Mooring, Anchorage or Similar Cost Slip On or Near MetroNorth Line?

[Chotu]

Hey everyone.

I need some peace and quiet. I know a few places right in NYC or very close by that are good for quick commutes into the city.

I don’t want that.

I’m looking for something nice and quiet. Peaceful. But also near a MetroNorth stop so I can commute into the city once a week.

Places up the Hudson or along the CT coastline come to mind.

Can anyone suggest some places you know that you think would be nice?

A lot depends on all sorts of other people right now, but I’m doing my homework early.

Checking out summer options. It’s not so easy to correlate the MetroNorth stops with proximity to marinas or I’d be doing that.

PMs ok if you don’t want to publicly reveal your secret spot.

[rslifkin]

Several places along the CT coast (Stamford, Norwalk, a couple others) have Metro North stations and both marina and anchorage options in the harbor. I know Stamford isn't quite walkable to the train station. Norwalk is about a 1/2 mile walk to the train station, so definitely manageable. Neither is a super quiet area, however. New Haven is the eastern limit for Metro North, anything beyond there and you'd be taking Amtrak into Penn Station (at a higher price). Most of the CT shore options don't get you super close to a train station, just within a mile or 3.

Up the Hudson will almost certainly be quieter, but you'll have to deal with freighter wakes in many of the anchorages. The Ossining / Croton Harmon / Haverstraw area has a few marina options and room to anchor. The Ossining train station is just about right on the water, so as long as a dinghy landing spot can be figured out, that would be easy to get to. The Peekskill train station is similarly close to the water and a few other spots have stations reasonably close.

Once you get north of Poughkeepsie on the Hudson, you're out of Metro North territory, but Amtrak does run along the Hudson all the way up to Albany with a reasonable number of trains between Albany and Penn Station (more expensive than Metro North and not as frequent, however).

[sv_pelagia]

Also consider Long Island?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by sv_pelagia

Also consider Long Island?

It’s too loud and crazy out there. Plus, I want to go even farther away when I leave the boat.

My transportation is not highway worthy.

Basically looking for small towns and quiet areas that are train accessible.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Several places along the CT coast (Stamford, Norwalk, a couple others) have Metro North stations and both marina and anchorage options in the harbor. I know Stamford isn't quite walkable to the train station. Norwalk is about a 1/2 mile walk to the train station, so definitely manageable. Neither is a super quiet area, however. New Haven is the eastern limit for Metro North, anything beyond there and you'd be taking Amtrak into Penn Station (at a higher price). Most of the CT shore options don't get you super close to a train station, just within a mile or 3.

Up the Hudson will almost certainly be quieter, but you'll have to deal with freighter wakes in many of the anchorages. The Ossining / Croton Harmon / Haverstraw area has a few marina options and room to anchor. The Ossining train station is just about right on the water, so as long as a dinghy landing spot can be figured out, that would be easy to get to. The Peekskill train station is similarly close to the water and a few other spots have stations reasonably close.

Once you get north of Poughkeepsie on the Hudson, you're out of Metro North territory, but Amtrak does run along the Hudson all the way up to Albany with a reasonable number of trains between Albany and Penn Station (more expensive than Metro North and not as frequent, however).

How bad are those wakes?

I see a lot of the marinas around there have sea walls.

Maybe since it’s a once a week trip into the city, I could go even farther out and just use Amtrak. Grand Central is a little more convenient for me compared to Penn Station, but, if I have a nice place and it’s quiet up there, I can deal with the little extra commute inside the city.

[PaulCrawhorn]

Both the Hudson and New Haven lines have hundreds of beautiful quiet communities all along within 45 minutes' drive of the smaller stations.

Need a car, and $2k a month doesn't get you much these days.

Secure your marina slip first, that's the hard part.

