South Shore Help

Russ Calasant

Russ Calasant

Active Member
Dec 9, 2009
2,128
East Greenwich, RI
Boat Info
2001 480 DB
Engines
CAT 3196
I am looking for info/advice regarding a week long trip to the south shore of LI. I boat out of Mystic CT and have been cruising LI and BI Sound for 20 years but have never been much past the southern end of the shinnecock canal. I was thinking Fire Island or nearby, I know nothing of the area. We are not traveling with kids, in our early 40's enjoy a party atmosphere but like to retire to some solitude. We usually will go to one spot and stay the duration but not opposed to moving around. All ideas and input are welcome, thanks in advance!
 
I'm making plans to explore LI next season and started this thread The Long Island Loop – Points of Interest. I got caught with few other things, but be back on planning board shortly. Hopefully, between two threads we'll be able to iron details for our trips.

Cheers,
Alex.
 
Looking for a party atmosphere at Fire Island is easy.
There is pleanty to do at Fire island depending on your wallet.
I believe one of the wildest Bar that you can bring your boat to / near by is Flynns.
They have a dock but its not cheap and can be rough at times ( Jusy like most of Fire island there is little full protected areas) If you have a Dingy (or swim /wade ) you can Anchor just West of the dock and Go to / thru Scooners another good bar, Scooners somtimes charges a $5 Drop of fee during prime times and than Walk over to Flynns. The Bar Does get a little Young at Prime times, Such as Sat Night.
The Town to check-out is Ocean Beach if its your first time, its call the Land of No. No Eating / Drinking ect. in public with pleanty of Bars and Resturants with Nice hotels if you have the $300 to $500 for the nice ones.

http://www.flynnsfireisland.com/

http://www.schoonerinnfireisland.com/

http://www.villageofoceanbeach.org/
 
John,

Flynn's looks pretty cool. I need to find a place for lunch stop, would you recommend going there or somewhere else? It didn't look like schooners have any docking, is that right?

Thx,
Alex
 
Flynn is fine for lunch. You get a voucher when you dock but Partial $ depending when in the summer time you go. The voucher is to spend for lunch / drinks ( not tips) There are two resturants: The "Inn" or the "Out." that take the vouchers.
So, go there, Dock at flynns and get your voucher. Have lunch than walk south to the beach ( 15min) or walk West to other towns such as other towns like Ocean Beach ( 45Min - 1 hr.) not to be confused with Ocean Bay Park where you are. You can also take a water taxi or Ferries to go to each town. Bring a Little wagon if you want to carry a lot of items to the beach there are no cars / taxis availible, thats why its great.
NOTE: Scooners does not have a dock. You go there if you get there late and don't want to pay to dock and have a dingy or want to wade in.
Check with Flynns regarding Happy hour, Typical 5pm w/ Free food and than the Party Starts...
John G
 
Russ Calasant said:
Good info, thanks. Alex, when are you going? I wonder if there is a better time of year, early mid, late summer?
Click to expand...

Russ, I'm thinking end of July or beginning of august.

JohnEGraham said:
Flynn is fine for lunch. You get a voucher when you dock but Partial $ depending when in the summer time you go. The voucher is to spend for lunch / drinks ( not tips) There are two resturants: The "Inn" or the "Out." that take the vouchers.
So, go there, Dock at flynns and get your voucher. Have lunch than walk south to the beach ( 15min) or walk West to other towns such as other towns like Ocean Beach ( 45Min - 1 hr.) not to be confused with Ocean Bay Park where you are. You can also take a water taxi or Ferries to go to each town. Bring a Little wagon if you want to carry a lot of items to the beach there are no cars / taxis availible, thats why its great.
NOTE: Scooners does not have a dock. You go there if you get there late and don't want to pay to dock and have a dingy or want to wade in.
Check with Flynns regarding Happy hour, Typical 5pm w/ Free food and than the Party Starts...
John G
Click to expand...

