Benetti Oasis 42M139' 5"
View Specs & ReviewThe money end of the East End, on a fourteen-week clock
Yachting in Sag Harbor & Shelter Island
A Minted Location · Sag Harbor & Shelter Island, New York
If you want to bring a hundred-foot boat to the East End, the question is not whether the harbour is fashionable enough. It is whether anyone there has actually built for your size — and Sag Harbor is the rare Hamptons address that has.
The strongest proof is municipal rather than commercial. The Village of Sag Harbor itself accepts transient dockage reservations for vessels from 100 to 175 feet, and its 2026 rate card carries a tier of its own: "Yachts $9.00 per foot with a 100' minimum", alongside "Yacht Electric: 100 Amp 3 Phase 277/480 Volt — $325.00". A village does not put 480-volt three-phase yacht power on a municipal fee resolution for boats that never show up.
The yacht club on the same waterfront backs it up. It publishes a range of "20 feet to 200+ feet" with "drafts up to 12 feet", shore power at 30, 50 and 100 amp single phase plus 100, 240 and 480 amps three phase, a fuel dock carrying gas, diesel and high-speed diesel, and it is open to non-members.
Then it falls off a cliff, and you should hear that before you plan a summer. The yard on Bay Street tops out at 130 ft for seasonal slips and calls nightly availability "extremely limited". Across the water, Dering Harbor takes 160 ft and the club pier there is 160 ft for reciprocal members only. The West Neck boatyard runs 15 to 60 ft. The Pine Neck Avenue marina is 45 ft and under. Above 175 ft, there is no berth in this market.
Which is why this market is Sag Harbor and Shelter Island. Dering Harbor lies about 4 nm across the bay, the club pier there takes 160 ft, Coecles Harbor has a boatyard and takes transient moorings, and two harbours are open by law to overnight anchoring. Together that is a cruising ground rather than an address.
Where to keep a yacht in Sag Harbor & Shelter Island
The Village docks are the headline, and they are unusually explicit. Long Wharf is designated for "(Vessels 100 ft. and larger)", and the Village states it is "accepting transient dockage reservations for vessels from 100–175 feet". The 2026 rate card runs the season April 1st through October 31st at $6.00 per foot from April 1 to September 11 and $5.00 per foot from September 12 to October 31 — with the separate yacht tier at $9.00 per foot on a 100 ft minimum and yacht electric at 100 amp three-phase 277/480 volt for $325.00. Reservations go through Dockwa, cancellation for a full refund is 11:00 three days prior, and one rule is absolute: "Rafting is not permitted at any of our docks or moorings." The Village facilities are A, B and BB Docks, the Water Street Cables, Marine Park and the Marine Park Basin, the mooring field, dinghy docks and a transient dock; ask the Harbormaster which one suits your length when you book.
Sag Harbor Yacht Club is the other half of the ceiling, and it takes non-members. Its own pages state accommodation "from 20 feet to 200+ feet" with "drafts up to 12 feet" — the deepest water in this market — and shore power at 30, 50 and 100 amp single phase plus 100, 240 and 480 amps three phase. Gas, diesel and high-speed diesel come from the fuel dock, with pump-out from Memorial Day to November 1. The club asks you to hail on VHF 09 and check in at the Dock Office, recommends reservations, and is blunt about billing: "We do not bill other clubs" — you pay on arrival.
Below those two, the ladder drops fast. Sag Harbor Yacht Yard runs seasonal slips "up to 130'", and nightly wet slips exist "but availability is extremely limited" behind a waitlist. Sag Harbor Marina & Boating Club on Pine Neck Avenue is 26 slips at "45' and Under", with year-round yard services. Breakwater Yacht Club on Bay Street is a community sailing centre rather than a berthing club, and Sag Harbor Cove Yacht Club is a telephone call rather than a published tariff.
Shelter Island is what makes the market substantial. Dering Harbor Marina on the island's north side lists slips "up to 160 feet", with moorings to 45 ft for sail and 36 ft for power, diesel and 93 octane gas, pump-out, ice, shore power, fresh water and hot showers, and a fuel dock open Monday to Saturday 08:00–16:30 and Sunday 08:30–15:30. Shelter Island Yacht Club has a 160 ft pier for short-term tie-ups by larger vessels, but it is reciprocal-club members only — call the front desk, register on arrival for a guest card, and hail the launch on VHF 74. Island Boatyard on West Neck Harbor runs 80 slips from "15 feet to 60 feet" with gas and diesel seven days a week and a published rate card: $4.00 per foot Monday to Wednesday, $5.50 Thursday to Sunday, $6.00 in holiday weeks, three-night minimum, 25 ft minimum, then $3.50 per foot from September 16. Coecles Harbor Marina & Boatyard takes "both transient slips and moorings" and, unusually, restores classic wooden yachts — length, depth and lift are settled on the call.
