Cradled between the two forks that form Long Island's East End "fish tail" are some of the most beautiful sailing waters in the world. Although they are only 100 miles from New York City in distance, they are light years away in lifestyle. Their natural beauty and the attainable solitude are unforgettable. The Peconic Estuary system, comprised of hundreds of bays, harbors and creeks, offers nothing but the ultimate in sailing, swimming, fishing and gunkholing...a time to be alone with nature...a time to reflect...a time to relax...

Having sailed the Peconics for many generations as summer residents of Nassau Point and Mattituck, we Marriners have come to know the waters intimately. However, it wasn't until our family logged many nautical miles of cruising and racing adventures in far away places, that we realized the best cruising grounds were right in our own backyard. As did Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. we found that "there's no place like home!" Uncluttered and unspoiled, continuously blessed with breeze, the Peconic/Gardiners Bays have to be sailed to be believed.

There are three access routes available to the cruising yachtsman: 1) From Long Island Sound and The Race through Plum Gut past the Orient Point Lighthouse and into Gardiners Bay. Make certain you check tides and currents as this passage, though great for fishing, can be wicked with tide rips, turbulence and currents topping 5 knots! 2) From the Atlantic Ocean around Montauk Light into Gardiners Bay or 3) straight from Block Island Sound between the two forks into Gardiners Bay. There is a fourth access point from the inland water route along the south shore of Long Island through Shinnecock Bay from the Atlantic Ocean, through Shinnecock Inlet, through the Shinnecock Canal into Great Peconic Bay, but sailors will need to unstep and step their own masts at unattended ginpoles at each end of the Canal.

If approaching from the east through Gardiners Bay, there are many beautiful cruising harbors along the way. They are all worth visiting. See them either coming or going, depending on the tide and weather.

Meanwhile, we'd like to share some of our favorite stops in this magnificent resource!

North Fork
South Fork
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