Cruising guides
Curated anchorages and harbours by region, prepared by BoatMap and ready to open in the app.
France
North Brittany
Stopover harbours of North Brittany, Saint-Malo to Brest
North Brittany · 13 places
The visitor harbours of the north coast, east to west, to plan a Channel crossing or a delivery south: Saint-Malo, Saint-Cast, Saint-Quay, Paimpol, Lézardrieux, Tréguier, Perros-Guirec, Roscoff, Aber-Wrac'h, Le Conquet, Camaret and Brest. Several open only on the tide, through a gate or a lock: check the hours before choosing the night's stop.
Emerald Coast anchorages, Saint-Malo to Cancale
Emerald Coast · 10 places
The anchorages of the Saint-Malo bay, from Dinard to the Pointe du Grouin, with the Rance river as the fallback when a north-westerly fills the bay. Springs rise 12 metres here: work out the depth before dropping the hook, and take the Saint-Malo or Dinard buoys in bad weather. Cancale and its oyster bay are best visited on a rising half tide.
Jersey, Guernsey and Sark from Saint-Malo
Emerald Coast · 10 places
A three to five day classic from Saint-Malo: St Helier on Jersey, the anchorages of Sark, St Peter Port on Guernsey and a night off Herm. Tidal streams exceed 5 knots around the islands and both main harbours have sills, so plan every leg on the tide tables. The islands sit outside the European Union: clear customs on arrival.
Pink granite coast and Bréhat: the anchorages
Côtes-d'Armor · 11 places
From Trébeurden to Bréhat, anchorages between the pink granite boulders: the Sept-Îles, Ploumanac'h and its sill basin, Port-Blanc, Perros-Guirec, then the Bréhat archipelago with La Corderie and La Chambre. Sand and rock bottoms, good holding as long as you avoid the kelp. Bréhat has no deep-water harbour: you anchor and go ashore by tender.
Saint-Brieuc bay: Saint-Quay to Paimpol
Côtes-d'Armor · 8 places
Saint-Quay-Portrieux is the only deep-water harbour between Saint-Malo and Roscoff, which makes it the base for the bay. Around it, Binic and Dahouët open through tidal gates, Paimpol through a lock, and the anchorages of Bréhec, the Paimpol approach and Île Saint-Riom are the waiting rooms. The head of the bay dries for miles: stay on the line of the harbours.
Brest roadstead and the Crozon peninsula: the anchorages
North Finistère and Iroise · 10 places
The Brest roadstead is a 180 km² enclosed basin with shelter in every wind: the Aulne river and Landévennec in westerlies, Moulin Blanc and Roscanvel in easterlies. Outside, Camaret, Morgat and the Anse de Dinan open the way to Cap de la Chèvre and Douarnenez bay. The stream in the Goulet reaches 4 knots: time it on the tide.
Ushant, Molène and Sein: the Iroise anchorages
North Finistère and Iroise · 8 places
The three Iroise islands sit between two races: the Fromveur runs at 8 knots off Ushant, the Raz de Sein as much off Île de Sein. Lampaul on Ushant, the harbour of Molène and the Sein anchorage are on buoys or moorings, and none is tenable in a heavy westerly swell. Leave at slack water, in a north-easterly window, and keep Le Conquet or the Aber-Ildut as your fallback.
The Abers: Aber-Wrac'h to Roscoff
North Finistère and Iroise · 8 places
The Aber-Wrac'h is the classic stop before or after the Chenal du Four, with a lit channel and anchorages up to Paluden. Further east, the Aber-Benoît and its oyster beds, Portsall, Brignogan and Île de Batz with its tidal channel, then Roscoff and the deep-water harbour of Bloscon. A coast of reefs: sail the leading lines, never by eye.
South Brittany
Stopover harbours of South Brittany, Brest to the Vilaine
South Brittany · 15 places
The visitor harbours of the south coast in sailing order: Camaret, Audierne, Le Guilvinec, Loctudy, Bénodet, Port-la-Forêt, Concarneau, Lorient, Port-Louis, Étel, Port-Haliguen, La Trinité, Le Crouesty, Vannes and La Roche-Bernard. All are accessible at any hour except Vannes (lock), Étel (bar) and La Roche-Bernard (Arzal dam and lock).
The Glénan: anchorages of the archipelago
South Finistère · 10 places
Nine islands around a white-sand lagoon, La Chambre, 10 miles off Concarneau and Bénodet. Saint-Nicolas and its sailing school, Penfret and its lighthouse, Drenec and Bananec depending on the wind. The turquoise water hides rocks everywhere: approach by eye in good light, anchor on sand and plan to leave if the wind backs south, since the archipelago offers no shelter from that side.
