Darien & Five Mile River

112 Maptech eMbassy cruising guides 112 Maptech eMbassy cruising guides

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Darien & Five Mile River

113Long isLand sound to cape May, nJ 113Long isLand sound

Boston Post Road in Darien offers a plethora of funky shops and restau-rants. Above: Uncle’s Deli, a perfect spot to pick up a quick bite or soak up some sun on their outdoor picnic benches.

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Much of western Connecticut feels as though it’s an extension of Long Island, with its Gatsby-like mansions and bumper to bumper (or bow to stern)

traffic, and you might have the feeling that you’re perpetu-ally caught within the city’s suburb. But as you approach Rowayton and Darien, you’ll find a slower New England pace reminiscent of Mystic or Essex.

The eastern shore of Five Mile River is packed tight with an assortment of marinas, restaurants and facilities. Whether looking from shoreside or seaside you’ll notice a ramshackle mix of lazy shanty-type structures that seem lost in time. Not much is open early in the morning, the odd commuter is usu-ally a contractor looking to get an early start, and the pleasant marshy plains, occasionally interrupted by the slow arc of a fly-fishing rod, seem to soak up every last bit of NYC’s energy. The community is safe, people know each other, and you’ll get face-to-face service from cheery business proprietors.

The river also supplies the excitement around here with a roster of competitive races. The Noroton Yacht Club—known nationally for its junior and adult sailors—holds weekly sum-mer races for its one-design classes including J/24, Sonar, and Vanguard 15. The club also hosts national and international competitions.

Up the road you’ll find Darien, an approachable medium-sized town with a significant town center. Its pedestrian-friendly main street lends itself to easy browsing of dozens of shops and boutiques and is the perfect complement to Rowayton.

n Things to See and DoGrab your shorts and head north of Fish Island, east of Zieglers Cove. As a favorite swimming spot, it would be best to plan your activities for high tide unless you’re up for push-ing your boat through the mud.

Hotel / Pool / Tennis / Golf

MasterCard / VISA / Discover / Am

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Ramp / Dinghy Dock / Launch Service

Rail / Lift / Crane / Trailer: Capacity (tons)

Fuel Brand

Gas / Diesel

Marine / Groceries / Ice / Bait

Restrooms / Showers / Laundry / Pum

p-out

Internet / Restaurant / Snack Bar

Repairs: Prop / Sail / Rigging / Gas

Diesel / W

ood / Fiberglass / Electronics

Total Number of Slips / M

oorings

Offers Transient Slips/ Moorings

Seasonal / Year-round

Approach / Dockside Depth in Feet at MLW

Hookups: Water / Phone / Cable TV

110V 220V 3 Phase M

aximum

Amps

SERVICESDOCKAGE SUPPLIES AMENITIES 1-800-824-5372www.spursm

arine.com

Line Cutter

Monitors / W

orking VHF Channel

1 Noroton yacht club 203-655-7686 72/ /y S 60 6/8 W H20 all lt2 priVate rS t S

2 darien Boat club 203-655-1927 S PRIVATE—MEMBERS ONLY

3 all Seasons Marine Works 203-838-9038 35 6/6 H30 d c pg r MV

4 Five Mile Riverworks p.114 203-866-4226 15/ y/ S 40 7/5 W Hsn50 d ct pgdWFe r

5 B & g Marine* 203-853-9599 /y 40 8/8 W H30 all

6 The Bait Shop Inc. p.115 203-853-3811 15/ 30 12/10 W H30 c17 g MB r MV

7 The Boatworks Inc. / Boatworks Yacht Sales p.115 203-866-9295 60/ y/ 54 7/6 W Hs50 d c25 pgdWFe Mi r all

8 rowayton commission Beach dock 203-852-8095 /140 /y S 28 7/5 d NO OVERNIGHT TIE-UP r

9 roton point club 203-838-1606 PRIVATE—MEMBERS ONLY

Information in these listings is provided by the facilities themselves. An asterisk (*) indicates we have confirmed the facility’s existence, but it did not respond to our request for updated information.

