Reviews: Richmond County Yacht Club-PRIVATE

Reviewed by: Capt. Mac Rubel on Oct 12, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Mooring in Great Kills Harbor is handled by the Richmond County Yacht Club which is listed as "PRIVATE" but is the most congenial host you can imagine. Call them on Channel 09 while in the channel into the harbor. They will acknowledge you, assign you a mooring ball and will be there to guide you to you spot when you enter the harbor. The $55 mooring fee gets you comfort and security for the night but also the use of the very nice tender service and all club facilities including bar and restaurant. The welcome that we received from the club and its members could not have been nicer. The only thing the club lacks is a laundry facility but there is a laundromat about a ten minute walk up Hylan Boulevard. This being New York City, virtually all your shopping needs can be fulfilled with a couple of blocks from the club gate. We counted at least six interesting restaurants along the main road within a ten minute walk. There is an local grocery store called Top Tomato a mile away and a Stop and Shop a half mile further on for full resupply. A 24 hour bagel store is about a mile from the marina. There is a state park on the outside edge of the marina that you can walk or dinghy to with a nice sand beach.

The harbor is quiet and almost everyone is considerate of their wakes. Wind protection is not the best as the surrounding harbor is low lying for winds with a southerly component. There is not enough fetch in the harbor to create any wave action but it can be windy. Cellular speeds are what you would expect from a big city: very fast. We could not ask for more. We love this stop. We will be back.

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Reviewed by: David Mann , Now or Never, on May 27, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 44'
Draft: 4.7'

Rating: 5

Great location to stay on a mooring ball. Very secure area with wind protection all around. Some wakes from many of the vessels leaving harbor but not bad. Access is included to the nice club with friendly members and staff. Easy access to all of the area mass transit systems afforded to NYC. Launch service is included with your reasonably priced moorage fee. Very nice beach area accessible via your dinghy.

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Reviewed by: Teresa Jackson , All In, on Jul 15, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 43'
Draft: 0.0'

Rating: 5

I cannot say enough good things about the folks here. We stayed six nights on a mooring ball and had access to the club. They made us feel welcome as soon as we stepped in the place. If you're thinking of staying somewhere else in the area, forget about it!! Sal, Rob, Mike, Steve, and so many more will treat you like family.

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Reviewed by: Glenn , Day One, on Jul 5, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 44'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 5

We used the mooring balls at $55 night. Very roomy. Once we paid we received a key card to get in and out of the marina. The folks at the yacht club and so welcoming and made us feel so comfortable. There is a bar at the club and all the bartenders are great. Go see them and tell them Georgia sent ya!

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Reviewed by: Capt. Mac Rubel on May 30, 2023
LOA: 48'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Great Kills Harbor offers full protection from waves, wakes, and current from all directions and winds from southwest around to north. It is a basin with a tight but deep entrance on the west side of the harbor and a large and deep mooring field that takes up most, but not all, of the usable space in the harbor. Richmond County Yacht Club runs the mooring field and offers transient moorings to members of reciprocal clubs for a reasonable fee that is currently $55 per night. The fee includes launch service to the club, the use of club facilities which were immaculate, the restaurant and bar, and access to town with shopping and restaurants within easy walking distance. The only thing missing was a laundry. There are spaces where you can anchor but remember that your scope and swing should not interfere with people on mooring balls. Club privileges for the fee are available to people at anchor. The very nice beach on the outside of the basin is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area and is an easy walk or dinghy ride away.

We spent three nights here, hunkered down away from Memorial Day/Fleet Week traffic in New York Harbor and the 25-30 mph winds that seemed to come up every day. The basin is low and, in winds with an easterly component, there is little to protect you from the blow. There was not sufficient fetch in the basin to create waves so we simply took down our burgee to reduce the noise on the boat. We use launch service every day (Channel 09) and they were always prompt and courteous.

After the weekend we slipped the mooring, made it to The Narrows at the change of flow, and got a lift through the harbor and into the East River and Long Island Sound. For a low stress NYC stopping place, you cannot do any better than this.

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Reviewed by: Johan on Aug 13, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 54'
Draft: 7.0'

Rating: 4

Not much place to anchor but able to rent mooring ball from private yacht club (hailed on channel 9). There is also at least one marina that offers transient slips. 360 degree protection from the wind and wake. Narrow entry channel but lots of depth in the harbor with a small shoal smack in the center of the harbor. Good place to get pretentious from the elements.

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Reviewed by: Brian Wicks on Jun 6, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 27'
Draft: 2.0'

Rating: 4

Able to rent a mooring ball from this private yacht club and therefore use their facilities which were nice including a dinghy dock. Not much around town but great place to anchor or moor. Overall town not pet friendly

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