Gary Anderson

I may be relocating in the next few months to the Groton, CT area. Right now I'm in St Louis and drive about 2 hrs to get to Lake of the Ozarks to boat, so I'm flexible in how far away I keep my boat. Any suggestions on where to go, what to do. Recommendations on marinas would also be appreciated.
Gary

Dave M

I boated there on a '500 Submarine tender, the U.S.S Fulton when I was in the Navy.

I don't remember seeing a lot of pleasure boats around there. The water is COLD! It warms up by late August, then gets cold again in Sept. It is a nice area though. I lived there from 85-88.

boomer

You have Long Island Sound. You can go to block Island about 15 miles or GreenPort Long Island about 15- 20 miles. The Mouth of the Connecticut River is about 10 miles. It all depends on your boat size but be prepared for some Marine Sticker Shot I would say anywhere from $50 to $90 per foot depending on what you want. Some of the bigger Marines you can check out on line. Brewers, Port Niantic,

Tarheel

Gary,
I was stationed in Groton for 2 years on USS HARTFORD. As Dave and Boomer mentioned, you've got Long Island Sound which opens up Mystic to the North, the Connecticut River to the South, and Long Island to the East. There are a ton of places to hang out at over on Long Island. Ramps are few and far between up there. There's a short ramp at the bottom of both sides of the Gold Star Bridge in Groton (Thames River), but the piers were in disrepair when we were there. The nicest ramp is 10 mis south on the bottom of the south side of the Bridge at the Connecticut River. You have to have charts!! Rocks and shoals everywhere. Going up to the head of the Thames River, there are rock jetties on both sides of the river that are submerged at high tide!
Storage is expensive. Most places in the NorthEast want you to store for the whole year (with a short boating season). There is a high tech dry stack in Niantic (2 mis south of Groton) and there is another dry stack at Ocean Performance (just south of the Connecticut River). Ocean Performance is also a good place for parts and service. They sell Fountain, Cig, Formula and Outerlimits.
Got to be careful in the Sound. It can get very rough, very fast. A guy who kept his boat at Ocean Performance stuffed a 47 Fountain in the Sound. I was never one to try the sound without watching the weather.
There's plenty to do up there...plenty of places to go exploring. Most of the high performance boats are down on the Connecticut River. There are 2 turbine powered ferries that run from Groton to Long Island to bring people over to gamble at the 2 nearby casinos. Those guys were pretty fun to run after, and they put out about a 12' wake at 65 kts, so they're hard to pass.
Worse part was the short boating season.

Indy

Welcome to one of the best boating areas in the country. I won't repeat what everybody else has said, but you are in close proximity to the North and South Forks of Long Island which are wonderful areas to go boating. Block Island is a great vacation get-away with loads of charm and a nice boat ride from your area. Long Island Sound and the CT shore offer many attractions also. Like Tarheel said, pay attention to the weather and prevailing winds for that day, it can kick up pretty good and cause some problems for those who are unprepared. Great area for a true offshore style boat.

If you've got the boat for it, try Nantucket, Martha's Vinyard, Newport, it doesn't get much better than that.

Gary Anderson

Thanks for the info guys, keep it coming.
For the last year and a half, I've been down to 1 boat and just been running my cruiser (42' Chris Craft), sold the Chris Cat. I'm not sure if I want to have it moved, or sell it and go back to a cat or a 33-38 V hull.
Any thoughts on the cruiser vs. cat vs V hull for that area?
I know, this is OFFFSHORE ONLY, but dont pick on me for having a cruiser.
BTW, Dave M, I used to boat in Minnesota, so I'm used to the cold.

Gary

Indy

Gary...do you overnight alot? If so, this area has a ton iof spots for you to visit and overnight. If you go to say....Block Island or Newport, you can save the cost of the hotel rooms and still enjoy the attractions there. Maybe you cruise for a season, get to know the waters and make a decision as to which go-fast you will buy.

Gary Anderson

Indy,
Where ever I anchor is my home for the weekend. It does sound like an interesting area. I guess I wont sell all my boat stuff if I'm transferred.
Boomer, thanks for the marina names. I was able to look them up online.
Maybe I should go back to 2 boats, cruiser and an offshore.
Gary

xconn92

Southeastern CT has come a long way and it's a great place to boat. I spent four years in the Groton/New London area going to Connecticut College. Like everybody else said, LI Sound, Newport, Martha's Vineyard etc. are all excellent cruising destinations.

I have a buddy who lives on the Mystic River and his wife happens to be a realtor. Let me know if you will need her services!