# Long Island (and slightly east) anchorages



## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

We will be heading from the Cape Cod Canal to NYC in May and wonder what anchorages people would recommend? We want a pretty spot with interesting things onshore if possible. We have been to Cuttyhunk, Hadley Harbor, and Block Island and some of the bays on the north shore of Long Island so not a total newbie in this area, but looking for good spots.


----------



## weinie (Jun 21, 2008)

killarney_sailor said:


> We will be heading from the Cape Cod Canal to NYC in May and wonder what anchorages people would recommend? We want a pretty spot with interesting things onshore if possible. We have been to Cuttyhunk, Hadley Harbor, and Block Island and some of the bays on the north shore of Long Island so not a total newbie in this area, but looking for good spots.


port washington is a logical stop after getting past the NYC bridges. Town dock has moorings and water taxi to shore.


----------



## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

I think we stopped at Port Washington a number of years ago. Really looking for interesting out of the way spots - the ones locals know about but transients don't.


----------



## justified (Jun 14, 2007)

North Cove just up the Ct river at Old saybrook is always nice. Free moorings ( ones with yellow steamer on )for up to 72hrs. North cove yatch club is there also. A little further up is Essex - just beautiful.

Anywhere around Fishers Island sound is beautiful - West harbor on Fishers
or anywhere in the mystic area. You can stay right at the Mystic Sea port - your dock fee include admission to the sea port.
Lake Montauk down at the very end.
There's always Shelter Island ny - Coecles harbor or green port - and further west is port jefferson ny

Enjoy your trip


----------



## bvander66 (Sep 30, 2007)

Mystic is nice.
really liked Northport, Huntington not so much.
Stratford during festival
milford during oyster festival, anchor behind charles island
South Norwalk
Oysterbay
didnt enjoy Port Jeff.


----------



## Seand50 (May 11, 2014)

Dutch Harbor in Jamestown, RI is great. Not too busy and you can walk into town if you want (<1 mile). Moorings are available and there is also a good anchorage area. Sunsets are spectacular.


----------



## mbianka (Sep 19, 2014)

Killarney:

Long Island Sound is my home cruising water and I enjoy the numerous places to visit or just drop the hook. Here is a couple of ideas starting in the west and heading east. Some of which have already been mentioned

Port Washington: Good first stop coming from New York. They use to have about 20 moorings free for use for 48 hours or you could pay a reasonable fee and get unlimited launch service. Not sure if that is still the case this year. Has a big supermarket, liquor store and others just across the road from the harbor with a place to dock your dingy or drop off and pick up by launch. Good place to re-provision if you need to. You can also anchor out on the west side of the harbor too if going ashore does not appeal to you.

City Island: A quick trip north across the sound from Port Washington or visa versa. Technically part of the City of New York but, a completely different vibe from Manhattan. A visit to the Maritime Museum (open on weekends only on the east side of the island) is kind of interesting place showing the nautical history of the Island:
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: DESTINATION: CITY ISLAND PART ONE

COLD SPRING HARBOR: Would be my next stop. BTW You enter Cold Spring Harbor to get to Oyster Bay. Though I often just drop the hook for several days on the west side of Cold Spring Harbor anywhere along the beach south of Coopers Bluff. Very good holding in about 15 feet of water through out most of CSH. Though not much protection out of the north in a blow. One of my favorite places to hang out on the hook.

