Boat detailing in Clinton, CT

Clinton Harbor, Hammonasset River

Clinton is roughly forty minutes east of us, sitting on Clinton Harbor where the Hammonasset River comes down between a residential shoreline and the Hammonasset nature preserve. It is a quieter harbor than most on this coast, deliberately kept clear of industrial and commercial traffic.

It also holds Cedar Island Marina, which has been family owned and operated for nearly forty-five years and has been named an Elite Marina by Marinas.com for seven consecutive years, a designation given to a fraction of a percent of marinas nationally. Clinton punches well above its size.

Preserve water and a shallow, productive harbor

Clinton Harbor sits against a nature preserve, and preserve water is productive water. Growth at the waterline comes on fast through midsummer here, faster than in a busier, more flushed commercial harbor. On a larger boat that is a lot of linear feet to correct if it gets away from you.

The Hammonasset River brings silt and organic material down into the harbor, so the waterline stain runs browner than a pure salt-water boat's. We usually plan extra time at the waterline on Clinton boats, and this is a harbor where a polymer sealant or a ceramic coating genuinely earns its cost rather than just sounding good on a quote.