Safe Harbor | Essex Island Marina

Joined the Safe Harbor Rendezvous at the end of September. The staff was outstanding and the Manager Amy went out of her way to accommodate me in assigning a slip that would make life easy for our needs

Great place ...........

Amy and her crew were there to greet us when we arrived and helped us dock. Her entire crew were friendly and helpful. The marina itself is very well maintained and picturesque. A very short ferry ride lands you right in the middle of Essex. Amy did an exceptional job organizing the events for the rendezvous. It was much more organized than in the past. We especially enjoyed the BBQ and met many great fellow boaters from Safe Harbor sister marinas. We will definitely be visiting again!

Upon arrival we were disappointed to find out that we were not going to be in the slip that we were told of the week prior. Instead we were stuck in the far back corner of the marina separated from our fellow boater friends. Amy tried to accommodate us as best as she can and she was able to move us to a different slip where we could be closer to some fellow boating friends. Still not anywhere near where we are expecting to be but we made do.

Staff was extremely nice, courteous and very friendly. We were a bit disappointed in the bbq dinner Saturday night; other than the pulled pork, chicken and potatoes there wasn't much else to choose from. No salad or vegetables of any sort. Also, we felt that the wine tasting should have been included with the rendezvous fee of $35 that we had already paid. We didn't feel that we received much for our $70 total......coffee and donuts and the bbq. Regardless, we had a great time, beautiful marina, the facilities were well tended to and very clean. We would definitely stay at this marina again.

Staff was great. Received all the info for the weekend when we arrived. Great weekend.

As usual great job my the dock staff and the marina grounds and facilities were in excellent shape. They even were able to get a service mechanic out on a days notice to troubleshoot a head problem

Safe Harbor managed to keep the charm of Essex Island Marina with the foot ferry operation and overall look and feel of the marina yet upgraded the docks. One of my favorite destinations to sail to.

The Island staff were pleasant and helpful. The environment is always beautiful and this past weekend they had many and varied offerings like movies and breakfast and all. Very enjoyable!

Parker, the Dockmaster is an absolute pleasure and couldn’t be more helpful. Unique, clean facilities with everything you need just a short (100 ft) ferry boat ride away. Essex is a typical quaint New England town with tourist shops and 2 good restaurants, the infamous Griswold Inn and the Black Seal. I would definitely give the marina 5 stars when they finish upgrading the docks and infrastructure.

Wonderful marina. Beautiful grounds. Clean facilities. Staff is very pleasant and helpful. Extremely short ferry ride to town with shops, restaurants

Staff was top notch, facilities are impeccable, amenities are great. I like the food Chow Truck, but I miss that small restaurant / store they had on site. Its now an empty building. We love the entire marina, and will continue to go back all the time.

I've been stopping into Essex Island Marina for 35 years, and it's always been one of my favorite marinas. It's a bit of a long slog by sailboat up the CT river, especially if the Amtrak bridge is closed; but once there, it's an ideal spot. Service at the marina is great. I needed a mechanic for a small issue, and he was there promptly the next morning at 9:00 AM. Everything was great, and I'll be stopping in again next August!!

We have been going to Essex Island Marina for years and it is still a great marina and some nice updates have been done but we very much miss Marley's Restaurant on the premises. Poor decision on Safe Harbor in our opinion. Only needed Marley's for long weekend business and seasonal of course, their previous operations of days and hours was perfect. Too bad, Safe Harbors and Essex Island's loss.

Everything went great.

The only thing that would make it a better venue is a restaurant on the island. Had a great little restaurant in the past. Bring it back.

Excellent marina. Clean and the surroundings were beautiful. Staff was friendly and helpful.

Very professionally done . Great people to work with .

Love this marina! Clean, convenient, friendly helpful staff. Found it quite by accident and now always make it a stop on any northern excursions.

Refreshing coming to a marina like this. Very clean, docks, grounds, restrooms, pool, everything. Staff was friendly, helpful and well organized. Hope our marina gets the needed upgrades to approach this level of excellence.

Last year I gave feedback and was never contacted about it, and this year I have a similar complaint. While we generally love the marina, we continue to be surprised that you have not yet fixed the main pier which traverses the East side of the marina. The boards are in terrible shape, and as a dog owner, this is a problem - our dog is small and not only are there a lot of splinters, but the old boards are so widely spaced that he has got his paw pinched in between boards on more than one occasion. I think you should prioritize this replacement.

Great time...great friendly crew...great pool...very friendly atmosphere....

Beautiful spot on the river, convenient to everything except groceries. Dock staff fantastic. Well maintained and clean grounds and bathrooms. Wonderful stay, I’ll be back.

