Jamestown, RI Weather, Tides, Events, and Local Information

Consider Jamestown the quieter alternative to bustling Newport. The town of Jamestown is located on Conanicut Island, and here you’ll find Conanicut Marina, an extremely well appointed facility located on the eastern side of town, facing the East passage, where you can tie up and walk into town. Jamestown has a variety of interesting restaurants and shops. Dutch Harbor offers anchorage on the western side of the island.

You can circumnavigate Jamestown by passing through the West passage and under the Jamestown Bridge and back through the East Passage under the Newport Bridge. Along the way there are a number of great spots to drop a hook and take a swim or enjoy a picnic.

Dutch Island Harbor in the West Passage is a favorite spot for boaters to spend a day relaxing and swimming.

Mackerel Cove, on the southerly end of Jamestown just east of Beaver Tail Lighthouse, is another great anchoring spot, although not as well protected, especially if the wind is southerly. Mackerel Cove is a great place to swim, scuba, or skin dive, as well. If you have a license, this is a great place to dive for lobsters hiding in the rocky walls that surround the cove.

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Marine Facilities
A marina basin protected by a detached breakwater is in the center of the bight. Jamestown has two boatyards, including Conanicut Marine. The largest marine railway can handle craft to 80 feet, and the largest lift is 50 tons. Berths, electricity, gasoline, diesel fuel, water, ice, marine supplies, and complete hull, engine, and electronic repairs are available.

Jamestown is on the east side of Conanicut Island in a bight on the west side of East Passage. A standpipe in the southern part of the town and a hotel near the waterfront are prominent.

From the south, the approach to Jamestown utilizes the East Passage, the principal passage in Narragansett Bay, which extends between Rhode Island on the east and Conanicut and Prudence Islands on the west. It is the most direct route to Newport, Bristol, Providence, Mount Hope Bay, and Taunton River.

Prominent Features
Beavertail Point is the southern extremity of Conanicut Island, on the western side of the entrance to East Passage. Beavertail Light (41°26’58″N.,71°23’58″W.), 64 feet above the water, is shown from a square granite tower attached to a white dwelling at Beavertail Point. A fog signal is at the light. Several antennas and radar towers are north of the light. Newton Rock, a covered rock, is about 0.1 mile southward of the point; a bell buoy is about 0.2 mile southwestward of the rock.

Mackerel Cove indents the southern shore of Conanicut Island about 1.6 miles northeastward of Beavertail Light. A house with a cupola is prominent on Southwest Point, the eastern entrance point of the cove. The cove is exposed to southerly weather and is seldom used. The Jamestown Bridge shows prominently over the bar at the head of the cove on entering East Passage. Kettle Bottom Rock, about 0.2 mile southeastward of Southwest Point, is bare and marked by a gong buoy.

Bull Point, the southeastern point of Conanicut Island, is rugged and rocky, and fringed by shoals, which are marked by buoys. Fort Wetherill is on the point. The Dumplings, northeast of Bull Point, are numerous bare and covered rocks and islets. The most southerly islet has a tall house on it, covering almost the entire islet.

Excursions:

Stretch your legs with a hike or a good bike ride out to Beaver Tail Lighthouse and Park, which offers a spectacular view of the Atlantic, as well as the east and west passages that border Jamestown.
Fort Wetherill State Park is also a great place to hike and is a favorite spot for scuba divers. The fort was built after the Spanish-American War and offers a commanding view of Narragansett Bay and Newport