Provincetown's MacMillan Pier and Harbor

10/21/2026

MACMILLAN PIER

PIER SAFETY ALERT

October 26–29, 2026

Please be advised that MacMillan Pier will experience a temporary power outage for approximately three days during the replacement of the main electrical switchgear that supplies power to the Pier.

Safety Measures: Temporary generators and construction lighting will be in place throughout the project to provide lighting and support safe working conditions.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as this essential infrastructure improvement is completed. Thank you for your attention to safety during this work.

10/14/2026

That's Le Bellot in the harbor today, a 431-foot French expedition ship from Ponant with an underwater lounge where guests can listen to the sea through hydrophones. She's in Provincetown until 2 pm on a 13-night round trip from Boston to Nova Scotia, Maine and New York, and heads through the Cape Cod Canal this evening.

You'll see a video at the end of this post of her tender docking at the pier. Large boats use tenders to bring people and goods to port when the main ship is too big to come aside. "Tender", first recorded in the 15th century, stems from the verb "tenden" (to attend or look after). The water next to the pier is 15 feet deep at low tide and about 25 feet at high tide. While Le Bellot could certainly float next to the Pier at high tide, she would - in any wind - either crush the pier sideways or pull the cleats right out of the concrete: she's way too big and heavy to dock here physically.

Fun fact: the ship is named for a 19th-century Arctic explorer, and her guests come ashore at a pier named for another one, Provincetown's own Admiral Donald B. MacMillan.

Swipe to meet the ship, follow her voyage, and see what a port call brings to the Pier.

10/08/2026

The Problem: The Long Point D**e (aka West End Breakwater... you know the one!) is scenic and nice to walk on, but also surprisingly slippery. At 1.5 miles long, if someone gets hurt way out there, it's a tricky rescue situation.

When the tide/winds are good, we can rescue from the harbor-side in our blue 25' patrol boat, which has a bow door & ladder for just this purpose. At medium to low tides or certain high-wind conditions, the patrol boat isn't an option.

Instead, we use a small 14' aluminum boat that we have kept on a trailer next to the kayak launch spot on the "marsh side" of the breakwater for the last two seasons. It works great as a boat, but it takes too much effort and time to launch it from there.

The Pilot Solution: An outhaul mooring on the marsh side of the rocks.

Outhaul moorings are common for dinghy-size craft to enable them to float away from rocks & docks but still be retrieved from land. An "outhaul" line goes from the boat to a pulley on the mooring and back to shore; pulling the outhaul moves the boat towards the mooring buoy. A second "inhaul" line from the boat directly back to shore pulls the boat back to shore when needed.

Our goal is to make it dead simple (and super speedy) for any EMS personnel to recover the boat, load up, and head out. We're going to fiddle with the exact line/pully setup as we gain experience with it.

The mooring is a "helix" type screw anchor that is easy to set and retrieve and doesn't impact the environment where we've installed it (there's no eelgrass or other sensitive ecology at that spot). The boat and associated tackle are light and equally easy to move/remove, making this a simple experiment to adjust. We want to ensure that people can easily move around the boat/lines at all tides and enjoy full access to the tidal marsh environment, especially for shellfishing, so we welcome feedback!

Members of the public: please do not touch this undoubtedly curiousity-invoking bit of life safety equipment.

10/08/2026

CSO Carlos Maldonado was a frequent smiling face on the Pier the last 2 summers and we stand with the town in support of Bringing Carlos Home! Keeping Carlos and his family in our thoughts.

-MacMillan Pier & Harbormaster Team ⚓️

I am deeply upset by the detention of Carlos Maldonado Valle, a 21-year-old Provincetown resident and Community Service Officer with the Provincetown Police Department.

I want the community to know that we are doing everything we can to bring Carlos home.

Since learning of his detention yesterday, we have been working urgently to assist Carlos and his attorney in securing his release. I have personally reached out to Governor Maura Healey’s Office, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Senator Ed Markey’s Office, and Congressman Bill Keating’s Office, and members of the Provincetown Select Board, all of whom have offered their assistance and support. Police Chief Greg Hennick and I have also submitted letters advocating for Carlos’ immediate release.

I am grateful to our Congressional delegation, the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Select Board, Carlos’ attorney Rachel Self, Chief Hennick, Deputy Town Manager Dan Riviello, and everyone who has stepped up to help.

Last night, as a result of our advocacy yesterday, a federal judge issued an emergency order temporarily preventing Carlos from being transferred out of Massachusetts or removed from the country while his case is reviewed. We hope to make more progress today. But that is not enough. Carlos belongs at home in Provincetown, not in federal custody.

Carlos has done nothing wrong. He does not deserve what is happening to him, and he should be released immediately so he can return home to his family and the community he loves and serves.

Carlos came to this country as a child and has spent much of his life in Provincetown. He is a hardworking, compassionate, and selfless young man who has dedicated himself to helping others and dreams of becoming a police officer.

During the devastating winter storm this past February, when Provincetown was without power for four days, Carlos worked nearly around the clock at our emergency shelter, caring for residents, many of whom were elderly or had significant medical needs. When our community needed him most, Carlos was there without hesitation. Now, when Carlos needs us, we will be there for him.

While this wasn’t the result of any ICE enforcement activity in Provincetown, the circumstances surrounding his detention are still deeply troubling. Carlos was simply returning home from Puerto Rico when his flight was diverted to Bermuda because of another passenger’s medical emergency. Through absolutely no fault of his own, he now finds himself in federal custody, separated from his mother, his colleagues, and his community.

