In today’s episode, we explore the sailing destination of Sandy Hook NJ. Sandy Hook is just south of NY harbor and as the name suggests, it’s a hooked shaped spit of land that projects out into Raritan Harbor.  The spit stretches about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the northern end of the New Jersey shore toward New York Harbor. It’s covered with coastal woodlands, sand dunes, beaches, and salt marshes.

Sandy Hook has the oldest surviving lighthouse in what is now the United States. It was built-in 1764, and is still in use today. In 1895, the U.S. Army renamed the "Fortifications at Sandy Hook" as Fort Hancock. The installation would protect New York Harbor from invasion by sea. Its yellow brick buildings were constructed largely between 1898-1910, with the fort reaching its peak population in World War II. Concrete bunkers and rail-mounted guns were buried in the beach dunes so that they could disappear from sight after firing on enemy ships. In later years, Nike missiles stood ready to shoot down nuclear weapons.  Many of these structures are still visible today.

It’s a great place to anchor when you are heading South and need to wait for a weather window or if you are heading North via NYC and need to get the weather or tidal currents in your favor. There are also several ferries that run between Sandy Hook and NYC.  So, it’s actually a good place to use as a base of operation to get to NYC.

It is a nice anchorage and as the name implies, it’s a nice sandy bottom, so it is easy to set the anchor and the holding is good.  Guide books and Navionics charts list several anchoring spots.  We set our anchor near the Coast Guard Station.  Just be aware of the ferries, as they run into the night and can kick up a wake.  The anchorage is well protected from all directions except the West.  Since the fetch to the West is not that large, anything under 30 Knots should be fine. There are also a couple of marinas on the “main land” at the base of Sandy Hook if you need protection for a big blow.  Atlantic Highlands Marina is one where I have stayed, in addition to docks with power, water, etc, they also have several moorings behind a breakwater, so it is well protected.

Over all, it’s a great place to stop and visit and an excellent staging area for heading North or South.

Check out the links below.

National Park Service - Sandy Hook NJ

Atlantic Highlands Marina

Ferry to NYC

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Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike