The Manasquan Water Taxi is about to cast off to celebrate Dawn’s bachelorette party. AMY ROSEN Boating season may be winding down for many of us in the Northeast, but the fun keeps flowing on the Manasquan Water Taxi.
As the leaves start to change color, the Manasquan River’s most happening water ride welcomes hoards of pirate wannabes aboard the 40-foot pontoon boat for a trip to Treasure Island, complete with pumpkin picking and swashbuckling fun.
Treasure Island, officially called Nienstedt Island, sits off the coast of Brielle in the Manasquan River. It was dubbed Treasure Island by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson on a visit to the island in 1888, five years after he wrote the novel “Treasure Island.” He carved his initials into a bulkhead and the name stuck.
Manasquan Water Taxi owner Capt. Mike Morris said that in the fall, his onehour Pirates of Treasure Island Halloween excursion is one of his busiest attractions. It features a 15-minute music-filled boat ride to Treasure Island departing from the Brielle Yacht Club.
On Treasure Island, passengers spend a half-hour picking pumpkins and exploring the nature trails and the fall foliage before the boat ride back to homeport. Each child gets to be a pirate with a bandana, a tattoo, a pirate juice drink and more. They also get to hit a treasure chest piñata and take home the booty hidden inside.
The Manasquan Water Taxi can be seen transporting people across the river to waterfront restaurants and bars all summer, complete with music blaring and a party atmosphere.
In addition, Capt. Mike, who has been running the boat and the business for 15 years, hosts Thursday summer fireworks cruises, children’s pirate birthday parties, and private events such as office parties, adult birthday celebrations and bachelor/ bachelorette parties from May 1 to the end of October.
Token alcoholic beverages are included for adults on the water taxi, which sports a bar and a bathroom and can carry up to 22 people per trip. Reservations are required for the fall Pirate Cruises, which fill up quickly and are available daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., including after school and on weekends. Call 732-528-9248 for reservations; visit www.manasquanwatertaxi.com for more information. For more places to go and things to do, visit thebeachbeat.com.