We’re back home from our 14 day trip to NYC and getting ready for our next adventure. While the memories of the NYC voyage is fresh in my my mind, I thought I’d jot down the things that we really enjoyed, and those that disappointed.
Let me begin by saying that the voyage into the belly of Long Island Sound is probably the best option for a Massachusetts Boater. We enjoyed great weather, but I think it would have still worked if we hadn’t.
There are so many wonderful little seaside villages on both sides of the Sound and you could easily create a very interesting week without any legs longer than 25 miles.
The Marinas
When we evaluate a marina, we look at two things:
- The physical quality and dockhand competence.
- The surrounding area – things to do, restaurants, and shopping proximity.
In terms of the overall quality, virtually all the Safe Harbor marinas stood. Unfortunately, with the exception of Essex, most aren’t in an ideal location for exploring nearby villages.
Although we didn’t like the location, the Mystic Seaport Marina was as good as any Safe Harbor.
As far as misses, there were two marinas that we probably will never return to.
The shitshow at Ballard’s over the weekend as the owner tried to force us to move Amazing Grace into a slip for a 35’ boat is still fresh in my mind.
Not only did he ruin our weekend, but he refused to refund the $600 we paid unless I deleted the post.
Let me be clear – its well worth $600 to warn all of you steer clear of this marina!
We would also never return to North Cove in Manhattan. The physical dock is not adequate to protect a yacht from the steady two-foot rollers coming in from the Hudson.
If we stayed there for a few days, I’m certain we would have ripped the floating dock from the marina wall. The $1,200/night dockage fee was just the icing on the cake.
We are optimistic that we might one day return to Danford’s in Port Jefferson, but not until they renovate the crumbling Marina.
On the other hand, the dock crew was first class, the village of Port Jefferson was classic, and the bike trails were spectacular.
We will monitor Danfords and let you know if they renovate the crappy Marina.
Of course, Cuttyhunk offers a crude fixed piling dock, but that is part of its charm!
The Restaurants
We ate lunch and dinner out virtually every day. Talking with the crew, everyone agreed that Edwards Steakhouse in Jersey City.
The other restaurant we loved across the board was Noah’s in Essex Village.
Our favorite lunch venue was Friedmans in Manhattan, where Mrs. Horne had sushi and we split the hand-carved pastrami.
There were no across-the-board dining disasters, but at least someone was disappointed at Castaways (noise), One40 (martini, service, menu), Tony’s (my watery flavorless pasta dish),
The Wild Cards
Finally, we talked about a few things that made one venue particularly memorable.
- 911 Memorial – This wasn’t even planned, but it was the most incredible side trip of the entire cruise. Of course, we got there by staying in North Cove Marina – a marina we’d never return to! One could always stay at Liberty Landing and take the $10 Water Shuttle to Brookfield Place.
- Port Jefferson Biking – Both of the Bike Trails were wonderful.
- Safe Harbor’s Pools – Although we only soaked in the pool in Essex Village, we saw pools at Port Washington and Pilots Point. There are plenty of summer days that are too hot to sit on the deck and soaking in a pool was a great option.
- Meeting friends along the way – Without a doubt, the best thing has always been connecting with old friends or making new friends along the way.
New Ports for Next Time
The next time we head south we plan to add Safe Harbor Mystic, Old Saybrook, and Huntington along the way. We also plan to return to Sag Harbor.
All-in-all it was a fantastic trip. We had beautiful weather almost every day and fortunately, we were in Port Jefferson for three days when the only storm hit.
We love Maine, but it involves a lot of 100-mile runs That could be interrupted by weather.
Some version of this trip will definitely be on the 2026 calendar.
Next Up: California Girls
THANK YOU , GREAT COMMENTARY . MY WIFE AND I JUST CAME BACK FROM A SIMILAR VOYAGE , AND AGREE WITH YOUR RESPONSES . WE ARE BIRTHED IN HUNTINGTON AND WOULD SUGGEST WEST SHORE MARINA, DINING AT EDUARDO’S AND WALKING AROUND TOWN . MANY FOOD CHOICES, CASIS , KASHI , WHO IS PLAYING AT THE PARAMOUNT ( GREAT VENUE ) ENJOY, SIEGEL’S NEST
And on to the next!!! Have fun wherever you end up!! Safe travels
Sandi and Steve