Male
Available to adopt at MSCPA-Cape Cod

WHAT’S HAPPENIN’

SATURDAY - MAY 31

SUNDAY - JUNE 1

Paddle Splash Bash @ Flax Pond Beach | 10 AM
David Gessner @ CC Museum of Nat. Hist. | 1 PM
20 Summers @ Hawthorne Barn (P-Town) | 4 PM

LIVE MUSIC 🎸

SUNDAY - JUNE 1

Bart Weisman Jazz @ Bleu Restaurant | 12 PM
Chris LeBeau @ CC Winery | 12 PM
Jonathan Cabral @ The Flying Bridge | 1 PM
Mike Garavan Group @ Barley Neck Inn | 2 PM
Bryce Elizabeth @ CC Beer | 3 PM
Cold Chocolate @ Highfield Hall | 4 PM
Birch Swart @ Falmouth Raw Bar | 4 PM
Andrea the Judge & Sinner @ The Woodshed | 5
David Tecce @ Off the Grid | 5 PM
Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ @ CC Melody Tent | 7:30

_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. We'll always let you know when something's sponsored.}

WEATHER

Friday

68 🌡️ 56 | 🌦️ | 💧40% | 💨 SSW 15 mph

Saturday

64 🌡️ 54 | 🌧️ | 💧 89% | 💨 SW 17 mph

Sunday

64🌡️ 50 | 🌤️ | 💧 25% | 💨 SW 18 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 51ºF

HOME OF THE WEEK

68 Pleasant Street, Chatham
Asking $975K
5 🛌
1.5 🛀
2,016 square feet 
0.57 acre lot

_{Nothing in this section is sponsored. We'll always let you know when something's sponsored.}

THANKS!

Thanks for reading The Cape Coddah today. If you found something useful or entertaining, please share it with someone who has visited Japan.