Best anchorages and harbours in United States

Esperanza

Anchorage off Esperanza, the village on the south coast of Vieques, where most cruising yachts visiting the island lie.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Islandale Anchorage

Anchorage in Rosario Strait among the San Juan Islands of Washington, between Lopez Island and James Island.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Playa Córcega

Anchorage off Playa Córcega, south of the town of Rincón on the west coast of Puerto Rico.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Big Drakes Bay

Anchorage off Peacock Park in Coconut Grove, on the western shore of Biscayne Bay, Miami.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

South Lake

Man-made lake south of Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Florida, opening to the Intracoastal Waterway through a short inlet.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, SW, S, SE

Bal Harbor Marina

Private marina on the north shore of Clear Lake near Houston, midway to Galveston, opposite the NASA Johnson Space Center.

Clipper Yacht Harbor

Largest full-service marina in Sausalito, on Richardson Bay about 3 nautical miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Bechers bay

Broad semicircular bay on the north-east side of Santa Rosa Island, the main point of entry to the island in Channel Islands National Park, California.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S

Calf Pasture Beach

Anchorage off Calf Pasture Beach at the eastern point of Norwalk, Connecticut, on Long Island Sound. Mud bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Phil Foster Park

Anchorage off Phil Foster Park at Riviera Beach, Florida, near the foot of the Blue Heron Bridge.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, S

Savannah Public Dock

City floating dock on the south bank of the Savannah River, alongside Rousakis Plaza and River Street, in downtown Savannah, Georgia.

James Island Marine State Park

Small uninhabited island in the San Juans, in Rosario Strait off the east shore of Decatur Island, run as a marine state park with a 128 ft dock in West Cove and four mooring buoys in East Cove.

Dog Hammock Spit

Anchorage off Dog Hammock Spit on the Sapelo River, coastal Georgia, mud bottom, used as a stop on the Intracoastal Waterway.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW, S, SE

Playa El Guano, Maunabo

Anchorage off Playa El Guano at Maunabo, on the south-east coast of Puerto Rico, 4.8 NM south-west of Palmas del Mar.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW

Genti Bay, Reef Bay

Western corner of Reef Bay on the south coast of St. John, within Virgin Islands National Park, where the Reef Bay Trail comes down to the sea.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Cayo Chiva

Anchorage by Cayo Chiva on the south coast of Vieques, 3.2 NM east of Esperanza, off the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W

Coinjock marina

Transient marina on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway at Mile Marker 50 in Coinjock, Currituck County, North Carolina.

Matanzas Pass

Municipal mooring field in Matanzas Pass at Fort Myers Beach, Florida, run by the town on Estero Island.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, N, NE, SW, S, SE

Cayo Luis Peña SE

Anchorage off the south-east beach of Cayo Luis Peña, across the channel from Dewey, Culebra, 1.6 NM away.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW

Cayo Diablo

Mooring off Cayo Diablo, a small cay in the eastern part of La Cordillera Reef Natural Reserve, 6 NM north-east of Fajardo.

• Sheltered NW, N

Harbor Road

Anchorage in the West Ocean City harbour basin on the Isle of Wight Bay, Ocean City, Maryland, behind the barrier island.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW

Sister Creek Docks

Public dock and boat ramp on Sisters Creek at Heckscher Drive in Jacksonville, on the Atlantic ICW just south of the St Johns River crossing.

Cape Marina

Marina of 115 wet berths at Port Canaveral, in business since 1976, with a fuel berth and 24-hour access to the Atlantic and the Intracoastal Waterway.

Vilano Beach Anchorage

Anchorage on the Tolomato River near St Augustine, Florida, just off the Intracoastal Waterway on a sand bottom.

• Sheltered E, SW, W

San Juan Island

Anchorage off San Juan Island, in the San Juan archipelago of Washington State. Sand and weed bottom, sheltered from east through south-west.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Capers Iland

Anchorage off Capers Island, an undeveloped barrier island north of Isle of Palms in South Carolina, on a sand bottom.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Waikiki Beach

Open roadstead off Waikiki Beach on the south shore of Oahu, below Diamond Head, in Honolulu.

• Sheltered N, NE, E

Sandy Point

Anchorage off Sandy Point, the south-west tip of St. Croix, next to Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge.

• Sheltered NE, E, S, SE

Cruz Bay

Main harbour and town of St. John, on the west coast, where the ferries from Red Hook and Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas come in.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E, SW, S, SE

Charleston Marina Complex

Large public marina at Charleston on Coos Bay, operated by the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay, the main plaisance and commercial fishing base on the south Oregon coast.