One useful alternative across the water: Mitchell Park Marina in Greenport, opposite Shelter Island Heights, states that "the floating docks can handle boats up to 70 feet" with larger boats "accommodated on the East Dock", and accepts reservations for overnight stays only, two-night minimum on holiday weekends. Ask the marina what the East Dock will take before you plan a big boat around it.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Village of Sag Harbor Municipal DocksThe headline berths, and they are municipal. Long Wharf is designated "(Vessels 100 ft. and larger)", and the 2026 rate card carries a separate yacht tier: "Yachts $9.00 per foot with a 100' minimum" plus "Yacht Electric: 100 Amp 3 Phase 277/480 Volt — $325.00". General dockage runs $6.00 per foot April 1–September 11 and $5.00 per foot September 12–October 31, with the season stated as April 1st through October 31st. Facilities are A, B and BB Docks, the Water Street Cables, Marine Park and the Marine Park Basin, the mooring field, dinghy docks and a transient dock — ask the Harbormaster which suits your length when you book. | Long Wharf, A/B/BB Docks, Marine Park and the Marine Park Basin — Sag Harbor village | 175 ft | — | — |
| Dering Harbor MarinaShelter Island's largest berths: slips up to 160 feet, with moorings taking sail to 45 ft and power to 36 ft. Shore power, pump-out, fresh water and hot showers on site. Confirm depth with the marina before arrival. | 177 North Ferry Road, Shelter Island Heights — north side of Shelter Island | 160 ft | — | Gas and diesel — diesel and 93 octane gas, plus pump-out and ice; Mon–Sat 08:00–16:30, Sun 08:30–15:30 |
| Island Boatyard & MarinaEighty slips from "15 feet to 60 feet" on West Neck Harbor, in season April 1 through September 15 — the tightest window in the market. Also home to SALT, whose dock is charged by the foot and held to two hours. | 63 South Menantic Road, West Neck Harbor, Shelter Island | 60 ft | 80 | Gas and diesel — "Gas and diesel from our newly installed tanks and fuel delivery system are available 7 days a week" |
| Sag Harbor Marina & Boating ClubTwenty-six slips at "45' and Under" on Pine Neck Avenue, with year-round yard services: cleaning, spring launch, winterisation, winter storage and shrink wrapping. | 51 Pine Neck Avenue — Sag Harbor Cove, North Haven | 45 ft | 26 | — |
| Mitchell Park Marina, GreenportThe Village states that "the floating docks can handle boats up to 70 feet" and that "larger boats are accommodated on the East Dock". Ask the marina what the East Dock will take before you plan a big boat around it. | Greenport — across from Shelter Island Heights, about 6 nm from Sag Harbor | 70 ft | — | — |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sag Harbor Yacht ClubAccommodation stated as "20 feet to 200+ feet" with "drafts up to 12 feet", and shore power published as "30, 50, 100 Amp Single Phase; 100, 240, 480 Amps 3 Phase". That 480V three-phase service, and the 12 ft draft, are the deepest and heaviest figures in this market. | Sag Harbor inner harbour — village waterfront | 200 ft | — | Gas, diesel and high-speed diesel from the fuel dock; pump-out Memorial Day to November 1 |
| Shelter Island Yacht ClubRuns a 160 ft pier for short-term tie-ups by larger vessels, plus a limited number of moorings for visiting yachts from clubs with reciprocity — neither is open to the general transient. Two launch ramps, an electric hoist and a gin pole for stepping masts on site; seasonal moorings, slips, bulkheads and dry-sail are members-only. This is also the engine of the market's racing calendar. | Dering Harbor, Shelter Island | 160 ft | — | — |
| Breakwater Yacht Club & Community Sailing CenterA community sailing centre on Bay Street rather than a berthing club — instruction, junior sailing and racing rather than visitor dockage. Worth knowing it is there so you do not go looking for a berth at it. | 51 Bay Street, Sag Harbor | — | — | — |
| Sag Harbor Cove Yacht ClubA small club on the Cove side of the village. Visitor moorings and dockage are a telephone call rather than a published tariff — ring before you plan around it. | Sag Harbor Cove | — | — | — |
Fuel docks
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sag Harbor Yacht Club Fuel DockThe market's principal public fuel point, and the only one with high-speed diesel. Pump-out is offered Memorial Day to November 1. The other pumps are across the water at Dering Harbor (diesel and 93 octane) and on West Neck Harbor at Island Boatyard (gas and diesel, seven days a week). | Sag Harbor inner harbour — village waterfront | — | — | "Gas, Diesel, and High Speed Diesel are available from the Fuel Dock" |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from Sag Harbor & Shelter Island
The distances are short and the constraints are legal rather than physical. From the Sag Harbor breakwater it is roughly 4 nm to Dering Harbour, about 6 nm to Greenport, around 10 nm round to Coecles Harbor on Shelter Island's eastern side, and 10 to 20 nm westward into the sheltered, shoal inner Peconics. Montauk Harbor is about 30 nm out through Gardiners Bay, Plum Gut around 15 nm, the Connecticut ports 35 to 40 nm across the Sound, and Block Island roughly 45 nm. Those are chart distances, for orientation rather than for navigation.
