On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 15:38:39 +0000 (UTC), Stuart J Adams
wrote:
Anyone spend time boating on the Merrimack
river in Massachusetts between Haverhill and
Newburyport ???

I'm considering a slip in Haverhill for a
24' bowrider.

Is the river suitable for recreational/family
boating (swimming off the boat, tubing,
wakeboarding, fishing, etc.) ???

And how is it getting out of the harbor to the beaches
north and south ??
===================================

Looking at the charts, it is about an 18 mile run down to the ocean
inlet at Newburyport. There's a well marked deep water channel the
entire distance. I haven't boated on that stretch of river but there
are probably some slow speed/no wake zones along the way which will
stretch your travel time, probably to over an hour total. The inlet
to the ocean is deep and well protected by breakwaters on each side.
That said, there will be more than a few days when conditions will be
dangerous for a 24 ft deck boat. The only access to the beaches would
be to anchor out and swim in, probably doable on calm days with no
surf running.