For Martina Mastromonaco, Chilmark beach superintendent, the horseshoe she found recently on a dune at the west end of Lucy Vincent Beach is no lucky charm.
On the contrary, she thinks the ancient-looking piece of metal is a bearer of bad tidings. The game of throwing horseshoes at the beach has not been popular for many years, she reasons, so the fact that the ocean has uncovered this artifact now is a stark illustration of how fast her beach is disappearing.