The Odet to Concarneau: stopovers and anchorages
South Finistère · 11 places
The Odet runs 8 miles inland between woods, from Bénodet to the Vire-Court bends, with moorings on buoys and a river that stays navigable at any tide. Opposite, Sainte-Marine; further east, Port-la-Forêt at the head of its bay and Concarneau with its walled town. The beaches of Beg-Meil, Cap-Coz and Kerleven are fair-weather anchorages, sheltered from the north.
Douarnenez bay, Cap Sizun and Audierne
South Finistère · 8 places
Douarnenez bay is a 10 by 10 mile cul-de-sac open to the west, with Tréboul and Port-Rhu on one side, Morgat on the other, and sandy anchorages under the cliffs of Cap de la Chèvre. South of Cap Sizun, Audierne and Sainte-Évette set up the Raz de Sein, to be taken at slack water. Le Guilvinec and Lesconil complete the list for those following the coast towards Penmarc'h.
Belle-Île, Houat and Hoëdic: the best anchorages
Morbihan · 10 places
The three offshore islands of Quiberon, half a day apart. On Belle-Île, Sauzon dries but Ster-Wenn, a fjord 50 metres wide, shelters in any weather; Port-Kérel and Port-Goulphar are the wild-coast coves for northerly winds. Houat has the great beach of Tréac'h er Gourhed, Hoëdic the Argol beach and a small harbour with a sill. It all turns on the wind: in westerlies, stay on the eastern sides.
Gulf of Morbihan: anchorages and stopovers
Morbihan · 13 places
An inland sea of 40 islands ruled by the tide: up to 9 knots in the Port-Navalo narrows, the strongest streams in Europe. Enter on the flood, leave on the ebb. Inside, Île aux Moines, Arz, the Logoden islets and the Auray river up to Saint-Goustan; Vannes is reached through a lock at the end of a channel. Anchor clear of the mooring fields and oyster beds, which fill half the coves.
Quiberon bay and La Trinité: sheltered anchorages
Morbihan · 9 places
Closed by the Quiberon peninsula and the islands, the bay is the most sheltered water in South Brittany, hence its regattas. Port-Haliguen and La Trinité-sur-Mer are the harbours, the Crac'h river and the Vilaine up to La Roche-Bernard the bolt-holes in a gale. Fair-weather anchorages off the Carnac and Saint-Pierre beaches, and under the Pointe du Conguel in westerlies.
Groix, Lorient and the rias: a weekend from Lorient
Morbihan · 14 places
Groix lies 6 miles off Lorient: Port-Tudy for the night, Locmaria and the Grands Sables for a sunny anchorage, Port-Lay for the tender. On the mainland, the Lorient roadstead has four harbours (Kernével, Port-Louis, Pen-Mané, Lorient centre) and two rias to explore, the Blavet and the Scorff. Eastwards, the rias of Étel, Bélon and Doëlan are one-tide stopovers.
Normandy
The D-Day beaches by sea
Normandy · 10 places
Sixty kilometres of coast between Carentan and Ouistreham, with four harbours to work along it: Carentan at the end of its channel, Grandcamp-Maisy for Utah and the Pointe du Hoc, Port-en-Bessin for Omaha, Courseulles for Juno and Ouistreham for Sword. Off Arromanches, in fair weather you anchor among the Phoenix caissons of the artificial harbour. Every harbour has a sill: plan each leg around high water.
East Cotentin: Cherbourg, Barfleur and Saint-Vaast
Cotentin · 9 places
Cherbourg is the only Channel harbour open in any weather at any hour, behind its 4 km breakwater. To the east, Barfleur dries and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue opens through a gate two hours either side of high water, with the Tatihou anchorage as the waiting room. The Barfleur race is crossed at slack water; beyond it the D-Day beaches begin at Utah Beach.
Granville, Chausey and the west coast of the Cotentin
Cotentin · 11 places
Chausey is an archipelago of 365 islets at low water and 52 at high water, 8 miles off Granville. The Sound has visitor buoys, the main island is explored on foot, and a 14 metre tidal range rewrites the scenery every six hours. Granville's basin opens through a tidal gate. Further north, Carteret, Diélette and Portbail are the sill harbours of the west coast, and Goury the gateway to the Alderney Race.
Alderney and Guernsey from Cherbourg
Cotentin · 8 places
Alderney lies 25 miles from Cherbourg, across the Alderney Race, where the stream exceeds 9 knots at springs. Braye Harbour has only buoys, tenable except in northerly winds. Guernsey follows 20 miles on: St Peter Port and its waiting pontoon, Beaucette to the north, and the anchorages of Herm and Sark to extend the trip. Leave Cherbourg at slack water in the Race, and clear customs on arrival.
