Apr 15, 2026
A war is waging at the water's edge in Nantucket. On one side are homeowners who've spent millions trying to keep their seaside properties on this island located approximately 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, from slipping into the ocean. On the other side, locals who say the erosion they're fighting is simply nature taking its course — and should not be interfered with.
In January, a 947-foot stretch of geotubes — sand-filled tubes meant to act as a breakwater to help slow the erosion off Sconset Bluff, on the island's southeastern tip — was slashed by someone or something, according to the Wall Street Journal (1).
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The bluff boasts wealthy part-time residents, including hedge fund pioneer Helmut Weymar (2). "I think there may be a bit of class warfare going on," he told WSJ, when asked about opposition to residents who paid for the geotubes. "Those are fat cats in some people's view, and they should not be helped."
Millions put into mitigation
As part of the Sconset Beach Preservation Fund, property owners along Sconset Bluff have already spent about $18 million on the erosion mitigation, according to WSJ (3). The recent damage could cost them $2 million more in repairs. That would be on top of a proposed 3,000-foot expansion of the geotubes to try to help save more of the 80 homes located along the bluff's Baxter Road.
At a town meeting in May, Nantucket residents will decide whether or not to give the Sconset Beach Preservation Fund the go-ahead. But the group may have a fight on their hands, with residents reportedly taking out a full-page newspaper ad to protest the geotubes (4).
"It is absolutely crazy that the town has resisted an effort by individual homeowners to protect their property and the road and public utilities with a technology that is now proven," 89-year-old Weyman told WSJ (5).
Nantucket's wealthy are not new to the perils of erosion, spending small fortunes to protect their properties, which can include moving them further back from the prized oceanfront or even demolishing them in hopes to start over at a safer distance.
Journalist and former banker William Cohan told WSJ (6) he spent close to the same amount he did to purchase his Baxter Road summer home 17 years ago, $600,000, to move it 75 feet inland. Cohen, whose property shares the same name as his New York Times bestseller House of Cards (7), said, "Everyone is mad at us — the quote-unquote rich people on Baxter Road."
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The oceanfront fight (and plight)
The debate between local groups over the impact of geotubes has been going strong for years. The Nantucket Conservation Commission, a regulatory board that upholds state and local wetland protection laws, has argued (8) that such "engineered" structures can interfere with the beach's natural evolution, and lead to erosion in other areas of the island.
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On its website, the Nantucket Coastal Conservancy, a resident advocacy group, says the tubes cause "scouring" (9) at its ends, "creating severe erosion that is concentrated at the two end points." While the structures may help protect Sconset Bluff from erosion, the group contends they could be detrimental to coastline in other areas of the island.
"I see this as a small number of very wealthy, really influential people who will not take no for an answer," one of the group's founders, D. Anne Atherton, who lives north of Sconset in Squam, told WSJ.
But, as climate change continues to raise sea levels around the world, coastal communities could benefit with financial support from residents with perceived deep pockets, like those on Baxter Road, who are willing to put skin in the game.
According to estimates in the 2021 Nantucket Coastal Resilience Plan (10), over the next half-century, coastal flooding and erosion are expected to cause more than $3.4 billion in damages across the island. Meanwhile, globally, costs (11) to cities from rising sea levels and inland flooding have been pegged to reach $1 trillion by mid-century.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Wall Street Journal (1),(3),(4),(5),(6); Business Insider (2); Goodreads (7); The New York Times (8); Save Nantucket Beaches (9); Town of Nantucket (10); C40 Cities (11)
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Tara Losinski is an associate editor for Moneywise.
