Montauk, Long Island

Long Island, New York, this time, not Long Island, Bahamas. We’ve been making easy overnight trips up the coast: Willoughby Bay to Cape May, Cape May to Rockaway Bay (just west of Coney Island), and Rockaway Bay to Montauk. This is a terrifically protected harbor. A narrow channel leads into Lake Montauk, which originally was a landlocked freshwater lake, until the channel was cut to it. The guidebook says that holding here is poor, but we put out lots of scope and had no problem in a blow. Montauk touts itself as “The Fishing Capital of the World,” and there are many commercial fishing boats, as well as hundreds of sport fishing boats. Sailboats? A quick survey of the numerous marinas showed fewer than ten. Only one other sailboat showed up and anchored. A bit lonely after so many months of areas with mostly sailboats, and only a few power boats. But the anchorage sure is pretty, surrounded by marsh grasses and trees and nice houses tucked into the greenery. And when we went walking, there were flowers everywhere.