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Category: Anchoring Your Boat with Style
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Published on Sunday, 19 June 2011 11:00
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Written by George Boase
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Hits: 336
Bristol Harbor, historic with plenty to see and do
Location: Chart 13221. Located in the West Passage near Hog Island and Prudence Island.
Getting Ashore: There are several launch services available for moored yachts. By dinghy there are a couple of landing spots in public access areas and restaurants that offer dinghy docks to land. Best landing spot is at Independence Park beach with a boat ramp and small dock. You may find a few yachts anchored off Hog Island, however it is NOT a designate anchorage.
Shore Amenities: Independence Park has a floating dinghy dock next to the boat ramp. Small park with heads but a bit outside of downtown Bristol. If walking is no problem then it's a good spot to dinghy to. There are several small restaurants and concession stands in and near the dock. Fishing is good off the stone wall, but expect to loose a few lures close into shore.
The other designated dinghy dock is north of Rockwell Marina. Floating dock but with no heads or showers. Contact the harbormaster for directions if needed. (401) 253-1700 / Channel 16 vhf.
Bristol is famous for having the oldest Forth of July parade in the nation. This is Americana ground zero. It's also the home of Herreshoff Marine Museum with all the sailing history you could ever ask for. Just walking down main street is a history lesson come alive. It's also no problem to find any kind of shopping you need. There is a modern strip mall close by with a Stop and Shop for provisioning. For provisioning I would recommend taking a dock at Herreshoff for the day / night. You can also find transient docks at BYC and Bristol Marina.
The designated anchorage area is from the mooring field, south to the no wake buoys. It's a rather large anchorage area so finding a spot is not usually a problem. If you happen to want to anchor over the Forth of July, it's advisable to come early. Some have been known to anchor here days in advance. The rest of the time, it's easy to find a good spot that's well protected from the elements and waves.
Forth of July is everything to this town. Bristol holds the record as the longest celebrated Forth of July parade in the country, since 1785. Adding to the atmosphere are a good number of Federalist period homes along the main street, which is divided by a red, white and blue strip. The stripe also designates the parade route, come early and grab a good spot to watch!
