New York Harbor area

[Cassiola]

Hello everyone,

We're about to bring our 270 home, and I've been trying to figure out good weekend destinations from the NY Harbor.

Anyone else here cruise in this area?  I'm thinking of going straight down to Sandy Hook area, but also want to cruise on the south shore of Long Island.

Can someone recommend good places to just drop the anchor and relax for the day?

Thanks!

[ParkRode360]

Am not sure from your post whether you're looking to head north or south.  

I just moved up to the Hudson River from Stone Harbor (South Jersey), and there's "supposed to be" alot of cruising  / swimming, etc. up the Hudson from Tarrytown. "Supposedly" cause the Hudson is still "cleaning up" -- still some logs / branches, etc. floating downriver.   Croton has good swimming.  Newburgh has good restaurants along the river, as does Rondout.  Kingston supposedly has a great waterfront that I'm going to try and check out in two weeks.  

South, I've heard that Belmar is the place to put in -- supposed to have alot of marinas that cater to boaters, etc.  But I'm hearing that second hand.

[TiniTime]

I've been a long Island South shore boater for 20 years and there are more good spots than I probably can remember, but here goes:
Island Park: Paddy Mcgees for a good meal
Freeport: Woodcleft canal...more restaurants and bars than you can count and all on the water.
Jones Beach: Zach's bay...drop the anchor and listen to a Jones beach concert
Short beach(near Jones Beach)..good place to drop the hook and chill
Tobay Marina: Dock your boat on the bay side and walk to the beachon the ocean side.
Gilgo Beach Marina...Dock your boat and walk under ocean pkwy to the beach.
Cedar beach...can do same as Gilgo
Fire Island Inlet: great fishing, can drop the hook at the sore thumb (north side of the inlet) and hang at the beach where you can only get to by boat.
Fire Isand National seashore:  a dozen or more small communities which can only be reached by boat.  Ocean Beach and Ocean Bay Park are the largest towns.
West Hampton Beach Marina...just a great place
The list goes on and on and I probably left out a couple of dozen,but this is a start.

[Cassiola]

Thanks for the ideas.  Sure sounds like there are a lot of places I can go to  

[Hank]

Cassiola
You should post more spec on your boat and your family.... year, model, power, home port etc...

We're planning a trip this summer down by you around the 4th of July... hopefully we'll tie up for a    or two...Glad to see sone more New Yorkers/ New England Rinkers

[ParkRode360]

You can also try Boatered.com -- they have a cruise club for the Hudson and for Long Island. The NJ one isn't posted to as frequently, but it has a great summary of places to hit along the Jersey Shore.

[slats]

Keep in mind that some of the marinas that Tini Time refers to require that you be a town resident to dock there, or only allow non-residents to dock during the week.  Good idea to call ahead.  

GPS and charts are a must for the south shore of Long Island, as the water is extremely short.

Good luck, and have fun!

[TiniTime]

Gilgo and Cedar Beach Marinas are Town marinas that have a lower rate for residents with permits and another rate for everyone else.  Not sure what Tobay marina does.  Calling ahead is a good idea.  When navigating the south shore of LI, you must stay in the marked channels or you will probably run aground.  Ten feet is deep water here, but don't be scared off because the channels are well marked for the most part and 30' to 50' boats are very common sights in the bays.

[MacInCT]

And don't forget Long Island Sound! You have plenty of power to scoot through Hell's Gate (unless the weather is truly snotty it is only a real problem for sailboats). The Sound is relatively protected water and waves are usually 1-2 feet and often less. Obviously you will want to check the weather forcast. There are lots of lovely towns on the north shore of Long Island and the Connecticut coast. You might want to invest in one of the cruising guides and/or the Atlantic Cruising Club for their guide to marinas. The Atlantic Cruising Club marina guides come with a cd which is pretty handy.

Hope to see you out there!

All the best,

Nancy