Yachts For Sale In Westport

Westport is a town committed to promoting the arts, education, and preservation of its natural resources and beautiful shoreline. Known since early 20th century as an artists’ colony, Westport is the cultural hub of Connecticut’s Fairfield County “Gold Coast” on the Long Island Sound. It is even speculated that Westport may have been the actual inspiration for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” after he and wife Zelda, as newlyweds, spent a wild summer in 1920 near Compo Beach where he worked on his second novel, “The Beautiful and the Damned.” Westport Artists organized officially in 1947, but the town has long been a Mecca for artists. More than 160 illustrators lived and worked in Westport between 1900-1940s including artists for Disney Studios and FAS (Famous Artists Schools). And while many famous artists, writers, and other celebrities have called Westport home over the past century, none is so embedded in the Westport community’s hearts as Paul Newman and wife Joanne. Having lived in Westport for 50 years, until his passing in 2008, Paul Newman’s legacy is substantial.

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Paul Newman, screen legend with the most famous blue eyes, was an awarded-actor, director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. The 10+ acre parcel with 680ft on the Aspetuck River Newman owned in the Coleytown area of Westport, was previously owned for 200 years by generations of the Coley family, until 1920. The acreage was originally part of Fairfield in the early 1700s when David Coley purchased the large tract of land that eventually became the Coleytown area of Westport. The early residence had a main house, grist/cotton mill, carriage house, and two barns. The main house (Ebenezer Coley House) is a colonial saltbox, built c. 1763 with newer additions designed by Kirby Grimes. The Carriage House, c. 1900, was converted to 3 BR/2 BA home, and the former mill, c. 1790 was converted to a house with 2,100 sq ft of living space. The estate is within walking distance of the 39-acre Newman-Poses Nature Preserve, part of the Aspetuck Land Trust, and features walking trails.

A major attraction in Westport is the weekly Farmers Market, open seasonally from second Thursday in May to second Thursday in November. The Farmers Market got its start in a parking lot in 2006, as the collaboration of Paul Newman and chef Michael Nischan. It has expanded since then and was relocated in 2009 to 50 Imperial Avenue near the Saugatuck River. The Farmers Market is committed to fresh local seasonal food and supporting local producers. It was voted Best in CT and #10 in the Nation by American Farmland Trust. In 2005 Newman teamed up with author AD Hotchner to market his homemade salad dressing (originally given as Holiday gifts), that grew into the multimillion-dollar “Newman’s Own” line of products (salad dressing, popcorn, lemonade) of the non-profit empire they built. All after tax proceeds went to charities, including the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang Camp Newman founded for seriously ill children in Ashford, CT. $150million to $175million has been donated to charities since the 1980s.

Some of Paul Newman’s best-known films are Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, The Sting, The Color of Money, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Torn Curtain, and many more. Among his awards are 3 Golden Globes and an Academy Award. He was nominated for a Tony Award for the Broadway revival of Our Town in 2002, then directed and starred (as the Stage Manager) in the Westport Playhouse production of “Our Town” that same year. In 2006, Newman opened The Dressing Room, a restaurant he co-owned with chef Michael Nischan, to help support the historic Westport Country Playhouse, a non-profit that produces theater from playwrights, actors, directors, and designers of all backgrounds, while entertaining audiences with star-studded entertainment since the 1930s when it opened in a barn built in 1865 and had been used as a tannery!

The Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts, established in 1973, offers 60 nights of free arts and entertainment “under the stars” along the banks of the Saugatuck River. Touted as one of the largest, longest running free outdoor summer festivals in the nation, it is a major Fairfield County attraction. Levitt Pavilion features established, award-winning, and emerging artists from across the nation and the world, and occasionally produces ticketed events. Lawn seating for free events and onsite concession for snacks and ice-cream. The Park opens 60-minutes prior to showtime to allow time for picnicking.

The Saugatuck River passes through the western part of Westport and empties into the Long Island Sound and is teeming with shoreline birds, rowers, kayakers, paddlers, and boaters during the summer months. Recently developed Saugatuck Center is a retail, commercial, and residential community on the banks of the Saugatuck River offering the benefits of a modern waterfront lifestyle set in a historic New England town. Saugatuck Center features over a dozen restaurants, shops, residences, underground parking facility, and marina with boat slip access and visitor docking. A public walkway along the river is lined with outdoor eateries. This enclave is conveniently located near I-95 and the Metro North Train Station for a 55-minute commute to New York City’s Grand Central Station.