Côte Fleurie and Alabaster Coast: the stopovers
Côte Fleurie and Alabaster Coast · 9 places
From Ouistreham to Dieppe, a coast without sheltered anchorages where every stop is a harbour with a sill, a gate or a lock: Dives, Deauville, Honfleur with its old basin in the heart of town, Le Havre open at any hour, Fécamp, Saint-Valery-en-Caux and Dieppe. Opening hours set the day's leg, and the Seine estuary traffic calls for a VHF watch on the port channel.
Atlantic coast
Atlantic stopover harbours, the Loire to the Gironde
Atlantic coast · 14 places
The any-tide harbours of the Atlantic coast, for heading south to Spain or north to Brittany in 25 to 40 mile legs: Pornichet, Pornic, L'Herbaudière, Port-Joinville, Saint-Gilles, Les Sables-d'Olonne, La Rochelle, Saint-Denis-d'Oléron, Royan, then Arcachon and Capbreton. Between La Rochelle and Royan, the Pertuis d'Antioche and the Gironde need a favourable tide.
Vendée: Pornic, Noirmoutier, Yeu and Les Sables
Vendée · 9 places
South of the Loire, the coast alternates islands and sill harbours. Noirmoutier is approached via the Bois de la Chaise, a fair-weather anchorage, or L'Herbaudière, the island's only deep-water harbour. Île d'Yeu, 10 miles out, has Port-Joinville open at all hours and the Ker Châlon beach to anchor off. On the mainland, Pornic, Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie and Les Sables-d'Olonne are the any-tide stops.
Ré, Aix and Oléron: the Pertuis from La Rochelle
Charente-Maritime · 12 places
Les Minimes, 4,500 berths, is the starting point; in a day you reach Saint-Martin-de-Ré and its gated basin, Île d'Aix and its anchorage under the fort, Boyard on the way, then Oléron via Le Château or Saint-Denis. The Pertuis are shallow and the banks shift: follow the buoyed channels, and wait for opening hours at Saint-Martin, Le Château and La Flotte.
Gironde estuary: Royan to Pauillac
Charente-Maritime · 9 places
Europe's largest estuary is sailed up on the flood, which carries 3 knots, and down on the ebb. Royan is the gateway, with La Palmyre and Meschers on the right bank; opposite, Port-Médoc at Le Verdon. Higher up, Mortagne, Pauillac and its châteaux, Blaye and its citadel. The banks at the mouth rule out leaving in a heavy westerly swell against the ebb.
Arcachon basin: the anchorages
Arcachon basin · 9 places
The basin empties by two thirds at low water and its entrance channels move every year: enter between one hour before and two hours after high water, in low swell, and never at night on a first visit. Inside, Île aux Oiseaux and its stilt huts, the Arguin bank facing the Pilat dune, Cap-Ferret, and the harbours of Arcachon, La Vigne and Andernos.
Basque coast: Capbreton, Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Hendaye
Basque coast · 11 places
A hundred kilometres of straight, shelterless coast between the Gironde and Capbreton, then three harbours in 30 miles: Capbreton and its canyon, Saint-Jean-de-Luz with a bay closed by three breakwaters and the Socoa anchorage, Hendaye on the Bidassoa, astride the border. Bay of Biscay swell closes the entrances of Capbreton and Saint-Jean-de-Luz several days a month, mostly from October to April.
Languedoc-Roussillon
Côte Vermeille: Collioure, Port-Vendres and Banyuls
Languedoc-Roussillon · 10 places
The last 20 miles of French coast before Spain, where the Pyrenees fall into the sea. Collioure is a calm-weather anchorage off the bell tower, Port-Vendres the commercial port and the real shelter, Banyuls and Cerbère small harbours with coves inside the marine reserve (buoys only, no fishing). The tramontane blows one day in three: check the window before leaving Argelès.
Sète, the Thau lagoon and the Camargue
Languedoc-Roussillon · 11 places
Sète opens onto the Thau lagoon, 20 km of sheltered water you can sail, with Bouzigues, Mèze and Marseillan for oysters and muscat. Eastwards, Le Grau-du-Roi and Port-Camargue, Europe's largest marina with 5,000 berths, then Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer on the edge of the Camargue. A low coast with no shelter between harbours: in a southerly, stay inside.
Stopover harbours of the Gulf of Lion, Port-Vendres to Port-Camargue
Languedoc-Roussillon · 14 places
A harbour every 10 miles on a coast with no sheltered anchorage: Port-Vendres, Argelès, Saint-Cyprien, Canet, Leucate, Port-la-Nouvelle, Gruissan, Narbonne-Plage, Valras, Cap d'Agde, Sète, Frontignan, Palavas, La Grande-Motte and Port-Camargue. All open at any hour, all awkward to enter in a south-easterly. The tramontane rules from October to April.
