You will not find a nicer marina on the CT river! The crew is helpful, you are protected from the…read moreweather from almost all points of the compass, and are on an island in a very safe environment. A complementary ferry service is available on demand to take you into downtown Essex where you can visit the iconic Griswold Inn, the Black Seal and a number of other fine restaurants all within easy walking distance. Two marine repair facilities are within 100 feet of their docks. I just finished the Americas Great Loop and have seen a lot of marinas. I really don't know how anyone could want for more than Dauntless Essex Island Marina.

This is the second year in a row they've pulled the bait and switch on us. They over promise and…read moreunder deliver. They totally screwed us with dockage. We were 3 boats suppose to be together on the river side. They threw us in the back of the marina where there's no view and no wind. You literally have to cross over mud piles to get to the pool. They put one boat in front of a launch and promised to move us all to the front of the marina then only moved the one boat only because they needed the launch. Lied. we look at mound of dirt and machinery . It's filled with bugs everywhere and the crew straight up lies to your face. The marina has huge chunks of wood floating everywhere. The restaurant is barely a restaurant and the hours they are actually open are ridiculous. I will never come back again. Ever!!!

Went on Blackhawk yesterday November 23rd, it was a beautiful day for fishing, and that's exactly…read morewhat we did. Everyone caught their limits, the crew were a superior bunch, very helpful and friendly, I don't know why they were said to be off putting. My cousin and I would strongly recommend taking a day trip with them!

We have been on The Black Hawk quite a few times and every time we have a wonderful experience! I…read morecan't say enough about the Captain and crew. They not only help to educate anyone new to fishing in a fun way, but they also enjoy what they do and it shows. We catch beautiful fish every time we go. Our whole family enjoys it and we look forward to many years of fishing on the Black Hawk and creating great family memories.

I have used Midway for the last 7 years to store and maintain my 1978 Egg Harbor over the winter…read moremonths. Besides the routine spring/fall maintenance, they have rebuilt one of my engines and kept my old boat running and floating, despite her efforts to do otherwise. Elliot, Scott, Dan, Steve, the rest of the team......and of course Ellen thanks for all of your help. Scott Gibson

Forgetta-bout it! Best charter I've ever booked. 10/10. Will sail Poet's Lounge again!!read more

What an unforgettable experience! Our crew loved our time on the water with Darin. He was an…read moreexcellent host, wonderful to chat with and very attentive when he realized one of us was feeling seasick. Two of us had been out with him before for a sunset cruise and we upped it to 3 hrs this time. Truly a great experience - highly recommend and will definitely be back!

Joy was very accommodating, the boat was a perfect sale and we enjoyed ourselves on a beautiful…read moreafternoon. Would definitely recommend.

I always wanted to go to Greece and this experience to visit Athens and the Saronic Islands were…read moreamazing! Despite the weather not being the best, May 2025, the islands were not crowded which is why it was arranged to go at this time! Greek cuisine deserves its own spotlight. Whether dining at a seaside taverna or exploring bustling markets, I was treated to flavors that celebrated freshness and tradition. Imagine biting into tomatoes so sweet they taste like candy, or savoring seafood caught hours before it landed on your plate. I will always savor the Feta cheese and the Ouzo! Joy recommended several high quality restaurants and we weren't disappointed! Joy did her very best to give us many options of activities or to go it alone! The captain and host, assistant to the captain couldn't have been more accommodating on my boat, The Full House! I will never forget this experience! Thank you Joy!

I'm sorry it took me so long to review, but my party boat experience couldn't have been better. My…read morehusband and I were here last September and only 4 other people showed up. You know that generally a party boat won't sail with so few, because of the price of gas, but the captain took us out anyway. The mates were first rate, the captain moved the boat whenever needed to keep the catches coming. Everyone got blues. At 3 each, my husband and I had the fewest catches in the boat! Someone pulled up a striper, and at lest one person, maybe 2 caught their limit. Easily the best party boat experience I've ever had

NEVER again, and I would give 0 stars if that was an option. First of all it is marketed as a…read more"party, fishing boat". It was neither a party and no one was catching fish. Start out showing up like any other charter fishing trip. Old man in parking lot yells that there "better not be any alcohol" in the cooler we had. Well, you probably should have told us that when we called & by the way we are 40 years old and had a couple cans of beers in the cooler. Not 21 years old with beer bongs. Anyway, the 3 beers were under all the ice and under our food,pop, waters so we left them and planned on not drinking them. Later at noon we went to get our sandwiches and the staff had sneakily went through the cooler and took them. Really? We didn't care that it was a dry trip, but very pissed someone would go through my belongings without me present. Last, I realize the charter can't necessarily guarantee catching a fish. However, no one was catching and it was advertised as a bass & blue fishing trip and then was changed to a fluke trip when we got on board. Here's a tip: change the name from "party fishing boat" to "sneaky rip off".

We had a great time fishing last August!! Perfect day on the…read morewater! Great team and such great fishing!!

My brother in law and I made the trip from Texas to fish with Captain Jay and First Mate Justin on…read more9/18 and 9/19/2025. We fished two full days and to say the fishing was good would be an understatement. We had two completely different days weather wise. Thursday was cloudy and cool and Friday was clear and warm. Thursday was better from a numbers standpoint, We caught about 15 striper with 8-10 of those being 30 lbs plus - big fish was 42 lbs. We also caught 10 -12 nice blue fish. Friday was the tougher of the two days because of the sun and number of boats in the area but we still had six nice striper and another 10-12 really nice blue fish. Our five biggest striper weighed 179 pounds (31-34-34-38 and another 42 pounder)! The "dink" was still a 10 pounder. On Friday we were within a hundred yards of several boats and they got to watch us catch fish while we watched them catch notta! I can honestly say that when we had baits in the water Jay had us on fish. There were many times when Justin couldn't get the second line out before there was a fish on the first line and we doubled up several times each day. About the boat - it is very clean, plenty comfortable and ran like a top. You could relax inside out of the rain Thursday and it was nice to be able to get out of the sun on Friday while going to and from the fishing grounds. Having a restroom on board during a 10 hour trip was a must. Jay really knows his stuff and Justin was by far the hardest working First Mate I have fished with. We are hooked (pun intended) and will definitely be back to fish with them next year. Book with confidence and opt for the 10 hour trip to give yourself as much time in the chair as possible!

Very helpful planning an unusual outing, including identifying a usable dock on Long Island…read more Dramamine-users, bring some!

NEVER again, and I would give 0 stars if that was an option. First of all it is marketed as a…read more"party, fishing boat". It was neither a party and no one was catching fish. Start out showing up like any other charter fishing trip. Old man in parking lot yells that there "better not be any alcohol" in the cooler we had. Well, you probably should have told us that when we called & by the way we are 40 years old and had a couple cans of beers in the cooler. Not 21 years old with beer bongs. Anyway, the 3 beers were under all the ice and under our food,pop, waters so we left them and planned on not drinking them. Later at noon we went to get our sandwiches and the staff had sneakily went through the cooler and took them. Really? We didn't care that it was a dry trip, but very pissed someone would go through my belongings without me present. Last, I realize the charter can't necessarily guarantee catching a fish. However, no one was catching and it was advertised as a bass & blue fishing trip and then was changed to a fluke trip when we got on board. Here's a tip: change the name from "party fishing boat" to "sneaky rip off".