Reviews: Safe Harbor Yacht Haven

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Safe Harbor Yacht Haven

181 Harbor Drive
Stamford, CT 06902
Long Island Sound

Lat / Lon: N 41° 02.143' / W 073° 31.935'
VHF Monitored: 9
Phone: (203) 359-4500
Fax: (203) 359-9522
Email: yachthaven@shmarinas.com
Website: https://shmarinas.com/locations/safe-harbor-yacht-haven

Review for Safe Harbor Yacht Haven

Reviewed by: Tiffany Sherman , Bobbin Along, on Aug 10, 2025
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 47'
Draft: 3.8'

Rating: 3

Our overall experience in Stamford was positive. We had a difficult time getting here with the East wind blowing down the sound creating 6-8ft seas. Our first attempt to cross the sound was abandoned after 40 minutes. All the parameters met our "Go/No-Go" criterion, but we didn't take into account the fetch from the wind. We waited out the wind and succeeded on our second attempt.
The facilities at Safe Harbor Yacht Haven were less than desirable. The showers needed cleaning, and the restrooms/showers were in a small building about as far from the slips as possible. The docks needed repair and cleaning as well, with grease on the surface in places and tipsy piers. There were nicely covered seating areas with grills on the docks that were a pleasant surprise. The marina is located at a corporate area with a small park and several office buildings. Competent dock hands were available to help with docking. It was pet friendly with walking trails throughout the office park. I don't recall any fuel docks or pump-out services. And there was no ship store or restaurant nearby.
We provisioned on our electric bikes. There was really nothing in walking distance. Stamford is largely an industrial city and the roadways are heavily trafficked with cars. That said, we did manage to bike downtown to a fabulous restaurant, Quartier, and to a great grocery store (ShopRite of Shippan Ave) getting everything we needed to move on after 3 days. Ice cream was a treat at Sunny Daes Ice Cream (again, by bike).
Getting to the marina from the jetty was tricky and we had to stick close to the channel or risk hitting large underwater rocks. The markers were correct and helped us avoid any mishap. We took the dinghy out, but there really wasn't anywhere interesting to go other than through the East Gate Navigation Gate and Pumping Station into another boat basin.

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