Marine Facilities and Services

Darien & Five Mile River

114 Maptech eMbassy cruising guides

Looking southeast over Five Mile River. You’ll find plenty of dockage here but no place to anchor. Try Wilsons Cove (top, center) on the eastern shore of Rowayton if you’re searching for a spot to drop your hook.

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If you’re up for a stroll, walk down charming Rowayton Avenue and take in the water-centered goings-on. With a little effort you can find interesting shops, restaurants, and delis. If you’ve brought along a bicycle, pedal the surround-ing residential roads for a relaxing look around. This area has its share of beautiful and historic houses, each with its own stories to tell. For interpretation of the historic sites you may encounter on your journey, head to the Darien Histori-cal Society (203-655-9233) at the Bates-Scofield House. This authentically furnished colonial homestead, built in 1737, has a reference library and gallery. Shakespeare on the Sound (203-299-1300) offers live outdoor theater at Pinkney Park in June. Admission is free with donations gratefully accepted.

Should Mother Nature decide to water her big garden, there’s always the silver screen. Call the Darien Playhouse (203-655-7655) for a list of current movies and showtimes.

n Restaurants and ProvisionsThe Boston Post Road (also known as Post Road or Route 1) in Darien offers a wide selection of eateries, cafes and restau-rants. It’s a cab ride away from Five Mile River. For Italian try Papa Joe’s Restaurant (203-655-1330), a local favorite. For stocking up the galley there’s none better than Trader Joe’s (203-656-1414) at 436 Post Road. They have a wide selec-tion of organic, fresh and inexpensive selections. For small sundries try Darien’s CVS Pharmacy (203-655-6335) at 964 Post Road. Larger supermarkets are a few miles away.

When you’re on the Five Mile River, your next meal is never far away. Tie up at Rowayton Seafood (203-838-7473) and take your pick of the day’s fresh catch. Next door, The Res-taurant at Rowayton Seafood (203-866-4488) serves seafood and more seafood—call ahead to see if they have room for your boat at their dock. Just a few paces down the avenue, you’ll find Rowayton Pizza (203-853-7555), and across the street, Wendell’s 101 (203-853-1050). Chow hounds can chase down some good eats at the River Cat Grill (203-854-0860). If you want to grab some sandwiches or the makings for them, head down the street to White Bridge Deli (203-655-9533).

Meet your provisioning needs at Rowayton Coun-try Market (203-852-0011), and head to The Bait Shop

BOAT REPAIRSBOAT HAULING

MOORING WORKDOCK BUILDING

SUMMER DOCKAGEWINTER STORAGE

WATER & LANDENGINES REPAIRED

PAINTING

117 ROWAYTON AVE.ROWAYTON, CT

203-866-4226fax 203-866-4715

COMPLETE MARINE SERVICE

Darien & Five Mile River

115Long isLand sound to cape May, nJ

(203-853-3811) for marine hardware and accessories; they also have a good selection of fishing equipment. Palmer’s Su-per Market (203-655-2077) also comes in handy for stock-ing the larder.

n ChartsUse ChartKit Region 3, page 26; Maptech Waterproof Chartbook Long Island Sound; Maptech Waterproof Charts 1, 16, and 88; or Maptech electronic and NOAA paper charts 12368 (1:20,000) and 12364 (1:40,000 and 1:20,000).

n Navigation and AnchoragesUse tide tables for Bridgeport. High and low tide at South Norwalk is 10 minutes later. Mean tidal range is 7.1 feet.

The tip of Long Neck Point, marking the outer approach to the Goodwives River, is about four miles from the entrance to Stamford Harbor. Pass clear of R “30” Fl R 4s at Smith Reef to arrive at Noroton Harbor. Labeled “The Gut” or Goodwives River on your chart, you’ll find a crowded anchorage between Nash Island and Long Neck Point, marked by a prominent house and a flagpole. Begin your channeled approach at G “1” Fl G 4s.

cautiON: Stay close aboard r N “2” to avoid the six-foot spot to the west.

