Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday brushed off criticism of his proposal to plant 166 massive wind turbines off the coast of toney Martha's Vineyard, even as he sought to reassure the wealthy enclave's enraged residents he's not spoiling for a fight.

"Wind mills have to go where the wind is," Patrick told the Herald, when asked about the plethora of such projects proposed for Bay State waters.

The Herald reported yesterday that some islanders were up in arms because the Patrick administration is pushing to install 166 wind turbines, comparable to 50-story buildings topped with strobe lights, off the island's coast.

The Vineyard is a playground of celebrities, powerbrokers and presidents, hosting the Obamas last summer and the Clintons during the '90s.

As part of a plan due from state Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles by Dec. 31, a wind farm of up to 100 turbines would be located southwest of the wildlife refuge Nomans Land, and another 66 would be placed off Cuttyhunk.

Yesterday, Patrick charted a cautious course to avoid offending Martha's Vineyard's liberal rich and famous, who've backed Patrick politically in the past.

"Nothing is going to be rammed down anyone's throat," Patrick said.

A Patrick spokesman, Robert Keough, said the Martha's Vineyard Commission, a planning agency, still could reject the turbines.

Still, as islanders complain their ocean vistas will be ruined, Patrick argued that the "area is already called a ‘no-man zone' for a reason," and that it used to be used by the military for target practice