Wait, you can review Fay's Point? Where's my sixth star??…read more Let me tell you a bit about me. I'm a proud Cal-Sag junkie. So much local history can be found in our waterways and so little of it is known. Briefly: Blue Island really was an island. Some 15,000 years ago, when glacial Lake Chicago existed, Blue Island stood proud above the lake. As it receded our rivers, creeks and wetlands were formed. Fay's Point, uniquely, sits just past where the Little Calumet River turns back on itself and empties into the Calumet River. Stony Creek meandered to the west. From the 1840s to the 1870s a feeder canal helped keep the I&M Canal filled, and in the 1910s the Cal-Sag Channel was dug, reversing the flow of the Calumet River and altering Stony Creek forever. The Cal-Sag Channel opens for business in 1921, at its widest only 60 feet across. In the 1960s it was expanded to its current width of 225 feet. Go for a walk along the north bank of Fay's Point. Across the Cal-Sag, on the north bank, you'll see some the "ruins" of the Blue Island lock. From the 1920s to 1960s this was the controlling works for the Cal-Sag, the boundary between Lake Michigan, the Illinois Waterway and ultimately the Mississippi River. You can still tour this amazing waterway. Local boaters often complete a "triangle tour" down the Cal-Sag, up the Ship and Sanitary Canal, into Lake Michigan and back to the Calumet River. The more adventurous might take the Cal-Sag into the Desplaines and Illinois rivers, into the Mississippi and all the way to the gulf. Who knew you could connect to the whole world from Blue Island?! Fay's Point features a marina with 88 boat slips. This active marina can hold boats up to 40+ feet. It offers an idyllic setting on the bank of the Little Calumet River. The north bank has been restored with native wetland plants and is a haven for birds and other critters. Across the river is the Forest Preserve District and Joe Louis golf course. It might be worth renting a slip just for a chance to hang out on the river in such a relaxing setting. This safe and modern marina is the best in the region. The Little Calumet River is also becoming popular with paddlers, and offers a great course for families and beginners looking to explore our region's waterways. Check out the Calumet Waterway Stewards website for annual paddling and clean up events.

From the owner: Built in 2006, the Fay's Point Marina sits on the Little Calumet River, just 25 minutes south of…read moredowntown Chicago. Many community members have already made the Fay's Point Marina a second home. Between weekend relaxation, aquatic sports, golfing, and barbecue gatherings, you'll never run out of ways to spend your hard-earned free time.

Solid marina with knowledgeable staff and fair pricing. Most people don't understand what's going…read moreon with their boat and fewer understand these things cost real money to operate. I can tell you that the people at sunset bay have several commercial customers who rely on their equipment working properly and I've never heard anything crazy come out the people that work there. I've been with them a little over 2 years now and wouldn't consider any other place in the area for reasonably priced services from competent people. I've worked with marinas all along Florida, the Caribbean, and up/down the East Coast so I've seen plenty of what's out there. The only other place I'd trust to do the job right is Bock marine out of North Carolina.

DO NOT use this marina. Unorganized. Unreliable…read more Unprofessional. As a result of the incompetence, there has been damage done to our boat as well as false information provided from our queries, i.e., we were advised that our transmission was removed and sent out for repair, when in fact, two MONTHS later it was still sitting in the boat. And the list goes on and on: over priced, under serviced, filthy premises, unfriendly/unreliable staff.

We were very disappointed with our service with tikiboat Chicago. We planned a weekend bachelorette…read moreparty and rented a boat for Saturday. 2 weeks before the event, we get an email stating the boat is out of commission and were offered a different boat for Friday afternoon or Sunday afternoon. This was terrible service as we could only use the boat on a Saturday and only had 2 weeks to find a different option. This was almost impossible as boats are booked well in advance for Saturdays in Chicago. Would highly recommend Sofia with Get my Boat if you have a party of 12 looking for a great time. I am giving 2 stars as they were initially easy to book with.

Booked a party for my birthday but had to cancel when members of party tested positive for COVID…read more Captain cancelled the trip but I was never contacted for rescheduling or refund. I made several calls and emails that have not been returned. Very disappointing.

