With a waterfront that looks directly out over the Atlantic this city is superbly positioned for offshore cruising and oceanic fishing, but Cape May also has west-facing shoreline on the lower reaches of Delaware Bay, America’s premier sailing spot. Combine your boating trip here with lazy afternoons spent on the fine golden sands of the city’s beaches, or take time to stroll around the historic waterfront neighborhoods, full of Victorian architectural marvels.
Due to the expansive beaches lining the east of the city you’ll have to head inshore beyond the Cape May Inlet to find the marinas down here. One of the most convenient full-service facilities is Utsch’s Marina on Cape Island, which boasts 350 wet-slips, while nearby spots at Cape May Marina and the South Jersey Marina offer a combined 285 slips. Situated in the immediate vicinity of the city, the Canyon Club resort Marina boasts 260-slips for yachts up to 125-feet in length that can be reserved in advance, and a sequence of vast facilities lining the rugged northern shore of Cape May Harbor. These marinas, which include the Bree-Zee-Lee Yacht Basin, Snug Harbor Marina and the Mill Creek Marina not only feature hundreds of dry storage lots but full-service amenities, on-site restaurants and an incredible 1,338 wet-slips, making this one of the largest marina complexes in the entire state. From these facilities you can zip around Jarvis Sound on your outboard-powered runabout, explore the shallow, brackish backwaters of the Cape Island Wildlife refuge, steer your sail-powered boat to the broad and placid Delaware Bay via the Cape May Canal or trundle towards the Atlantic, less than two miles away, to enjoy fishing for the ocean’s biggest saltwater game-fish. And if that wasn’t enough boaters in Cape May also have another huge network of marinas in the nearby town of Wildwood, where the Schooner Island Marina, Lighthouse Pointe Marina and the Bridgeport Family Marina offer a combined 580-slips, a welcoming vibe and a focus on back-bay exploration.
This picturesque city boasts a vibrant year-round calendar of races and regattas, with prominent events including the MAYRA South Jersey Summer Series operated by the Corinthian Yacht Club of Cape May and the J/70 Corinthian National Championship, a sailing race periodically held here. Recreational boating is big business in Cape May, which also boasts one of the largest commercial fishing ports on the East Coast of the United States. The most prominent marine manufacturer located in the area is Jersey Cape Yachts, builders of custom express and convertible sportfishers with a slick finish, who have a dedicated local client base.
Want to search for boat and yachts by cities in New Jersey?