OYSTER BAY: You turn to starboard to follow the channel into Oyster Bay Harbor after entering Cold Spring Harbor. Lot's of activity including dredges digging up the Oysters which are farmed on the bottom. Some anchoring on the east side but, most of the harbor is filled with moorings. Fuel is available and the town has a number of restaurants and shops including laundromat. I usually head there for the Oyster Festival in the Fall and rent a mooring for a few days during the festival :
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: DESTINATION: THE OYSTER BAY OYSTER FESTIVAL; Part Three
I sometimes bypass the busy mooring area and take my boat to the west harbor located on the west side of Center Island and drop the hook to have some solitude and watch sunsets for a few days:
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: ELECTRIC SAILING: A Columbus Day Voyage Part Two

HUNTINGTON BAY: A short sail east is where you have a choice of harbors Huntington and Northport particularly though no anchorage in them but, rental moorings are available. Though I have anchored outside the Northport Harbor in good holding in about 15 to 20 feet of water just to stay away from the land activity. Eatons Neck Basin (east side entrance to the harbor) is an interesting spot to visit just stay clear of the Coast Guard channel. Might be best for a day visit (I did drag during a gale one time and the area is pretty tight)

PORT JEFFERSON: Is next stop east with pretty good space to anchor on the east side and a lot of moorings filling the west side. Busy on the weekends but, pretty nice during the week. Especially off season. Can gunkhole into Setauket Harbor and on the northwest side of the harbor with the dink if you want. Hopping town especially on weekends

MOUNT SINAI: Three miles to the east of Port Jefferson. A hidden gem on the Long Island north shore. No anchoring but, A few rental moorings at Ral[phs Fishing Station, Mount Sinai Yacht Club. Also some transit dockage at the town marina. Southern half of the harbor is a preserve fun place to gunkhole with the dingy and watch Osprey etc...

MATTITUCK: 25 miles to the east of Mount Sinai. Another beautiful spot and a harbor of refuge. Has a marked off anchorage area and also a marina at the head of the creek. Supermarket nearby and small shops along the way. Free hot showers and dingy dock space in the town park. Nice peaceful spot especially during the week.

I've got more spots if you want to head around Orient Point and spend some time between the forks. But, as you can see there are quite a few spots to explore just along Long Island's north shore and I recommend you take your time to enjoy them.


----------



## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

There are great suggestions above that I won't repeat. Of course, you can anchor in Newport, but it can get crowded. Moorings are available in Newport, as well as across the East Passage at Connanicut Marina, in Jamestown, which runs a water shuttle to Newport.

Menemsha, on the northwestern shore of Martha's Vineyard is a great anchorage, if winds remain from any southerly direction. You are essentially looking at it from Cuttyhunk. One of the best sunsets in New England, if the sky is clear. People line the beaches. There are a couple of great fish mongers on the dock ashore and a terrific fish fry shack (the Bite), all within walking distance of the dinghy dock.

Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard is also a great anchorage, in anything but northerlies. You can cut through Woods Hole, which you are probably familiar with, if you've been to Hadley. Time the current properly!

Tarpaulin Cove on the south side of Naushon Island (a couple of islands east of Cuttyhunk) is beautiful, but nothing ashore. It's big advantage is protection from the north, which most of the anchorages in the area do not have. You can tuck inside the southwest corner and get protection from prevailing southwesterlies too.

The Point Judith refuge is a huge anchorage, but probably best considered a refuge, not a destination. But it's perfectly located on the southwestern extremity of Narragansett Bay for a bail out. You can get a slip up the river or dinghy into town. There is one of the most popular joints in the area, the Matunuck Oyster Bar, up the river. They farm their own Oysters, very popular.

If you want to spend some time in Narragansett Bay, there are plenty of anchorages, but I'll spare them, unless your interested. There are also a couple of the Sakonnet River.


----------



## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

Thanks for the suggestions. Also need to consider where to check into the US. The original plan was to do this in Stonington, might check and see what other possibilities are.


----------



## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

If the area is your first stop, Newport RI is a good choice.


----------



## nolatom (Jun 29, 2005)

If you've done Hadley's, try Quisset? pretty little harbor.

Cuttyhunk you've done, but it has some nice hiking too if you have some hours to spare.


----------



## justified (Jun 14, 2007)

Killarney

Just did a check on ports of entry near cape cod canal: New Bedford is the first that you would come to after you go thru thru channel.

