Boating, Fishing, and Travel Information for New Rochelle, NY
New Rochelle is located at the southeastern point of continental New York State in Westchester County. It lies on the Long Island Sound, bordered on the west by Pelham, Pelham Manor and Eastchester, by Scarsdale to the north and east, and Mamaroneck and Larchmontto the east. The city lies 2 miles north of the New York City border (Pelham Bay Park in The Bronx). In November 2008 Business Week magazine listed New Rochelle as the best city in New York State, and one of the best places nationally, to raise children.
The shoreline within the City of New Rochelle measures 2.7 miles but due to many irregularities and off-shore islands, the actual length of the waterfront is much larger. The unusual coastal features have over the years earned it the nickname, “the Queen City of the Sound.” Yacht, sailing and rowing clubs dot the coast on Long Island Sound and beach clubs line the shores of Davenport Neck. The City operates a large marina with 300 slips and 150 mooring spaces.
The City has an impressive collection of parklands and nature preserves, with 102.5 acres of inland waters, 231.51 acres of public park lands and 168 acres of park lets.
Originally developed as an elaborate resort in 1879 by John H. Starin, today Glen Island Park is a 105-acre island property connected to the mainland by a drawbridge built in the 1920s. One of the main features of the park is its pristine, crescent shaped beach offering access to Long Island Sound. It features a boat ramp which handles 65-70 launchings per weekend.
Five Islands Park is a series of islands connected by small footbridges and pathways, offers a beach and fishing dock, as well as other recreation facilities.
Hudson Park encompasses 13 acres along the city’s harbor front and includes a beach, boathouse, greenhouses, the shore station of the United States Coast Guard and several yacht and rowing clubs.
Davids’ Island, a 78-acre island of the coast of the city, is being transformed from a former American military base (Fort Slocum) into a park and environmental preserve. It is home to a variety of plants, birds, and animals. These include the endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, and rare birds such as osprey and least terns. Davids Island also supports valuable wetlands, rare rocky intertidal areas, and sandy beaches. The waters surrounding the Island are home to Winter Flounder, Atlantic Herring, and Atlantic Silversides.
See our weather radar, buoy data, marine forecast, and current weather for New Rochelle, NY.
Other Helpful Resources:
- Glen Island Park Information – Boat ramp access is available in the park
- Marinas, Yacht Clubs, and Anchorages in New Rochelle, NY
Boating in New Rochelle, NY Map View
The municipal wharf is on the northeast side of Beaufort Point. The city police patrol boats usually moor alongside the wharf. A small-craft facility and a municipal marina are in the northern part of Echo Bay. Berths, electricity, gasoline, diesel fuel, water, ice, and lifts to 25 tons are available; hull and engine repairs can be made. The municipal marina monitors VHF-FM channel 16.
Echo Bay, about 1 mile southwestward of Umbrella Point and 2 miles northwestward of Execution Rocks Light, is the principal approach to New Rochelle. The bay is entered between Premium Point on the northeast and Davenport Neck on the southwest. Hicks Ledge, about 0.5 mile off the entrance, is covered 6 feet and marked on the south side by a buoy.
Bailey Rock, which uncovers 4 feet, is near the end of a reef that extends about 200 yards off the point of Davenport Neck. The rock is marked by a lighted buoy.
The bay is an anchorage for small craft and generally is fully occupied during the summer. Depths range from 4 to 15 feet. Small craft can anchor in the shallow cove on the northeast side of the harbor, entering between Harrison Island and the rocky, grassy islet off the northwest side of Echo Island.
Vessels should not anchor near the sewer outlet in the middle of the bay.
A dredged channel, on the northwest side of Echo Bay, leads to a municipal wharf and turning basin at Beaufort Point. The channel is marked by buoys to the turning basin. In 1985, the controlling depth was 8½ feet at midchannel to the basin, with 6½ to 7 feet in the basin.
The area northward of the turning basin, locally known as Ferris Creek, is shoal with extensive mud flats that bare at low water. Southwesterly of the turning basin, the depth varies from 9 feet to bare at the head of the harbor.
