East Lyme, Connecticut · Fishers Island Sound & the East End · 41°19.2′N 72°11.5′W
Holding at Niantic Bay & River is rated good, over a mud bottom. Set well and check your swing before you trust it.
Niantic Bay & River is well sheltered from north, northwest winds. Check the wind-protection rose above for every direction.
Niantic Bay & River is primarily a mooring or dockage harbor — marina / yacht-club transient — call ahead, with little or no room to anchor free.
There's no monitored VHF channel at the anchorage itself — marinas by phone; bridges Ch 13.
Reservable — Marina or yacht-club transient by phone — no monitored harbor channel. It fills on summer weekends.
Niantic splits in two: an open bay off Long Island Sound and a snug tidal river behind a pair of low bridges, lined with marinas and a walkable village a short dinghy from the dock.
For shelter, arrange a transient mooring or slip with one of the river marinas and time the bridge inlet for slack — inside, it's protected all round with a fair current. The bay anchorage south of McCooks Park works in settled or northerly weather but opens to the summer southwesterly. There's no monitored harbor channel here; call the marinas ahead, and hail the bridgetenders on Ch 13.
Hazards & cautions. The river is entered from the bay through a narrow inlet under two low bridges (an Amtrak bascule and the Rt-156 highway span) that open separately — strong current at the Niantic Bar can pin a boat between the spans, so transit at slack. The bay itself is open south and southwest to the Sound and the sea breeze.
NOAA Coast Pilot notes Niantic Bay has good depths with well-marked outlying rocks (Wigwam, Black and Three-Foot Rocks); the river is entered through a narrow bridged inlet with strong current.
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.