Ferries govern this water, and the Town says so in enforcement language. The Town of Shelter Island states that "Regulations prohibiting dangerous wakes and other reckless operation will be strictly enforced in the channels plied by the South and North Ferries", that "Reckless operation is a misdemeanor", and that the enforcement officer may terminate your voyage. Speed is 5 mph within 100 ft of any shore, dock, pier, raft, float or anchored or moored vessel, and "No boats shall exceed 45 mph in any Shelter Island waters." In Sag Harbor the limit is 5 mph across the Cove, the Inner Harbor and the fairway.
The second hard constraint is a cable. At Crescent Beach there is no anchoring over the cable crossing — which the Town identifies as "the only source of electricity for Shelter Island" — plus a no-anchoring, no-motorised zone extending roughly 400 ft offshore. Treat it as a closed area, not a caution.
Anchoring is codified, and the window is four months, not seven. Town Code §§128-5 and 128-6 permit overnight transient anchoring in only two harbours, Coecles and West Neck, not to exceed 48 hours in any 72-hour period, from May 15 to September 15. Sag Harbor's own Harbor Management Chart is just as prescriptive: the Inner Harbor is marked "No Anchoring", the Outer Management Area allows mooring and anchoring long-term or short-term, and the Recreation Area allows short-term anchoring only, with no moorings or long-term anchoring permitted "under any circumstances".
Two more things belong in any passage plan. The whole Peconic Estuary is a Vessel Waste No Discharge Zone, and the Town warns in plain terms that "Your vessel may be boarded and inspected for MSD and Y-Valve compliance". And the deepest water published in this market is the yacht club's 12 ft — everywhere else, confirm the depth with the marina before you arrive.
- Coecles Harbor and West Neck Harbor transient anchorages — Shelter Island — the only two harbours where overnight transient anchoring is permittedThe legal anchoring window is four months, not the seven the dockage season implies, and it is the figure that really sets the shape of a summer here. The whole Peconic Estuary is a Vessel Waste No Discharge Zone, and the Town states plainly that "Your vessel may be boarded and inspected for MSD and Y-Valve compliance". Separately, there is no anchoring over the Crescent Beach cable crossing — the only source of electricity for Shelter Island — with a no-anchoring, no-motorised zone about 400 ft offshore.
- Sag Harbor Outer Management and Recreation Areas — Sag Harbor and the Gardiners Bay approachRead the chart before you plan a night on the hook here. The Inner Harbor is labelled "INNER HARBOR — No Anchoring" outright, and Note 2 on the chart states that no moorings or long-term anchoring are permitted in the Recreation Area "under any circumstances". The village speed limit of 5 mph covers the Cove, the Inner Harbor and the fairway.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sag Harbor Yacht YardThe Sag Harbor yard for seasonal berths, at up to 130 ft. Lift capacity is agreed on the call, so telephone before you plan a haul-out around a date. | 53 Bay Street, Sag Harbor | 130 ft | Nightly wet slips exist, in the yard's own words "but availability is extremely limited" — waitlist |
| Coecles Harbor Marina & BoatyardAdvertises restoration of classic wooden yachts alongside fabrication work, which is rare on this coast north of the refit clusters. Length, depth, lift capacity and fuel are all settled on the call. | 18 Hudson Avenue, Coecles Harbor, Shelter Island — 41°04.7 N / 072°19.2 W | — | "Both transient slips and moorings" — reserve by phone, email or Dockwa at any time |
Chandleries & specialty suppliers
- Dering Harbor supplies and services — 177 North Ferry Road, Shelter Island HeightsFuel, pump-out, ice, fresh water, hot showers and shore power, all on the dock at Dering Harbor — the fullest supplies stop on Shelter Island, and the one to plan a top-up around.
On the Sag Harbor & Shelter Island calendar
The season here is shorter than the calendar suggests, and the events cluster hard into August.
