Starting Monday, October 5, the Town of Huntington's launch at Gold Star Battalion Beach runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All summer, from May 23 through September 27, the same service ran from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eight hours a day is a little over half of what boaters had in August. Five weeks later, on November 9, the launch stops altogether.
That's the obvious seasonal change on Huntington Bay. The less obvious one is that the shoreline moves onto a different calendar. Through summer, the Town runs the waterfront: launch hours, kayak racks, mooring fields. Through fall and winter, the Village of Huntington Bay does, through its board minutes. That calendar is slower and paced by grants, and its decisions will shape the edge of the bay long after the boats go back in.
The Town's Schedule Ends Over Five Weeks
The Town posts the remaining 2026 season in plain dates. Here is the order:
- Through October 4: Launch service runs 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- October 5 through November 8: Launch service runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- October 31: Last day of the seasonal small-boat racks, including the racks at Crescent Beach and Gold Star Battalion Beach.
- November 9: Launch service closes. The Whaler stays available to launch clients 24 hours a day for about one more week. Then it's hauled out.
For a household paying the season rate of $900 for Town residents, that last week with the Whaler is the cushion between the launch closing and the boat actually coming out. Private yards set their own deadlines earlier. Willis Marine Service at 17 Mill Dam Road asked for signed 2026–27 winter-storage contracts and a $600 deposit by September 15. Its letter said space was limited and that it would not haul a boat without a signed contract. That date has passed, so boaters who haven't signed up should call the yard directly to check what space is left.
Kayak owners have a separate timeline. The Town has closed applications for 2026 kayak permits. Applications for the 2027 season open on January 15, 2027.
The Lighthouse Season Is Over, and Restoration Takes Over
The Huntington Lighthouse ran its public summer the same way it has before. The Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society scheduled tours on seven Sundays, from June 28 through September 27, with boats leaving Gold Star Battalion Beach between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The last tour, on September 27, was canceled for weather. The society's tours page now says the 2026 season is over and asks visitors to watch for 2027 dates.
With no tours running, the society's attention goes back to the structure. TBR News Media reported this year's restoration priorities as an upgraded electrical system, new wrought-iron railings, and continued repair of cracks in the exterior masonry. The society's own events page also names restoration as its main focus, but it gives no completion dates.
Two loose ends carry into next year. Musicfest, the society's music fundraiser, has been on hold for two years, and the society says it hasn't set a date for a return. Its summer page also mentioned work on a possible series of sunset tours, again with no dates. Neither one is on the 2026 calendar.
The Village's Season Is the One Getting Started
The Town's schedule winds down by date. The Village's projects move forward when funding comes through. The Village of Huntington Bay's 2026 board minutes describe five pieces of shoreline work at different stages:
| Project | What the minutes say | Status as of the August 10 meeting |
|---|---|---|
| East Shore Road collapse near the Yacht Club | DOT funding denied in June; Village turned to FEMA | Reported complete |
| Former boat ramp at Harbor Hill and East Shore Road | About $50,000 grant for engineering plans | Construction and labor funding still being sought |
| East Shore Road drainage and seawall repairs | $50,000 DEC planning grant | Planning stage |
| Village docks | Engineering firm identified to evaluate docks and environmental impacts | Evaluation stage |
| Shoreline easement | Mayor to ask the Town for a temporary 100-foot easement | Pending the Village's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program |
The East Shore Road repair shows how slowly this kind of work can move. At the June 8 meeting, the Village reported that delays in the federal review process had cost it the DOT funding it requested for the collapse. It said it would go back to its original FEMA application. Two months later, the Road Commissioner's report was brief:
The East Shore Road collapse project is complete.
The repair is finished, but the funding question isn't. The same August minutes say the Village is still working with NYSDOT to recover money for the collapse. They also report $15,000 in CHIPS reimbursement for paving on East Shore Road and $7,000 from POP for pothole repairs across the Village. Drains and leaching fields were scheduled for the following week, and the Village map was to be updated with the new leaching fields and any drains that hadn't been on it.
The old boat ramp at Harbor Hill is at an earlier stage. In February, the Mayor said the Village had been awarded about $96,000 in grants so far, including roughly $50,000 for engineering plans to rebuild the ramp. The Village will need another grant to pay for construction and labor. In June, the Mayor reported a separate $50,000 DEC planning grant for East Shore Road drainage and seawall repairs. The minutes describe the two grants in different terms and don't say how they relate. Both pay for plans, not construction. A rebuilt ramp at Harbor Hill depends on grant money the Village hasn't secured yet.
The docks and easement items look further ahead. In July, the Village said it had identified an engineering firm to evaluate its docks and their environmental impacts. The Mayor also planned to ask the Town for an easement out to the mean high-water mark, so water-quality valves and filters could be installed on pipes. In August, he said he would ask the Town for a temporary 100-foot shoreline easement while the Village's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program is pending.
Anyone following these projects should know the posted record stops at August. The Village website lists minutes through that month, so anything decided in September or since isn't online yet. The posted 2026 minutes also contain no change to beach access or everyday dock use.
What Stays on the Water Through Winter
Some activity continues after the launch closes. The REACH Oyster Reef Project, which works at Gold Star Battalion Beach and in Huntington Harbor, describes a year that changes with the seasons. It raises oyster spat on shell in summer, grows sugar kelp in winter, and collects half-shells all year. Its posted dock shifts ran every other Saturday morning from late June to early September, and no October-through-winter shift calendar has been published yet. Huntington Now reported on July 28 that the reef effort added two reefs in Huntington Harbor this year.
Sailors who want to keep racing usually look east. Centerport Yacht Club describes weekly Sunday frostbite races on Northport Harbor from November through March, plus a New Year's Eve regatta and a St. Patrick's Day regatta. The fleets are Melges 15, JY 15, and Laser, and the club invites area sailors to join. The sailing instructions the club links to still cover November 2025 through March 2026, so this winter's first race date isn't posted yet.
If you'd rather walk the shoreline, Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon has listed Sunset Low Tide Beach Walks at Crab Meadow Beach on Saturday, October 24, and Saturday, November 7, both starting at 4 p.m.
One Town rule doesn't change with the season. Dogs aren't allowed on any Town beach except on paved areas and boardwalks, and the rule page lists no off-season exception. That applies to Crescent Beach and Gold Star Battalion Beach in October the same way it does in July.
If you own a home along the bay, the Town's season is finished by mid-November. The Village's work will go on well past that, and the first places to look for it are the next round of board minutes and any news on construction money for the Harbor Hill ramp.
If you'd like to understand how waterfront projects like the Harbor Hill ramp, the East Shore Road seawall planning, or a pending waterfront revitalization program could affect a property along Huntington Bay, Scott Van Son is glad to walk through it with you. Schedule a consultation whenever it suits you.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
