After years of significant investment in improvements, Old Saybrook’s Harbor Management Commission (HMC) says the town is ready for boating season.

Given its prime location where Long Island Sound meets the Connecticut River, Old Saybrook is a haven for boating enthusiasts. The HMC is responsible for maintaining four boating facilities around town: The Ferry Road Town Dock, North Cove, the Clothesline Marina, and the Sheffield Street Town Dock.

Over a period about four years, each area has undergone major improvements, according to HMC Chairman Bob Murphy.

Those improvements have included the dredging of North Cove by the Army Corp of Engineers, as is normally done every 8 to 10 years, new floating docks, dinghy racks, and new kayak racks for residents only at the Sheffield Street dock, and a rebuilt pier at the Ferry Road Town Dock.

Murphy said the improvements should help stem flooding at the docks, increasing access points for boaters, and making cosmetic upgrades as well.

“The one everyone really likes is the redone boat launch ramp,” Murphy said.

He noted that this is the access point for about half the people in town who have boats.

“The kayak spaces also seem to be working really well,” Murphy added.

While feedback about the new improvements has been positive, Murphy said more improvements are in store. These future improvements include additional slips, improvements to the North Cove Boat Ramp, and an updated online system to help track moorings.

The online system will allow the HMC keep track of harbor issues more easily and will eventually allow transient boaters to easily see what moorings are available and where.

“Every harbor commission is different, but we have our 200 moorings to handle and we have to manage each one, who has paid, who needs a ribbon, making sure they all have the right type of craft for the slip, etc. That is all done by spread sheet and mail right now,” Murphy explained.

The online mooring system would streamline that process. Murphy estimated that Ferry Road has about 25 to 35 slips, Clothesline has space for another 35 boats, and North Cove has 147 deep-water moorings.

“More people use our facilities than just people who have a permanent spot here,” Murphy noted.

For example, Murphy pointed out that the slip numbers don’t account for people who launch from the ramps or transient boaters.

“Our custom is when a person leaves on a trip for more than a day that they tie a yellow ribbon on the mooring to signal that it’s open and then a transient boater can stay there overnight for up to 72 hours free of charge,” said Murphy.

North Cove was designated as a Harbor of Refuge, meaning that it’s a place for passing boaters to take shelter should a storm be coming.

According to Murphy, these improvements to the facilities will ensure that both resident and transient boaters can enjoy all the town has to offer. Restaurants, grocery stores, hardware stores, and other points of interest are all located nearby the town facilities which can make Old Saybrook an attractive place to visit by boat.

“Put it this way, if my wife and I weren’t already in Old Saybrook, when we go away boating, this is where we’d be coming. It’s a great place to go, it’s got everything you need as a boater,” Murphy said.