Best anchorages and harbours in United States

G. Winter's Sailing Center

Full-service marina and sailboat dealership on Dredge Harbor, off the Delaware River at Riverside, New Jersey, north of Philadelphia.

Port of Silverdale

Public waterfront moorage at Old Town Silverdale, on the north shore of Dyes Inlet on the Kitsap Peninsula.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, SE

Benicia Marina

Marina on the Carquinez Strait at Benicia, Solano County, California, on the north shore of the channel linking San Pablo Bay to Suisun Bay.

Dinner Key Marina

Municipal marina of 587 wet slips on Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove, south of downtown Miami, run by the City of Miami.

Dolphin Marine Services

Full-service marina and boatyard on the tip of Basin Point in South Harpswell, Maine, on Pott's Harbor in Casco Bay.

Great Wicomico River - Sandy Point

Anchorage off Sandy Point on the Great Wicomico River, a tidal tributary on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia.

• Sheltered E, SW, S, SE

Lake Madeline

Anchorage in Offatts Bayou on the north side of Galveston Island, Texas, off West Bay, with a dark mud bottom and shelter from all directions.

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

Mill Creek

Anchorage in Mill Creek off the Patuxent River at Solomons, Maryland, with mud holding.

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

Pier 32 Marina

Marina on San Diego Bay at National City, on the south-east shore of the bay near Chula Vista.

Block island

Anchorage in the Great Salt Pond at New Harbor on Block Island, Rhode Island, on a sand bottom. It is one of the busiest harbours in the Northeast.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, SE

Fort Pierce City Marina

City-owned marina on the Indian River Lagoon in downtown Fort Pierce, Florida, off the Intracoastal Waterway near marker 966.

Haven Harbor South

Full-service marina in a sheltered cove of Rock Hall Harbor, on the upper Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.

Lukens Anchorage

Open anchorage on the Neuse River near Oriental, North Carolina, with a mud bottom and good holding.

• Sheltered NE, E, SE

Port Madison Yacht Club

Members yacht club founded in 1956 on Hidden Cove off Port Madison Inner Harbor, north Bainbridge Island. Reciprocal moorage for visiting club members.

Southwest Branch Back River

Anchorage on the Southwest Branch of the Back River, between Hampton and Poquoson in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Mud bottom.

• Sheltered NE, W, E, SW, SE

Sun Harbor Marina

Marina on America's Cup Harbour at Point Loma, on the inner west side of San Diego Bay, five minutes by road from the airport.

Threemile Harbor

Anchorage in Three Mile Harbor at East Hampton, New York, sand bottom, sheltered from the west but exposed to winds from the south-west to north-west.

• Sheltered SW, W, NW

Hunts Cove

Anchorage off the Piankatank River on Virginia's Middle Peninsula, with a mud bottom and good shelter from the northern sector.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW

South Annapolis Yacht Centre

Destination marina on Spa Creek in the Eastport district of Annapolis, Maryland, with 74 annual and transient berths.

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

Herrington Harbor South

Resort marina of more than 600 berths on Herring Bay, on the western shore of the middle Chesapeake.

Newport Bay

Mooring and anchorage area in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island, around Goat Island near the entrance from Narragansett Bay.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E

Creek Sanctuary Solomon's

Anchorage in the creeks behind Solomons, off the Patuxent River in Maryland, with a mud bottom and good shelter from the north through to the south-east.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, 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.

Marathon City Marina

Municipal mooring field of 226 engineered moorings on Boot Key Harbor at Marathon, run by the City of Marathon from 800 35th Street.

Whittaker Pointe Marina

Marina of 53 berths on Whittaker Creek at Oriental, North Carolina, with a fuel berth and 8 transient berths.

Back Landing

Mud-bottom anchorage off the Pungo River near Belhaven, North Carolina, sheltered from the NW, N and W.

• Sheltered NW, N, W

Mariners Basin

Anchorage in the south-west corner of Mission Bay, San Diego, with a sand and mud bottom and protection on every side.

• Sheltered N, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Cape lookout

Large natural anchorage inside Cape Lookout Bight, at the southern end of Cape Lookout National Seashore on the North Carolina Outer Banks.

• Sheltered NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Channel Island Harbor Marina

Marina inside the man-made Channel Islands Harbor at Oxnard, southern California. Around 400 berths from 24 to 60 ft plus end-ties up to 100 ft.