They have really stepped up their game as to the overall maintenance of the facility. Place looks great and staff very helpful. Need to get the restaurant open again...

Staff is very friendly and accommodating. Marina gets better every year!!

Quiet place in a quaint colonial village. You have to take a "ferry" (pontoon boat) across a small canal to get on and off the island. You will need Uber to visit local restaurants. Except for two in town, the Black Seal (casual) and the Griswold Inn (dress). The Ct River museum is next door and worth visiting. 2 nights here is plenty.

Clean marina,Friendly staff

Nice location, excellent amenities and friendly staff. Some of the amenities need updating and I it looks like that's in process. When we filled up at our home club our fuel vent was blocked with spider debris. To be fair that could have4 happened before the trip. We were only there 2 nights. However when we told people about it, everyone noted that there's an issue with dock spiders at Essex. That was all word of mouth. I never noticed a spider on the docks or boat. At the end of the day, I think this is an excellent stop and would encourage you to visit them. If any concern about spiders I would check that out before the trip.

A beautiful facility, we contacted the marina we were close, they guided us right into where our slip was, deckhands we’re there to assist us. Pool, showers, the grounds were impeccable. Great place to stay.

I always try to stay at Brewers. The service is fantastic and everyone is friendly. The previous owner let the marina decay. They are spending a lot of money fixing it up. Looks great!

Essex Island Marina feels like home. Very accommodating. They put out a BBQ for all their guests which was so nice. I always enjoy going there and always can't wait to go back. Thanks so much.

Loved staying, once again at Essex...only thing missing was an onsite restaurant.

Great stay at Essex Island. Staff was helpful and the town of Essex is wonderful. Thanks!!

Staff was wonderful and marina has many new improvements. The only disappointment was Marley's restaurant no longer onsite

The staff is great. Pool is very nice and docks are being updated each year. Would recommend for groups looking to be docked together. Definitely coming back.

One of the most picturesque spots you will find, plus immaculate, friendly, with unexpected amenities.

Spacious facilities ashore and a nice level of privacy facilitated by the fact that the marina is on an island. The facilities were clean, the docks well-kept, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. With Marley's restaurant closed, the new restaurant will be a welcome addition for full convince within the marina.

I must say that the marina, the stay was wonderful. As a transient, I enjoyed the nice people on my dock as well as the facility. HOWEVER, I do have a concern that I hope doesn't come back to haunt me or my engines. While making my slip reservations months earlier, and after confirming with dock hands the day before, I had asked to be placed in the NW corner of the marina. I also expressed the fact that I was told last year that the far I dock was too shallow to accommodate me. I reassured them both times that I was OK with anything in that area. Upon my arrival, the dock hands signaled me to approach the I dock broadside and waved me in. As I am approaching the dock they continue to wave me in past the dinghies tied up until I am in the mud. I felt my rudder and props digging in. Spoke with the dockmaster, Stephanie, and expressed my dissatisfaction. I usually never complain, but I do feel this was completely avoidable and have concerns for my boat. Someone dropped the ball. Whether it was an unskilled or poorly trained dockhand or someone else. Hope to hear from someone in charge or someone that has the authority to make sure this never happens again to myself or any boater. Expect that Safe Harbor will do the right thing.

Our stay wasn’t as good as it has been in the past. I was put in a slip that didn’t have adequate amount of water so at low tide was sitting in mud. There was no restaurant on the island and the docks around back need attention. Staff was helpful and pleasant as always.

Staff very helpful and knowledgeable.... Always a pleasure to stay at Essex Island Marina.... Many improvements recently.... Bathrooms/Showers excellent

Second time we have stayed here and time the service has been fantastic! This is the most helpful and friendliest staff and crew we have met anywhere along the east coast. Marina is in a great location and Essex is a great town to visit. We will definitely be back and would recommend staying here to anyone traveling up or down the sound.

Fantastic staff and facility. We own a smaller 20' center console and they treated us like we rolled up in a 60' yacht, prime docking and attentive staff. Made our night stay in town seamless and enjoyable. Will be going back for day docking and future over nights. Facilities are top notch as well. Location to downtown Essex is a must visit if passing through.

The marina is located in a great location in Essex village. A short (really short) ferry ride puts you in the middle of Essex village where there are plenty of shops and restaurants. The are quite a number of transient slips that are easy to get in and out of. There are plenty of friendly and helpful dock hands to help with your arrival and departure. The grounds are beautiful and clean. A fun weekend destination

Was great to have the dock crew meet us at our mooring. They were very courteous and helpful.

