Annisquam Webcam – Watch Cape Ann’s Boat Moorings

The Annisquam Webcam looks across the mooring field at the Annisquam Yacht Club, on the Annisquam River in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Small boats fill the foreground, tied to moorings in loose rows beside the floating docks that run out from the club shoreline. Beyond them the river widens toward Ipswich Bay, and a long sandbar on the far shore surfaces as the tide drops. The club sits roughly 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles) south of the Annisquam Lighthouse, so this is the last stretch of sheltered water before the river opens to the sea. What is on screen changes with the tide, the wind and the season, from a full summer anchorage to bare docks and gray water in the winter months.

About Annisquam

Annisquam is a village at the northern end of Gloucester, on Cape Ann, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northeast of Boston. Gloucester was founded in 1623, incorporated as a town in 1642 and reincorporated as a city in 1873, and it still carries the motto “America’s Oldest Seaport.” The 2020 census counted 29,729 residents across the city as a whole, most of them living south of the water in this frame.

The Annisquam River is not a river in the ordinary sense. It splits Gloucester in half, running north into Ipswich Bay, and at its southern end the Blynman Canal joins it to Gloucester Harbor. That makes the eastern part of the city an island in all but name, and it is why this channel stays busy through the season: a boat can cross Cape Ann instead of rounding it.

The Annisquam Yacht Club has held this spot since 1896, a private club founded for sailing, yachting and tennis. Its mooring area is well protected but crowded, and a limited number of guest moorings take visiting boats up to 15 meters (50 feet). A shingled building stands on the point at the right of the frame, with a stone pier below it. Downstream at Wigwam Point, the Annisquam Harbor Light marks the entrance from Ipswich Bay. A light station has stood there since 1801, and the present brick tower, 13.7 meters (45 feet) tall, was built in 1897. It was automated in 1974 and remains an active aid to navigation.

Weather and Climate in Annisquam

Winters on this coast are cold, snowy and windy. January averages a high near 2 C (35 F) and a low near -8 C (18 F), and the season reads clearly on camera: most of the boats are gone, the docks sit empty, and the water lies flat and gray under low cloud. Spring arrives slowly here, and the mooring field refills through May and June as boats come back in one at a time.

July is the warm end of the year, with an average high near 27 C (80 F) and a low near 16 C (61 F), which is when the Annisquam Webcam view is at its fullest. Rain is spread through the year rather than concentrated in one season, roughly 1,328 millimeters (52.3 inches) of it annually, so an overcast, drizzling frame is normal in any month. The camera faces the open end of the river toward Ipswich Bay, so a northerly wind pushes chop down the channel and swings the moored boats into line.

Things to Do Near Annisquam

The Annisquam Harbor Light on Wigwam Point is the closest landmark worth the walk, standing at the tip of the village just downstream of the club. Gloucester’s two best known beaches, Wingaersheek Beach and Good Harbor Beach, are both a short drive from the village. Each is broad and shallow enough that the tide moves the waterline a long way, much as it does on the sandbar across from the mooring field.

Follow the river south and it ends at the working harbor. The Gloucester Fishermen’s Memorial stands on the waterfront there, its Man at the Wheel statue set up for the crews the port lost at sea, and it is still the image most people carry of the city. The Cape Ann Museum, also downtown, holds a major collection of the marine painter Fitz Henry Lane, including 40 paintings and 100 drawings. Lane worked this same water, so his harbor scenes are a fair guide to what the river looked like before the yacht club existed.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Other live views of harbors and sheltered water, starting close to home.

• Newburyport Webcam
• Eel Pond Webcam
• Gay Head Lighthouse Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Annisquam located?

Annisquam is a village in the northern part of Gloucester, Massachusetts, on Cape Ann, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northeast of Boston. It sits on the Annisquam River close to the point where the river meets Ipswich Bay.

What can you see on the Annisquam Webcam?

The camera covers the Annisquam Yacht Club mooring field: boats on moorings, the club floating docks and pier, the channel of the Annisquam River, and the low wooded far shore with its tidal sandbar. Ipswich Bay opens beyond that to the north.

What is the weather like in Annisquam?

Cold winters and warm summers. January runs roughly -8 to 2 C (18 to 35 F) and July roughly 16 to 27 C (61 to 80 F), with about 1,328 millimeters (52.3 inches) of precipitation spread through the year.

Is the Annisquam River really a river?

It behaves more like a tidal channel. It runs north across Gloucester into Ipswich Bay and is linked to Gloucester Harbor at its southern end by the Blynman Canal, so boats can cut across Cape Ann rather than going around it.

How old is the Annisquam Yacht Club?

The club has been at this site since 1896. It is private, and it was founded to give members a base for sailing, yachting and tennis.

Can visiting boats pick up a mooring at Annisquam?

The club keeps a limited number of guest moorings and can take visiting boats up to 15 meters (50 feet). The mooring area is well protected but crowded, so space is not guaranteed.

Where is the Annisquam Lighthouse?

Annisquam Harbor Light stands on Wigwam Point, roughly 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles) north of the yacht club, where the river opens into Ipswich Bay. The first light station there dates from 1801 and the present 13.7 meter (45 foot) brick tower from 1897.

How far is Annisquam from Boston?

Gloucester is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) northeast of Boston, and Annisquam lies at the northern end of the city, a few kilometers further on.

Source: Boston and Maine Live