16Number of saves Ryan Speier recorded in 2001 playing for the Bourne Braves in the famed Cape Cod Baseball League — still a league record. He went on to pitch for the Colorado Rockies. The Braves play at Doran Park, high above the canal at Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School, where you can also catch some of the best sunsets.

235 & 130

Number of slips and moorings, respectively, at Kingman Yacht Center, purportedly the largest marina on the Cape. But perhaps one of the highlights of having a boat at Kingman is relaxing in an Adirondack chair on the crushed oyster shells outside the Chart Room and enjoying a mudslide.

2 & 5

The number of villages north of the Cape Cod Canal and south, respectively, according to town officials. North: Sagamore Beach and Buzzards Bay. South: South Sagamore, Bourne Village, Monument Beach, Pocasset, and Cataumet. A portion of Bourne also falls within the boundaries of Joint Base Cape Cod.

Pro

The canal

Who doesn’t associate their Cape visit with a trip over the canal on one of its iconic bridges — the Bourne or Sagamore? This 101-year-old man-made canal made it easy for mariners to shoot up to and down from Boston with relative ease, but it also helped make Cape Cod what it is today. The canal offers great biking, fishing, and camping, among other activities.

Con

No big non-canal draws

Bourne is great to drive through, but it lacks the really big cultural and entertainment draws other towns have. Heritage Museums & Gardens is in Sandwich. Carver has Edaville USA. And, well, Plymouth has Plimoth Plantation. Even Wareham has Water Wizz for crying out loud. A museum for the canal? Uh, that’s in Sandwich. And the town’s biggest event, Scallop Fest, relocated to the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in East Falmouth.

Scott Lajoie is a freelance writer on the Cape. He can be reached at ScottLajoie@hotmail.com.