Hashamomuck Marine Waterway Access Site is officially open in Southold

The Hashamomuck Marine Waterway Access Site in Southold is officially open to the public, according to a Thursday announcement from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.  

The 3.2-acre site on Old Main Road, the former location of the Old Barge restaurant, is the DEC’s only site offering unrestricted waterway access to the Peconic Bay. Open for public fishing and recreational boating access, it boasts a range of free amenities — including a public boat ramp, canoe and kayak launch, accessible pathway and a 37-vehicle parking lot for 31 trailers and six cars. The DEC said it plans to add boat pump-out and washdown stations later this year, among other things. 

“The Peconic Bay is a spectacular recreational resource for the region and DEC is thrilled to announce the grand opening of this new boat launch, which will improve visitors’ access to these waters,” Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a press release.  

The state purchased the site in 2012 from the Reiter family of Mattituck using a combination of state funds, a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a donation from the Reiter and Reiter-Denson families. Former manager of the property Carol Denson said the repurposed site “is in alignment with the values held by [her] parents, Carl D. and Helen Reiter,” who “treasured respected and nurtured the marine environment of this community.” 

The site is one of five state-owned and managed waterway access facilities on Long Island.