Best anchorages and harbours in United States

Seville Harbor

Anchorage off the Seville waterfront in downtown Pensacola, Florida, on a mud bottom in Pensacola Bay.

• Sheltered NW, N, W, SW

Alexandria Bay Town Dock

Municipal transient dock on the St Lawrence River at Alexandria Bay, in the heart of the Thousand Islands of upstate New York.

Crescent City Harbor anchorage

Anchorage in the outer harbour at Crescent City, on the northern California coast. Rock and mud bottom, open to the south.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E, S, SE

Red Bay

Bay on the north coast of Prince of Wales Island, opening northeast into Sumner Strait in Southeast Alaska.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW

Somes Harbor

Anchorage at the head of Somes Sound on Mount Desert Island, Maine, off the village of Somesville at the edge of Acadia National Park.

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

Big Bay Creek, Edisto Beach

Anchorage on Big Bay Creek behind Edisto Beach, South Carolina, beside The Plantation Course golf course and close to the Intracoastal Waterway.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SW, SE

Holiday Harbor Cabrillo Marina

Marina at Berth 34 of the Cabrillo Marina complex in San Pedro, within the Port of Los Angeles, southern California.

Petersburg

Fishing town on the northern tip of Mitkof Island, at the junction of Wrangell Narrows and Frederick Sound in South-East Alaska.

• Sheltered NW, N, E, S, SE

Cumberland island

Anchorage on the back side of Cumberland Island, the southernmost barrier island of Georgia, in the marshes between the island and St Marys. Sand and mud bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, E, SE

Gasparilla Marina

Deep-water marina in Placida on the Intracoastal Waterway, a few minutes from Boca Grande Pass into the Gulf.

Lettuce Lake

Free anchorage off the Intracoastal Waterway at Pompano Beach, Florida, set well back from the channel.

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

Little Bayou

Enclosed anchorage on Pentwater Lake at Pentwater, off the Lake Michigan shore.

• Sheltered NW, NE, W, E, SW, S, SE

Santa Barbara anchorage (Seasonal)

Seasonal open-roadstead anchorage off Santa Barbara on the southern California coast, on a sand bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE

First Sassafras Bend

Anchorage on the first bend of the Sassafras River above its mouth, upper Chesapeake Bay, with the marinas of Georgetown to the east.

• Sheltered W, E, SW, S, SE

Fortman Marina

497 berth marina in a man made rectangular basin on the Alameda side of the Oakland Estuary, opposite Coast Guard Island.

Harbor Point

Anchorage on the Mansfield Peninsula in Lynn Canal, Southeast Alaska, with a mud and weed bottom.

• Sheltered NW, E, S, SE

Robbie's of Key West Marina

Full-service marina on Shrimp Road, Stock Island, near Key West, Florida, with deep-water access on the Atlantic side.

Safe Harbor Ventura Isle

Largest marina in Ventura Harbor, with 580 berths for vessels from 25 to 95 ft, on the east side of the harbour basin.

Coecles Harbor anchorage

Anchorage inside Coecles Harbor on Shelter Island, at the eastern end of New York's Peconic Bays, on a sand bottom.

• Sheltered N, NE, E, W, NW

Emeryville Marina

Public marina on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, on the Emeryville Peninsula at 3310 Powell Street in California.

Indian Key Anchorage

Anchorage off Indian Key, an 11-acre historic island in the Florida Keys near Islamorada, lying just inside the Hawk Channel passage south-east of U.S. 1.

• Free
• Sheltered NW, N, NE

Spencer Spit

Anchorage off Spencer Spit State Park on the eastern shore of Lopez Island, San Juan Islands, Washington, overlooking Lopez Sound.

• Paid
• Sheltered NW, W, E, SW, S, SE

Windmill

Anchorage in the cove behind Windmill Point on the Ware River, Mobjack Bay, Virginia, on a mud bottom.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, W, SW, S, SE

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

Fishers Island Yacht Club

Members' yacht club on the north side of Fishers Island in West Harbor, at the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound. Two miles off the Connecticut coast opposite Stonington.

Mansion Marina

Full-service marina with a fuel berth on Great Kills Harbour, Staten Island, New York.

Charleston Harbor Marina

Marina of 459 berths at Patriots Point in Mt Pleasant, South Carolina, on the north side of Charleston Harbor opposite the historic peninsula.

McCotters Marina & Boatyard

Full-service marina and boatyard on the western shore of Broad Creek, off the north side of the Pamlico River, about 8 miles east of Washington, North Carolina.

Abel Marina

Mooring field off the Henry R. Abel boatyard at the head of Somes Sound, Mount Desert Island, Maine.

• Sheltered NW, N, NE, E

Kennedy point marina

Marina on the Intracoastal Waterway at Titusville, Florida, set on the Indian River Lagoon directly across from Kennedy Space Center.