The Hamptons Yacht Club Experience
Most yacht clubs in The Hamptons make you choose. Pay dues for one harbor. Wait years for a slip. Buy a boat you only use a dozen weekends a season. We built our club the other way around. You get the boats, the captains, and the calm of Shelter Island, without the cost or the headache of ownership.
Charters in The Hamptons is a family-run charter company based at 63 Menantic Road on Shelter Island. We are run by cousins who grew up in the marina business, and we have been on the water here since 2016. Our seasonal charter membership program gives you everything a traditional yacht club promises. Plus a few things they cannot match.
Members get priority booking, last-minute member rates, and special restaurant access across the East End. Call us at (631) 251-1777 to talk through which membership tier fits how you actually plan to use the water.
What's Included in Our Hamptons Yacht Club Membership
Our seasonal charter membership is built around three benefits that change how you spend your summer.
Priority Booking and Member Rates
Members book before the public. That matters most on Fourth of July weekend, Labor Day, and any Saturday in August, when our calendar fills weeks in advance. We also offer member-only last-minute rates when a vessel opens up inside 48 hours. If your weekend plans change, the boat can too.
Access to a 26+ Vessel Fleet
Our fleet includes 26+ vessels including 57' and 62' Pershing yachts. That means a member can take a center console out for fishing on Saturday morning. Then book a Pershing for a Saturday-night sunset cruise. Same captain pool. Same phone number. You are not locked into one boat. You are matched to the right one for the day.
Custom Pickup Locations
Pickup is available at Greenport and Sag Harbor, with departures from our Shelter Island home base. If you are staying in the North Fork, we come to the Greenport dock. If you are on the South Fork, we meet you at Sag Harbor. No driving to a strange marina at 9 a.m. on your vacation.
Special Restaurant Access
Members get reserved access to select waterfront restaurants across the East End. The kind of tables that are hard to book on a summer Saturday. Ask us about current restaurant partners when you call.
Yacht Club vs. Boat Club — What's the Difference?
Traditional yacht clubs charge an initiation fee, annual dues, and assume you own a boat to dock there. Boat clubs let members operate a shared fleet, usually after a boater safety course. Our membership is a hybrid built for how people actually spend time in the Hamptons.
You get the premium feel of a yacht club, with Pershings, captained service, and concierge support. No initiation fee. No requirement to own a vessel. You get the access of a boat club, with multiple boats, multiple captains, and multiple harbors. You do not have to operate the boat yourself. Members can hand the wheel to a USCG-licensed captain and pour a glass of wine instead.
Why Members Choose Us Over Other Hamptons Yacht Clubs
We are not the biggest club on the East End. We are the one based in the middle. Shelter Island sits between the North and South Forks of Long Island, which gives our members access that other clubs simply cannot match by geography.
Most yacht clubs are anchored on one side of the East End. A Sag Harbor dock. A Southampton marina. A Montauk slip. From there, every trip to the other fork means an extra hour on the water. From Shelter Island, our captains can reach Greenport, Sag Harbor, Montauk, and the Mashomack Preserve back creeks in roughly the same time. Our members get the whole region, not half of it.
We are also family-run. The cousins who founded the business still answer the phone. If a member has a special request, there is one number to call. Maybe it's a specific bottle of wine on the boat. Maybe a surprise stop at a quiet cove. Maybe an early-morning pickup for a wedding. One decision-maker answers.
All of our captains hold USCG (US Coast Guard) licenses. That is the trust signal you should expect from any yacht club worth joining, and we will not put a member on a boat without one.
Seasonal Charter Membership Options
The Hamptons season runs roughly Memorial Day through Columbus Day, and our membership is built around that calendar. Our seasonal charter membership program covers the full warm-weather season, which is when most members actually use the water. We will walk you through the current tier structure when you call.
Membership is the right call if you charter with us four or more times in a season. If you charter less often than that, our standard Hamptons boat charter rentals may make more sense. We will tell you honestly which path saves you money.
Where Our Members Sail
Members charter across the East End from our Shelter Island base. That covers Shelter Island, Greenport, Sag Harbor, Montauk, the North Fork, and Fishers Island. Our captains know every harbor entrance, every shallow cove, and every restaurant dock from Orient Point to Montauk.
Some of the best member trips end at quiet anchorages. Coecles Harbor on a Tuesday morning. The back creeks bordering the Mashomack Preserve at slack tide. A sunset run past the Greenport waterfront. The point of membership is having a captain who can plan that day for you.
The Pershing Yachts
Members also get access to our Pershing yacht charters. These are the 57' and 62' yachts in our fleet. These are the boats we recommend for corporate charters, engagement dinners, and milestone birthdays. They are the right call for Pershing yacht charters where the boat itself is part of the occasion.
Pershings book fastest in our calendar. Member priority booking is the difference between getting the 62' for your event date and watching it leave the dock for someone else's party.
For first-time visitors, the Shelter Island Town visiting guide is a useful starting point for planning a trip out east.
Become a Member
If you are spending real time on the water this season, membership pays for itself fast. Call (631) 251-1777 or email captain@chartersinthehamptons.com to talk through which tier fits how you charter. We are based at 63 Menantic Road, Shelter Island, NY 11964.
Hamptons Yacht Club FAQs
How much is a yacht club membership in the Hamptons? Hamptons yacht club pricing varies widely. Traditional clubs often charge a one-time initiation fee in the thousands plus annual dues, and most still require you to own a boat. Our seasonal charter membership skips the initiation and the ownership requirement. Call (631) 251-1777 for current member rates.
What is the most exclusive yacht club in the Hamptons? The South Fork's older clubs in Sag Harbor and Southampton are the best-known. Most have long waiting lists and high dues. Our membership is built for people who want a yacht-club experience without the wait or the politics. You get priority booking, premium boats, and one phone number to call.
Do you need to own a boat to join a yacht club? Not with us. Most traditional Hamptons yacht clubs require you to own a vessel to dock there. Our seasonal charter membership program is designed for members who want access to a fleet without the cost, slip fees, or maintenance of ownership.
What's included in a yacht club membership? With us, members get priority booking and last-minute member rates. You get access to our 26+ vessel fleet including 57' and 62' Pershing yachts. Plus special restaurant access and custom pickup at Greenport and Sag Harbor. All captains hold USCG (US Coast Guard) licenses.
Are there yacht clubs on Shelter Island? Yes. Shelter Island has a long boating tradition. Charters in The Hamptons is based at 63 Menantic Road on Shelter Island. We offer a seasonal charter membership that functions as a yacht club. Members get access to our 26+ vessel fleet, USCG-licensed captains, and priority booking from a central Twin Forks location.
What's the difference between a boat club and a yacht club? A boat club focuses on shared access to a fleet, usually with members operating the boats themselves. A yacht club traditionally focuses on premium vessels, captained service, and dining or social membership. Our seasonal membership combines both — fleet access with USCG captains so members do not need to drive the boat.
Do you offer pickup at Greenport for members? Yes. Custom pickup is available at Greenport and Sag Harbor for our seasonal members, with departures from our Shelter Island home base. North Fork members typically meet the boat at the Greenport dock, which is the closest pickup point to the North Fork wineries and downtown Greenport.
