Arthur Kill South Inlet

About

Introduction:

The lower portion of the Arthur Kill River is located at the southern end of Staten Island about 19 miles southwest of The Battery on Manhattan Island and 13.7 miles west of Sandy Hook.

The image above is a view from the south looking north over the entrance to the Arthur Kill River where it empties into Raritan Bay at the towns of Tottenville and Perth Amboy. Off in the distance through the haze is the first fixed bridge you will navigate, the Outerbridge Crossing Cantilever Bridge, which has a vertical clearance of 143 feet.

The left side of the image shows the town of Perth Amboy, while Tottenville is off to the right (east). Farther upstream around the corner from the Outerbridge Crossing Cantilever Bridge is the town of Sewaren, which has the largest concentration of marinas in the local area.

Off to the left is the Raritan Yacht Club (private - reciprocal privileges to members of other clubs may apply), which has an extensive mooring field, and farther north on the same side of Arthur Kill is the Perth Amboy City Marina (call ahead for slip availability).

Navigating the Water:

Use NOAA Chart 12327.

To enter the southern terminus of the Arthur Kill River, first set a course to intercept flashing red “52,” which is located near waypoint N40 29.432 W74 14.421. Once you have picked up flashing red “52,” change course to the northwest to follow flashing red buoy “56” and flashing red “58” (at Ward Point), and then red nun buoy “60” farther to the north.

From here, the extensive mooring field of the Raritan Yacht Club will be visible to port, with the Perth Amboy City Marina located just to its north. If you plan on making the trip all the way up the Arthur Kill where it flows into the Kill Van Kull River, expect a journey of about 11 miles. You will have three bridges to navigate, but two are high vertical clearance fixed bridges and one is a lift bridge that is kept open unless rail traffic is approaching.

Local Notices to Mariners:

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