Lines form at the Galley restaurant on warm summer evenings as people of all ages stand shoulder to shoulder for swordfish sandwiches and soft-serve ice cream cones. Around the corner at the Bite, the smell of fried clams hangs in the air. Down on the docks charter fishermen steam in from somewhere off Noman’s, their holds full of freshly caught striped bass and bluefish. And when the sun sinks into the western horizon, crowds form on the beach, as they have for so many years, to gaze across the water, look for the green flash and cheer the end of another day.

A vast harbor improvement plan in Menemsha is largely complete after five months of work in the harbor. Chilmark executive secretary Tim Carroll said minor adjustments still need to be made, including replacing of some lightbulbs in bombards, finishing electrical work and securing the water line.
“The seagulls are already dropping lobster and crab claws on the docks,” Mr. Carroll said.