Regardless of your particular boating interests, the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club has something for everyone. We can provide you with a nice stopover as you head north to New York Harbor and Long Island Sound, or south along the New Jersey coast. The harbor is well-protected against wind and waves and can be entered in nearly any kind of weather. There are enough good restaurants and stores within walking distance of the harbor to make it a great destination in itself. Summer events in the harbor include Sunday evening band concerts, the Fourth of July Firemen's Fair and fireworks show, a craft show, numerous charity breakfasts, and several fishing tournaments. Additionally, AHYC runs Wednesday night and weekend regattas throughout the summer, as well as numerous club parties. Our annual Blessing of the Fleet, usually held the first Saturday in June, is always a popular event. During the summer our clubhouse is open Tuesday through Sunday. Not only will you find friendly people in our clubhouse, but as you enjoy a drink at our bar, you'll also be treated to a spectacular view of Sandy Hook Bay and the New York City skyline. AHYC does not have a regular meal service, but the many fine restaurants in town will likely satisfy any palate or budget. We've prepared a complete list of local amenities to aid you in your stay.
If you enjoy sailing, a sea breeze usually fills into Sandy Hook Bay on most summer afternoons. The fishing in Sandy Hook Bay and the surrounding waters is also excellent. If you'd like an elegant evening in New York City, Express Navigation ferries run from our harbor to Manhattan on a regular basis. If stretching your legs by going on a long walk sounds like fun, the beaches on Sandy Hook are a short boat or car ride from our harbor. If you have access to a car, several historic sites are a short drive from our harbor, including the Twin Lights of Navesink, one of the highest places on the Eastern Seaboard and home of one of the United States' most famous lighthouses. Driving will also get you to several other good restaurants and a West Marine store if you need to repair or replace something.
Getting Here
Our Location
AHYC is located on Sandy Hook Bay in the Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. Our club dock is at 40º 25.050' N by 74º 02.010' W. Depending on where you're coming from, NOAA chart # 12327, 12401, or 12324 can help guide you to our harbor. On a clear day, the many prominent landmarks in our area can help make your navigation easier.
Approaching AHYC By Water
From New York Harbor:
Head south from the Verrazano Narrows Bridge towards Sandy Hook and Sandy Hook Bay. You should have plenty of water under your keel unless you get too far west of the West Bank lighthouse, or too close to the Romer Shoal lighthouse Fl (2) 15s 54 ft 16 M Horn (and Romer Shoal itself, which is about a mile further ESE of the lighthouse). A southerly course will cross several major shipping channels leading into New York Harbor and Raritan Bay. If you stay near (but just outside of) these channels, you should have plenty of water and will minimize any unpleasant encounters with ocean-going ships.
Once you've entered Sandy Hook Bay, you will see a number of important landmarks. To the east you'll see Sandy Hook itself, to the west you'll see Naval Weapons Station Earle, and to the south you'll see a large hill: the Atlantic Highlands. Two prominent landmarks are visible on this hill. To the west is a large microwave tower, and to the east is a large apartment building. Our harbor is roughly between these last two landmarks, about 4 nm south from the tip of Sandy Hook.
From the Ocean:
If you're heading north up the New Jersey coast, the easiest way to get to our harbor is to follow the Sandy Hook Channel, but stay just outside of it. Because the water gets extremely shallow between this channel and the northern tip of Sandy Hook near G"11" Fl G 2.5s Gong and G"13" Q G Gong, we recommend that you stay north of the channel as you make your turn west towards Sandy Hook Bay. If you make your turn south into Sandy Hook Bay between Sandy Hook Channel markers G"17" Fl G 2.5s Gong and R"18" Fl R 4s Bell you should have no problem.
If you approach from the South Shore of Long Island, you can cut across Ambrose Channel (beware of Romer Shoal) and steer towards the tip of Sandy Hook and approach as above.
From Raritan Bay:
If you're approaching from the western parts of Raritan Bay, you should steer a course that takes you just north of the tip of the Naval Weapons Station Earle Pier (and its associated security zone), before making your turn south into Sandy Hook Bay.
From the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers:
Follow the channel out of the Shrewsbury River into Sandy Hook Bay. Once you've left R"2" Fl R 4s to port, our harbor will be to the WSW of your position.
