Clinton, Connecticut · Long Island Sound · 41°16.1′N 72°31.9′W
Holding at Clinton Harbor is rated good, over a mud bottom. Set well and check your swing before you trust it.
Clinton Harbor is well sheltered from north, northeast, east, northwest winds. Check the wind-protection rose above for every direction.
Yes — anchoring at Clinton Harbor is free.
There's no monitored VHF channel at the anchorage itself — Cedar Island Marina Ch 09.
Reserve or hail — Cedar Island Marina slips via Dockwa / Ch 09; town moorings by phone. It fills on summer weekends.
Clinton sits behind the long Kelsey Point Breakwater at the mouth of the Hammonasset River — a busy shoreline stop anchored by the big Cedar Island Marina, with two small anchorage basins for those who'd rather swing.
Follow the buoyed channel in carefully past Wheeler Rock and the shifting bar, then anchor in one of the basins near the channel's end in soft mud, or take a slip at Cedar Island (hail Ch 09). It's well sheltered from the north and west once you're in, but the outer bight is open south, so pick your weather. The town harbormaster works by phone rather than a monitored channel.
Hazards & cautions. The entrance is a shoaling bar whose buoys are shifted often; Wheeler Rock (1 ft over it) lies just outside, marked by a lighted buoy. The bight behind Kelsey Point Breakwater is open to the south — exposed in a southeasterly or southwesterly blow.
NOAA Coast Pilot notes Clinton Harbor's federal channel to the town dock, two anchorage basins near the channel's end, and Wheeler Rock outside the bar; the bight is exposed to southeasterly and southwesterly winds.
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.