Best marina in LI for Manhattanite

fodao · #1 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007

Hello folks,

I'm planning on buying my first sail boat (27' - 30') next season and I'm starting to look for a marina in the NYC area. I live in Manhattan and I don't own a car. City Island, New Rochelle and CT are possibilities, but I'm attracted to the idea of leaving my boat on the north shore of Long Island. Can anyone tell me which marina would be the easiest to get by LIRR? Oyster bay or Huntington bay? Any other one? Which one is the cheapest? Is it easy to get a slip or mooring for the season? Any recommendations for a new owner? Thank you very much!

F.

Uncle · #2 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007

Hello -

I'm not familiar with North Shore marinas, though I'm sure others here will be able to help you. In the meanwhile, have you looked into other nearby options? You might find that getting out to LI is inconvenient and that your commute time might be better spent in the water. The closest marinas outside Manhattan are probably Liberty Landing and Liberty Harbor in Jersey City. I think the sailing is better in the Harbor than in the Sound anyway.

There is also a city-run marina in Flushing, Queens not too far from the sound.

Uncle

SanderO · #3 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007

Use Google Earth to view rail stops in relation to Marinas. Most are definitely a cab ride away.

The North Shore is not optimal, certainly compared to the CT side of the sound.

You should consider the following as well.

Do a calculus and estimate to TOTAL time from out your door to on your boat. What you'll find is that it's the getting from one transportation mode to the next sucks up time.

For example.

You need to take a subway to the train station. This involves waiting for the train and the subway as well as the actual transit time. The you need to get a cab or wait for one if there isn't one at the station and the time of the cab ride. This adds up to a lot of getting to the boat time. And not likely for RT and sailing all day.

I decided a long time ago to get far from NYC and found an idyllic location at a major transport mode. Greenport. What's nice for NYers is that this is really like getting out of town. You can take LIRR or the Hampton Jitney which is about a 2 or 3 hour trip You can drive it in under 2. You can walk to Stirling Harbor or step on the Shelter Island ferry and walk to lovely Dering Harbor to your mooring. Sag Harbor is the same.

And the sailing is super. Way better than close in to NYC. Absolutely no comparison. Now if you want to run down for a Wednesday night race from the city. this is too far. But if you want to spend the weekend it is NOT too far.

If you want to go frequently and for a few hours of sailing or boat work... you need to be close and I would recommend New Rochelle, a 25 minute train ride and a cab. Bring a bike it's a short pleasant bike ride from either Pelham or NR stations. There's a West Marine on City Island and Post Marine is NR too. And there are lots of races to get into as well.

Depending on how you will use your boat and how frequently should factor into the distance from NYC calculus. For me a couple of hours is a time to unwind, listen to music, chat with my wife, or read a book if I take public transport. The "commute" to the boat is not the least bit unpleasant... except when traffic decides to present. If you can schedule your trips off peak you don't have to deal with traffic either. I've met many many sailors who live in the city and keep their boats "out East".

Think about it.

jef
sv shiva

JimsCAL · #4 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007

North Shore choices as you move East are Port Washington, Glen Cove, Oyster Bay, Huntington and Northport. Of these the Oyster Bay train station is the closest to the waterfront. Glen Cove and Port Washington are next (1+ miles) and the others further. All have a choice of marinas and yacht clubs. I sail out of yacht club in Glen Cove that is only 1 mile from my house, so I am spoiled. When the weather's good I can just hop down for a quick sail (like I did this afternoon).

camaraderie · #5 (**permalink**) 10-08-2007

Here's the LIRR map...http://www.mta.info/lirr/html/lirrmap.htm
as you can see...the only lines that are close to the water are the Port Washington and Oyster Bay Branches. The closest bay to the city is Littleneck which is close to shea stadium....next is manhasset/portwashington. I have no idea of prices but there are marinas & moorings in both Bays and BOTH are reachable in 45 minutes or less from the City and a short cab ride. Suggest you search www.Marinas.com for possible sites and good pictures of all the possibilities. These are absolutely the quickest to get to.
The Oyster bay line is a slower line and leaves you further from the water...I like Northport harbor and Seymour's moorings if you go to that neighborhood...but I'd allow 1.5 hours door to boat for that one.
Port Jefferson is the next decent habor and will take you 2-2.5 hours to get to...and then there's "way out" Greenport for the "get away from it all" crowd and a 3+ hour trip. We love it out there and as Sander says it is a different world entirely...but it all depends on how you want to use the boat and how LONG you will be able to stay on it each weekend. Long Island sound is a great cruising ground on both sides of the sound for more than a hundred miles...good luck on your decisions!