Essex Island Marina continues its excellent reputation and expands upon it under the new Safe Harbors ownership. The new floating dock extending from the dockmaster's office was wonderful, and the dock staff was well-trained and knowledgeable. The facilities are being re-developed nicely. We had a great time and give the Essex Island Marina our highest recommendation....... Bob & Lori

Fantastic marina with most helpful staff. I asked for slip that was easy to get to and was given face dock that made for a perfectly easy arrival and departure. We also appreciated clean bathroom and showers. We are looking forward to visiting again in near future....Alex & Linda

Stephanie was great, she helped sort thru all sorts of issues i was having with my new SH number, making appropriate reservations, making future reservations and dealing with me more than what was necessary/required. Essex is a great harbor to visit and Brewers Essex helps make it work.

The dock master, Stephanie, is a class act! The marina is clean, is in town, and has great restaurants a short distance away. Always love coming here ! Just spent two days here and the review is the same - GREAT!

Definitely a great weekend! Great sea glass class and meet lots of nice people. Band on Saturday night was great. Again Lynn and Steph and rest of staff hosted another great weekend😍

Very helpful staff, beautiful clean restrooms and showers . Beautiful areas to explore with a dingy.

Our club kicked off our season on Memorial Day and wrapped it up here on Columbus Day Weekend. Essex is a quaint New England town with a variety of shops and restaurants within walking distance of the marina. Thank you, Stephanie and staff, for a memorable weekend.

Was given wrong info when docking- so initial arrival not impressive. The first friday bbq didn't have food ready at 630pm and was out of food by 730- so had to go to store for more. Ladies room could use at least one handicap railing since they have no handicap toilets that are taller. Sat went well and that bbq was very nice-overall we made the best of it and enjoyed ourselves. We would go again.

Marina was clean, good amenities, very friendly, and fun. The Griswold inn nearby is a night destination. Nearby Hamburg Cove is a good spot too. -1 star for lack of night life.

We visited the Brewer Essex Island Marina for the Brewers Rendezvous weekend. This is not our first visit. The staff of this facility is top notch, and I mean everyone I met was helpful and accommodating. From the incoming docking experience and check-in, to the meals at the cafe, we were impressed. It is a busy marina, and for an end of the season event they had plenty of staff on hand to see things went smoothly. The bathrooms were kept clean, and the showers were very well maintained. No shortage of hot water. Private locking stalls for the showers. Certainly, the management of this marina really cares about the this place. As an Operations Manager, I know this level of attention to detail does not come without personally walking through the facility on a regular basis and following up to make sure everything is in acceptable for customer presentation.

Always a great time at Exxex Island. The staff is fabulous !

Amenities were great. Staff was very accommodating. Very relaxing

Great time everyone was very nice !! A nice bar and lounge on the island would be nice so you wouldn't have to go in town all the time !

Talk about service! We reserved a slip for a round trip sail from Noank to Essex. Wind, current and rough seas delayed our arrival until late on Friday night. To make matters worse, our engine quit while only a few yards off the dock but with no sails up, or wind, we were in a tough spot. Luckily, Christian responded to our hail even though the office had closed. As we started drifting off into the night (and the mooring field!) Christian told us to hang on and he would track down a work boat and assist. Just in the nick of time, he appeared out of the dark and shepherded us into a slip. No small feat! I'm sure there are many facilities and personnel who, given the circumstances, would have simply told us to drop the hook and wait until morning. We were on an 18' Goldeneye with no head and wet from head to toe. Incredible service above and beyond! I'll never stay anywhere other than Essex Island while sailing in the area. What a fine organization!

Talk about service! We reserved a slip for a round trip sail from Noank to Essex. Wind, current and rough seas delayed our arrival until late on Friday night. To make matters worse, our engine quit while only a few yards off the dock but with no sails up, or wind, we were in a tough spot. Luckily, Christian responded to our hail even though the office had closed. As we started drifting off into the night (and the mooring field!) Christian told us to hang on and he would track down a work boat and assist. Just in the nick of time, he appeared out of the dark and shepherded us into a slip. No small feat! I'm sure there are many facilities and personnel who, given the circumstances, would have simply told us to drop the hook and wait until morning. We were on an 18' Goldeneye with no head and wet from head to toe. Incredible service above and beyond! I'll never stay anywhere other than Essex Island while sailing in the area. What a fine organization!

We have visited Essex Island Marina twice this summer and enjoyed it enormously. The grounds and service are both outstanding.

Essex Island Continues their excellent so well known hospitality within the Safe Harbor flagship! The Marina continues to make improvements in the well warn dock systems and is truly a flagship marina in location, service, and hospitality. Thank you to Stephanie! I will be back many time! Captain Wheeler

Was at Essex Island Marina for the Branford Yacht Club annual rendezvous. Beautiful grounds, great service, very friendly and helpful staff and dockhands. Pool is great! The only issue was that we were put on a fixed dock which made boarding difficult at low tide. I should have specified that I needed a floating dock when making the reservation. Great time!
We Returned for a second stay on Labor Day weekend along with about 20 other boats from BYC. Had a great time. Once again, the staff was excellent and friendly. The dockhand who helped us upon arrival took it upon himself to stop back on the second day and ask if we needed anything. Nice touch!

