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Anchorage · Connecticut

Duck Island Roads — Westbrook

Westbrook, Connecticut · Long Island Sound · 41°16.4′N 72°28.7′W

Good holdingProtected from N · SW · W · NWAnchorage
Holding
Good
Best in wind
N · SW · W · NW
Depth
8–14 ft
Bottom
sand/mud

At a glance

Depth range
8–14 ft (MLW)
Tidal range
3.6 ft
Bottom type
sand/mud
Capacity
40+ boats
Crowding
Quiet
VHF

Wind protection by direction

GoodN, SW, W, NW
FairNE, E
PoorSE, S
Derived from shoreline fetch + Coast Pilot notes

Local knowledge

Duck Island Roads is the open-roadstead anchorage behind the stone breakwaters off Westbrook — a convenient spot to break the run along the central Connecticut shore, and a fair-weather overnight rather than an all-weather hole.

Anchor behind the breakwaters in 9–13 ft of sand and mud with good holding and shelter from the west and southwest, where the walls do their work. But the roads are open to the south and southeast, so swell curls around in an onshore blow — this is a spot for settled weather or a northwesterly, not for a southerly gale. There are no services; the Menunketesuck and Patchogue rivers nearby carry marinas for shoal draft.

Handy, quiet and free in the right conditions — just watch the forecast, because the exposure to the south is the whole story.

Hazards & cautions. The breakwaters shelter the roads from the west and southwest but the anchorage is open to the south and southeast — an onshore blow from that quarter sends swell around the breakwater and makes it untenable. No services; a pure anchorage.

Cruiser reports from the anchorage

Editor's note

Coast Pilot notes Duck Island Roads is protected by breakwaters from the west but open to the south and southeast.

No cruiser reports yet. If you've anchored here, be the first — your note helps the next boat in.

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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.