Anchoring in Newport Beach

Jun 1

Posted March 2025

Newport Beach is my favorite harbor in Southern California and it has a nice anchorage to spend a night or a few days. Dinghy docks are spread all over the harbor so you have a lot of options for dining and recreation if you drop the hook and have a reasonable tender. You can also tie up larger boats at many of the dock & dines and temporary public docks.

What I like about this harbor is waking up in a calm anchorage and having so many options of things to do with the day. The local crew teams train early in the harbor and pass by the anchored boats as coffee is being poured. A late morning trip over to the dinghy dock on the Balboa Peninsula gives easy access to beach, shops, and restaurants. It is only two blocks to the beach from the docks near Marina Park. You can also go west from the anchorage and pick a dinghy dock on Balboa Island and have a walk around. Yeah it is super touristy, but I don’t live there so I don’t act like I’m to cool to go there. Many afternoons back in the anchorage there are kids & adults having small boat races. On any nice summer days there are always paddle-boards, duffys, party boats and bay sailors. It’s busy with happy people having a good time.

Newport Beach Anchorage Locations

Boaters have a two anchorage options when passing through Newport Beach, CA. The primary anchorage is off the ESE end of Lido Island. When the weather is calm you can anchor just outside of the harbor entrance in front of the Corona Del Mar beach. Both locations have a 72hr limit within 30 days and it may be possible to extend an extra 48hrs with permission from the harbormaster. If you want to stay longer you can get a temporary mooring or guest slip at Marina Park. You are supposed to have a competent crew member onboard at night and during inclement weather and don’t leave the boat unattended during the day for more than a few hours. At the bottom of this page I’ll put links to the city web pages with all the rules and regulations.

Lido Island Anchorage

This anchorage is super stick heavy mud. Its hard to believe that any boats drag here, but I’ve seen it. My guess is they put out enough chain for the anchor to barely touch the bottom. Its around 20’ deep but plan on a short scope on the weekends and holidays. The area is tiny for the number of boats that want to be here and all the different types of hulls and keels swing different when the wind is light and the water is moving. If you get in late plan on threading the needle between boats or pushing it right to the edge of the buoy line.

Corona Del Mar Anchorage

I’ve spent a few calm nights at the Corona Del Mar anchorage when I was on my way to Catalina and didn’t want to make the extra 2 NM trip to Lido. It a beautiful place for a sunset & sunrise. Few boats stay overnight so you can generally tuck in close to the wall and be out of most of the swell. It is still a little rolly, but as good as being out at the isthmus. Watch for the floating line marking the beach swim area. I put out a stern anchor to keep me pointed towards the harbor entrance. Even if there isn’t much swell, the boat wake can be annoying. You will drop in about 30’ on soft sand that holds very well.