Our favorite salt water launch site. Plenty of parking spaces and the dock is nice, clean, and…read moresecure. Plenty of cleats to tie on. Deep ocean is just a few minutes away with no - no wake zones. The drive to the launch has an interesting castle to look at. The owner has dozens of statues, gargoyles, and perfectly trimmed topiaries. Lots of people kayak from here. Some bring their dogs for a stroll. I've done some fishing and crabbing here. But honestly there are sooooo many mosquitoes and horse flies here and they're relentless! We mostly just use this place to launch our boat- away from the vicious bugs!!

A great place to…read morestart Barn Island in Stonington is one of the best places to launch a boat in Eastern Ct. It has a huge parking lot but since it is so popular it frequently fills up so people park on the side on the road. No one seems to mind but it does make for a long walk back to your vehicle. The ramp is steep but the water usually deep so it's easy for even a relatively large boat to get under way. Once you are in the water you have several great options. If you are in a kayak you can go north up the Wequetequock river, or south out to Stonington, Long Island Sound, Sandy Pt. or Napatree Point. This whole area was absolutely hammered by the 1938 hurricane and a beach in the area used to be called Kitchen Beach because appliances ripped from cottages were found buried in the sand for decades after the hurricane. Fortunately no hurricanes have hit in a while and the area around Barn Island is called Little Narragansett Bay and is usually quite calm. If you want more excitement in your yaking you can paddle out to Napatree Pt and old Fort Mansfield where rocks, old fishing piers and heavy wind and waves can conspire to give you a near death experience if you desire. Pretty good surfing out by Napatree also. For something less exciting you can go over to Watch Hill and get ice cream and some good seafood or just land on a isolated beach on Sandy Point Island. This was actually a part of Napatree but the hurricane literally tore the spit of land away and is now a rolling island. If you go east you can explore the very cool town of Stonington. Barn Island is a great place to launch no matter what your intentions are or abilities are. Just make sure you get there early during the summer weekends or you just might be in for a long walk to get back to your vehicle.

This is a great place to kayak! They are friendly and helpful and just being out in the water in…read moretheir kayak was so relaxing!

Came with my 10-year old grandson who wanted to pick out a rod and reel. The staff was so…read morerespectful to him and helpful-the kind of treatment a child seldom gets, but can make such a difference. He was delighted.

I had a great experience as a first time Kayak renter at this location. I called before I drove…read morefrom northern, CT to ensure they would be able to accommodate our party and they did exactly that. The folks we worked with were both knowledgeable and friendly and guided us through the registration process (I know now to do it online next time) and the process of getting all of us into the Kayaks and safely out on the water. We had some varying levels of Kayaking experience and the team members did a good job of outlining what our route should be for our time boxed trip and where we would need to work harder as well as the best places to see the birds (which is what we really wanted to see!) Our 2 hour trip through the saltwater marsh was a ton of fun and we will be visiting again to spend more time viewing the wildlife near the Salt Meadow National Wildlife Refuge.

Forgetta-bout it! Best charter I've ever booked. 10/10. Will sail Poet's Lounge again!!read more

What an unforgettable experience! Our crew loved our time on the water with Darin. He was an…read moreexcellent host, wonderful to chat with and very attentive when he realized one of us was feeling seasick. Two of us had been out with him before for a sunset cruise and we upped it to 3 hrs this time. Truly a great experience - highly recommend and will definitely be back!

The owners here are absolutely beautiful inside and out. Great service. They have free parking at…read morethe side of the houseoffice. Make sure to make a reservation ahead of time. They do accept groupons for two hour kayak service here which me and my bf did and we had a blast. They have kayaks for tall and short people. Equipment was in great condition. Easy check in and check out. I highly recommend. I will definitely be back.

Veteran owned and operated and dedicated to keeping customers happy. Support local small business!read more

We had a great time fishing last August!! Perfect day on the…read morewater! Great team and such great fishing!!

