In 1961, Hurricane Esther blew through the region and left a parting gift just off the western tip of Nantucket, a new little "tapering spit of sand and sea grasses." Now known as Esther Island, this portion of Smith's Point off of Madaket is a "temporary island that is infrequently detached from Nantucket depending on the severity of ocean storms." In other words, it's a part-time peninsula, known full-time as an island.