John,
I don't think we'll need a beach, b/c this would be the lunch stop on the way to Westhapton. I just want to find some place good for my crew to take a break from spending few hours in the open ocean while crossing from NJ to LI. Do you think it might be very busy during season or getting lunch spot isn't that bad?
 
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Ok, The stop at Fire Island is much closer to West Hampton than NJ. I have been to both (if thats where your staying ) and I like Fire Island so I would take a Day trip from West Hampton to FI. when you can spend the day.
I would then look at Freeport LI. There is a Resturant called Schooners http://www.theschooner.com/ Where you can dock as long as you are eating there. There is plenty to do Eat / Shop / Play Mini-golf/ bands for a stop over.
JG
 
Coming in from the NE I assume I would travel inside? if so I am concerned with the Moriches.
I am thinking about leaving Mystic on a Friday afternoon, stop in Greenport two nights then Sunday head to Westhampton, stay two nights then move to Atlantique for 4 nights then to Sag overnight Saturday and back in Mystic on Sunday.
I suppose it would not make sense to travel outside if I was stopping in Westhampton right? Are the Moriches that big a deal that I should avoid Westhampton and travel outside? Are there any other navigation issues traveling inside?
 
Hi, I understand that they will be dredging Moriches, (bids to be open soon. See posts Boated dot com.) even if they don't I would stay inside or you will be missing some beautiful scenery through Peconic and some Amazing boats/ homes in the Hamptons. The outside is Boring. ugh.
JG.
 
It's funny that when I look at the LI map it very much reminds me NJ LBI area. When we talk about Moriches it's like talking about ICW in Barnegat Bay. From what I understand it's not a big deal if you have updated charts and keep sharp look out while keeping the boat in the channel. I hope I'm right. Also, as I was advised, there's a spot to be appraoched with the high tide.
 
Hey Russ,
Why 4 nights in Atlantique? I did not hear any mention of Watch Hill which is a national seashore so there are no residency restrictions. It has a restaurant and Tiki bar, 10 min walk to the beach. You can even go 1 mile west of that to Davis Park. It has a deli, snack bar, restaurant & bar. it's a 5 min walk to the beach. This is a Brookhaven town beach so it can be a little more costly to non-residents. Of course these are both on fire island. hope this helps! Have a great trip! Todd
 
Why dont we all look to meet at Fire Island ? I think it would be a blast to get together have a burger and a beer :thumbsup:

I would think if we came up with a date early enough everyone could get the day off and spend it on the water

When are you looking to come in from NJ and CT
 
jrock1062 said:
Why dont we all look to meet at Fire Island ? I think it would be a blast to get together have a burger and a beer :thumbsup:

I would think if we came up with a date early enough everyone could get the day off and spend it on the water

When are you looking to come in from NJ and CT
Click to expand...

JRock, I think thats a great idea. As for when I am open, although I dont want to go too early - needs to be warm! :smt038

tdschafer said:
Hey Russ,
Why 4 nights in Atlantique? I did not hear any mention of Watch Hill which is a national seashore so there are no residency restrictions. It has a restaurant and Tiki bar, 10 min walk to the beach. You can even go 1 mile west of that to Davis Park. It has a deli, snack bar, restaurant & bar. it's a 5 min walk to the beach. This is a Brookhaven town beach so it can be a little more costly to non-residents. Of course these are both on fire island. hope this helps! Have a great trip! Todd
Click to expand...

Hi Todd, first thanks for the info. I am not sure about the 4 nights, I dont know the area at all, other than that I want to be somewhere for several days to set up a "basecamp" and be able to keep myself entertained while providing a place for my wife to relax.:grin:

To put things in perspective, if you are familiar, our "ideal" is to go to a place like Block Island where we can relax and enjoy island life but jump in and join the party at will. We would just like to find a new place and make new friends. :smt100
 