New Bedford	37 Second Street
New Bedford, MA 02740	(508) 994-5158	0800-1700 (Eastern) Monday-Friday	Operators of private vessels should report arrival to: 207-532-2131 x255. Operators may be directed to report to a staffed location for inspection.	I-68
NEXUS

Newport	320 Thames Street
Newport, RI 02840	(401) 847-2744	0900-1700 (Eastern) Monday - Friday Memorial Day to Labor Day	Operators of private vessels should report arrival to: 207-532-2131 x255. Operators may be directed to report to a staffed location for inspection.	I-68
NEXUS

Hope this helps. 

Peter


----------



## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

Peter, thanks for checking that for me. I think I found out the same website you did. I wrote to the CBP people to ask about clearing in in Stonington as we did in 2009(ish). Turns out we can still do that. There are a number of marinas you can clear into in CT (listed below for anyone needing the info). Dodson's in New London is actually Stonington.

The officer who replied indicated that we need to contact his office (in Maine) two hours before we reach port. I assume he is assuming we are Americans and have an American cell phone. Sort of like the rule that used to exist to give Australian officials 48 hours notice of arrival (not at least 48 hours).

Westbrook - Brewers Pilots Point
New Haven - Pequonnock Yacht Club
New Haven - General Marine/Oyster Point
Milford - Milford Landing Marina
Stamford - Brewers Yacht Haven
Bridgeport - Captain's Cove Seaport
Greenwich - The Delamar Greenwich Harbor
New London - Customs Dock
New London - Dodson Boatyard


----------



## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

K..... If you're coming up from Bermuda, I'm confused how the CC canal comes into play?


----------



## mbianka (Sep 19, 2014)

Minnewaska said:


> K..... If you're coming up from Bermuda, I'm confused how the CC canal comes into play?


Me too. It seems to me that checking in at Sandy Hook New Jersey might be a better option. I know Reid Stowe did that after his 1000+ days at sea. Then Killarney would have a choices either to stop in New York City, go up the Hudson River or head into Long Island Sound.


----------



## tempest (Feb 12, 2007)

My guess, would be that Kilarney simply hasn't updated his signature line lately. And is now heading south, through the CCC.


----------



## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Tempest said:


> My guess, would be that Kilarney simply hasn't updated his signature line lately. And is now heading south, through the CCC.


Updated or not, it suggests he's going from Bermuda to LIS, if he's heading south from Cape Cod Bay, throug the canal, one would think he'd have cleared in up north somewhere first.


----------



## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

We will be going to Plymouth, MA after entering at Stonington. We had our hull Awlgripped at the yard there and it has erupted in thousands of tiny blisters. I hope they will offer some measure of warranty relief since it is either a fault with the paint (unlikely) or how it was applied.

We also will be visiting Mystic Seaport before heading to the Hudson and northward. We have come into the US several times through New York harbour. This will be an interesting change.


----------



## jjablonowski (Aug 13, 2007)

Go to www.activecaptain.com and launch the Interactive Cruising Guidebook. All the green spots (anchorages) on the map have user-posted reviews. Click on the reviewer's name and you can get an idea of what kind of boat he or she was basing the review on.

It's a good way to find non-commercial anchorages. My favorite along the Connecticut shoreline is Ziegler's Cove, near Stamford.


----------



## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Lots of good suggestions. As a Long Island sailor for over 30 years, here's some of my favorite spots:

Watch Hill, RI (a bit out of the way, but worth the trip from Stonington)
Westbrook, CT (anchor at Duck Island or stay at Pilots Point)
Milford, CT (anchor at Charles Island or stay at Milford Landing)
Ziegler's Cove (great midweek, just pick up a mooring)
Calf Island/Greenwich CT (empty midweek - pick up a mooring or anchor)
Oyster Bay
Northport/Prices Bend (anchor near "Sand City")
Port Jeff (I love Mt Misery Cove but sign at entrance now says don't use the moorings)


----------



## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

Thanks, lots to choose from. Now we just need some wind.


----------