IrishMistRacing · #6 (**permalink**) 10-09-2007

I've lived and sailed the Long Island Sound from the north shore my whole life and think that if you are coming out from the City by train and cost is a concern you should look at mooring in Port Jefferson Harbor at the Setauket Yacht Club.

Here's my thoughts:

By Rail: The best choices are Port Washington, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson & Greenport. These are old shipbuilding towns that have the train very close to the harbor because it was used to move materials.

Cost: The farther East you go the less expensive. Waiting lists, residency requirements and cost/foot will go down the farther you are from the City. But the cost starts to go backup on the East End.

Location: Port Washington & Oyster Bay, easiest access to NYC, most expensive. Port Jeff, 1 1/2 hrs from Penn Station, least expensive. Greenport, 2 1/2 hrs from Penn, more expensive but access to Gardiners Bay too.

--
Port Jefferson is tourist town that has a ferry from CT with many restaurants. It's central location puts most of the Sound's harbors a daysail away. The Setauket Yacht Club is a "sailor's club" which is helpful for a new owner. They have very good launch service. The club facilities are clean and they have a good racing and teaching program.

BTW: I'm not a member of SYC, just an admirer. We used to be members, but left the club when we moved over to Mt Sinai Harbor. Also check out the Mt Sinai Sailing Association(link below) which is the sailing social club of the area. If you have any more Q's about this area just ask

Stewart

fodao · #7 (**permalink**) 10-09-2007

Thank you all for your responses! They are all really helpful! I think at the end I have to check it out a bunch of them and then decide. Tough decision! There are a lot of trade offs!

I'll take a look at Oyster bay, Port Jefferson and Greenport. Each one has their attractions: Oyster bay is closer to NYC, Port Jefferson is not too far either and cheaper and Greenport is "away" from the City and in a really nice sailing area.

One more question: How easy/hard is to get a mooring at these places? I imagine that Greenport is not that easy! When should I apply for one? Eventhouh I'm planning on buying the boat only next Spring, should I start applying to the marinas now?

Thanks!

camaraderie · #8 (**permalink**) 10-09-2007

Greenport is QUITE expensive...I don't think here are any public moorings so you will need a slip. There are other places within the Peconic Bay that are also more suitable for a smaller boat until you are ready to go "outside ". It is not too soon to start calling around bu you need to know what size slip you will need before you make a reservation. We kept our first catalina here in aqueboque and enjoyed both the marina and the ppeconic bay and shelter island for several years. http://lighthousemarina.com/
rates are $114 a foot seasonally ... about the same as Brewer's in Greenport. Seasonal contracts from existing slipholders were due in at Brewers last week for the Spring!! ...so don't wait.
As lovely as it is out there...it takes a long time to get there and unless you can consistently get away for the full weekend, you should think about closer in spots.

pegasus1457 · #9 (**permalink**) 10-09-2007

There are a number of marina operations in Huntington Harbor with good chandleries within walking distance. What you have to take into account, though, is the LONG motoring trek once on the boat before you hit open water (LI Sound). It is almost 45 minutes each way...

Port Jefferson is not a bad suggestion. The taxi ride from the LIRR station is about 5 minutes. There are commercial moorings (not Town moorings) available from Silver Bay Marina. You get the mooring and the launch service for a single price. You can sail out of the harbor, and it is nowhere near as far as it would be in Huntington. Lots of restaurants

but limited choice of chandleries.

pegasus1457 · #10 (**permalink**) 10-09-2007

You might also consider City Island. There is a lot going on there in the sailing world, several sailmakers, etc. I don't have a clue about public transportation from Manhattan, but once you are there, all of LI Sound is accessible.