Provence and Côte d'Azur
Calanques, Marseille to Cassis: where you can still anchor
Marseille and the Calanques · 10 places
The Calanques national park inlets where stopping is still allowed, west to east: Sormiou, Morgiou and Sugiton for a swim, Port-Miou for a sheltered night on a buoy. En-Vau and Port-Pin have been closed to all boats since 2021; admire them from outside. Anchor on sand only, never on posidonia, and arrive before 10 am in July and August if you want a spot.
Frioul and Riou: the islands of Marseille
Marseille and the Calanques · 14 places
Two miles off the Vieux-Port, the Frioul archipelago: the harbour between Pomègues and Ratonneau, the inlets of Morgiret and Grand Soufre, the Château d'If on the way. To the south, Riou, Jarre, Plane and Maïre form a string of deserted islands inside the national park, with Monasterio and Fontagne as fair-weather anchorages. The mistral gives no notice: Frioul holds, Riou does not.
Côte Bleue: Carry, Sausset and Niolon
Marseille and the Calanques · 10 places
Between Marseille and the Gulf of Fos, 25 km of limestone inlets less crowded than those of Cassis: Niolon and La Vesse under the viaduct, Méjean and L'Érevine in the marine park, Carry-le-Rouet and Sausset-les-Pins for a night in harbour, Carro for the mistral. The anchorages face south: in an easterly or south-easterly, go into Carry.
Cassis to Bandol via Île Verte
Marseille and the Calanques · 9 places
Under Cap Canaille, the highest sea cliff in France, Cassis, then La Ciotat and its Île Verte, a fair-weather anchorage off the beach. Les Lecques and Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer in the bay, Bandol and the island of Bendor at the end. A 15 mile day, sheltered from the mistral by the cliffs but open to the south.
Îles d'Hyères: Porquerolles, Port-Cros and Levant
Var · 11 places
Porquerolles has a harbour and a mooring field, but its northern beaches (Notre-Dame, La Courtade, Le Langoustier) are the anchorages everyone wants in August. Port-Cros is a national park: buoys are compulsory at Port-Cros and Port-Man, anchoring banned elsewhere. Levant keeps the Avis inlet. Mistral and easterlies hit hard between the islands: pick the sheltered side.
Gulf of Saint-Tropez, Pampelonne and the capes
Var · 13 places
The gulf opens to the east, so to easterly gales, but its shores offer Les Canebiers, La Moutte and Sainte-Maxime in a mistral. Outside, Pampelonne and its 5 km beach, the bay of Cavalaire and the Bonporteau cove, then Cap Taillat and Cap Lardier in the protected site. Anchoring over posidonia is regulated: read the park chart before dropping the hook.
Where to shelter from the mistral in the Var
Var · 11 places
The mistral blows from the north-west, often 35 knots, sometimes for three days. The anchorages that hold: Toulon roadstead and Saint-Mandrier, the bay of Bormes and Le Lavandou, Porquerolles on a mooring, Port-Man at Port-Cros, Cavalaire and Pampelonne bay which stays flat in this wind, Les Canebiers at Saint-Tropez. Get in early: the gusts come down the valleys without warning.
Bandol to Giens: Sanary, Les Embiez and the Toulon roadstead
Var · 12 places
The western Var in an easy week: Bandol and Bendor, Sanary, the Embiez island and its private harbour, the Brusc bay and the lagoon behind Le Gaou, Cap Sicié to round in calm weather, then the Toulon roadstead with Saint-Mandrier and Les Sablettes. At the end, the Giens peninsula, the Madrague harbour and the Almanarre beaches for kitesurfers.
Stopover harbours of the Var, Bandol to Saint-Raphaël
Var · 14 places
The visitor harbours of the Var, west to east: Bandol, Sanary, Toulon, Hyères, Porquerolles, Le Lavandou, Cavalaire, Saint-Tropez, Port Grimaud, Sainte-Maxime, Saint-Raphaël and Agay. All open at any hour. In July and August book the day before; at Saint-Tropez and Porquerolles, a week ahead.
Lérins islands and Cap d'Antibes: the anchorages
Riviera · Alpes-Maritimes · 14 places
Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat, a mile off Cannes, with the channel between them for easterly winds and the north face of Sainte-Marguerite for westerlies. Buoys are compulsory around Saint-Honorat, whose abbey is visited on foot. Opposite, Cap d'Antibes offers the Olivette cove and La Garoupe, and Port Vauban hosts the largest yachts in Europe.
