The mouth of the river sits just over five miles from the city boundaries, putting Long Island Sound, one of America’s sailing capitals, well within reach for offshore boaters, too. A boating tour of this area will skirt heron-thronged marshland, sail beyond Colonial-style clapboard-clad lighthouses, cruise beyond historic riverside towns and head out into the Sound itself for wave-defying motor-boating or ambitious saltwater fishing.
Boating here is based around a sequence of marinas and dockyards right in the heart of town mere steps away from the traditional and historic Downtown district. Back in the War of 1812 these marinas were razed to the ground by invading British troops, though these days you’re more likely to find fishermen, sailors and experienced yachters hanging out here rather than marauding redcoats. Safe Harbor Essex Island, one of the most popular in the area, sits on its own serpentine islet and boasts 135 slips for vessels up to 150-feet in length.
Back on the mainland you will discover Safe Harbor Dauntless Shipyard featuring seafood restaurants, a range of professional marine services and 110 wet-slips. Remaining in this area you should check out twin institutions the Essex Corinthian Yacht Club and the Essex Yacht Club, two stalwarts of refined boating in town that arrange regular regattas and races, including the Essex Rum Challenge, a competitive sailing event. On the north-side of the city, meanwhile, there’s the Pettipaug Yacht Club, a welcoming venue founded in 1928 that is based right on the river with 125 slips. To the north of town there are also a selection of full-service marinas in neighboring Deep River, including the Safe Harbor Deep River Marina, the Chester Point Marina and Hays Haven Marina, three facilities with a combined 395 slips.
Fans of boating history should make sure to head to the Connecticut River Museum based in Essex, where they can tour artefacts and attractions like a full-size replica of the Turtle submarine, the world’s first underwater sea-craft invented in nearby Old Saybrook. Locals in Essex have been building watercraft for centuries, and this is a tradition that continues up to the present day. Check out local brands including One3 Powerboats, builders of military-grade, plate-welded center-consoles, as well as Chester Boat Works, a firm that specializes in custom aluminum boats.
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