Peconic Bay vs. Sag Harbor vs. LI Sound

[ESH125]

Was hoping to get some perspective from Long Island sailors or those with some good knowledge of sailing out on eastern LI--

My family and I are looking into getting a used C&C 110 (or similar 37' boat) and have to decide on the best place to keep it. Our options are:

1) Port Jefferson
2) Sag Harbor
3) Shinnecock Canal/Peconic Bay Marina

As this is our first large(ish) boat, the type of sailing we are doing will mostly be day sailing and 1-2 day trips, eventually heading up to Newport and the Cape after some experience.

Each location has it's upside and downside as far as driving time. Basically am trying to get a sense of the sailing conditions from each marina so I can decide if extra drive time is warranted. Would obviously drive an extra 30 minutes to avoid 3 hours of motoring.

Thanks!
Evan

[pk5352]

For all the benefits of Sag Harbor have you considered Greenport on the North Fork? Terrific access to the Sound and Block Island, as well as points north (Newport, the Cape) while still giving you the protected area within Gardiners Bay to utilize close to home. For a boat of that size, I feel like the Peconics would be somewhat limiting and Shinnecock is pretty far west. As for Port Jeff- its just a wee bit far west for me as well. FULL DISCLOSURE- I keep my boat in Greenport and love the accesibility that it provides me to all the destinations you describe, as well as day sails in Gardiners Bay just outside the inlet.
-PK

[tommays]

I have kept My J24

Patchogue River = The worlds best draft constrained sailing

Great Peconic Bay Marina South Jamesport = really a powerboat yard along with a LOT of the places on the Peconic as there a bit shallow and like selling FUEL

The Peconic is great sailing with very constant winds from the west so its always a BEAT home but theres plenty of water other than the well known sandbars

Friends house on the water by Brewer Stirling Harbor Marina =The best from the boat is really safe from storms POV BUT narrow getting in and out of and every trip really has to be planed around the current

The Marinas in Greenport have a lot of comforts BUT Greenport is crowded


Orient Yacht Club Orient on mooring = great club BUT worst place for boat in storms

Northport harbor on mooring = There is the Long island sound Dead Sea issue (no wind) but this year was good all year

I have never used a boat MORE than when it was in Northport due to the short travel time and also spend a lot of time on 35' with 7' draft there

I do not know were you live BUT at this point between the shopping in Riverhead and the success of the vineyards Driving can be just as painful as the south-shore

Sag Harbor and Port Jefferson =A LOT OF PEOPLE all the time

[JimsCAL]

Some thoughts:

The closer to the boat the better. You will use it more.

Any place on the Long Island Sound side will be better than the South Shore for a boat that size. No inlets to deal with and lots of deep water.

Winds are somewhat more reliable in summer on the East End, but its not as dramatically better than Western LIS as you might think.

[chef2sail]

While we are not on the LI Sound we travel there on vacation every summer. Heres my two cents:

Sag Harbor: very nice town...very expensive...crowded....good sailing in Gardiners Bay and around Shelter Island..expensive restaurants...great local store. Greeport...also nice town...less expensive...crowded...not Sag Harbor (Hamptons). keeping a boat in this area would require a good bit of ocean type sailing for guests. More fog. Weekend trips longer stretches unless you stay in Shelter area which may become boring.

Port Jeff...protected area...nice moorings and nice restaurants,,can be crowded. Close to many other horbors and ports for day or weekend sails and trips on both the LI and Conneticut side. More variety from here. I agree with Northport (a favoritie of my wife and mine and a stop on every Sound visit. Its less crowded than Port jeff with same advantages

Peconic- to limited for that size boat.

I would recommend you stay in Port Jeff/ Mt Siani/ Northport/ Huntington for the first couple of years and enjoy the weekend trips there ( and take a long week or 10 day trip to sail to the Vineyard/ Block/ Sag/ Greenport/ Newport. Build up you sailing skills and then take the boat out further. One thing we did notice that LI Sound Sailors take their weekend trips according to the tides so they have it with them on Sundays heading back to port. Here on the Chessie we dont worry about that. With Port Jeff in the "begginning middle of the Sound that will give you a great variety of places to visit.

Dave

[SOUNDBOUNDER]

I would not choose the canal area.
Sag is great, as is a lot of the east end, but the drive can be a hassle. It depends on your schedule and situation.
I kept my boat in Western LIS, but have been up in the Mystic area for the past 3 seasons. But work has been slow and I am not forced to make the drive on Friday and Sunday night. I am on the boat for 4-5 days at a time.

As several others have suggested, Northport is worth considering also.

If it is your first year with the boat, I would keep it somewhere nearby. You can always move it east after a year or two.

I hope this info helps.

[BarryL]

Hello

My $.02

Keep the boat as close as possible. IMHO the closer the boat the more you will use it. I am familiar with most places on the north shore, from Huntington to orient point and a few in peconic bay as well. If you live east of river head then keep it in greenport or so, unless you are on the south fork then sag harbor would be ok. If you are west of riverhead then port Jeff or mt Sinai would be good. Personally I prefer mt Sinai over port Jeff because you can go from slip or mooring to the sound in 5 minutes. Pj has a lot more traffic to deal with, especially the ferries.

If you live near Huntington, northport, cold spring etc. Then keep the boat there. You can always move the boat east for a few weeks if you feel like it. I know that having the boat close to me allows me to sail for an hour or two if I feel like it.

Barry

Ps. I would love to try a c&c 110 so please let me know if I can catch a ride on yours.