Boating season is at full sail and area officials say this year is shaping up to be one of the busiest in years.

Chris Bryant, the yard superintendent at Burr Brothers Boats, Inc. in Marion, said all of his company’s moorings are booked to meet the high demand, though transient moorings for visiting sailors are always available.

“Based on the amount of usage, and the amount of interest from new customers, the number of people on the water is far exceeding the number from last year,” Bryant said.

Regional advertising efforts, coupled with an uptick in the national economy, may be bringing more people to the shore, Bryant said.

In Marion, a strong sailing reputation has helped.

“For people who enjoy sailing, this is the harbor to be in. It’s well protected,” Marion Harbormaster Michael Cormier said.

For the past eight years, the 1,700 town-owned moorings have, for the most part, been filled.

Cormier said, “This is a sailboat community. It plays a large role in what types of boats are found in the harbor.”

Sippican Harbor, tucked away as it is from rough waters, offers protection while also giving sailors a prime location for jaunts to the Cape and Islands.

Cormier said reliable winds from the southwest make it easy for sailboats to reach destinations to the north and east.

Next to Cormier’s harbor-side office is Barden’s Boat Yard, Inc. where employees report business has been brisk.

“It’s been a really busy season,” said Jayne Darling, who works in the yard’s billing department

The yard has moorings in the harbor, but more and more customers have been using the yard’s “in-and-out” service, Darling said.

The service lets boaters keep their vessels on land, only being placed in the water before use and then taken out after.

For boaters who live far away, the service offers peace of mind during storms.

“Often, people will put their boats in and then do nothing but worry,” Darling said. Keeping boats out of the water saves on maintenance costs too, she said.

In Mattapoisett, Mattapoisett Boatyard General Manager David Kaiser has also seen busy waterways.

“I’ve definitely noticed an increase in usage from the last three years,” said Kaiser. “I’ve noticed a much more positive attitude about the business in general and the economy in general.”

Kaiser said the boatyard had a busy Independence Day weekend.

“The holiday really began Wednesday afternoon,” he said. “[The July 4] weekend probably broke all our records for fuel sales.”

Further evidence of the harbor’s traffic this summer is in the increased popularity of the launch service, now in its second year.

The service, operated by Mattapoisett Boatyard, taxis boaters from Barstow Wharf and the boatyard to their boats for $3 a head.

“This year we’ve already surpassed last year’s usage, and we’ve only had a few weekends that people have been operating,” said Kaiser.

With the approximately 1,000 town-owned moorings in town spoken for and a waiting list 61 names long, Mattapoisett Harbor continues to be a popular spot for local boaters as well as those just passing through.

But day trippers are also showing up in larger number. Kaiser said many using the launch service have been visitors.

“[Mattapoisett] is another destination that isn’t always on people’s radar. The launch service makes it accessible,” he said.

Kaiser said coverage in boating publications such as “Boating Local,” a Mattapoisett-based website featuring East Coast boating destinations, could be part of the reason for increased interest in the harbor.

“People are tired of going to places that are so crowded. They’re trying something new,” said Kaiser. “We’ve noticed a large increase from last year as far as visitors to the town that are taking our moorings.”

And Harbormaster Horace Field said there are always a few moorings for visitors, who come from as far as Florida.

“We can always find somebody a place to spend the night,” he said.