If you're talking liveaboard, fuggedaboudit

[dfelsent]

If Amtrak is doable don’t forget Rhode Island and southeast massachusetts. And if you are willing to do the north station to south station jump you can take the train from as Far East as Brunswick Maine (it’s not a short hop tho).

[David Goldblum]

Try the towns on the Shoreline East Branch in Connecticut. In Branford I know there are marinas in close walking distance from the train. And all the towns on that branch line have pretty sections near the water. Good luck!

[GordMay]

Greetings and belated welcome aboard the CF, David G.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by David Goldblum

Try the towns on the Shoreline East Branch in Connecticut. In Branford I know there are marinas in close walking distance from the train. And all the towns on that branch line have pretty sections near the water. Good luck!

David Goldblum hits one right out of the park with his first post!

Thank you very much for this one. All the years I spent living in New York City I never knew there was a shoreline east train. I assume you just change in New Haven to Metro North. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

Thank you for joining, welcome to the forum, and that’s a great post thank you.

[Kd9truck]

I am on a mooring in Oyster Bay it is the end of the line, 40 min from penn station LIRR and Amtrak, I am a mile in every direction from land on my mooring. While there is some noise mid day weekends and at the hight of the best days of summer, it I’d as quiet as quiet gets. The only sounds you may hear most of the time is the mostly gentle lapping of the waves against your vessel and the noise the wind creates . As it is the end of the line you will only hear the train slowing down and shutting off and it’s opossite.
There is food shopping walking distance and a choice of several price levels and types of cuisine as well as a waterside bar the sounds of which can only be herd when the wind is blowing in the right direction.
Your biggest obstacle as I see it is being able to get a mooring anywhere, and in most cases with your preferences in mind will be “noisy” as they need to be close to the train lines. Then there’s the sound traveling on water, I can hear conversations from great distances as it travels unobstructed and with the wind.
I should also note, I went to the CIA in Hyde park, just out of the metro north reach, but still on the Hudson, the noise from the two train lines (one on each side of the river) can be herd for quite some time approaching and continuing on its way. At all times of day.
If Osprey calls and wind in your rigging and the lapping of waves is not for you, then you should stay away, but if you sail? Well that’s off topic, but they call it “AMERICAS CUP” because the races were won in America on the Long Island sound,a 132 year run of the cup in American possession but that’s sailing stuff.
Cheers

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Kd9truck

I am on a mooring in Oyster Bay it is the end of the line, 40 min from penn station LIRR and Amtrak, I am a mile in every direction from land on my mooring. While there is some noise mid day weekends and at the hight of the best days of summer, it I’d as quiet as quiet gets. The only sounds you may hear most of the time is the mostly gentle lapping of the waves against your vessel and the noise the wind creates . As it is the end of the line you will only hear the train slowing down and shutting off and it’s opossite.
There is food shopping walking distance and a choice of several price levels and types of cuisine as well as a waterside bar the sounds of which can only be herd when the wind is blowing in the right direction.
Your biggest obstacle as I see it is being able to get a mooring anywhere, and in most cases with your preferences in mind will be “noisy” as they need to be close to the train lines. Then there’s the sound traveling on water, I can hear conversations from great distances as it travels unobstructed and with the wind.
I should also note, I went to the CIA in Hyde park, just out of the metro north reach, but still on the Hudson, the noise from the two train lines (one on each side of the river) can be herd for quite some time approaching and continuing on its way. At all times of day.
If Osprey calls and wind in your rigging and the lapping of waves is not for you, then you should stay away, but if you sail? Well that’s off topic, but they call it “AMERICAS CUP” because the races were won in America on the Long Island sound,a 132 year run of the cup in American possession but that’s sailing stuff.
Cheers

I have had my eye on this spot too.

I should probably be a little more clear about noise. The train in New York after having lived in the area for so long, that just puts me to sleep. Ha ha

It’s more about the people. The loud partying types going by on the power boats. Music full blast, bass shaking my hull. That’s the stuff I’m trying to avoid. The closer you are to the city the more of that you find.

