Statue of Liberty - how close can you get?

J

jmunro123

Member
Feb 2, 2008
370
Gran Bend, Great Lakes
Boat Info
2004 Sea Ray 390 Motor Yacht
Engines
8.1's
I am planning a trip from the Statue of Liberty to Lake Ontario. The starting point is the Statue of Liberty. I have never been there and was wondering how close a boater can get on a jetski. I am just wondering about law inforcement. The last thing I want to do is stir up any police action on day one. Is there a dock I can tie up at and then go up the Statue?
 
There are control markers several hundred feet out. You cant miss them. All the boats are there taking pictures of the lady. You cant take your private boat to Ellis/Liberty Island. The only way to get there is by Ferry. Its pretty amazing to see it up close.
 
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There is no public dock, and if you get within 1000 ft of the statue you will attract some unwanted attention.....
 
This was taken in August 2000....I probably could have gotten closer back then if I wanted....I didn't see anyone around that would have really cared....

StatueofLibertyAugust2000.jpg


But that was back in 2000....before 9/11...

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osd9 said:
This was taken in August 2000....I probably could have gotten closer back then if I wanted....I didn't see anyone around that would have really cared....

StatueofLibertyAugust2000.jpg


But that was back in 2000....before 9/11...

330DAwithTowersAugust2000.jpg
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That’s a great picture of your boat with “The Towers” in the background. Something worth treasuring.
 
I would not go anywhere near the Statute with a jet ski. The Coast Guard might shoot first and ask questions later. In fact I don't think I would want to be in New York Harbor on a jet ski. There are to many commerical boats moving very fast and it is your issue to get out of their way, not the other way around.
 
This should give you an idea. Respect the safety zones and you should be fine. There is not much water inside the statue and there is little to none south of the Liberty State park channel. (There is a launch ramp at the park)

If you stay at Liberty Landing Marina, (which is just north of the Ellis Island and not on this chart) you can walk over to the old train station and buy tickets for the tour boats. The boats will take you to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. You can take some cool pics of the Statue.

StofLiberty.jpg


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I was there this summer....it is well marked with bouys and there will be gunboats there to enforce that. You can get the same distance away with either your mother ship or your jet ski. There were people kayaking around it so the jetski is no problem. Where are you staying? If it's liberty landing marina you will be close.
 
Wow, those are great pictures. As awe inspiring as the latter one is it still breaks my heart every time I see them.........
 
katricol said:
I was there this summer....it is well marked with bouys and there will be gunboats there to enforce that. You can get the same distance away with either your mother ship or your jet ski. There were people kayaking around it so the jetski is no problem. Where are you staying? If it's liberty landing marina you will be close.
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Agreed, we did the same last season. Made the trip with 2 other boats from Baltimore to New York and got close enough for some great photo ops. We stayed at Liberty Landing as well. I did the this trip documentary http://gunpowdercove.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/4303479-the-new-york-trip-the-adventures-of-the-blue-water-crew-‘ Which I am sure many of the members here will remember. One great trip and one good time.

Unfortunately for us, and the rest of the world, the “Twin Towers” was just a monument when we got there.

The funny thing is down here MarineMax has “Getaway” cruises to spots in the Bay. Sometimes they will go as far south as Norfolk Virginia. When they do, the cruise is for boats 32 foot boots and above, so my good friends Terry and Linda with a 28 foot Four Winds are not allowed to attend. So we did what we do, screw them and went the other way maybe three times as far and most of it ocean going.

 
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katricol said:
I was there this summer....it is well marked with bouys and there will be gunboats there to enforce that. You can get the same distance away with either your mother ship or your jet ski. There were people kayaking around it so the jetski is no problem. Where are you staying? If it's liberty landing marina you will be close.
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We are just in the planing stages. I will need to get some books I guess?

I just think it would be a cool trip on a jet ski from the Statue of Liberty to Lake Ontario. How cool is that.
 
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The REAL answer is, a lot closer than you think. This pic was taken two years ago. Approaching from the south, as you can see, there is nothing between your boat and the seawall. No warning bouys, no police vessels, and certainly no Coast Guard gun boats. Just a small white "no wake"bouy visible on the right side of the photo. We actually took our boat to less than 100' of the seawall but backed off for this pic after getting bounced around by the almost constant ferry and sightseeing traffic.

Here's a closer pic we took of a friends boat. He's just a few hundred feet from the seawall. Nothing separating him from Liberty Island.



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