Villefranche to Menton: Cap Ferrat, Monaco and Menton
Riviera · Alpes-Maritimes · 9 places
Villefranche roadstead is the best anchorage on the Riviera, deep and sheltered from everything but the south. Around Cap Ferrat, Beaulieu, Saint-Jean and the Fossettes bay, then Èze and Cap-d'Ail before Monaco, where Port Hercule and Fontvieille book up long in advance. Menton closes the French coast with two harbours and a fair-weather anchorage off the old town.
The Estérel: Théoule to Agay, anchorages of the red rocks
Riviera · Alpes-Maritimes · 11 places
Ten miles of red porphyry between Cannes and Saint-Raphaël, with a cove every 500 metres: Théoule and La Figueirette, the Galère cove, Le Trayas, Anthéor, Cap du Dramont and the Île d'Or, then Agay roadstead, the only real shelter. Rock and sand bottoms, clear water, but everything is open to the south-east: check the swell before staying the night.
Stopover harbours of the Riviera, Saint-Raphaël to Menton
Riviera · Alpes-Maritimes · 13 places
The visitor harbours of the Alpes-Maritimes, west to east: Saint-Raphaël, Agay, Mandelieu, Cannes, Golfe-Juan, Antibes, Villeneuve-Loubet, Saint-Laurent-du-Var, Nice, Beaulieu, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Monaco and Menton. Summer rates are the highest in France: a 12 metre boat pays 80 to 150 euros a night in August, twice that in Monaco and Saint-Tropez.
Corsica
The most beautiful anchorages in Corsica
Corsica · 13 places
Round the island in twelve anchorages: Saleccia and Lotu in the Agriates, Girolata below Scandola, Cargèse and Chiuni bay, Campomoro, Roccapina and its beach under the granite lion, the Lavezzi on buoys, Rondinara, Santa Giulia, Pinarello and Palombaggia beach. The water is 25 degrees in August and the libeccio rises without warning on the west coast.
Bonifacio, Lavezzi and the far south
Corsica · 12 places
Bonifacio, a fjord between the cliffs, is the most spectacular harbour in the Mediterranean and the most expensive in Corsica in August. Around it: Cala di Paragan, Sant'Amanza, Rondinara, and the Lavezzi, a nature reserve where you moor on buoys and never over seagrass. The Strait of Bonifacio blows hard from west and east alike: check the window before crossing to Sardinia.
Agriates and Cap Corse: Saint-Florent to Macinaggio
Corsica · 14 places
Saint-Florent is the base: the Agriates desert begins 3 miles away with Saleccia, Lotu and Malfalcu, with no road and no house. Northwards, Cap Corse offers Centuri and its lobster-boat harbour, Barcaggio at the tip, then Macinaggio on the east side with the cape's largest marina. The wind accelerates at the cape: in a mistral or libeccio, stay in Saint-Florent.
West coast: Calvi, Scandola, Girolata and Ajaccio
Corsica · 11 places
Calvi and its citadel, then the wildest coast of the island: the Scandola reserve, where any stop is forbidden, Girolata reachable only by sea with its buoys, the Gulf of Porto and its red granite inlets, Cargèse, Sagone and the Gulf of Ajaccio with the Sanguinaires islands. No shelter for 20 miles between Calvi and Girolata: leave in the morning, before the sea breeze.
Porto-Vecchio, Pinarello and the east coast
Corsica · 10 places
The Gulf of Porto-Vecchio is the most sheltered in Corsica, with Santa Giulia and Palombaggia to the south, Saint-Cyprien and Pinarello to the north. The east coast then runs straight to Bastia: Solenzara and its marina, Campoloro, the Favone anchorage. A low, sandy coast, calm in westerlies, unusable in a settled easterly.
Round Corsica in twelve harbours
Corsica · 12 places
The harbours to round the island in two weeks, clockwise: Bastia, Macinaggio, Saint-Florent, Calvi, Cargèse, Ajaccio, Propriano, Bonifacio, Porto-Vecchio, Solenzara, Campoloro and Bastia. Legs run 25 to 40 miles; the west coast is sailed down in the morning, the east coast back up in the afternoon sea breeze.
United States
New England
Penobscot Bay anchorages, Maine
Maine · 11 places
The finest cruising ground on the US east coast: hundreds of granite and spruce islands between Rockland and Stonington. Camden and Rockland for provisioning, Pulpit Harbor and Perry Creek on North Haven, Seal Bay on Vinalhaven, the Merchant Row islands and McGlathery, Buck Harbor and Castine at the head of the bay. A 3 metre tide, frequent summer fog and lobster pots everywhere: anchor with plenty of scope and watch for buoys.
