Day sail anchorages in Narragansett Bay

[ob44]

Cruising guides say that one simply picks up an unoccupied mooring at Potter's Cove. I was there two weeks ago during the week and it was mostly empty. We picked up an unoccupied town mooring and stayed two nights. No one came by, although on our second night an official-looking boat hovered nearby for several minutes and then moved on without a word. It's a lovely anchorage and I understand it's very popular on the weekends.

[Library70]

They have been trying to get the guides to remove that. There aren't any public moorings in Potter's cove, infact there is a fine for using a mooring without the owners consent.

[Prospective]

Originally Posted by ob44

Cruising guides say that one simply picks up an unoccupied mooring at Potter's Cove. I was there two weeks ago during the week and it was mostly empty. We picked up an unoccupied town mooring and stayed two nights. No one came by, although on our second night an official-looking boat hovered nearby for several minutes and then moved on without a word. It's a lovely anchorage and I understand it's very popular on the weekends.

Unfortunately all of those moorings are private. And, while you may not be hassled, having an owner show up while you're on their mooring can be an issue. It varies from year to year but I've seen busy weekend days where the Portsmouth Harbormaster verified boats and if it wasn't their mooring, they were chased off and then given a safety inspection.

[IslandTractor]

No reason to pick up a mooring in Potters Cove. There is plenty of excellent anchorage space just outside the cove. The cove is crowded on summer weekends but there is at least a mile or two of southern shoreline just before the actual cove that would be more pleasant for a family picnic. The holding ground is excellent and you are totally protected from the typical southwest afternoon breeze. Not a good spot to anchor in a northeasterly breeze but in that case the area called Sandy Beach on the western side of Prudence would be ideal.