Entering the Harbor
As you get closer to the harbor, you'll see a stone breakwater that separates the northern part of the harbor from Sandy Hook Bay. Although the latest charts show that it is possible to enter the harbor on either the western or eastern side, we strongly recommend that the eastern approach be used if you are in a deep-draft vessel or are unfamiliar with the area. At the tip of the eastern end of the breakwater is a light, Fl 4s 29ft 7M, that also has a red and white daymark board on it. Turn into the harbor south of this light. The NOAA charts show two range markers in the harbor, but these haven't existed for some time. Instead, there is a collection of unlighted no-wake buoys with red and green tops that mark a channel through the center of the harbor. There is plenty of water just outside both sides of the channel, but in the spring and fall occasionally there are partially submerged winter stakes that mark moorings in the mooring fields just outside the channel. For that reason we recommend that you stay inside the channel until you are actually headed towards a mooring.
As you enter the harbor, there is a large mooring field on the north side of the channel, and a smaller one on the south side of the channel. East of the mooring field (but still inside the breakwater) is a popular anchorage. Each mooring in the north mooring field is labeled with a letter and number. The letters decrease from Z-A as you go from east to west, and the numbers go from 1-7 as you move away from the breakwater. Thus, mooring Z1 would be the easternmost mooring that's closest to the breakwater. The south mooring field, used by smaller boats and multihulls, consists of two rows. The RF row contains 15 moorings numbed RF15 to RF1 as you move east to west. The AA row is further south and is numbered similarly. As you head further west into the harbor, you'll see a collection of docks on the south side of the harbor, some buildings, and shoreside facilities. As you head from east to west, the piers are numbered in decreasing order from 8 to 1.
Harbor Facilities
Because our club is located in a municipal harbor, we do not manage all of the harbor's facilities. Depending on what you need, either the AHYC or the Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor can probably help you. The Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor sells gasoline, diesel, ice, and some supplies at the fuel dock at the tip of Pier 6. A pumpout station is also available at the fuel dock. At the ends of Piers 3 and 5 are floating docks that the Municipal Harbor will rent to transients, on a cost per foot, per night basis. These docks are equipped with shore power and water. The Municipal Harbor may also have some fixed slips available for transients. The harbor has a 6-foot tidal range, so the floating docks are preferable. Because the Municipal Harbor's slips are quite popular, advanced reservations are recommended. The Municipal Harbor can be contacted on VHF 09 or at 732-291-1670.
The Municipal Harbor also provides floating docks for pick-up and drop-off of passengers between Piers 4 and 5, 3 and 4, and 2 and 3. These docks are equipped with fresh water and are intended for short (less than 20 minute) tie-ups. Dinghy docks are also available near these floating docks.
If you need to haul your boat, the Municipal Harbor has the largest Travelift in the area, as well as a launch ramp for smaller vessels. AHYC has a two-ton hoist that guests may use, under the supervision of a club member, if they are visiting AHYC for a sanctioned club event such as a regatta.
AHYC's club dock is the floating dock at the end of Pier 4. There is a small building on this float used by our launch drivers. A small yacht club flagpole is directly behind this building. The club dock is available for members and guests from recognized yacht clubs to tie their boats to for up to twenty minutes at a time. Overnight tie-ups are not permitted on the club dock. The club dock has fresh water and electricity available.
AHYC will rent moorings to and provide launch service to our fellow mariners. A mooring rental costs $35/night, with $10 of that fee going directly to the Municipal Harbor. Besides the mooring, this fee gets you unlimited use of the yacht club launch, access to the shore facilities, which include showers and rest rooms, guest privileges in the AHYC clubhouse, and access to the club dock. Cash and major credit cards may be used to pay the fee. Please visit our Launch Service page for complete details.
Our launch drivers (and the club itself) monitor VHF 09. The AHYC Clubhouse can also be reached at 732-291-1118. During the peak of the summer season, the launch typically runs from 1200 to 2200 Monday through Thursday, 1200 to 0000 on Fridays, and 0800 to 0000 on weekends and holidays. To obtain a guest mooring, hail "AHYC Launch" on VHF 09 and tell the launch driver the size and type of boat you have so that your boat may be assigned an appropriate mooring. If there are no guest moorings available, you may anchor on the eastern end of the harbor outside of the mooring field, and the launch will still provide you with launch service. Anchoring in the mooring field itself is prohibited.