Compliment's to the gas dock. Last Saturday, 06/07/25 I brought the boat in for the season. I…read morepulled up to the gas dock to top off the tanks and do a quick pump out. As I approached the dock several young women spilled out of the office ready to help grab lines and help tie off the boat. They handled it effortlessly despite the size and weight of the boat. They offered to pump fuel and handle the pump out which I would never expect anyone to do. Before I had time to get involved they were handling it like a NASCAR Pit Crew! Upon departure my bow line was tied to the rail and I was given shove off the dock to assist in the departure. These young women were very skilled, knowledgeable, and very helpful. Their actions and pleasant demeanor were very professional and appreciated. In addition, the women in the office were very friendly and quick to check me in. I can tell you that after 20 some years in Chicago I've never experienced this type of friendly service. The dock workers in the golf cart even waved to say hello and see if I needed anything. Thanks to all of you at Hammond Marina! You should ALL be Proud! YOU are ALL APPRECIATED. GEORGE

The Hammond Marina is Wonderful and so are all of the super nice people who work there! From the…read morefirst time that I picked up the phone to call there and spoke to Milan to each and every interaction that I have with everyone there! Jamie is so nice that she sat on the phone and personally gave me directions to the Marina when roads were closed! Jen is so nice that she actually listened to my needs in order to make the best recommendation about where I should dock my boat! Lori does an amazing job with the Ship Store! The bathrooms are immaculate! The Locker Rooms are also immaculate! Each and every one of my needs has been filled by this wonderful group of people! Five Stars are not enough! Boat Slips, Waverunner Platforms, Beach, Sun and Fun! All with great Attitudes, Friendly Smiles and Excellent Service !!!! Thank you for being so wonderful!

Marine Services is a wonderful family owned business run by some very nice people! They have a…read morebeautiful facility that they keep very clean! The staff is all very friendly and helpful! I highly recommend them for all of your needs! Sincere Thanks for taking care of me! I am so glad that Captain Justin Recommended you to me!

Everyone was very pleasant and nice, but they slapped some new paint on a rotten boat and sold it…read moreto me. Granted it was my first boat purchase and I could have asked them to check the engine, but I had good faith that they--the nice people selling me my first boat--had already made sure it wasn't a piece of crap. They knew the previous owner, so they knew the (lack of) maintenance that had been done on the boat...but I was the one who found out that the long block rusted through, started to take on water, and slowly destroyed the inside of the engine. During my first summer, I was stranded more than a dozen times and towed to shore. It was scary. 2 years later, after completely overhauling the inside and rebuilding the engine, the boat is back in business. But I had to take it somewhere else to get it there. If you buy from here, ask for work orders. Ask for engine inspections. Ask for everything you can't see with your own eyes.

Great boat launch area for kayaks or canoes, as well as historic. This is an area where the…read moreUnderground Railroad used to operate, also near where the first African American owned marina was located. Near Altgeld Gardens, the urban housing project that worked. The Little Calumet has been cleaned up since I used to visit here in the 1970s, in those days it wasn't too uncommon to find murder victims among the litter and refuse. Today it's clean and beautiful, though a little post-industrial. Still, that gives me a post-Apocalyptic nature-is-returning feeling. Underused, which is another plus.

I have mixed feelings about this kayak tour company. I signed up because although I'm a very…read morecapable and seasoned kayaker, I didn't know this river and I like learning about the ecosystems and local wildlife. For this reason I like having tour guides. Going up the river was fine. Coming back went a bit sour. I went as slow as I was capable of paddling or not paddling, but apparently it was too fast for the preference of our tour guide. I was barely touching the water with my paddle. I have no idea how I could have gone any slower. It wasn't humanly possible. After shouting at me several times, he took to chasing me down and ramming my kayak so it'd spin in circles. Would I rent a kayak here and kayak the river alone? Yes. Would I personally use a tour guide here? No I wouldn't. Would I recommend? If you're a family with little kids or a drunk sorority house, absolutely. If you know what you're doing, just go it alone. You'll probably enjoy it more. Edit: If the tour guide had concerns for group safety, he could have said so. Although ramming my kayak with his seems to be a bit of a conflict as far as my safety goes. It was an unprofessional approach when he could have simply explained why he needed me to slow down

It almost seemed like a dream. From the very start, cruising through a large patch of lotus plants,…read moreit felt otherworldly. Very peaceful, going at our own pace. Enjoyed the cliff walls of Buffalo Rock and the shallow waters of some side passages. We paddled for 5 hours, covering 8 miles total. After we were done we headed to charming, historic downtown Utica for drinks and dinner at Skoog's Pub & Grill in North Utica, IL. I was impressed with the logistics and operation of the kayaking experience, from the guide* to the equipment and online booking process. *Full disclosure, the guide was my twin sister, but I am being objective...seriously.

Highly recommend this company. They go above and beyond and we always have the best time with them…read more Will continue to use them for our future boat rides!

From the owner: Affordably priced boat and yacht charters in beautiful downtown Chicago! Call or text 872-287-7999…read moretoday for more information!