Oregon Coast
Port Orford — Outer Cove
Holding: Fair
Shelter: Fair
Shore access
Anchorage Oregon
About This Anchorage
Port Orford has the most unusual harbor operation on the Pacific Coast: there is no protected basin. Boats are hauled out of the water by a crane when not in use, and the 'harbor' is a semicircular cove that provides moderate protection from the northwest in calm conditions. The boat hoist is the oldest operating marine hoist in the US. For passage-making sailboats that can anchor in settled conditions, Port Orford's cove provides a stop between Coos Bay and Brookings with a genuinely interesting fishing community ashore. It is an exposed anchorage — use only in settled forecast, northwest-only conditions, and plan to be underway before morning winds build.
Highlights
- Historic boat hoist — oldest operating marine crane in the US
- Working fishing community: fresh fish available dockside
- Battle Rock Wayfinding Point — first landing site of 1851 exploration party
- Dramatic headland scenery — Humbug Mountain 3 nm south
- 60 nm between Coos Bay and Brookings — natural passage stop
Cautions & Notes
- EXPOSED anchorage — fair weather only, northwest swell only
- No protected basin: no refuge if conditions deteriorate
- Leave before morning winds build — typically 10 a.m. in summer
- Do not anchor here in southerly or variable forecast
- Holding in rock and sand is fair — set anchor carefully