Also on the Saugatuck is Westport icon Black Duck Café, a c. 1840 barge converted to a tavern and docked on the river under the I-95 overpass since 1978. The restaurant and bar is owned by Offshore Powerboat racer and 2008 NPBA Hall of Fame member, Peter Aitkin. The restaurant was named for his racing boat that got its name from a 1920s rumrunner of Prohibition days that repeatedly eluded the Coast Guard. Black Duck is known for its stuffed burgers, steak au poivre, and fresh seafood, along with bar service.

Settlement of Westport began in 1693, spreading eastward from Bridgeport and Fairfield, and named the community Bankside, then Green’s Farm in 1732 for Bankside farmer, John Green. The 1777 Battle of Compo Beach is memorialized with a statue of a Minuteman soldier representing the Minutemen soldiers from Westport and surrounding areas that defeated the British and prevented the destruction of Continental military supplies in Danbury during the Revolutionary War.

In 1835 the Town of Westport was incorporated and during the 19th century became the leading onion growing center in the nation and busy port transporting onions to markets. Eventually blight ruined the onion industry and was replaced with mills and factories as the town’s source of commerce. The turn of 20th century brought immigrants, artists, musicians, writers to Westport and cultural expansion began in 1910 with Bohemian artists, writers and authors fomenting a period known as “Creative Heaven.” During the 20th century, the town’s culture, bucolic beauty (rolling hills, woods, farms, waterfront), and easy commute to New York City increased its popularity and changed the town from a community of farmers to suburban development. Westport’s good schools, chic shopping, and coastal New England country lifestyle made the town extremely attractive, as it supports the “live, work, play” lifestyle that is prevalent in upscale suburban towns. Westport, one of the wealthiest towns in CT, is home to commuting business executives, celebrities, financial tycoons, and artists, among a diverse population.

Cockenoe Island, originally deeded to Norwalk in mid-17th century by Cockenoe Native Americans, became part of Westport when the town was formed in 1835. The island was largely uninhabited, especially during the 20th century. In the 1960s, power company United Illuminating acquired the island and planned to construct a nuclear power plant. Pressure from residents, joined by politicians, induced UI to sell the island back to Westport to become an “open Space”—a conservation victory in 1970 that continues to be an uninhabited nesting site for egrets, herons, and other species of coastal birds. The island also features 4 popular campsites that can be reserved by permit from the Town of Westport’s Conservation Dept. The area between the island’s sand spit and northwest sandbar is a popular summer boating destination for anchoring and rafting up.

The Westport Parks & Recreation Dept. maintains two marinas with easy access to the Long Island Sound. The Ned Dimes Marina in the Compo Yacht Basin at Compo Beach is open seasonally and has 470 slips accommodating vessels up to 55ft length. Dock depth is 9ft and approach depth is 10ft. Amenities include WiFi, restrooms, 30amp electric, water, ice, Internet, snack bar, security, dinghy dock, and beach. Fuel dock with gas only, and pump-out services are available. Restaurants, golf, tennis, and more are nearby. The E.R. Strait Marina at Longshore Club Park can accommodate vessels up to 40ft length. Dockside depth is 5ft MLW. Amenities include 30amp electric, water, ice, restrooms. The Westport Longshore Club Park, at the mouth of the Saugatuck River, was once an exclusive Country Club. It is now operated by the Westport Town Recreation Dept and features town golf course, tennis courts, and E.R. Strait Marina. Only residents of the Town of Westport can apply for a slip assignment or ramp permit at these two town marinas. Transient slips are available at both—contact marina office to reserve.

The Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club at 6 Great Marsh Road was founded in 1959 as a private membership organization. Open seasonally, the yacht club welcomes visiting yachts and yacht clubs. Club facilities are limited to club members, their guests and visiting yacht clubs with reciprocity (see list on SHYC website). Located in a well-protected “hurricane hole” off the Saugatuck River. The channel was dredged to 8ft in 1997. The marina features floating docks with 160 slips for vessels up to 53ft length and includes 30 & 50amp power and water service. Fuel dock pumps gas and diesel fuels. Cruising, fishing, and racing are the main boating activities of the club. Transient yachtsmen may use the pool and BBQ areas (renovated 2015), and the showers/restrooms. Taxis are available for transport to restaurants, entertainment, and more. For guest slip reservation, must be a member at a Reciprocal Yacht Club.

Bridgebrook Marina at 47 Riverside Avenue on the Saugatuck River is a small family-run marina since 1995, that is one of the few privately-owned marinas in Westport with water access. New docks in 2011 with 32 slips can accommodate small boats with a shallow draft only, maximum length is 26ft. The fixed swing bridge with 7ft clearance at high tide is 200 yards north of I-95 for vessels able to travel up the river to downtown Westport. Mean tidal range is 7ft. Dockside depth is 1ft at mean low and 4ft approach depth. Services include slip rentals, year-round boat storage, winterizing, launching, hauling & transport, and more. Call or visit website for further info.