The regular sounds of a harbor and the train in the distance does not bother me whatsoever.

The one thing is if I choose Long Island, I’m stuck on the island. I can take the train to the city, sure, but my land vehicle is a slow motorcycle. And there’s no way off the island with that. Although I may have just answered my own concern by thinking about the port Jefferson ferry for a second. Maybe that’s how I get off the island. My motorcycle is not fit for highway use.

Who are the best places to rent mornings from there?

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Chotu

David Goldblum hits one right out of the park with his first post!

Thank you very much for this one. All the years I spent living in New York City I never knew there was a shoreline east train. I assume you just change in New Haven to Metro North. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities.

Thank you for joining, welcome to the forum, and that’s a great post thank you.

That was a good catch on his part, I forgot all about SLE. You do have to change to Metro North in New Haven for that (SLE used to run to Stamford for transfers, but not anymore). Amtrak runs the entire shoreline as well, so you've got multiple options out that way.

Depending on the acceptable length of train ride, Amtrak can get you a 1 seat ride into Penn from as far out as Boston.

There's also the option of taking Amtrak into Metro North territory (shorter ride on Amtrak will be cheaper) and transferring to Metro North to get you into Grand Central. On the upper Hudson Line for Metro North (anything between Croton-Harmon and Poughkeepsie) not all of the trains run through to Grand Central, so you may have to transfer at Croton-Harmon anyway.

Originally Posted by Chotu

How bad are those wakes?

I see a lot of the marinas around there have sea walls.

Maybe since it’s a once a week trip into the city, I could go even farther out and just use Amtrak. Grand Central is a little more convenient for me compared to Penn Station, but, if I have a nice place and it’s quiet up there, I can deal with the little extra commute inside the city.

The wakes are definitely significant at times (and the reason for the sea walls at marinas). But I don't know if you'd actually find them all that unpleasant with your boat.

As you get further up the Hudson, there are a few more options for more protected anchorages. It looks like there's one right near the town of Hudson where the ship channel runs on one side of a mud flat in the river with room to anchor on the other side. Cross the shipping channel by dinghy into the town of Hudson and there's a (small) Amtrak station pretty much right there. Looks like they even have a town dock you can dinghy into that's walking distance from the train station. There's also a no wake zone right around Hudson anyway (there are more of these further north where the river is narrower).

[Kd9truck]

In Oyster Bay all the moorings are permitted by the town. You have to get the permit first. Once you secure a mooring if you need launch service and the mooring, I would go with OBMC (oyster bay marine center), I am on a 500lb mooring with OBMC it runs me about 3300$ April 1 to Nov 1. There is a YC option, Sagamore YC, I can not speak to their prices, it’s a membership thing. On the high end of things is The Sewanaka YC on Centre Island, a internationally recognized club. Should you be just looking for a no frills mooring you could try Frank M Flowers they are a clam/oyster harvesting company and they may set/rent moorings as well.
In Glen Cove, one harbor west is more mooring options but I can not speak to them, most if not all moorings are attached to a YC membership and there are several levels of membership involvement that comes with it.
To the East is “greater” Huntington harbor and the “ports” (north, center, and Huntington ) these are chock full of boat imho, I have a 45ft sloop it’s is way to tight for my comfort level, and prolly pretty “noisy”. Cold Spring Harbor has moorings not sure about there accommodation options it is shallow Quiet and well protected.
Should you just be looking for a place to Drop your hook PM me there is a area of the bay that is used continuously by cruisers transiting the sound.

Cheers

[zstine]

We have enjoyed our stays at Crocker's in New London CT. There are town moorings and free anchorage available on the Thames too. Close to Amtrack and in an excellent cruising area near Mystic, the forks of LI, Block Is and Stonington. new London is not that quiet.
For quiet, you can anchor near Mystic EAST of Mason Island. Short dink ride to free town dink dock and walk to train.