On the water, Shelter Island Yacht Club carries the summer. Race Week runs Around the Island on 7 August and Buoy Racing on 8 August. The Devon Regatta is 5 August. Junior sailing fills the same fortnight: the JSA ILCA and 420 Championships on 5–6 August and the Opti Championships on 8–9 August, with the H12 Summer Series on 15 and 29 August. That one-design density is the honest character of the sailing culture here — a dinghy and small-keelboat town with megayacht berthing attached, not a big-boat racing circuit. The club's PHRF regattas, the Heatherton and the Poor Memorial, and the Shelter Island Fireworks set their dates through the organisers — confirm those directly.
Ashore, HarborFest and the Fall Arts and Crafts Fair run 19–20 September 2026, including the whaleboat races, per the Sag Harbor Chamber of Commerce.
Now the season, stated plainly. The Village runs its dockage "April 1st through October 31st" and steps its rate down on September 12. Island Boatyard publishes the tightest in-season window in the market at "April 1 through September 15". The legal transient anchoring window is narrower still — May 15 to September 15 under Town Code. And the real commercial peak, the stretch when the yacht tier and the 480-volt power actually get used, is Memorial Day to Labor Day: about fourteen weeks. Any plan for this market that assumes a seven-month season is a plan for an empty harbour on both ends of it.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Sag Harbor & Shelter Island
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Sanlorenzo SD132133' 6" (40.7 m)
View Specs & Review
Riva 112' Dolcevita Super112' 10" (34.38 m)
View Specs & ReviewFrequently Asked Questions
How long is the boating season in Sag Harbor?
Nominally seven months, realistically about fourteen weeks. The Village runs dockage April 1st through October 31st and drops its rate from $6.00 to $5.00 per foot on September 12. Island Boatyard on Shelter Island publishes the tightest window in the market, April 1 through September 15. The legal transient anchoring season is narrower again at May 15 to September 15, and the genuine commercial peak — the stretch when the yacht tier and the 480-volt power get used — is Memorial Day to Labor Day. Plan a summer around fourteen weeks, not around the calendar.
What is the largest yacht that can dock in Sag Harbor?
The Village of Sag Harbor accepts transient dockage reservations for vessels from 100 to 175 feet, and Sag Harbor Yacht Club publishes accommodation from "20 feet to 200+ feet" with drafts up to 12 feet. Those two are the ceiling. Below them the market drops quickly: Sag Harbor Yacht Yard lists seasonal slips to 130 ft with nightly availability it calls extremely limited, Dering Harbor Marina on Shelter Island takes 160 ft, and the Shelter Island Yacht Club pier is 160 ft but reciprocal-members only. Above 175 ft, there is no berth in this market.
Can a large yacht get 480-volt three-phase shore power in Sag Harbor?
Yes, and it is the clearest evidence that big boats actually come here. The Village's 2026 rate card lists "Yacht Electric: 100 Amp 3 Phase 277/480 Volt — $325.00" as a line item, and Sag Harbor Yacht Club publishes shore power as "30, 50, 100 Amp Single Phase; 100, 240, 480 Amps 3 Phase". A municipal fee resolution does not carry 480-volt yacht power for vessels that never show up. The Village's separate yacht dockage tier reads "Yachts $9.00 per foot with a 100' minimum".
Can you dock and dine in Sag Harbor and on Shelter Island?
On Shelter Island yes, for a fee and against a clock; in Sag Harbor village you simply walk. SALT Waterfront Bar & Grill at Island Boatyard on West Neck Harbor is the venue that publishes a policy: "All boats arriving for Salt are subject to a charge, $1.00/ft, 25/ft minimum", with "a TWO HOUR MAXIMUM STAY". In the village you do not need a restaurant dock at all — Sag Harbor is a walk-off market where you berth at the Village docks or the yacht club and go up the ramp. The other Shelter Island waterfront houses arrange arrivals on the telephone, or take you in by tender.
Where can you anchor overnight around Sag Harbor and Shelter Island?
In two harbours, for four months of the year. Town of Shelter Island Code §§128-5 and 128-6 permit overnight transient anchoring only in Coecles Harbor and West Neck Harbor, not to exceed 48 hours in any 72-hour period, from May 15 to September 15. Sag Harbor's Harbor Management Chart marks the Inner Harbor "No Anchoring" outright; the Outer Management Area allows long or short-term anchoring and the Recreation Area short-term only. There is no anchoring over the Crescent Beach cable crossing, which carries the only source of electricity for Shelter Island, and the whole Peconic Estuary is a No Discharge Zone with boarding for Y-valve inspection.