Mount Desert Island and Somes Sound
Maine · 9 places
Acadia national park's island, with the only fjord on the east coast, Somes Sound, 8 km long between 200 metre cliffs. Southwest Harbor and Northeast Harbor are the bases, Valley Cove the anchorage inside the fjord, Bar Harbor the tourist town on the east side. Around it, Swans Island, Frenchboro and the Cranberry Isles for a quiet night. Fog comes down in an hour: keep a GPS track of your entrance.
Casco Bay and the Midcoast: Portland to Port Clyde
Maine · 12 places
From Portland, 365 islands in Casco Bay including Jewell Island and its bunkers, then the ragged Midcoast: Harpswell, the Kennebec river up to Bath, Boothbay Harbor, Christmas Cove, Pemaquid, Monhegan offshore and Port Clyde. A harbour every 5 miles, visitor moorings almost everywhere, and 2 to 3 knot streams in the rivers.
Elizabeth Islands: Cuttyhunk, Tarpaulin Cove and Hadley Harbor
Cape Cod and the Islands · 10 places
A chain of private islands between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, a day from Newport. Cuttyhunk at the end, with its basin and moorings stormed at weekends; Tarpaulin Cove on Naushon, a beach anchorage sheltered from the south-west; Hadley Harbor opposite Woods Hole, the best protected of all. Quicks Hole and Robinsons Hole carry 3 knots of stream.
Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket harbours
Cape Cod and the Islands · 9 places
Vineyard Haven and its anchorage behind the breakwater, Edgartown and its channel between white houses, Oak Bluffs, Menemsha the fishing harbour, Lagoon Pond behind the bridge. Nantucket 25 miles on, with a 300-mooring basin and free anchoring in the harbour. Ferries run all day: anchor clear of the channels, and book moorings in July.
Cape Cod harbours: Provincetown to Woods Hole
Cape Cod and the Islands · 9 places
Round the cape by its harbours: Provincetown at the tip of the arm, sheltered from all but the south-west, Wellfleet and Barnstable on the bay side, then the Cape Cod Canal, 11 km with a 4 knot stream, into Buzzards Bay. On the south shore, Hyannis, Osterville, Cotuit and Falmouth, and Woods Hole with a pass to take at slack water. A 3 metre tide on the north side, 1 metre on the south.
Narragansett Bay and Block Island: Newport, Jamestown and Great Salt Pond
Rhode Island · 13 places
Newport, the sailing capital of the US, anchors at Brenton Cove under the mansions; across the water, Jamestown and Dutch Harbor in the West Passage, Potter Cove on Prudence Island, Bristol and Wickford at the head of the bay. Block Island 12 miles south: Great Salt Pond, 90 moorings and anchoring room for 500 boats in August, Old Harbor for the ferry and the town. Fog and ferry traffic: AIS recommended.
Peconic Bays: Shelter Island, Greenport and Sag Harbor
Long Island Sound · 11 places
At the end of Long Island, between the two forks, enclosed water that New Yorkers keep to themselves: Coecles Harbor and West Neck on Shelter Island, Dering Harbor, Greenport and its marinas, Sag Harbor on the Hamptons side, Three Mile Harbor, then Gardiners Bay for a night out. Two hours from Manhattan by road, a world of calm by water.
Fishers Island, Mystic and Stonington
Long Island Sound · 11 places
The eastern entrance of the Sound, where New England begins: Stonington and its fishing harbour, Mystic and the tall-ship museum at the head of the river, Noank, New London on the Thames. Opposite, Fishers Island with West Harbor and East Harbor, two anchorages to match the wind. The Race, between Fishers and Plum Island, runs 4 knots: cross at slack.
Long Island Sound harbours: Connecticut and the North Shore
Long Island Sound · 13 places
A hundred miles of inland sea between New York and Rhode Island, with a sheltered harbour every 10 miles. Connecticut side: Essex and Hamburg Cove on the Connecticut river, Branford, Milford, Norwalk and its islands, Greenwich. Long Island side: Port Jefferson, Northport, Oyster Bay, Manhasset Bay before Hell Gate. South-westerlies in the afternoon, thunderstorms in summer.
Chesapeake Bay
Upper Chesapeake Bay: Annapolis, Rock Hall and the northern creeks
Chesapeake Bay · 11 places
Annapolis, sailing capital of the east coast, and the Eastern Shore creeks half a day away: Rock Hall, Swan Creek, Worton Creek, Fairlee Creek and Still Pond, mud anchorages in 2 to 3 metres with no swell and little tide. Whitehall Bay and the Magothy to stay near Annapolis, the C&D canal to the north for the Delaware. Violent late-afternoon thunderstorms from June to August.
Eastern Shore: St. Michaels, Oxford and the Choptank
Chesapeake Bay · 8 places
The Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake, between the Miles, Tred Avon and Choptank rivers: St. Michaels and its maritime museum, San Domingo Creek round the back, Oxford and its moorings, Cambridge, the Wye river and its empty coves, Tilghman Island and Knapps Narrows. Mud creeks where you anchor alone, and crabs on every dock.
