Top of the List: Chartering A Yacht
A Sensory Voyage from the Captain’s Deck
Let me start with this: in 30 years of navigating the New York Harbor—rain or shine, dusk or dawn, spring tide or summer haze—I’ve never been bored on the water. Not once. I’ve pushed off from the same dock thousands of times, but the harbor never greets me the same way twice. The sky shifts. The wind whispers new secrets. The water—brackish, wild, alive—changes texture like a mood ring. Even the air feels different from one hour to the next.
Being on the water, in the moment, with all five senses wide open—and maybe a sixth sense too, if you’re lucky. This is why a private boat cruise NYC belongs on your bucket list.
Sight: Where Sky Meets Steel
New York is a city best seen from the outside looking in: the steel-and-glass skyline glowing in the late afternoon light, the colors of the sky shifting, the glint of sunlight on the waves. The way the river turns green, then blue, then gray—sometimes in a single moment.
The juxtaposition is what gets me. A cruise ship, tall as an apartment block, sliding past skyscrapers. Together, they make each other look like large toys being moved by invisible hands. And the sailboats playing in the wind. And the lone kayaker braving the Buttermilk Channel while Coasties speed by. Everywhere you turn is a scene of interest.
Once in a while, if you’re lucky, you’ll see a dolphin poke out of the water or a whale’s spout in the distance. Once, a sea turtle the size of a dinner plate floated beside us, unbothered by boats or city. You don’t get these moments on a megaship. You get them when you’re low to the water, quiet, and observant. On a yacht.
And yes—I still get asked, “Don’t you get tired of seeing the Statue of Liberty?” No. Never. Lady Liberty isn’t just a landmark, she’s a living presence in the harbor. The folds of her copper robe, the way her green patina shifts depending on the hour, her gaze over the water waiting for ships to arrive. You don’t just see her. You feel her.
Hearing: Inside The Bubble
When you leave the dock, you leave behind the honking, the jackhammers, somebody’s music blaring, and the million cell phone conversations. The city’s chaos falls away, and you’re in a bubble with your playlist onboard. You might hear a bell buoy in the distance or a ship’s horn. But these sounds feel curated, cinematic. When a party boat playing Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” floats toward me on the wind, I swear, it feels like a movie.
Smell: Salty and Something in Between
People expect salt. But here’s a fun fact: the water in New York Harbor is brackish, a blend of saltwater from the Atlantic and freshwater from the Hudson River. It doesn’t smell like the ocean. And thank Poseidon, it doesn’t smell like Midtown.
Instead, you get this subtle, earthy fragrance—wet wood, riverbank, faint mineral tang. On some days, it smells like nothing at all except clean air. No exhaust. No smoke. Just… clarity.
Spend enough time on the water and your sense of smell sharpens. You start to smell the difference between the seasons. Between morning and twilight. Between uptown and downtown. It’s an underappreciated sense—until you escape the city and remember what breathing should feel like.
Taste: Yachting Cuisine, Curated to Float Your Boat
You could technically go yachting without food. But why would you?
Over the years, we’ve fine-tuned our menu not for stuffy white-tablecloth service, but for open-air elegance. Shrimp cocktail? A yes. Charcuterie boards with slices of prosciutto draped like silk? Absolutely. Farmer’s market crudités and juicy berries? Let’s go.
We’ve tried hot dishes. They go lukewarm fast in the breeze. But cold cuisine? It sings at sea. Paired with champagne, rosé, or beer—it’s perfect. And if you’re celebrating a birthday or proposal, there’s a cake ready for you, frosted and photogenic.
Dining at sea makes flavors more vivid. I don’t know the science behind it, but trust me. Brie tastes better when you’re surrounded by skyline and a tinge of salt spray.
Touch: From Teak to Cushions
Most guests don’t think about texture, but I do. Teak isn’t just pretty, it’s practical. Teak is slip-resistant and naturally warm. It holds its beauty even after a thousand sunsets.
The floors? Teak. The tables? Also teak. The serving trays? Teak again. When you feel it underfoot and with your fingertips, you know you’re somewhere special.
Deep cushions abound, and trust me, they’re also not just for looks. The harbor sometimes gets a little cheeky. Unexpected ferry wake can be a jolt, but deep cushions absorb the rogue wave and let you party right through it.
That tactile comfort, the sense of being cocooned in something soft and solid, lets people relax in ways they never do on land. Phones are put away. Shoulders soften. Eyes widen.
The Sixth Sense: The Here and Now
There’s a sensation that can’t be named, only felt: that moment when you realize you are exactly at the seam of sky and sea. At eye level with the horizon. In motion, but cocooned. Surrounded by water, under an open sky, in a protected space trimmed with wood and bubbles in your glass.
I’ve helmed enormous ships. Impressive, yes, but distant. A private yacht cruise NYC brings you close to the elements, and also to yourself. Time stretches out. Conversations deepen. Perspective returns. When I’m out in the harbor with good company and the skyline glittering just out of reach, I’m reminded that the world is vast, the moment is rare, and this is why people fall in love with New York again and again.
If you’re wondering what the best boat tour in NYC really is—it’s not the loudest or the biggest. It’s the one that touches all five senses, and then something deeper.
I’ll be waiting at the dock, ready to cast off whenever you are.
— Captain Martin
your guide to the sea, the skyline, and everything in between