Approaching Newport

A pdf copy of this information is HERE.

Entrance to Newport

There are four arrows placed on chartlet to show significant features. From East to West. First the Great South Channel is a TSS that carries a lot of ship traffic down the Eastern Seaboard and generally it is shrouded in fog – make sure you have a manual fog horn as if the wind dies you can be there for some time. Second arrow marks the Nantucket Shoals this is an area in which there is considerable shallowing and the swell can become dangerous in strong winds. The third arrow marks Nomans Land Island. You can pass between it and Martha’s Vineyard or pass to the south of a buoy south of the island. It can be quite shallow between Martha’s Vineyard and Nomans Land Island, but it is well buoyed under the IALA-B system. The fourth arrow shows the entrance to Narrangansett Bay. Be aware that there are three red buoys before the cliffs on the eastern side which it is required that you leave to starboard. Note the TSS, keep to the east of it and you should have not difficulty with shipping – other yachts entering or leaving the bay is another matter.

Castle Hill Light is the Southern Arrow on the next chartlet. And the chartlet clearly shows the entrance to Newport Harbour. The arrow in the top right hand (NW) corner shows the Newport Yacht club. Be aware that the centre of the harbour is a mass of moored boats. However there are traffic lanes for small craft around the mass of boats in the centre although there is plenty of room to proceed between the moored boats.

Newport Yacht Club

It is understood that you are welcome to pay for two nights mooring on the pontoons at the Newport Yacht Club at $2/foot/night. The club will then attempt to find you a free mooring buoy for a generous amount of time. If you don’t have an inflatable dinghy the club does provide a mooring ferry for which a tip is expected each time you use it.

Customs Clearance

In theory you should remain on your boat until US Customs have visited you and cleared you in. However to ring customs you may have to come ashore and the Newport Yacht Club can give you details if you don’t have them. In my experience the US Customs person you speak to will apologize for not being able to get someone to you within the hour but generally it is no longer than that. I was told to wait with my boat but after explaining that I had been seven weeks at sea, I was given a special dispensation to visit the bar at the club while awaiting the arrival of the Customs official. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A VALID VISA FOR ENTERING THE US IN YOUR OWN VESSEL.

Anchorage [southern end of harbour]

There is a free anchorage with good holding at the southern end of Newport Harbour near the Ida Louis Yacht club and Ida Louis rocks.

There is a requirement in the US that no blackwater is discharged within the US. No-one asked if I had a holding tank [I think they expect that everyone has one in this day and age]. If you don’t have a holding tank you could use a portapotti or do as I did which was to go ashore to defecate.