This is a very pretty marina. Its clean and well maintained and the laundry has new, front loading machines with reasonable prices. The grounds are dog friendly with bags provided in numerous locations. The people are friendly and respectful of others. There's also a nice restaurant on site. The major complaint with this marina is the internet, which ranged from abysmal (dial-up speeds) to non-existent for the entire 11 days of our stay. Given the degree to which everyone's life is now conducted online, especially during COVID, this is an egregious shortcoming. The one other complaint we had was that upon arrival at 3 pm there was no one answering the vhf calls. We had to phone the marina office and were put on hold and sat in the narrow channel for several minutes while waiting for the dock assignment. Also be prepared to tie yourself up to the fixed docks.
This is an open area that gets some chop in windy conditions (20+ knots) but doesn't seem to get rolly. We love that the moorings are spaced far enough apart to keep a good distance between all the boats and to allow for maneuvering while picking up the ball. The balls are rigged with two long pennants that easily reach to each side of the 13' high bow on our boat making pickup much easier for us. The launch service is excellent and runs from 8am to 9pm. The restaurant on site is very good and there's ample free parking if you have a car or visitors. There are good cycling paths on the roads into Portland. Kayaking and paddle boarding around the harbor is nice in calm conditions. The preserve on nearby Clapboard Island has a dinghy landing and walking trail. We stayed 5 nights and enjoyed it very much. We'll definitely return.
At 55' and 7' draft, we really appreciate that the inner harbor moorings can accommodate us. Gloucester is always a fun stop with so much going on around the harbor and the local boaters are always friendly and welcoming. We'll be seeing you on the return trip!
7' draft easy in/out of the channel, 10' min depth at mid tide. The harbor has calm water with wind any direction and locals are respectful of no-wakes, even on the holiday weekend. The harbor/dock staff are competent and pleasant. We bought fuel but did not use shore facilities. The on-site restaurant had good food with beautiful harbor views. Did not give the marina 5 stars because the dinghy dock is seriously overcrowded. It's way too small for the large number of moored boats using it and it's a real hassle getting in and out. It's also pretty unstable to walk on and quite exciting for two people to pass carrying provisions and gear. The only other issue we had was having to move to a different mooring as we did not have enough swing room for 55' boat in N/NE wind. We woke up one morning to find the ball of the boat behind us under our swim deck. The Dockmaster was quick to help out though and moved another boat to accommodate us. Very professional. Overall a pleasant stay in a gorgeous harbor and we would definitely return.
Great launch service. Malcolm was awesome and very helpful. Nice long pendants on the moorings meant we didn't have to go thru the gymnastics to reach our high how. Good swing room. Wish they would make it a no wake zone in the outer part of the mooring field. Weekend boaters go thru at full throttle.
Good location. Dock help available on arrival. Had us packed in with about 2' clearance to the boat astern. Windy the morning we left so I went to the office at 9am to ask for a hand with lines, no one around. Called but no response. WiFi just about non-existent. Not quite living up to the service they claim.
The good: friendly people, well stocked marine store and excellent breakfast/lunch restaurant on site. Needs work: Marina is understaffed. No one answered VHF on arrival. The only dock staff was busy at the fuel dock. WiFi was weak to non-existent. I can tie up my own boat but no wifi is inexcusable. Docks are fixed and getting rough. Spent an hour after departure pulling splinters out of stock lines. Bring your chafe gear.
The moorings are great and the harbor nicely protected. My only comment is that it is a bit confusing for a newcomer to the harbor figuring out where the moorings are. The moorings are obscured by Wickets Island when coming in the harbor and one sees many moorings at the private marinas to the east. It would be helpful if the info on the confirmation included an instruction to proceed past Wickets Island keeping it to starboard and enter the town mooring field on the northwest side of the island.