Great Kills Harbor is located on the southern side of Staten Island off Rarirtan Bay about six miles southwest of Verrazano Narrows and eight miles west-northwest of Sandy Hook in New Jersey. There are six marinas inside Great Kills Harbor (two of which are yacht clubs), and four of them accept transient guests at their facilities. In the center of the harbor are a great number of moorings (administered by the two yacht clubs here), but you can also find limited anchorage space on the northern end of the harbor.

Great Kills is an excellent layover spot for mariners making the run up or down the coast on the outside. A stopover in Great Kills Harbor shaves off about 24 round-trip miles versus staying over in New York City to the north. Also, Staten Island is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, and there are fine stretches of seashore and meadow to explore nearby. For more detailed information, see the “Helpful Links” section below.

Use NOAA Chart 12327.

The best approach to Great Kills Harbor is from the east. About two miles west of Sandy Hook, pick up red and green buoy “SP” (flashing red), and then set a course across Lower Bay toward flashing white Great Kills Light near the entrance channel to the harbor (the distance between the two marks is almost five miles).

Once you have reached Great Kills Light, red nun “2,” green can “3,” red nun “4,” green can “5,” red nun “6,” green can “9” and red nun “10” lead in to the opening at Crookes Point. Safely inside you will find a sea of moorings to starboard and five marinas on the western shore of the harbor. Another larger marina is located on the east side of the harbor. Depths in the approach channel are about six feet, and inside the harbor they average around 11 feet, with deeper holes on the north side.

Local Notices to Mariners are now exclusively available online from the U.S. Coast Guard.

Gateway national Recreation Area