Lower Chesapeake: Solomons, Deltaville and Norfolk
Chesapeake Bay · 12 places
From the Patuxent to the mouth: Solomons Island and its marinas, Reedville and Tangier Island on the watermen's side, Deltaville with Jackson Creek and Fishing Bay, Mobjack Bay, Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore, then Hampton and Norfolk, where the ICW begins at mile 0. Legs of 30 to 40 miles, and short, hard chop as soon as the wind tops 20 knots against the tide.
Carolinas and Georgia
Charleston, Beaufort and the Lowcountry
Carolinas and Georgia · 11 places
South Carolina's Lowcountry along the Intracoastal: Charleston and its anchorage off the Battery, rolly but unforgettable, then Steamboat Creek, Toogoodoo and Tom Point Creek among the marshes, Beaufort and its oak-lined waterfront, Hilton Head and Daufuskie. A 2 metre tide and 2 knot streams in the creeks: set two anchors or take a mooring.
Georgia coast: Savannah to Cumberland Island
Carolinas and Georgia · 11 places
A hundred miles of marsh and barrier islands between Savannah and Florida: Isle of Hope and Thunderbolt near Savannah, the Frederica river and St. Simons, Brunswick, Jekyll Island, then Cumberland Island, 30 km of empty beach, wild horses and Carnegie ruins, with shore access booked through the park. A 2.5 metre tide, the biggest on the south-east coast.
North Carolina: Beaufort, Oriental and Cape Lookout
Carolinas and Georgia · 10 places
Around mile 200 of the ICW: Beaufort (say Bo-fort) and its Taylor Creek anchorage facing the wild horses, Cape Lookout and its bight, the finest anchorage on the coast, Oriental on the Neuse, New Bern at the head of the river, Wrightsville Beach and Southport to the south. The Outer Banks keep the swell out, not the thunderstorms or the mosquitoes.
Florida
Stopover marinas of Florida's east coast, Fernandina to Key West
Florida · 14 places
The marinas to run the 450 miles of Florida's Intracoastal in 40 to 60 mile legs: Fernandina, St. Augustine, Daytona, Titusville near Cape Canaveral, Vero Beach and its moorings, Fort Pierce, Stuart, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Key Largo, Marathon and Key West. Book from December to March, when the snowbirds head south.
St. Augustine and north-east Florida
North-east Florida · 12 places
The gateway to Florida for anyone coming down the Intracoastal: Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island on the Georgia line, Jacksonville and the St. Johns river, then St. Augustine, the oldest city in the US, with its city moorings under the fort and the Matanzas Bay anchorage. Fort Matanzas and Daytona to the south. Two knot streams in the inlets, shifting shoals.
Biscayne Bay and Miami anchorages
South-east Florida · 13 places
South of Miami, 35 miles of lagoon protected by the keys: No Name Harbor in the Key Biscayne park, the Marine Stadium facing the skyline, Dinner Key and Coconut Grove, then Biscayne national park with Boca Chita and Elliott Key, and Pumpkin Key at the end. A metre and a half over the banks: follow the channels, especially across the Featherbed Bank.
Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale along the Intracoastal
South-east Florida · 13 places
Sixty miles of Intracoastal between the mansions, with 20 opening bridges and an anchorage every 15 miles: Lake Worth and Peanut Island at Palm Beach, Jupiter inlet, Lake Boca at Boca Raton, Lake Sylvia and Las Olas at Fort Lauderdale, yachting capital of the world. The Palm Beach, Port Everglades and Hillsboro inlets are the exits to the Bahamas, 50 miles away.
Florida Keys anchorages, Key Largo to Key West
Florida Keys · 13 places
A hundred and twenty miles of reefs and islets between Florida Bay and the Gulf Stream. Rodriguez Key and Tarpon Basin at Key Largo, Islamorada and Indian Key, Boot Key Harbor at Marathon with its 226 city moorings, Bahia Honda and Newfound Harbor in the Lower Keys, then Key West and Fleming Key. Two to three metres of water everywhere and protected seagrass: anchor on sand, and watch the winter cold fronts that swing the wind north.
Pine Island Sound: Cayo Costa, Sanibel and Boca Grande
South-west Florida · 9 places
Thirty miles of lagoon behind the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands, between Fort Myers and Boca Grande: Pelican Bay in Cayo Costa state park, the most quoted anchorage on the west coast, Cabbage Key and its restaurant, Useppa, Captiva and Sanibel, Matanzas Pass at Fort Myers Beach. Two metres of water, dolphins and manatees, and tropical storms from June to November.
