Block Island is located about 8.5 nm south of Point Judith, Rhode Island, or 18 nm southwest of Newport and 12 nm east-northeast of Montauk, NY. It’s THE summer destination for a large population of boaters from Connecticut through Rhode Island. It’s often compared to other famous islands in the area, such as Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket. However, it has a distinct vibe; it still retains its roots as an old-school summer beach resort, with a less developed, more nostalgic, and laid-back appeal. The historic, wooden National Hotel still stands over the town as its largest landmark.
The town’s name is New Shoreham, which takes up most of the island. It feels larger once you’re standing on it than it does when you’re looking at the charts. The anchorage has more space than you think, and it’s too far to walk to the north or southeast lighthouses. You can easily walk the beach for miles or walk to town for restaurants and groceries. Rental bikes, scooters, and taxis are available for longer trips. There’s a hardware store, numerous shops, and a variety of food options. In the spirit of island living, it’s all pretty expensive, too.
Boating to Block Island is a real treat. There are two harbors. Old Harbor is in the central part of town on the east side, surrounded by a breakwater. This is where the big ferry dock is, but there’s a small area with several moorings and a town marina. New Harbor, also known as Great Salt Pond, is a large natural harbor located on the west side. There are three marinas (Payne’s Dock, Champlin’s Marina, and New Harbor Boat Basin), 90 moorings, and lots of space to anchor. The anchorage is huge and protected — you get all the benefits of a beautiful New England beachy island without the swell, currents, or expensive moorings and docks. The local authorities seem to welcome cruisers (always a good sign that a place is worth visiting) with free dinghy docks, easy trash, bathrooms, a pump-out boat, and water. There’s even a bakery boat that roams every morning, selling coffee and pastries. They aren’t the best pastries, but the service is still lovely!
Exploring Block Island, Rhode Island
The beach walks on Block Island are the best part. Dogs are allowed on Crescent Beach all the time, and property is built above the bluffs, so you can walk and walk and walk. There are also numerous trails, including those along the bluffs on the north end and several trail networks on the south end. They’re a ways from the harbors, though, so you might work out a taxi to drop you off or pick you up. If you enjoy biking, this is a good place to do it. We find the narrow, busy roads too stressful to enjoy — we’re happier walking. Walking around the harbor and town, you can get nearly everywhere by just following the beach. In town, there are nice sidewalks.
Several sailory bars and restaurants line the waterfront of New Harbor, the marina district on the island’s west side. The local famous drink is the mudslide — we tried the one from The Oar Restaurant and it was drinkable, but we won’t repeat the experience. It has the feeling of a drink that became legendary, and is now churned out for the masses in a Frostee machine, a shadow of its former self. It did, however, contain a noticeable amount of alcohol.
Block Island hosts several significant events that fill up the island and the anchorage, in addition to the standard summer holiday weekends. The Around (Block) Island Race usually happens the third week in June, with races every day and tons of sailors in the bars and on the moorings in New Harbor. We’ve also heard that the Fourth of July weekend is a huge deal here, one that has too much partying and rowdiness. They say that up to 1,500 boats fill the harbor and anchorage during the peak summer weekends.
Anchoring in New Harbor, Block Island — Bring Your A-Game
One reason we love this island is that, for New England at least, Block Island has one of the best anchorages we’ve seen. New Harbor has the restaurants and marinas, plus it’s only about a 20-minute walk over to town. It’s enormous, protected from all sides, has no current, swell, or fetch, and has all the services you might need. The only drawback to it is its depth, which reaches up to 50 feet in the center. There’s space around the edges to find room in shallower spots. We spent three weeks anchored off Dinghy Beach in 6 feet of water (MLW). If you have a shallower draft, there are more options.
Moorings are available near the marinas (green ones are for boats <50, orange for >50, white ones are private). Call the harbormaster on VHF Ch. 12 or 16 for information, but they don’t take reservations. You can anchor anywhere north of the channel, as long as you are outside the recreation/conservation area and the mooring field. Those two restrictions are marked with buoys during the season and shown on the chart, but the buoys might not be set yet if you arrive early. Trash, restrooms, water, and a nice dinghy dock are provided near Payne’s Dock. Old Port Launch will pick you up and drop you off, even if you’re on the moorings (for a fee, obviously). You can also land on what is known as Dinghy Beach (locally called Mosquito Beach), where it’s a quick walk across the street to the main town beach.
The one thing you need to realize when anchoring in Block Island, especially as a cruiser, is that many of the boats that come here are not experienced at anchoring. Nearly all harbors in New England are full of moorings, and Block Island may be one of the only places where they have to anchor — there just aren’t enough docks and moorings for everyone. Add to that the facts that the anchorage is often crowded, very deep in places, and that many like to raft up, and it can be a mess. Boats here are usually piled on top of each other, with too little scope. Throw in a good blow, and it’s a quick lesson in all the ways to drag anchor.
Old Harbor (east side, in town) has a handful of moorings and some room to anchor (no more than 14 days), but there is space, especially in the off season. The anchoring space is small, and we’ve noticed it’s mostly cabin cruisers who put a stern anchor onto the breakwater to utilize the space carefully. As a visitor, I would leave this area to the locals unless it was the off-season, and you could secure a mooring.
We were put off Block Island by the many dodgy things we’d heard about anchoring here. However, the truth is, it’s a large place, and outside of the busiest holiday weekends, there’s ample space. It’s also an excellent, worthwhile stop, especially for offshore sailors passing through on their way north or south. You could hang in the harbor waiting for offshore weather to go just about anywhere from here — like south to Chesapeake Bay or north through the Cape Cod Canal to Maine.
The season here seems to kick off in mid-June (around Race Week) and lasts through Labor Day. After Labor Day, we’ve heard it’s a ghost town. That leaves some pretty nice shoulder seasons for cruisers passing through, from May and early June, and then from September through October. If you can visit during those times, it can’t be beat.
Boating to Block Island Links and Resources
- Block Island Harbor info sheet
- Nature Conservancy trail map
- Noforeginland app for locations of resources for boaters
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