Clarks has become my go to stop in the Newport area. The mooring is sheltered and the price is right. Staff are always helpful in person or on the radio.
There's no better destination in August. Hoped to extend my reservation a day but the system for doing so appears to favor day trippers (I was told to call in the morning of the final day rather than getting any yes/no days in advance when I asked). Also wish they would put mats on the floors of the showers but otherwise the staff is friendly and helpful..
Definitely a safe and secure place to stay far up. Everyone was friendly. however, nobody answered the phone when I called from the bay (330pm Friday) and nobody answered the radio when I hailed from inside the hurricane barrier (5pm). Fortunately SeaTow answered my questions (I received a reservation confirmation via email that I did not see until after I was docked). Harbor was busy on a summer weekend, including loud party music on Saturday night (not on ARSB property). Fortunately friendly club members helped with important info like the gate code. Convenient and inexpensive.
When I made my reservation I got a message "no steward on duty." After dinner I learned that meant I could be locked out of the docks because I hadn't specifically told the club member monitoring the Dockwa account that I was going to walk up the street to get dinner. When reached by phone she told me, "you're out of luck," and I should try climbing around the fortified gate or go look for someone on the adjoining Tripp marina docks who might help me. It was a ridiculous situation made worse by the WYC member's very unhelpful attitude. The gate to the dock requires a key, not a code, and this was not communicated at the time of reservation (gates were open when I arrived, and "no steward" made it reasonable to expect nobody would lock them). It seems fraudulent for an organization to take money for a service (mooring) and deprive the customer of basic, expected, related amenities like access to the docks.
Scituate is a lovely town. The mooring (pricey) was out by the lighthouse and easy to hook up. We also figured out that there's a pay-to-ride launch service (Easy Rider) which made everything easier once we got aboard.