Just a bit more information on Joe's comments on the Half Moon Bay marina. The marina is located in the bay just north of Croton Point near Croton-on-Hudson. Entrance is very easy. There is a breakwater opening on the south side. The water in the area is about 8' deep so most trawlers should have no trouble. The marina doesn't sell fuel or have repair services but there is a free pump out. It is within walking distance of Croton with easy access to a variety of shops, drugstores, hardware stores, the gourmet market that Joe mentioned, a supermarket and several excellent restaurants. The commuter train station to NYC is about 1/2 mile away. Trains run to NYC about every hour during the day and much more often during rush hour. The ride takes about 50 minutes. The following is an excerpt from my "Hudson River Guide." Anyone cruising the Hudson River might want to spend a little time exploring the Croton area: Croton Point, 35 miles above Manhattan on the east shore, extending about a mile and a half into the river, divides Tappan Zee from Haverstraw Bay. This spur of land is the terminal moraine marking the southernmost reach of the last ice age glacier to cover the area. The melting waters of the glacier carved out the Hudson Canyon, a vast subsurface trench extending five hundred miles into the Atlantic. The north side of the sheltering arm of the point provides the best anchoring ground on the river. Eight feet of water covers a hard sand bottom. A brief dinghy ride to the town dock gives easy access to Croton-on-Hudson's stores, restaurants, and the commuter railroad to NYC. This anchorage area is a favorite destination for weekend boaters. On major summer holidays up to 100 boats of all types are anchored or rafted together in this large protected bay. The park itself is free and offers miles of hiking trails, picnic areas, and a guarded swimming beach. If you like boating solitude, it is best to plan your arrival on a weekday. The bay south of the point appears inviting but is too shallow to anchor in for boats drawing more than 4'. On the other hand, if you are a fisherman, this is the best fishing area in the entire river. Don’t cut too close to Croton Point when heading for either anchoring area since underwater rock ledges extend for about 100 yards at both upstream and downstream ends. The 508 acre Croton Park is the site of the annual Clearwater Festival, named in honor of singer Pete Seeger’s 90 foot Hudson River Sloop replica. If you attended Woodstock (or wanted to) you should not miss this festival. file:///<http///www.clearwater.org/festival/>. Anchor, and dinghy directly ashore. There are no waterfront marine services at Croton Point itself since it is a big county park. For those boaters diffident about anchoring out, the Half Moon Bay Marina (914-271-5400), a modern marina attached to an upscale housing development on the northern shore of the point. It offers transient berths with full hookups but no fuel. www.halfmoonbaymarina.com/. For those with hardy appetites, or with teen aged children aboard, the Croton Colonial Restaurant, about a block’s walk from the Croton landing features huge portions, moderate prices, and an extremely varied menu. But if you really want a gourmet meal, the best seafood restaurant on the Hudson River, and perhaps the entire New York area, is Chef Brian Galvin's Ocean House Oyster Bar and Grill (914-271-0702) on 49 N. Riverside Avenue, also about one block from the Croton town dock. This tiny restaurant, basically a converted diner, serves only dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. from Tuesday though Saturday with special meals on Sunday. The Ocean House does not take reservations nor does it have a liquor license. What it does have is a selection of the best oysters and seafood from New York’s Fulton Fish market prepared by a superb chef. Bring your own wine. The specials change every day, depending on what is best at the fish markets. Zagat rates it 28 out of 30. <www.oceanhouseoysterbar.com> Travel writers are fond of comparing the Hudson River to Germany’s Rhine. Like its European counterpart the Hudson has vineyards on either shore. The oldest commercial vineyards in the US were established in the Hudson Valley during Colonial times. Old Norse records show that Viking explorers roamed as far south as what is now New York and the lower reaches of the Hudson. There is local myth that the area might have been the Vinland of the Viking sagas. Wild grapes grow plentifully on the river banks. Croton Point was the site of the Underhill Winery, the first commercial winery in the country. The ruins of the stone wine cellars are visible on the south side of the point. Few of the vineyards are directly on the river but their excellent wines are available in riverside restaurants and stores. Van Cortlandt Manor is a 15 minute walk from the Croton town dock. This was the family home of the Van Cortlandt family, the Dutch settlers that owned much of the land between Croton and Connecticut. The home and grounds have been restored to their 18th century splendor and serve as a living museum illustrating the life and times of the landed aristocracy http://www.hudsonvalley.org/content/view/15/45/. A three mile hike or a short cab ride up the Croton Gorge will take you to the Croton Dam. This dam is the third largest cut stone structure in the world, exceeded only by the Great Wall of China and the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was built during the late 1800s to impound the waters of the Croton River and provide fresh water for the growing city of New York. A gravity aqueduct carries the water 40 miles from Croton to the city. http://village.croton-on-hudson.ny.us/Public_Documents/CrotonHudsonNY_WebDocs/HistoricalSociety/crotondam Italian, Irish, and Eastern European stone cutters were hired enmasse to build the dam. Many brought their families with them or married local girls and remained in the area after the work was completed. Quite a few of the stone cutters were closet sculptors and painters. Soon the village of Croton-on-Hudson acquired a reputation as an art center. It was also a hotbed of pre-WWI radicalism. Many of our native born socialists and Communists, including Max Eastman, Daily Worker editor Robert Minor, and John Reed, author of "Ten Days that Shook the World," lived in Croton. Today, however, it tends to be more conservative. A new recreational feature of the Croton area is the Hudson Waterfront Park, a mile long beautifully landscaped park extending north from the Croton town dock. The park has a paved walking and bicycle trail that hugs the shore of the river and offers attractive views of the waterway. It makes a great spot to stretch your legs after a few days on the water. The park is one of a series funded by the NYS Clean Waters Act. Eventually similar parks will be built extending the entire length of the river. Larry Z