Connecticut Marinas & Slip Rates

[Sandero]

Having lived in NYC and kept a boat in the region for over 2 decades... my philosphy is simple.

I can drive 100 miles in my car in less than 2 hrs which can take me to much more pleasant and interesting sailing ground. We stop at farm stands to buy some fresh produce along the way too.

Why drive 30 minutes to sail in the west end of LIS? Fine for people who do afternoon races... cruising there is no cruising at all.

Since we spend a whole weekend on the boat... it makes sense to drive a bit to get to the boat. We don't mind it at all and we are not racing to get underway.

We travel the evening before, after traffic, enjoy a nice dinner at home, or when we get to the boat on shore or on board... but mostly before we get to the boat.

We keep Shiva on a mooring because we like quiet and privacy and laying to wind.

In the morning we get up early and get under way... relaxed, and prepared. Wifey is usually sleeping while I do the prep and I get served breakfast once we are underway... my reward!

Likewise, at the end of the weekend, I prefer to get up real early and beat the traffic and spend a quiet evening on board relaxing as the harbor goes real quiet after the weekenders have gone home.

This may not work for others, but it has for me for almost 20 yrs...

On the otherhand, I store in water close to my home in the west end of the sound so I can do projects and check on the boat. Snow... I can get rid of it quickie quickie... The only problem would be iced cockpit drains and enormous amount of water threatening to sink the boat. I think this is extremely unlikely.

Jef
sv Shiva
Contest 36s

[LtBrett]

Jef,
100 mi in 2 hrs? You don't live in the same NY I live in. I grew up in Manhasset, live in Norwalk, CT (where the boat is), and keep a house in Sag Harbor. The traffic is a killer. You are dead on to travel at off hours. If you are on the road between 2:00PM and 9:00pm on Friday going east or between 3:0PM and 11:00PM Sunday going west, you double or triple your 'no traffic' (100mi in 2 hrs) drive time. The ride from Albany is pretty rough, although nothing like Long Island.

Trim,
Your best bet from Albany is to drive on rte 90 to 91 to CT, which only gives a few options to cross south to 95. 91 Brings you to New Haven, where there are a few marinas and good sailing, but keep in mind that is the widest part of the Sound and it will take you a while if you want to go to Long Island. You are also behind a breakwater, so it takes a while to sail into the Sound. Traffic clumps up around New Haven, but not too badly. Get 5 miles north and it eases again. You can get perhaps a better launchpad further north. Be careful going too far north along 95--once you get close to the RI border, traffic gets heavy again from folks going to Newport or the RI shore.

You could choose to keep your boat in the western Sound and perhaps shave a hunk of time off your travel. There are a good many interesting destinations within a day's sail, enough to take a season to explore. I spend about $120/ft for dockage in Norwalk for the season. Rates further east are substantially lower. I had my boat in New Haven two seasons ago for $75/ft at a marina with a clubhouse and pool, but the traffic killed me. Stay off Long Island at all costs.

Good luck,
Brett

[Sandero]

Excuse me Brett.. I lived at east 10th str in manhattan for 21 yrs and now live in southern westchester. It takes me 2hrs and sometimes less. Maybe it's the A4?

The low part of the drive is getting over the bridge and the first 20 miles or so... then it open up and by the time I am at the last exits of the LIE there is no traffic whatsoever.

I lived in SoNo on the baot and frankly, it sucks... I know all the facilities there. They don't hold a candle to any facility out in the twin forks.

I95 and CT is a disaster. I wouldn't commute up and down it or Rt 15 either... it's right on the NY to Washington corridor.

If you keep your boat close into NY you don't have many sailing opportunities and have to spend more time removing soot from the boot.

Get a nice car, some nice CDs or a talking book and make good use of your time in the car... 2 hrs goes very quickly... I have dont the drive 1,000 times...

Jef
sv Shiva
Contest 36s

[Sonny]

We have our Boat 36' Pearson at Brewer's in Branford, CT. We keep it there year round, the yard is great and they take care of the boat if you aske the dock master Rob to keep an eye out for it if you will be away from the boat for a long period of time. Winter storage is $4.65/ sq.ft sailboat/mast in boat outside + $151 other charges.

There are 3 available docks for 45' - 50' boats. AA South Dock $7350, AA North Dock $6550, A Dock South $6550 SLIPS 1- 22 and SLIPS 23-29 $7350. They have a policy that if the slip is paid in full by 12/15 any year you rent they offer a 5% discount.

[Sonny]

If you are going to take I91 into New Haven I would suggest that you look into Brewers in Branford, CT. It is 10 minutes into the sound. They have a swimming pool, bbq. availbale nice clean showers and laundramat. I would stay away from the CT River due to the current, in both directions. I also would stay away from the Brewers in Stratford due to the current of the river. Brewers at Stratford has a current that could push you right into the pillings and other boats at the slip. I have seen it happen with power and sailboats.

If you are going farther East the travel time is brutal. I 95 after 11:00 AM is a parking lot and besides they have major construction going except on weekdends.

[LtBrett]

Great advice, Jef. I forgot about the soot. Some of the marinas are downwind of either a power plant, 95, or both. Removing the soot is a weekly task for those boaters. The power plant in Bridgeport has a sign up list for folks who want their boat washed on the power company's dime.

