Magellan Fishing Charters is the deep sea charter to book on Cape Cod when you want one boat that can fish almost anything the Cape offers. Out of Saquatucket Harbor in Harwich Port, Captain Len Greiner runs a 35 foot Duffy with the broadest menu in the local fleet: inshore sea bass, scup, striped bass, and bluefish, and full day offshore runs for giant bluefin tuna, shark, and groundfish. A Coast Guard licensed Master with more than 20 years on these waters, he posts every price by the boat, which makes the operation easy to plan around.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.9 Magellan is fifth in the Cape Cod ranking and a strong, worth booking call, the pick when you want the flexibility to pick a target, from a 3 hour sea bass trip to a 10 hour tuna run, on a single transparent price list. It suits an angler who wants the offshore option without booking a dedicated tuna boat. Two honest caveats hold it in the strong tier rather than higher. The online review record is thin and spread across platforms rather than deep on any one, and there is a no show complaint in the record, a report of a booked trip where the boat did not turn out, which a prospective booker has to weigh. For the deepest offshore record in the port, the FV Odysea review is the call. Compare the field on the Cape Cod ranking.
The boat
The Magellan is a 35 foot Duffy sportfisher fishing up to six anglers, a capable downeast style hull for a harbor whose offshore trips reach east of Chatham and out to the banks. An older directory lists it as a 33 foot Fortier, but the operator’s own current listing is the 35 foot Duffy, so treat that as the boat. It is set up for the full range it fishes, from light tackle bottom work to the heavy gear of a tuna or shark day. The boat is the workmanlike part of the operation rather than its selling point; the draw is the menu and the captain.
The fishing and what you target
Few Cape boats fish as wide a range. Inshore, the Magellan works Nantucket Sound and the Monomoy and Nantucket rips for black sea bass, scup, striped bass, and bluefish. Offshore, the full day trips run for giant bluefin tuna, for shark east of Chatham and south of the islands on a roughly 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. day, and for cod, pollock, and haddock on the banks, plus an offshore fluke trip. Black sea bass opens May 16 and scup runs all summer, the tuna and shark are a summer into fall fishery, and cod is heavily restricted, so much of the groundfish keep is haddock. The tuna and shark carry the federal Highly Migratory Species permit.
Trips and prices
The price list is the strength here, and it is refreshingly complete: every trip is posted by the boat, not per person. Inshore trips run $750 for 3 hours up to $1,050 for 6 to 8 hours. The full day offshore trips are a flat $1,800 each, whether that is the 10 hour bluefin tuna trip, the shark trip, the cod and haddock run, or the offshore fluke. All rods, reels, bait, and tackle are provided, and the mates fillet your catch. That clarity, a single sheet covering bottom fishing to bluefin, is rare on the Cape and is what carries the value score. Our cost guide frames the tiers, and the head boat versus private charter guide covers the private whole boat format.
The crew
Captain Len Greiner runs the boat, a Coast Guard licensed Master with a Massachusetts Maritime Academy background and more than 20 years of Cape charters, with Captain Jason aboard, who landed the operation’s biggest tuna at 1,039 pounds in 2009. The sentiment, across a thinner spread of reviews than the head boats carry, is warm: anglers praise Captain Len by name, the family friendly trips, and the productive days. The one substantive negative is a no show report, where a booked party said the boat did not turn out and a call was not returned, which is worth confirming your booking against when you reserve.
Booking and what to know
Book through the operator site, and confirm your date and time directly given the no show note in the record. Bring food, drink, layers for the long offshore day, and a cooler; gear, bait, and fillet service are covered. For tuna, shark, or groundfish, book the full day well ahead, and remember cod is largely a release fish now, so the keepable groundfish is mostly haddock.
How we scored it
Magellan earns its 7.9 on the broadest, most transparent trip menu in the Harwich fleet and a credentialed captain who can fish inshore bottom to offshore tuna. Trips and access and value are its strongest factors. It sits in the strong tier on a thin, scattered review record and a no show complaint that holds service and track record down. See how we scored this boat and the Cape Cod rankings, including Lady J Sportfishing and Helen H.