Russell - Traveling the Shinnecock canal through Tiana bay staying on the inside is no big deal to westhampton. It is shallow so study the bouys and stick to them. From shinn canal to westhampton is about 40 minutes, all at idle speed. There are spots to go through on plane but I would not risk if you are unfamilar. When you leave (WHB) westhampton(which is one of our favorite spots) you need to plan and leave at high tide. Check the tides at the moriches coastguard station and you can plan and hour before or after to run the tricky part. THe dockmaster at WHB, Frank, will give you the route as it changes. He has the best knowledge of the area and directs many people into the WHB. Once you get past the hard part at moriches bay Buoys 24 - 29, take the inside all the way to the great south bay. I agree that watch hill is a great place. They dont take reservations, you need to call at 8 am in the morn to reserve a slip for that day. Weekdays are no problem but weekends can be tough to get a slip. Good luck and enjoy. WHB to watch hill is about 1 hour. Forgot to mention that watch hill they dont spray for mosquitos so be careful at dusk!!!
 
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tdschafer said:
I did not hear any mention of Watch Hill which is a national seashore so there are no residency restrictions. It has a restaurant and Tiki bar, 10 min walk to the beach. You can even go 1 mile west of that to Davis Park. It has a deli, snack bar, restaurant & bar.
Click to expand...

Here's the site I found http://www.watchhillfi.com/

jrock1062 said:
Why dont we all look to meet at Fire Island ? I think it would be a blast to get together have a burger and a beer :thumbsup:
I would think if we came up with a date early enough everyone could get the day off and spend it on the water
When are you looking to come in from NJ and CT
Click to expand...

My tentative date is first week of august. I actually had an idea of having CSR NJ & LI Rendezvous in the event if I’ll have my local CSR friends would come along for the trip. Couple of them had expressed their interest, but since I started my thread during the holidays people are just too busy with other things. So, as the things settle down and we go back to planning board we’ll know better how things are unfolding. Of course, it’s more difficult for me to plan this, b/c I’m travelling to a totally new area. So, any suggestions from you LI guys are welcomed. Here’s my preliminary plan from this thread The Long Island Loop – Points of Interest:

NJ to Westhampton (~85-90nm) with lunch stop at Fire Island.
Westhampton to Greenport (~25nm), stopping at Shelter Island for lunch.
Greenport to Montauk (~20nm)
Montauk to Fire Island (~55nm)
Fire Island to NJ (~60nm)

I was thinking that getting together would be better in Shelter Island, but it looks like I'll be there on a Monday, providing I start my trip from NJ on Sunday. So, depending on how things develep I could move my days around. If the Rendezvous will happen and most people will vote for a weekend day, then I'll need to plan my trip accordingly.
 
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Rocket said:
Russell - Traveling the Shinnecock canal through Tiana bay staying on the inside is no big deal to westhampton. It is shallow so study the bouys and stick to them. From shinn canal to westhampton is about 40 minutes, all at idle speed. There are spots to go through on plane but I would not risk if you are unfamilar. When you leave (WHB) westhampton(which is one of our favorite spots) you need to plan and leave at high tide. Check the tides at the moriches coastguard station and you can plan and hour before or after to run the tricky part. THe dockmaster at WHB, Frank, will give you the route as it changes. He has the best knowledge of the area and directs many people into the WHB. Once you get past the hard part at moriches bay Buoys 24 - 29, take the inside all the way to the great south bay. I agree that watch hill is a great place. They dont take reservations, you need to call at 8 am in the morn to reserve a slip for that day. Weekdays are no problem but weekends can be tough to get a slip. Good luck and enjoy. WHB to watch hill is about 1 hour. Forgot to mention that watch hill they dont spray for mosquitos so be careful at dusk!!!
Click to expand...

Excellent,Rocket, thank you - exactly the infoI needed, layed out and simple!:smt038

Alex F said:
Here's the site I found http://www.watchhillfi.com/
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
The phone # on the watch Hill link above actually is the tower #. You can call there early am to reserve a spot for the day. You will need to provide a credit card # as they will bill you weather or not you make it there. They take reservations until I believe 50% of the slips are taken then its first come first served.
 
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