My brother in law and I made the trip from Texas to fish with Captain Jay and First Mate Justin on…read more9/18 and 9/19/2025. We fished two full days and to say the fishing was good would be an understatement. We had two completely different days weather wise. Thursday was cloudy and cool and Friday was clear and warm. Thursday was better from a numbers standpoint, We caught about 15 striper with 8-10 of those being 30 lbs plus - big fish was 42 lbs. We also caught 10 -12 nice blue fish. Friday was the tougher of the two days because of the sun and number of boats in the area but we still had six nice striper and another 10-12 really nice blue fish. Our five biggest striper weighed 179 pounds (31-34-34-38 and another 42 pounder)! The "dink" was still a 10 pounder. On Friday we were within a hundred yards of several boats and they got to watch us catch fish while we watched them catch notta! I can honestly say that when we had baits in the water Jay had us on fish. There were many times when Justin couldn't get the second line out before there was a fish on the first line and we doubled up several times each day. About the boat - it is very clean, plenty comfortable and ran like a top. You could relax inside out of the rain Thursday and it was nice to be able to get out of the sun on Friday while going to and from the fishing grounds. Having a restroom on board during a 10 hour trip was a must. Jay really knows his stuff and Justin was by far the hardest working First Mate I have fished with. We are hooked (pun intended) and will definitely be back to fish with them next year. Book with confidence and opt for the 10 hour trip to give yourself as much time in the chair as possible!

my kids had so fun here. and Kennelly loved it here my son goes there he said that he going to miss…read moreall the fun they had, LOVE YOU GIYS!

More people should do this! Project Oceanology gives hands-on boat outings geared towards families…read more These include lighthouse expeditions, oceanographic research cruises (summer), and seal watches (Feb/March). It is the only organization with permission to bring visitors to New London Ledge Lighthouse, which features incredible views from smack dab in the middle of Long Island Sound. Great fun for lighthouse aficionados and those who want to get out on the water! But be warned that other than the AMAZING views, there isn't much to actually see inside the house. If you're expecting a museum or activities for your kids, you might be disappointed and would be better off taking a science cruise. For the lighthouse trip, you will take a boat out to the 1909 working lighthouse and then be given a tour. Don't worry if boats make you nervous, this one is built to keep school kids safe and happy so you will feel very secure! The whole trip is about 2.5 hours and you spend 1.5 hours at the lighthouse. The architecture and history are really cool. The rest of the time you're cruising on Long Island Sound, which is a fun and relaxing activity in itself! The science expeditions are really Project O's forte. The super knowledgeable staff provide a hands-on experience you will love. You will be taught some basic marine science and geography of the area, then you take over as the scientists. Some of the activities include: collecting and testing water and mud samples at depth, visiting the captain to learn about navigation, and best of all: pulling in a trawl net full of Long Island Sound critters! If you are looking for a half-day activity that a gets you out on the water, familiarizes you with the area, is educational, and/or is just a little different than your usual tourist exercise: this is for you. You can certainly manage to stay clean and dry on these cruises but you will have much more fun if you go prepared to get wet and dirty! The boat's cabin is heated. However, you will want an extra layer of clothing for when you're outside. That's where all the good stuff happens. The price is very reasonable: just $19 for adults and $16 for kids. Make sure you call ahead... they will cancel the cruise if they don't get any reservations in advance and on popular days they can sell out! There is a very basic cafe for sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, drinks etc in the building but it's nothing to rave about. However, it's worth leaving a little extra time to wander around the immediate area. The building is located on the UConn - Avery Point campus which is beautiful and easy to walk. Project Oceanology also offers summer camps, scout programs, and birthday parties. I don't know why the website isn't listed here but there is lots more info at http://www.oceanology.org

This marina is now under new management, and it shows in a positive way. They have brightened up…read morethe grounds and cleaned up the place nicely. The staff are friendly in the guys that get the boat ready and bring them in and out of storage are quick, friendly and very knowledgeable.

Just went to Between the Bridges on the night of July 4 with a friend. I hadn't been to this place…read morefor years when it was more of a dance club. They had a live trio playing (stand-up bass, drummer and singer/guitarist who made trumpet sounds with his lips and a glass), which was amazing. The outdoor area was comfortable, fun and warm, thanks to the butane warmers and mini open fires contained within some tables. The crowd was 30+, festive and nice. Inside the bartenders were extremely friendly and responsive. I would have loved to play pool on the new beautiful, well-lit and CLEAN tables in the game area, but the scene that night was outside with the live music. I am definitely heading here whenever I'm in Saybrook! (I did not order anything to eat so can't comment on food.)