Hamburg Cove moorings

J

JohnC

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We're going to be in Essex for a few days in July and I want to stop at Hamburg cove for a day and potentially stay overnight. What is the procedure for getting a mooring, seems like I've read different things? Are there specific rental moorings or is any mooring not in use available as long as the owner isn't there? Is it okay to stay overnight? We'll be there on a Tuesday if all goes according to plan so hopefully not overly crowded.

Thanks,
John
 
Hi John;
I swing from a mooring and don't mind somebody using mine as long as somebody is aboard to move when I get back. I leave a note on the bouy with dates when I am cruising, so they can feel comfortabe leaving the boat. I feel this way because so many of our NE harbors are crowded with moorings leaving little room for anchoring. Hamburg Cove has a number of moorings that only get used on weekends. I would feel free to use one of them. You can sometimes tell how often they are used by the amount of growth on the pennant. I prefer my own anchor but places like Hamburg Cove are short on anchoring room because of all the moorings.
 
John, there are rental moorings that are clearly marked. The guy comes by in the afternoon and collects $20.00 per boat. You can dink down to the end of the creek to his marina to dump garbage & get ice. There is a small grocery store up his driveway and to the left.

During the week, you should find plenty of empty ones, both rental and private.
 
Thanks guys. Any concerns with water depth? I draw about 4.5' when loaded.
 
There are 10 town moorings marked in orange. They are set-up on your starbord side along the way in as you enter the cove. Each has a spring line. The guy comes around at about 6pm to collect for overnights - nothing for the day. The rest of the moorings are private, but available. Only got kicked off once, and they were nice about it. No anchoring. Stay in the channel and you will be fine on the depth - don't cut the last red one in.
 
Is it generally acceptable to pick up a private mooring (if public/rentals are not available) and vacate if the owner comes along? I've just come off of Lake Winnipesaukee in NH, where moorings are always in use by their owners overnight, and into Narragansett Bay.
 
I also have used other moorings in the cove only if no rentals are available. Be asked off once when the owner came. Be sure to stay on board or close by incase the owner returns. Also I have been invited on several ocasions to raft up with others. Some times I will put a call out on th radio for a raft up and surprisingly gotten a response. The Cove is my favorite place to be.
 
Fletcha, it is not typical in the northeast for it to be acceptable to pick up a private mooring if nothing else is available. I think this is particular to Hamburg Cove, and perhaps some other spots, where the moorings were put in for weekend use rather than the normal home port of the boat. Unless you had local knowledge of the practices at a particular spot, I wouldn't do it.
 
We spent Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday afternoon on one of the rental moorings. We were on a mooring at the Chandlery in Essex Saturday-Monday and took the dinghy over to Hamburg cove Monday to check out the mooring situation and every one of the rental ones was available. We ended up exploring all the way up the cove on Monday, and then Tuesday once we were on the mooring went up to Selden Creek and up a little past Gillete Castle with the dinghy. Thanks again for the information above, it was a beautiful spot to stop and spend a day and night.

John
 
John~ Glad you enjoyed the place - it is a beautiful spot. The entrance to our marina is across the river from the north side of Selden Creek, and we can see Gillette Castle from our slip. It seems many times we see more boats from NY than CT at the Cove. Vice-versa when we go to our LI destinations.
 
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