Marina near Noank CT.

[BarryL]

Hello,

I am looking for a marina in or around Noank CT to spend one night. I will be coming from Block Island and will be headed home to Mt. Sinai, NY. I will break the trip up into two days, so something around Noank would be good. Any recommendations for something with a pool and restaurant? I have stayed at Spicers before. It was fine but doesn't have a pool. We will probably go to Mystic for a few hours if that matters.

Thanks,
Barry

[tweitz]

Barry -
You should consider staying right at the Mystic Seaport. If you are tied up there, you have the run of the place after it is closed to the general public, and its very cool. It is a bit expensive, but not terrible, and it is easy to walk to restaurants in town.

[BarryL]

Hi Ted,

Thanks for the suggestion but I didn't want to travel the extra distance to / from Mystic. I will depart for Mt. Sinai the next day and would like to keep that trip shorter (it's going to be a long trip anyway) Additionally I have heard that dealing with the bridge can be difficult. True or not?

Thanks,
Barry

Originally Posted by tweitz

Barry -
You should consider staying right at the Mystic Seaport. If you are tied up there, you have the run of the place after it is closed to the general public, and its very cool. It is a bit expensive, but not terrible, and it is easy to walk to restaurants in town.

[chef2sail]

We stayed for two days behind the red barn in Mystic Seaport. If you join as a memeber the second ay is free. That doesnt help you though Barry as you have the trip the next day. No trouble at all with the bridge. Its a 1/2 hour trip up Mystic River though. Mystic/ Noank) is a fairly short distance from Block (5 hours or so). Why not try and make it a little further down the Sound say Saybrooke or Essex. It would cut time off your Siani leg the next day. Essex is a neat place too with good restauarants.

Dave

[tweitz]

I agree with the comment that the bridge was no trouble at all. Actually, there are 2 bridges, the railroad bridge and the bascule bridge just below the seaport. The railroad bridge is open except when a train is coming, the bascule is on a half hour opening schedule. I also agree that Essex is a great place to visit. If you want to minimize the trip there are marinas right at the mouth of the Connecticut River, though the one we went to seemed a bit pricey.

[JimsCAL]

Rather than go up the CT River, I would go on to Westbrook and stay at Pilot's Point. Or anchor off Duck Island. That about splits the difference between Block and Mt. Sinai.

[paulk]

We stayed at Noank Shipyard when Brewer's in Stonington wasn't interested in our business, and had a great visit there. Friendly and cheerful. There's also a very good seafood restaurant right next to the marina. Other marinas going on up the river towards Mystic (am not familiar with them) would make the taxi ride to the museum shorter, but heading up the river means having to come down again to set out the next day, so, you pays your money and makes your choice. Note that if you're not a Mystic Seaport Member, the entry fee makes short visits of a couple of hours pretty pricey.

The same "what goes up must come down" rule applies for Essex - it's an hour up from the breakwater at Saybrook, again with bridge opening issues. Westbrook is quicker to get in and out of, but the restaurant at the marina there (Brewer's Pilot Point) though excellent, is expensive. Also, other than the marina, the only thing to do there is to hit the Westbrook Outlet Mall. The taxi ride will be the cheap part of THAT adventure. Anchoring in Duck Island Roads is the less-expensive alternative to Pilot's Point. The holding is good but it can be bouncy, and, depending upon your draft, shallow. At any of these ports, watch for sufficient depth. We draw 6'9", and Noank Shipyard had to put us at a specific mooring because of general shoaling in the river there. (That's why New Bedford overtook Mystic as a whaling port.) We've had trouble leaving slips in the CT River at low water as well.

[SOUNDBOUNDER]

That's why New Bedford overtook Mystic as a whaling port

Mystic was never really a whaling town. Its claim to fame was shipbuilding and trade.