From the south, you have a clear shot up to G “1” Fl G 4s as long as you stay a minimum of 400 yards off Long Neck Point. Between Nash Island and Noroton Yacht Club is a small and crowded, but well-protected, mooring area that is for use by club members.

From the east, you’ll have to contend with Greens Ledge, extending one mile west Sheffield Island. Don’t think of cut-ting between the Greens Ledge (Al WR 24s 62ft 15M HORN) and Sheffield Island without local knowledge. The closer to Sheffield Island the more hazardous it becomes with rocks, including Old Baldy, who claims his share of boats annually.

Keep in mind, the entire area west of Long Neck Point to Nash Island and up to the Darien Boat Club (203-655-1927) is a special anchorage, so moored or anchored boats may not be lighted. There is seldom space to anchor except near the tip of Long Neck Point.

Around the eastern side of Long Neck Point is the popular Zieglers Cove, named for the owners of an enormous estate that surrounds it. Located north of Hay Island, it’s a gem of a gunkhole except in a strong easterly. To get to Zieglers Cove from Long Neck Point, run one mile north-northeast, mind-ing the charted shallows and foul ground to the east, and look for the exposed rock off the east side of Hay Island. Head due north for 200 yards past the exposed rock before turning west into the cove, where there’s about six to eight feet waiting for you. The south side of Great Island is lined with a sheer rock cliff; boaters traditionally enter Zieglers Cove along this stretch, where there’s good water.

The marshes and wooded shores of Scott Cove make it a beautiful spot if you draw less than three feet. The chart shows

as much as 11 feet of water due east of Great Island, but be sure to steer clear of the rocks near shore. Scott Cove is a nice spot to explore in your dinghy, and we’re told you can go all the way up to the north end of Contentment Island. Both Ziegler and Scotts Cove are beautiful places to dinghy around, but lo-cal knowledge is recommended for entering either.

The approaches to Five Mile River from the east and west are pretty straightforward. Buoy G C “1,” about a fraction of a mile south of Butlers Island, marks a nasty rock two feet un-der the surface—stay east of this buoy. The narrow but well marked channel starts to shoal farther up, but it carries six feet except in the extreme northern end. The channel begins at G “3” Fl G 4s, paired with R N “4.”

On the east bank of the river in Rowayton, the protec-tion is excellent. Although the river itself is well marked, the channel does get a bit thin. The Rowayton Commission Beach Dock offers three transient moorings (fore and aft) near R N “6.” They’re available on a first-come, first-served basis. Across from the moorings is a community dock where you can access the town of Rowayton.

There are several full-service facilities in the river for small and medium-sized craft. Five Mile Riverworks (203-866-4226) and The Bait Shop (203-853-3811) do repairs and refit work. Both have transient slips and moorings available, but you may want to check ahead of time as space can be scarce. Further south Boatworks Yacht Sales (203-866-9295), located along-side The Boatworks, Inc., is an authorized Grand Banks dealer. The lines of moored boats on the west side of the channel make turning a medium-sized boat difficult. It goes without saying that there’s no room to anchor. There is, however, a nice anchor-age spot behind Fish Island, at the tip of Contentment Island.

n Shoreside and Emergency ServicesAirport: John F. Kennedy Intl. Airport 718-977-2100Bus: Greyhound Stamford 203-348-6200Coast Guard: Eatons Neck 631-261-6959 or VHF 16Harbormaster: Darien 203-852-8842Police, Fire, Ambulance: 911Taxi: Darien Yellow Cab 203-655-8779Tow Service: —Sea Tow 800-4SEATOW or VHF 16—TowBoatU.S. 800-391-4869 or VHF 16 F

The Bait Shop, Inc.Boat Repairs • Boat Hauling • Boat Storage • Sales & Service

Evinrude/Johnson Motors • Mako Boats • SeaCraft Boats

Key West Boats • Load Rite Boat Trailers

Marine Hardware & Accessories

Flyfishing & Saltwater Fishing Tackle

Saltwater Fishing Bait

203-853-3811

SeaCraft

99 Rowayton Avenue l Rowayton, Connecticut 06853

www.thebaitshopinc.com