Friends from our Yacht Club stayed downriver at one of the other marinas on the Connecticut River. Boats were damaged when a squall came through. Our boats were well protected up river. Looking forward to coming back next season.

Great location, helpful staff.

We had a great stay from Aug 27-31. Extended our stay due to bad weather, and easily accommodated. Enjoyed town, Ubered to Old Saybrook for about $23 R/T, Marley's, Black Seal, Abby's, Griswold....all lovely. Facilities and staff very nice.

All the staff at Essex Brewer Marina are helpful! A special shout out to Steph who not only found a way to accommodate us with a last minute need for a reservation but went above and beyond to help us find and get to a car rental place. Steph goes above and beyond and its obvious that she is truly interested in helping! Thank you - very much appreciated by me and my family.

Wonderful place to stay, didn't want to leave. The place is beautiful, clean, and relaxing.. will be staying there again...

Originally planned on staying one night, but once there, it became clear that one night wouldn't be enough. Staff accommodated our request (for an extra night) without any hesitation. Grounds and facilities were very nice and well kept. Bathrooms were clean, but a bit out-dated. Downtown Essex remains "quaint", but is lacking quick serve store (for newspapers, coffee and pastries) and liquor store. Hope to go back, before 2017 boating season ends. Staff was outstanding - and helpful with docking and departing. All-in-all, a great boating destination !!

Great service and lovely spot.

Had a fantastic time. Thanks to all employees. Everyone was helpful. Brewers must treat there people well. A-1

We had an outstanding Milford Yacht Club Cruise and Rendezvous at Brewer Essex Island Marina this past weekend. Stephanie (Manager), Jack (Dockmaster) and the rest of the staff were extremely helpful, friendly and accommodating. The grounds and setting are beautiful. A minute-long ferry ride takes you to historic downtown Essex restaurants and shopping. I would highly recommend this destination.

Great staff, nice pool.

Very nice marina. Location is nice and sheltered. Facilities (bathroom, shower, etc.) all very clean and up to date. Launch drivers were great. Nice accessible dock for our sailboat. Easy to get in and out of with water, pumpout, and fuel. Short walk to Main Street in Town.

The grounds are beautiful and everybody was very nice I would come back again

Great place and great staff! Very helpful...the area is well maintained and access to town is easy!

Dockmasters Jack and Stephanie were awesome. It was our 2nd visit and we will be returning.

well run marina - clean -excellent docks & facilities

Very accommodating team and very well kept marina. We will return.

Spider issue is very strange.Nice people running marina.Clean and well manicured.Need a place to get a cocktail

Except for the non floating docks,the marina has all that any yachtsman needs Docking crew helps to the nth degree Fellow yachtsman surrounding us were happy,friendly and very helpful if needed Essex town charming. Griswald inn meals supurb

 Everything a Marina should be.

Terrific. Fuel dock crew was excellent. Bathrooms and showers were clean. Love coming here. Will come back

essex island is a great marina , our favorite stop in the northeast , workers are friendly and well trained grounds are great and town is cool . We will be back !

Spectacular! Staff was friendly and helpful.

Staff here is fantastic! Brewer has made many improvements since it's recent acquisition and has maintained the laid-back feel of the island. The only drawback is that the town has lost many of the stores that are necessary to boaters. There is no longer any convenience store, pharmacy, liquor store, etc, within walking distance. All are now vacant or replaced by high end clothing and antique stores.

The marina was 5 star. My only complaint was that the bathrooms were not as clean as they should have been. Their maintence needs improvement in this area. Otherwise everything was

Nice marina, close to town. Good biking along fairly rural roads. Bathrooms are clean. This marina is buggy and you need to keep your cockpit lights off unless you want to clean up dead bugs.

The staff was fantastic and extremely helpful and welcoming!

Stayed here for 4th of July weekend. Great marina and great staff. Will be back in September.

Great! Stayed for three nights and enjoyed the property, pool and lawn games. Staff was helpful and everything was clean. We loved Marley's Cafe and ate there for a breakfast and a group dinner. The food was excellent. Some docks should be updated but we did see that improvements were made since our stay last year.

Peaceful but to quiet for a holiday weekend. Restaurant on island was either CV completely booked or closed

Nice facility. Close to town. Good restaurant on island. Friendly staff.

AAA+++ - Loved the site, the pool, the charm of Essex village