By William C. Winslow
Every coastal cruiser needs a safe hole, a Plan B should the weather turn nasty and you need to escape the fury fast. Many cruisers also wish for a quiet anchorage away from the maddening crowd. Can they be the same spot? Sometimes.
In my quarter-century of sailing Long Island and nearby waters, I have some favorite places I seek out. Safe spots offer protection from winds, breakers and swells. Stiff winds in our area blow mainly from the northeast and northwest, although prevailing southwest zephyrs can occasionally build into lusty gusts of 30 knots or more. You want a hiding place where land or a breakwater can blunt the wind; some holes offer 360 degrees of protection, while others may be unprotected at one of the four compass quadrants (if the wind isn’t whistling down that direction, you’re home free).
The time to plan starts with a radio weather check. Armed with information about wind intensity and direction, you can plot your escape route. The best safe holes on Long Island waters I’ve found are the rivers and bays in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Most of these waterways run north/south and are not very wide, so the land provides a natural breakwater. Some rivers also augment safety with man made barriers at their mouths.
The Housatonic, Connecticut, and Thames Rivers are excellent sanctuary rivers, as is Narragansett Bay. Hole up a few miles from their entrances, not at their mouths.
Protection from northern gales sweeping south from Connecticut include Milford and Mystic Harbors and north of the submarine base on the Thames. One and a half miles up the Niantic is a mill pound. Harbor of Refuge in Galilee, Rhode Island — at the entrance to Narragansett Bay — is a haven of sorts from rollers generated by strong southeast winds from Block Island Sound, although it might also be a tad choppy and noisy. A few miles east lie the twin forks of the Westport River in southwestern Massachusetts, but don’t try to run the entrance in a southwest blow. Choose the west branch once inside.
The north shore of Long Island is full of weather protected cozy harbors, most of which owe their security to the 100-plus mile long land mass. This is the home of many little inlets, including West Neck and Coecles Harbors on Shelter Island, Wooly Pond in Peconic Bay, and Mattituck Inlet. Huntington and Port Jefferson Harbors are equally inviting, although if you sail in late you may find wall-to-wall boats.
With the amount of traffic in this part of the world, gunk holes have become an endangered species. Good luck on the weekends finding that quiet little bay or inlet where you may anchor in solitary splendor off a sandy beach and hear only lapping waves and the cries of gulls overhead (here shallow draft motor boats have the edge over keel sail).
At the risk of attracting even more visitors, here are some of my favorite refuges from a hectic life (especially during weekdays): West Neck on Shelter Island where the navigable stream penetrates for a couple of miles into a secluded part of the island; also Smith Cove. An inviting sand bar on the lower Connecticut River is a delight, because much of the river except around Middletown is unspoiled and undeveloped woods (keep an eye out for bald eagles).
Hamburg Cove, just north of Essex, is a natural fjord with steep wooded hillsides. Yes, you’ll have to share with other boaters, but it’s such a spectacular setting you’ll soon forget your neighbors.
Further east on the north side of Prudence Island, just south of Bristol, Rhode Island, lies the Holy Grail: Potter’s Cove. Here you’ll find supreme bliss with the opportunity to row or swim ashore to pick wild blueberries and beach plums. Beware of the poison ivy.
The author is the Division 5 – Staff Officer Public Affairs, First District Southern Region, for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the all-volunteer, non-military arm of the Coast Guard, teaching boating safety education and conducting search and rescue operations. Visit http://cgaux.org/ to join the Auxiliary or for class information.
