The mouth of the Annisquam River makes an unlikely little harbor.
Often deserted in the spring and fall, with the yacht club shuttered, the beach empty, and the nearest public facilities two miles away, Annisquam can seem desolate. We've spent a day moored in the river, in fog thick enough to obscure both shores, and felt like the only boat in New England.
We've hung from the same mooring on a summer weekend: Day visitors anchor 3-deep off the beach. Fishermen, looking for stripers among the rocks or hunting tuna off the Isles of Shoals, come and go at all hours. It can feel like every boat in New England is passing through the Annisquam in a relentless parade. Still, the harbor is convenient; the setting is beautiful; the protection is good. And Lobster Cove, accessible when the tide is anywhere above low, offers the snuggest moorings around.