CWTA - Connecticut Coastal Paddling - Fairfield County - Cos Cob

Connecticut Water Trails Association

Table Of Contents

Connecticut Water Trails

Connecticut Coastal Paddling

Connecticut Coastal Paddling Access

Fairfield County Coastal Paddling Access

Fairfield County Coastal Paddling

Cos Cob Coastal Paddling

Cos Cob Coastal Paddling Access

Connecticut Water Trails Program

Connecticut Coastal Paddling

Fairfield County

Cos Cob

Cos Cob Harbor

Site Location: Somerset Lane, Greenwich, Connecticut

Basic Information:

Cos Cob Harbor is an extension of the Mianus River. The harbor is divided into the inner and outer areas by the Metro North Railroad Bridge. The inner harbor has mudflats on the east bank which occupy more than half the width of the harbor. On the west side, there are several marinas running the entire length of the harbor just to the south the Mianus River Dam.

Type: Bay

Water Type: Saltwater

Season:

Site Contact Information:

Site Coordinates:

Longitude 73.355161 ºW Latitude 41.012027 ºN

Location Map:

Greenwich - Cos Cob Harbor

USGS Quadrangle: Stamford

Navigational Charts:

Use ChartKit Region 3, page 26; Maptech Waterproof Charts 1 and 16; and Maptech electronic and NOAA paper charts 12367 (1:20,000), 12364 (1:40,000), and 12363 (1:80,000). Use tide tables for Bridgeport. High tide at Cos Cob Harbor is 5 minutes later; low tide is 11 minutes later. Multiply height of tide at Bridgeport by 1.1 for height of tide at Cos Cob Harbor. Mean tidal range is 7.2 feet.

Driving Directions:

Directions Map: Google Map

Boat Launch Information:

Google Map

Riverside Yacht Club - Google Map

Riverside Yacht Club - Information

ADA Access:

Site Description:

Environment: Bay

Additional Info:

Site History:

Greenwich's five harbors make it a busy and popular stop for boaters. Cos Cob, part of Greenwich, is one of those stops. It was a popular haven for artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when painters and writers from New York City summered in Connecticut to get away from the heat and stress of the city and to get their creative juices flowing again. The Bush-Holley House found itself at the center of this artistic wave.

Built in the late 1600s when Greenwich was still under the jurisdiction of New Amsterdam as New York City was then called, the Bush-Holley House was later used by the famous Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam, who, it's said, lived in it so that he could keep an eye on the strategic saltworks. The British, under General Tryon, still managed to plunder the saltworks and the surrounding area before being chased away by American troops.

This has always been a popular place. Adriaen Block brought the first settlement here in 1614, the same year the Dutch captain also discovered the Connecticut River. The strategic location of Greenwich made it an important stronghold from the time of the French and Indian War to the War of 1812. Today, Cos Cob is a small but upscale bedroom community preferred by Manhattan executives. New York City boaters like to escape to here, too, so finding a slip on a weekend may not be easy.