Branford, Connecticut · Long Island Sound · 41°15.5′N 72°44.8′W
Holding at Thimble Islands is rated fair, over a rock bottom. Set well and check your swing before you trust it.
Thimble Islands is well sheltered from north, northeast, northwest winds. Check the wind-protection rose above for every direction.
Yes — anchoring at Thimble Islands is free.
There's no monitored VHF channel at the anchorage itself.
The Thimble Islands are a scatter of pink-granite islets off Stony Creek — one of the most beautiful and unusual gunkholes on the Sound, and a careful one, with ledges everywhere and no transient moorings to grab.
Feel your way in on the marked channels and anchor in 5–7 ft between High and Pot Island, the recommended spot, "protected except from the southwest." The rock bottom and tight, ledge-strewn room make for fair holding, so set carefully and give yourself scope. There are no services — a free town dinghy dock (4-hour limit), a seasonal restaurant and a village market ashore; fuel and dockage are over on the Branford River.
Hazards & cautions. The Thimbles are a maze of granite islands and submerged ledges that surface on the ~6-foot tide — enter only on the marked channels (charts 12372/12373) and watch for a 3-ft rock at G C "1" south of High Island. Don't anchor over the submerged cables and pipelines running between the islands.
NOAA Coast Pilot places the Thimble Islands anchorage between High and Pot Islands in about 5–7 feet, protected except from the southwest, amid numerous rocks and ledges.
No cruiser reports yet. If you've anchored here, be the first — your note helps the next boat in.
Augusto ratings and editorial are our own synthesis of public-domain sources and cruiser reports. Always verify against current charts and local knowledge before you rely on them.