This is not how someone who has followed the law, worked hard, and dedicated himself to public service should be treated. Carlos represents exactly the kind of young person we should be supporting and encouraging, not detaining.

To Carlos and his family: Please know that your community stands behind you. We will continue doing everything within our power to advocate for your release and bring you home.

Provincetown is a community that takes care of its own. Carlos has demonstrated that commitment to our community time and time again. Now it is our turn to stand up for him.

We are calling for Carlos’ immediate release so he can come home to his mother, return to his colleagues at the Provincetown Police Department, and continue serving the community that means so much to him.

For those wishing to help, community members have created a GoFundMe to help support Carlos, his family, and their legal fees. You can donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/legal-support-for-carlos-maldonado

10/02/2026

Our phones are blowing up, so we know y'all are curious about the "big yacht" in the Harbor... Meet the Scenic Eclipse, a 551-foot polar-class "discovery yacht" with two helicopters and its own submarine. It's yacht-shaped, but is actually a cruise ship operated by Scenic Cruises (https://scenic.cruises/US/en-US/ocean/ocean-experience/ship-experience/scenic-eclipse). It's in Provincetown today on an 11-night fall voyage from Montréal to New York.

Swipe to see how a cruise ship port call works, why our town pier has a federal security plan (short answer: cruise ships!), and what ships pay the Pier.

08/19/2026

Always a pleasure to have our friends from the PD on board M1. ⚓️🌊💙

06/28/2026

Happy Blessing from your MacMillan Pier and Provincetown Harbormaster Team! Looking forward to a fun and safe Blessing of the Fleet… you too can have a fun and safe Blessing if you follow these rules! Any questions we are here to help!

06/18/2026

Dinghy Dock Update at MacMillan Pier

It is always our aim to make MacMillan Pier safe and accessible to all. With that in mind, we’ve expanded the Dinghy Dock by adding the floating dock shown in the foreground of this photo, creating an additional 40 feet of space for dinghy users and improving access near the gangplank.

You’ll also notice a new seasonal tenant at the eastern end of the dock: Sailing for All Provincetown’s educational sailing vessel. This partnership with Sailing For All Provincetown supports sailing education, helps advance waterfront accessibility initiatives, and generates revenue that supports Pier operations and maintenance.

Together, these changes mean:

✔ More dock space for dinghy users
✔ Expanded sailing opportunities through a local nonprofit
✔ Additional support for MacMillan Pier operations

As we head into the busy summer season, please remember:

• Permit holders have priority for dock space
• Display your 2026 permit on the inside port transom
• Tie dinghies by the bow only (one point of contact)
• Do not lock vessels to the dock
• Keep docks clear of gear and debris

Thank you for helping us keep Provincetown Harbor safe, accessible, and welcoming for everyone.

06/13/2026

When something unexpectedly goes “boom”, it’s a good idea to stop everything and take a look…
👀
We closed MacMillan Pier briefly today after a loud noise and some surface cracking appeared in the concrete deck where the approach and main piers come together (right before the Harbormaster building).
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We inspected the structure from below and above and conferred with our maritime engineering team, who jumped on video calls on a moments notice.
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Thank you to the Provincetown Police Department’s Community Service Officers for their quick action, to Provincetown Fire Department for sending an engine and helping us pry up access panels, to our Assistant Harbormasters who assisted the Harbormaster with maneuvering one of our boats under the pier, handling traffic, finding tools, and making signs, & to the Highway Department for their quick sourcing and installation of steel plates.
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The Pier is structurally sound and was re-opened to all traffic within about 30 minutes, with the minor addition of those metal plates to protect the concrete. We’ll be adjusting the tolerances on some expansion joint plates and performing concrete repairs that are not expected to impact operations significantly.

06/13/2026

Please be safe, our staff is working with Town officials, the PD, FD and engineers to fix this issue.

UPDATE - June 15:

Engineers from Foth Infrastructure & Environment conducted a thorough inspection of the affected area at MacMillan Pier with Town staff, including both the pier deck and the structural components beneath the pier. The inspection confirmed that the issue is limited to the bridge joint area and that the pier's primary structural supports remain sound.

Based on the inspection, engineers are now designing a permanent repair that will be completed during a lower-traffic period later this year to minimize impacts to pier operations.

In the meantime, the Town is installing a reinforced temporary repair with steel plates that safely span the damaged area and is designed to accommodate all vehicle and pedestrian traffic, including commercial vehicles and emergency apparatus. The temporary repair is expected to remain in place until the permanent repair is completed, likely in the fall/winter.

While one lane was temporarily closed during inspection and repair work, both lanes of traffic are expected to be fully reopened.

MacMillan Pier remains open, safe, and fully operational for residents, visitors, businesses, and commercial users.

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Earlier this afternoon (June 13) Town staff were alerted to what appeared to be a large crack visible on the surface of MacMillan Pier near 16 MacMillan. Access to the Pier was restricted for a short time while a preliminary inspection could be performed.

At this time, the issue appears to be a surface crack from thermal expansion. Engineers will be on-site tomorrow morning to fully inspect the area and advise the Town on any immediate structural needs or concerns.

MacMillan Pier is now open to pedestrian and light vehicle traffic, pending tomorrow morning’s inspection.

Ferry traffic to/from Provincetown is continuing on its regular schedule at this time.

Pier users or any others with questions should contact the Provincetown Pier and Harbormaster Office at 508-487-7030.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.