Sarasota and Tampa Bay harbours and anchorages
South-west Florida · 11 places
From the top of Pine Island Sound to Clearwater: Venice and its inlet, Sarasota and the anchorage off downtown, Longboat Key, Anna Maria Island, Egmont Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg and Gulfport, Clearwater at the end. Tampa Bay is 40 km long and kicks up fast in a northerly: cross it in the morning.
Great Lakes
Lake Michigan: the northern harbours, Leland to Mackinac
Great Lakes · 13 places
The best coast of the Great Lakes, north-east Lake Michigan: Leland and its fishing village, Northport and Suttons Bay in Grand Traverse Bay, Charlevoix and its channel to the inland lake, Petoskey and Harbor Springs in Little Traverse Bay, Beaver Island offshore, then car-free Mackinac Island at the straits. No tide, but north-west gales raise 3 metre seas in two hours.
Door County: the harbours of the Wisconsin peninsula
Great Lakes · 11 places
A 110 km peninsula between Lake Michigan and Green Bay, with a harbour every 10 miles on the bay side: Sturgeon Bay and its canal, Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim and Sister Bay, then Washington Island beyond Death's Door, named for the 19th century wrecks. Twenty degree water in August, limestone bluffs, cherry orchards and fish boils in the evening.
Lake Erie islands: Put-in-Bay and Kelleys Island
Great Lakes · 11 places
The western Lake Erie archipelago, an hour from Sandusky: Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island, the weekend party with moorings for 500 boats, quieter Kelleys Island, Middle Bass and its vineyards, Catawba and Marblehead on the mainland. The shallowest of the Great Lakes, 10 metres on average, with a short, choppy sea from 15 knots of wind.
California
Catalina Island coves and moorings
Southern California · 7 places
Twenty-two miles off Los Angeles, California's weekend island: Avalon and its 360 moorings off the casino, Two Harbors with Isthmus Cove and Cat Harbor across the isthmus, Emerald Bay, Cherry Cove, Fourth of July Cove and Howlands Landing to the west, Little Harbor on the outer side. Almost everything is on paid moorings (40 to 100 dollars a night): free anchoring is limited to a few 20 to 30 metre spots.
Channel Islands national park anchorages
Southern California · 9 places
Five islands with no road and no hotel, 20 miles off Santa Barbara and Ventura: Santa Cruz with Prisoners Harbor, Pelican Bay, Smugglers Cove and Coches Prietos, Santa Rosa with Bechers Bay, Anacapa and its arch, San Miguel with Cuyler Harbor. North-westerlies in the afternoon, Pacific swell, 15 degree water: fair-weather anchorages, to be left as soon as the wind picks up.
San Diego to Santa Barbara: the coastal stopovers
Southern California · 13 places
Two hundred miles of coast with a harbour every 25: San Diego and its La Playa and Glorietta Bay anchorages, Mission Bay, Oceanside, Dana Point, Newport Harbor, Long Beach and San Pedro, Marina del Rey, Paradise Cove at Malibu, Channel Islands Harbor and Santa Barbara. North-west sea breeze in the afternoon, morning fog from May to July, and free anchoring is scarce: book guest slips.
San Francisco Bay anchorages and marinas
San Francisco Bay · 12 places
The bay is sailed to the rhythm of the tide, 4 knots under the Golden Gate, and the wind, 25 knots of westerly every summer afternoon. Ayala Cove and China Cove on Angel Island, Aquatic Park off the city, Richardson Bay and Sausalito, Clipper Cove between Treasure Island and Yerba Buena, Paradise Cove and McNears in Marin, Alameda on the east side. Outside the bay, Half Moon Bay and Drakes Bay are the only shelters within 30 miles.
Pacific Northwest
San Juan Islands anchorages and marine parks
Pacific Northwest · 11 places
A hundred and seventy-two islands between Seattle and Vancouver, in the lee of Vancouver Island: Echo Bay and Fossil Bay on Sucia, Reid Harbor and Prevost on Stuart Island, Jones Island, Spencer Spit on Lopez, Patos and Matia, Garrison Bay and Roche Harbor, Friday Harbor for the town. State park buoys cost 15 dollars a night. Three to five knot streams in the passes, orcas in June.
Puget Sound: Blake Island, Port Townsend and Poulsbo
Pacific Northwest · 12 places
Seattle's fjord, 150 km of inland sea under Mount Rainier: Blake Island and its buoys 8 miles from downtown, Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge, Poulsbo at the head of Liberty Bay, Port Ludlow, Port Townsend the Victorian town at the entrance of the Sound, Gig Harbor and Langley. Twelve degree water all year, a 4 metre tide, rain from November to April.
