Approaches
The most famous voyage into Salem harbor is that of Nathaniel Bowditch, commanding a three-master homeward bound from Sumatra, in the year after he published his landmark New American Practical Navigator:
. . .the Putnam approached Salem harbor on December 25, 1803, during a thick fog without having had a celestial observation since noon on the 24th. Relying upon his dead reckoning, Bowditch. . . had the good fortune to get a momentary glimpse of Eastern Point, Cape Ann, enough to confirm his position. The Putnam proceeded in. . . and anchored safely at 1900 that evening. Word of the daring feat, performed when other masters were hove-to outside the harbor. . . added greatly to Bowditch's reputation. {APN p.iv}
Crossing the rock-strewn waters of Salem Sound, even in clear weather, should inspire appreciation for the navigators of Bowditch's era. Today the ledges are well marked, but the profusion of buoys requires constant reference to the chart. It's not well-suited to casual exploration in thick weather or after dark.
The main channel into Salem runs north of Middle Ground, where it's dredged and marked with lighted buoys for the large vessels serving the power plant. The South Channel, between Marblehead and the Coney Island group, requires finding a number of unlit buoys and daymarks, but it carries depths of at least 15 feet.
Anchorages
Salem is open to the northeast, with a two mile fetch to the Beverly shore. You may find a place to anchor far enough in to feel protected, and clear of the moorings, although the shallows around the perimeter extend well away from shore. Obviously, no anchored boat can impinge on the dredged ship channel.
Moorings
Hundreds of moorings fill the deep water in the middle of Salem harbor. For transient moorings including launch service, contact Salem Water Taxi, based at Hawthorne Cove Marina.
In most summer weather, Salem's moorings are comfortably sheltered. In a true northeast gale, though, the harbor is something crazy. Gloucester, or Boston, are much saner alternatives to a Salem mooring when an ocean storm is in the forecast.
Slips
Salem has two public marinas.
Hawthorne Cove is a full service marina with slips for transients, just beyond the power plant as you enter the harbor. Shoreside, it's in an attractive, old, densely-built waterfront neighborhood within easy walking distance of downtown.
Exposure to the east means it's a poor choice in a real coastal storm; otherwise it's comfortable. The entrance channel looks implausible on the chart, but it's straight, plenty wide and well marked with private (uncharted) buoys. Avoid cutting into the channel early. Stay among the big sailboats in the mooring field until you're sure you've spotted all the channel buoys and then follow them carefully. The marina basin and channel are dredged, and have silted in over the last few years. We saw controlling depths of about 6 feet at MLLW both in the channel and in the outermost slips {2007}. The bottom is soft, though, and we settled imperceptibly into the mud on a -9 inch tide, then left when the tide came up a foot.
Pickering Wharf Marina surrounds the retail/restaurant complex on Pickering Wharf. Tucked in behind Derby Wharf (with an inactive lighthouse on the end) this is as completely protected as any marina in the region. It's close to the commercial heart of downtown, and right next to the National Park's group of historic buildings at the head of Derby Wharf. The marina reports 7 ft at low.
When approaching Pickering Wharf, it's worth finding the daymark R "2" (usually obscured by moored boats) and passing it close aboard, then making a gradual turn for R "4". A straight line from red "2" to red "4" will take you over the projecting 4 foot shoal before reaching the channel. And don't get turned around by the location of G "5", so far from shore. We know of one boat leaving Pickering Wharf who cut between the daymark and the mainland a little after high tide and spent an unplanned and very unpleasant extra day in Salem.
Both marinas have online reservation request forms.
