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Mooring field · Rhode Island

Sakonnet Harbor

Little Compton, Rhode Island · Narragansett Bay · 41°27.9′N 71°11.7′W · VHF Ch 6

Good holdingProtected from N · NE · SMooring fieldReservable
Holding
Good
Best in wind
N · NE · S
Depth
5–8 ft
Bottom
sand/mud

At a glance

Depth range
5–8 ft (MLW)
Tidal range
3.5 ft
Bottom type
sand/mud
Capacity
15+ boats
Crowding
Moderate
VHF
Ch 6

Quick answers Sakonnet Harbor

Is Sakonnet Harbor good holding?

Holding at Sakonnet Harbor is rated good, over a sand/mud bottom. Set well and check your swing before you trust it.

What wind is Sakonnet Harbor protected from?

Sakonnet Harbor is well sheltered from north, northeast, south winds. Check the wind-protection rose above for every direction.

Can you anchor for free at Sakonnet Harbor?

Sakonnet Harbor is primarily a mooring or dockage harbor — 2 town transient moorings (≤40 ft), with little or no room to anchor free.

What VHF channel do you use at Sakonnet Harbor?

Hail on VHF Ch 6 (Little Compton Harbormaster Ch 6).

Can you get a mooring at Sakonnet Harbor?

Reserve or hail — Two town transient moorings — hail Little Compton Harbormaster on Ch 6; marina slips via Dockwa. It fills on summer weekends.

Mooring picture can you get a ball?

Reserve or hailFills on summer weekends
Getting a ball
Two town transient moorings — hail Little Compton Harbormaster on Ch 6; marina slips via Dockwa
Launch service
No launch — dinghy to the town landing
If the field is full
Small, mostly-private basin with little anchoring room — call ahead; anchor up the Sakonnet River or run to Newport.

Wind protection by direction

GoodN, NE, S
FairE, SE, W, NW
ExposedSW
Derived from shoreline fetch + Coast Pilot notes

Amenities ashore

Dinghy dock
Water
Restaurants
Trash

On the chart seamarks & approaches

Buoys & seamarks © OpenSeaMap · base © OpenStreetMap. Reference only — not for navigation.

Local knowledge

Sakonnet Point is the quiet far corner of Rhode Island — a little breakwater harbor tucked under the Little Compton bluffs at the mouth of the Sakonnet River, a world away from the Newport bustle around the corner.

It's a small, mostly-private mooring basin: hail the Little Compton harbormaster on Ch 6 for one of the two town transient moorings (up to 40 ft), or take a slip at Sakonnet Point Marina via Dockwa. Shelter is good from the north and south but the entrance opens southwest, so pick settled weather. There's no fuel and few services — a peaceful, offbeat stop for those who like a working harbor with a view.

Hazards & cautions. Enter only around the lighted outer end of the 800-foot breakwater off Breakwater Point; fish traps and shoaling (to ~1.5 ft on the northwest edge) crowd the basin. Foul ground and rocks lie west-southwest of Sakonnet Point (Sakonnet Light marks its western end), and a southwesterly sends swell across the entrance.

Cruiser reports from the anchorage

Editor's note

NOAA Coast Pilot describes Sakonnet Harbor as a small-boat harbor on the north side of Sakonnet Point, protected by an 800-foot breakwater with a light at its outer end, with a marina and launching ramp on the southwest side.

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.