Mattituck, NY
Mattituck, the last port of refuge on the North Fork of Long Island going East before the race and the gut. We continually hear "stories", untrue or out dated, that the entrance or channel is shoaled in and you will go aground and worse. Couldn't be farther from the truth.
The entrance is clearly buoyed and two stone breakwater/jetties clearly visible by three or four feet even at high tide. The fun part of entering the jetties is that you are confronted with a sandy beach straight ahead (150 yds) with no visible exit.There is a green can close to the beach. By the time you get to it (hug it close to port) you will see the channel 90 degrees to port. From there favor the starboard shore and follow the ample government and private buoys up the mile and a half to a quite anchorage and / or Miramar Marina (always has slips.) The final approach to the anchorage has about 6 feet at low and you must give the point to port a wide berth.
There is a good Italian restaurant right behind the marina and the marina has ample grills and picnic tables for those so inclined. There is a town dock south of the anchorage and "town" is two blocks right and one block left of that. A little exploring on foot will discover several more good eateries within 4 blocks.
WINE COUNTRY !! For those that don/t know it Long Island Wine country is down the road a few miles. (It' looking more and more like Sonoma with30++ Vinyards and tasting rooms), Call Enterprise in Riverhead and they will deliver a car to you at the marina. We have friends who take bikes over to do wine country. We drop in 2 or three times a season and still enjoy the diversity. By the way, everything is so close in the harbor without being crowded that one could row the dink w/o a motor where ever wanted.
-Bob and Marilynn Aymar "The usual suspects"