By Al Sullivan
Reporter senior staff writer, The Hudson Reporter & Bayonne Community News

Ghost research team come to Robbins Reef

November 6, 2006

As if out of a scene from Steven Spielberg's "The Poltergeist," investigators descended upon the Victorian Mansion just off Avenue A in Bayonne on Sept. 28, determined to find evidence about the rumored ghost there.

The nine-person crew paid a visit to the Robbins Reef Yacht Club carrying a variety of equipment that the investigators hoped would capture the sound or sight of the ghost that many people over the years claim still haunts the century old building.

Bayonne has a few rumored ghosts, though none are more well known than the ghost at Robbins Reef.

By Al Sullivan
Reporter senior staff writer, The Hudson Reporter & Bayonne Community News

Robbins Reef Yacht Club celebrates its 100th anniversary

October 3, 2006

In many ways, the name of Robbins Reef Yacht Club is a bit of a misnomer since in its current location, the 100-year-old club is on the wrong side of Bayonne from Robbins Reef. This was a small ridge of sand just off the northern tip of Staten Island and near the entrance to the Kill Van Kull, originally called Robyn's Reef, but later changed to Robbin's Reef by the Dutch. Now it is generally known as Robbins Reef.

"The club was named after a reef on New York Bay," said Joseph Ryan, one of the experts of local history. "The club moved when the Military Ocean Terminal was built."

Robbins Reef Yacht Club harkens back to an era when Bayonne was a yachting capital of New York Harbor, and the 19th century vacation resort for many of the area's elite.

"A large portion of the town was dedicated to yacht clubs and boat building," Ryan said.