Boating, Fishing, and Travel Information for Essex, CT

Essex, a town on the west bank of the Connecticut River about 5 miles above Saybrook Point, is a major destination for visiting boaters and others seeking to explore this stunning community’s maritime connections. Those ties go all the way back to 1814, when Essex gained its claim to fame as being one of the very few American towns to ever be attacked by a foreign power. The British’s bloodless attack led to the commandeering of the town and the burning of several ships that were under construction, a testament to the strategic importance of Essex shipbuilders.
In the two centuries since, the maritime industry has continued to flourish in Essex, with the crews at Brewer Dauntless Shipyard becoming much sought-after for their skills in repairing, restoring, and maintaining yachts of all sizes and styles. The town has also become a popular tourist destination, with travelers taking in the authentic fare at the Griswold Inn, sampling the many shops on Main Street, and enjoying the village’s old-world charm. Whether you arrive by boat or by car, Essex is a delightful destination for anyone interested in making a deeper connection to America’s maritime heritage.

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Boating in Essex, CT Map View

There are several small-craft facilities at Essex. Depths alongside the town landing are about 6 feet. Several facilities provide berths and mooring, electricity, gasoline, diesel fuel, water, ice, marine supplies, sewage pumpout, storage, and full repairs. The marina just north of the entrance to Middle Cove has an approach depth of 8 feet and an alongside depth of 11 feet.
Essex is home to the Connecticut River Museum and Essex Historic Waterfront. Steamboat Dock is located at the foot of Main Street on the Connecticut River.
Navigation:
Click the “Map View” button above to see a chart of this harbor.
Small craft should have no difficulty in following the river channel from Saybrook Point .
3 miles above the river entrance is a railroad bridge with bascule span, 19 feet. The bridge tender monitors VHF-FM channel 13; call sign KT-5414.
3.5 miles above the river entrance is the Raymond E. Baldwin (IS 95) Bridge, fixed highway, 81 feet.
Essex Cove is the area off the main river channel skirting the waterfront at Essex. A dredged channel, marked by private buoys, leads from the main channel through the cove, and thence rejoins the main channel to the northward. In 2007, the controlling depth was 5.5 feet in the buoyed channel.
A privately marked small-boat channel leads westward from the dredged buoyed channel in Essex Cove to a yacht basin in Middle Cove, northward of Thatchbed Island. In 2008, the small-boat channel had a reported midchannel controlling depth of 4½ feet to the marina at the north end of the cove. Another channel, on the north side of the village, leads to North Cove, home to the Brewer Dauntless Shipyard as well as Essex Boat Works and Essex Island Marina.