I think we were neighbors in Manhattan for a time--I lived on 12th St and 4th Ave in '93-'94. Where do you keep your boat now? We probably sit in the same traffic on the way out east. It takes me an average of 2 hrs 15 mins door to door, but like you, I travel off hours. I've also gotten a new appreciation for all the interesting towns in the western Sound. I grew up sailing Manhasset Bay and the surroundings, and never thought much of cruising the area. With the decade and a half boom in real estate, there have been many town waterfront improvements, creating good cruising destinations. Not like Block, but fun none the less, especially for an out-of-towner to explore. Dockage in the westen Sound may not even be possible, as marina space is short and waiting lists can span 1-5 years, depending on the marina. I know all Norwalk marinas are booked solid at least 2 years out, despite the lack of yachting niceties like pools or clubhouses. Eastern CT may have the best mix of destinations, slip availability, cost, and traffic risk for someone coming from Albany.

Brett

[ssullivan]

Well, I'll be!! It's a regular old reunion! I lived on E 7th Street! The East Village is a pretty fun place to live.

Also, I agree 100% with DefJef's analysis of the advantages to being "out east" in CT vs close to the city. There is no good cruising close to NYC (of the mellow, relaxing kind). It's a vast wasteland of Sea Ray's and Carvers going at full tilt.

Only thing... 95 East in CT is hell on earth if you hit it at peak times. It's some of the worst traffic on the east coast.

[Sonny]

We try to get out before 11am up at exit 15 on I 95 or exit 41 on the Merrit Pky. If you leave later than that it can make a 45 minute drive into 1 1/2 hours.

[speedoo]

Originally Posted by Trim50

I can count on one hand (well maybe a couple more) the number of times I've been to the East Coast. Loved Maine when I was there in the Spring. I like Boston a lot. The sailing looked great, however I can't imagine seeing snow on my decks.

Thanks for your help...I'll check them out.

Couple of suggestions:

1. Relative to most areas, dockage in Connecticut is very expensive. So much so that if you are going to be keeping your boat in the area foir a number of years, it's worthwhile to explore yacht clubs as a potentially lower cost alternative. You'll have to decide on the area where you want to keep your boat first. As others have said, the sailing on LIS is not good close to NYC because wind in the summer months is unreliable at best.

2. Since you will be living in Albany, I would recommend not limiting your search to Connecticut. Look at Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island and Buzzards' Bay in Mass. You won't have to drive much longer (take the Mass. Pike east out of Albany) and the sailing is great at potentially lower cost.

I think you will be delighted with cruising in New England. Only problem is, there are a lot of boats cruising, and solitude is virtually nonexistent.

[Islandmike]

Speedo,

Your statement in #1 is a true fact. I just left a marinia in RI to bring my boat closer to home and doubled my costs. CT is very very expensive.

[Trim50]

Wow, I was away for the past few days and find lots of info waiting for me. I'm still evaluating the possibility of moving East and how the boat would make the move. I have a lot to consider over the next few weeks and how it could impact my cruising plans. Leaving from the East coast does have some interesting upsides.

Correct me if I'm wrong...but it seems that they are renting slips by the year???? I'm not accustom to that...how does it work? Do the marinas require the full year in advance?

[ssullivan]

They rent by the "season." Most people haul out in the winter, but you can choose to stay in the water if you have a bubbler system at the marina. Although winters have been mild, there's no telling if it will be cold enough to freeze over protected harbors, so it's best to be ready anyway.

The marinas will have a "summer rate" which is usually from about April or so to October or so. In October, you winterize and pull the boat out and shrink wrap it if you follow convention around here. Or... you can leave it in the water and shrink wrap, or you can leave it in the water and let the ice get into the spaces between your ports and toerail, etc... and create leaks by pushing apart the surfaces. Lots of options, anyway. I live aboard, leave it in the water, and am very careful to make sure no water is entering anywhere that it can freeze and create leaks.

They do not require the full year in advance in most cases, but money does talk if they are claiming to be full. Typically, you have to pay 50% down at some date prior to the "season" starting, and the other 50% on or about when the season does start.

[Trim50]

Urghhhh...winterizing. There are some real advantages to being in California. However, the opportunity to sail on the East coast is attractive.

[hellosailor]

"Suggest you try Manhasset Harbor on Long Island"
NO WAY. Sorry to shout but I am that emphatic about it. Asking someone to drive down 2-3 hours from Albany and THEN to first come across any of the bridges onto Long Island...frankly that's outright mean. He'd have to come across the Whitestone or Throgg's Neck bridges, and either of those can have a 45 minute delay during weekend prime commuting times. Or any time they're doing work, or the phase of the moon is wrong. He could be an hour up the CT coast without the bridge bottlenecks before he could reach Manhasset.

Given the local traffic anywhere near LI Sound...I'd be real tempted to look for a marina that was near some kind of rail connection or commuter airport (if you had the budget) rather than doing the commute by car. Albany to LI Sound is just going to be one nasty drag on most summer weekends, unless you can really go way off hours. Better to head east on the Northway and Masspike and then drop south.

I5 in Seattle and I95 in Miami can be just as bad as anything in NYC...but on summer weekends, we can gridlock real fast and when that happens, there simply are no alternates. I left a seminar out by Huntington early one summer Friday (about 2PM) and heard later that at 3PM a gasoline tanker was hit by a car on the LIE. Which promptly was closed in both directions, for fear of 10,000 gallons of gasoline in the storm drains catching fire. Which backlogged and gridlocked the North State and Southern State and Northern Boulevard and every other alternate as well. Essentially, all traffic east or west from the Suffolk line into Queens simply stopped for four or five hours in both directions. And that's all it takes--one accident, one problem, and it all shuts down.

[Sonny]

It's difficult to get into Yacht Clubs here in CT. and most of them don't have slips; mostly moorings. If you are not going to be readily available to check on the boat I would suggest a slip. The Brewer Marinas may be on the high side for slips; but most if not all are and have been upgrading. The ones that I used all had swimming pools and clean baths and showers.