Best anchorages and harbours in Cape Cod and the Islands

Great Harbor

Mooring field in Great Harbor at Woods Hole, the village at the south-western tip of Cape Cod, in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW, S

Hoppy's Landing

Anchorage off Hoppys Landing, by the causeway linking West Island to the mainland at Fairhaven, Massachusetts.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SE

Menemsha Bight

Anchorage in Menemsha Bight on the north-west shore of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, about 2.5 miles east of Gay Head, with a mud bottom.

• Sheltered NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Sandy Neck Lighthouse

Anchorage off Beach Point at the tip of Sandy Neck, the barrier beach at the entrance to Barnstable Harbour, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Spragues Cove

Anchorage in Sippican Harbour off Marion, Massachusetts, at the head of Buzzards Bay, with a mud and weed bottom and shelter from NW through SW winds.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW

Warren XOVE

Temporary anchorage in the southern reach of Plymouth Bay, Massachusetts, off Warren Avenue between Plymouth Beach and Rocky Point.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S, SE

Oak Bluffs

Town marina on the north shore of Martha's Vineyard, with 81 berths and 50 moorings.

Onset Bay

Anchorage in Onset Bay on Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, just west of the Cape Cod Canal and the village of Onset.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW

Cuttyhunk Pond

Enclosed pond at the western end of Cuttyhunk Island, the outermost of the Elizabeth Islands between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW

Bull Island

Anchorage at Bull Island in Hadley Harbour, at the eastern end of Naushon Island in the Elizabeth Islands, Massachusetts, on a mud bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, E, SW, S, SE

Pope's Island Marina

Marina on the south side of Pope's Island in New Bedford harbour, Massachusetts, inside the hurricane barrier on the Acushnet River.

Edgartown Mooring field

Town mooring field in Edgartown harbour on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, on a sand bottom with good holding.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, SW, SE

Pease Ledge

Anchorage off Pease Ledge in the north-western approach to Cuttyhunk, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. The ledge itself uncovers at low water.

• Sheltered E, SE, S, SW, W

Edgartown Harbour

Harbour on the east side of Martha's Vineyard, with anchoring permitted in the outer harbour over a sand bottom.

• Sheltered E, SW, S, SE

Falmouth Town Marina

Town-run marina inside Falmouth Inner Harbor on the south coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 108 berths on seven floating finger pontoons.

Owen parc beach

Mooring buoy field off Owen Park, a public park and beach on Vineyard Haven Harbour, Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW, S, SE

Town of Wareham Moorings

Transient mooring buoys managed by the Wareham harbour master on the Wareham River, a tributary of Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Mattapoisett Boatyard

Full-service boatyard on the north side of Mattapoisett Harbour, a sheltered inlet on the north shore of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.

Nantucket

240-berth marina inside Nantucket Harbour, on the north shore of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts.

Marina at Slocum Cove

Full-service marina on the east bank of the Acushnet River in Fairhaven, opposite New Bedford, operated by the Northeast Maritime Institute.

Acushnet River Safe Boating

Members' marina of the Acushnet River Safe Boating Club at 80 Middle Street, Fairhaven, Massachusetts, on the east bank of the Acushnet River opposite New Bedford.

Canal cape cod

Waiting anchorage off the eastern entrance of the Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts, on a sand bottom in Cape Cod Bay.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, SW, S, SE

Cotuit Bay

Bay anchorage on the south coast of Cape Cod, sheltered behind Osterville Grand Island off Nantucket Sound, in the village of Cotuit, Massachusetts.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, N, W, E, SW

Vineyard Haven Harbour

Harbour between East Chop and West Chop on Martha's Vineyard, in the town of Tisbury, with a sand bottom.

• Sheltered NW, W, SW, S, SE

Barden's Boat Yard

Full-service boatyard on Sippican Harbour at Marion, Massachusetts, off Buzzards Bay.

Brandt Cove Marina

Marina in the well-sheltered Brandt Island Cove at Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, on the north shore of Buzzards Bay.

Breakwater Marinas

Full-service marina at 2 River Avenue, Fairhaven, Massachusetts, on the east side of New Bedford harbour inside the hurricane barrier.

Burr Brothers

Family-run boatyard and marina at 309 Front Street, at the head of Sippican Harbor in Marion, Massachusetts, on Buzzards Bay.

Buzzards Bay Marina

Private marina at the head of Buzzards Bay in Bourne, Massachusetts, by the western end of the Cape Cod Canal.

Chatham Yacht Basin

Year-round full-service marina on the Oyster River in West Chatham, Cape Cod, a short run from Nantucket Sound.