Does anybody have any experience sailing to the Isle of Shoals on the NH/Maine border? I'm thinking of heading up there (from Salem, MA) for a weekend sometime soon. I am particulary trying to find info on anchoring and/or available moorings.
Isle of Shoals
- Thread starter AndyK
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Anchoring is first come first served. The inter-harbor is a great place to be and everyone knows it. I never had a problem anchoring. It's a great place to veg out for the weekend, go ashore, hike the islands. However, it does get busy late afternoon. If the wind is strong out of the south west or northwest it could get lumppy at night which makes the inter-harbor a great place to be.
Andy,
I have never been there but I was contemplating sailing up there this comming weekend, if the weather was acceptable, of course. I keep my boat on the Marblehead side of Salem Harbor and, if you want, we could pair up for the trip. Feel free to e-mail me: jgvenegas@comcast.net
I have never been there but I was contemplating sailing up there this comming weekend, if the weather was acceptable, of course. I keep my boat on the Marblehead side of Salem Harbor and, if you want, we could pair up for the trip. Feel free to e-mail me: jgvenegas@comcast.net
Jose-Isle of Shoals
We were thinking of heading up there on the Fourth of July weekend. We would be leaving early (7:30 am-ish) on Friday the 2nd to ensure we have enough time to make it there and get a good anchorage spot. Let me know - but be forewarned I am reasonably experienced but this is my first boat I have owned and we have only had it for a month now. I kind of take the conservative approach to sailing right now (e.g. reef early, arrive early, spare everything, etc.)
We were thinking of heading up there on the Fourth of July weekend. We would be leaving early (7:30 am-ish) on Friday the 2nd to ensure we have enough time to make it there and get a good anchorage spot. Let me know - but be forewarned I am reasonably experienced but this is my first boat I have owned and we have only had it for a month now. I kind of take the conservative approach to sailing right now (e.g. reef early, arrive early, spare everything, etc.)
Isle of Shoals trip
Andy, Jose, It's a nice trip, you can go around cape Ann or thru the annisquam river-shorter but you have to deal with the bridges and currents and a really twisty channel! I prefer to go out and around, since you are going offshore anyway. generally, it's a nice downwind leg going up. anchoring is first come, first served, all the moorings are private-you can "rest" on an unoccupied mooring but you can't leave the boat unattended in case the owner returns. In a pinch, you can duck into portsmouth harbor, the portsmouth yacht club usually has transient moorings for $20 per nite-on the port side of the channel after you turn into the river-but it can be really bouncy if big ships are going by. PYC 603-436-9877
Andy, Jose, It's a nice trip, you can go around cape Ann or thru the annisquam river-shorter but you have to deal with the bridges and currents and a really twisty channel! I prefer to go out and around, since you are going offshore anyway. generally, it's a nice downwind leg going up. anchoring is first come, first served, all the moorings are private-you can "rest" on an unoccupied mooring but you can't leave the boat unattended in case the owner returns. In a pinch, you can duck into portsmouth harbor, the portsmouth yacht club usually has transient moorings for $20 per nite-on the port side of the channel after you turn into the river-but it can be really bouncy if big ships are going by. PYC 603-436-9877
Gosport Harbor at the Isles of Shoals
We have sailed our Pearson 28 to the Isles of shoals. Your best bet is to pick up a mooring in Gosport Harbor. The Portsmouth Yacht Club owns about 4 moorings there. The only problem is that if a PYC member comes in and needs a mooring they have the right to ask you to leave the mooring. Now, we have been there twice and this has never happened. There are a few other moorings in the Harbor..not sure who they belong to but if you pick one up be very watchful. We once picked one up that we ended up dragging half way across the harbor. *yks Thankfully we did not end up on the rocks and just picked up another one with better luck. Have fun..it is a beautiful place to visit! Weekdays are much less crowded, obviously.
We have sailed our Pearson 28 to the Isles of shoals. Your best bet is to pick up a mooring in Gosport Harbor. The Portsmouth Yacht Club owns about 4 moorings there. The only problem is that if a PYC member comes in and needs a mooring they have the right to ask you to leave the mooring. Now, we have been there twice and this has never happened. There are a few other moorings in the Harbor..not sure who they belong to but if you pick one up be very watchful. We once picked one up that we ended up dragging half way across the harbor. *yks Thankfully we did not end up on the rocks and just picked up another one with better luck. Have fun..it is a beautiful place to visit! Weekdays are much less crowded, obviously.
Thanks everybody
This will be our first "away from home" trip with our new Hunter33. Sort of a trial run before we head up the Maine coast for a couple of weeks later in the summer. My major concern will be getting a mooring. We do carry two annchors with plenty of line (200+ ft). As long as the bottom isn't too rocky we probably will be able to set a hook, but obviously I would prefer a mooring. As a backup plan I've never gone into Portsmouth Harbor before. The maps show quite a bit of current. Is it any worse than Newburyport Harbor?
This will be our first "away from home" trip with our new Hunter33. Sort of a trial run before we head up the Maine coast for a couple of weeks later in the summer. My major concern will be getting a mooring. We do carry two annchors with plenty of line (200+ ft). As long as the bottom isn't too rocky we probably will be able to set a hook, but obviously I would prefer a mooring. As a backup plan I've never gone into Portsmouth Harbor before. The maps show quite a bit of current. Is it any worse than Newburyport Harbor?
Andy,
It looks like we won't be able to sail with you on the 4th of July Weekend and this Sat does not look too good for us to go. I will try again in August perhaps making it a long weekend. Let me know your experience. I plan to be on Ipanema on Sat afternoon and Sunday and I monitor channel 16 and 9. Give us a call if you are around. Ipanema is a 361 Beneteau near the number 2 marker on the Marblehead side of the channel.
It looks like we won't be able to sail with you on the 4th of July Weekend and this Sat does not look too good for us to go. I will try again in August perhaps making it a long weekend. Let me know your experience. I plan to be on Ipanema on Sat afternoon and Sunday and I monitor channel 16 and 9. Give us a call if you are around. Ipanema is a 361 Beneteau near the number 2 marker on the Marblehead side of the channel.
portsmouth harbor
Andy, nothing's a bad as newburyport! the current in portsmouth can get up to 4-5 kts, not as bad as the mouth of the merrimac-but there's plenty of room and deep water, so it's not as bad. watch out for the lobsterpots in the middle of the channel! the river can get bouncy for sleeping, that's all. see if you can get a mooring in the cove, as opposed to in front of PYC. I've been up there several times. looks like we'll be heading up there around July 21, enroute to boothbay. I hope we'll get to meet soon- we're landbound this weekend for graduation parties, and over the fourth (major go-live for me), buthen i plan to do some serious sailing. chuck H356 WWW.Escape
Andy, nothing's a bad as newburyport! the current in portsmouth can get up to 4-5 kts, not as bad as the mouth of the merrimac-but there's plenty of room and deep water, so it's not as bad. watch out for the lobsterpots in the middle of the channel! the river can get bouncy for sleeping, that's all. see if you can get a mooring in the cove, as opposed to in front of PYC. I've been up there several times. looks like we'll be heading up there around July 21, enroute to boothbay. I hope we'll get to meet soon- we're landbound this weekend for graduation parties, and over the fourth (major go-live for me), buthen i plan to do some serious sailing. chuck H356 WWW.Escape
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