Going Ashore
Should you take the launch ashore and wish to visit our clubhouse, walk up the gangway from our floating dock and go to the end of Pier 4. Across the street and to your right is the Shore Casino, which is in fact a restaurant (no gambling goes on there to the best of our knowledge). Enter through the first set of doors as you approach the building and walk to the end of the corridor. Go through the wooden door and up the stairs to the AHYC.
If you want to take a shower, the Municipal Harbor maintains two restroom/shower areas on the harbor grounds. After paying the mooring fee, the launch drivers will be happy to loan you a key to access these facilities. One set of showers is located on the eastern side of the Shore Casino/AHYC building on the ground level. The other set of showers is located on the eastern side of the harbor just behind the security checkpoint leading into the storage yard. The same key will open either building. The Municipal Harbor also maintains public restrooms, which do not have showers and do not require a key to access. These restrooms are at the Harbor office (white building near the launch ramp that looks like a small air-traffic control tower) and the Senior Citizens' Center (on the western side of the Harbor near Pete's By the Bay and the charter fishing boat docks).
On the western side of the harbor is Pete's By the Bay, housed in the two story building with cedar siding. Pete's is a casual restaurant that sells breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This building also contains a bait and tackle shop and rents 15' motorized skiffs. The bait and tackle shop also sells ice, and unlike the Municipal Harbor, sells both ice cubes and blocks.
Next to Pete's are the ferries that run between Atlantic Highlands and Manhattan. There are also a number of charter fishing boats that can take you to the best fishing spots on Sandy Hook Bay and the ocean side of Sandy Hook. On the Fourth of July, many of these boats cruise to Manhattan and can give you a front-row seat to the Macy's fireworks display. If you don't want to bring your own boat up there on the Fourth of July, this is the best way to enjoy the show.
As you walk to the western side of the harbor, on the southern part of the harbor grounds you'll find tennis courts, a gazebo where bands play on Sunday evenings, and a small park with swings and slides for children. If you continue walking west and turn left onto First Avenue, you will find a number of good restaurants, a marine supply store, and a Laundromat. If you walk several blocks down First Avenue, you'll also find a movie theatre, liquor stores, and convenience stores. There is also a hardware store on First Avenue where you can get your propane tanks refilled. If you continue on First Avenue until you cross Route 36, you'll find a Super Foodtown, pharmacy, and several other stores on the right. The AHYC clubhouse has a binder containing up-to-date menus of all the local restaurants. If you're hungry and are not sure what you want to eat, ask to see the menu binder. Any AHYC members up in the club when you visit will also be happy to tell you about their own favorite restaurants in town.
Fast Facts
| AHYC | - Club Dock Location:
| 40º 25.050' N by 74º 02.010' W |
| | - Relevant NOAA Charts:
| 12327, 12401, or 12324 |
| | - Calling the Club:
| 732-291-1118 |
| | - Calling the Club Dock:
| 732-291-3232 or VHF 09 |
| | - Club Launch Hours:
| M-Th 1200-2200, F 1200-0000,
Sa-Su and holidays 0800-0000
Visit our Launch page for specific details. |
| | - Hailing Club Launch:
| "AHYC Launch" on VHF 09 |
| | - Club Facilities:
| Clubhouse, bar, restrooms,
launch service, transient moorings, 2-ton hoist |
| | - Mooring Rental:
| $40/night |
| AH Municipal Harbor | - Calling the Harbor Office:
| 732-291-1670 or VHF 09 |
| | - Harbor Facilities:
| gas, diesel, pumpout, ice, Travelift, launch ramp, transient slips, restrooms, showers, tennis courts, park |
| | - Other facilities within walking distance:
| restaurants, bait and tackle, Laundromat, marine supplies, propane, groceries, NY ferries, charter fishing boats
Visit the complete list of amenities at Atlantic Highlands. |
Please Note:
The navigation information provided on this web site is intended solely for general guidance. The prudent mariner will use his/her best judgment and consult the latest NOAA charts to determine the safest course for their vessel to reach AHYC. AHYC, its officers, directors, and members assume no liability for any damages resulting from using this information.
