Need Advice to Get to Maine

[justdoit]

Need the advice of the experts please. We will be leaving the Chesapeake and heading to Maine. This is our first phase of beginning our cruising adventures. We are open to all advice and opinions of routes. We have a 53 Gulfstar ketch. Spent last summer in the Chesapeake getting familiar with the boat and finalizing land obligations. Hopefully in a week we will pull in the dock lines and set out. So far the plan is to go to Cape May and up the Jersey coast. Please offer suggestions.....all input welcome. Also looking for a good Maine guide book. Thanks much. You all are a great supportive community.

[Tempest245]

As Far as books go...A cruising guide to the Maine Coast by Hank and Jan Taft.

I guess the route would depend on how quickly you want to get there, and how much along the way you've already seen. Anchor, Slips or Mooring preference?

If you've not been north and east before....Visit NY, then take the East River to the LI sound......number of potential stops are endless here but, I like Port Jefferson LI, then maybe Essex Conn. Block Island, Newport...( maybe a trip to cuttyhunk and Martha's Vinyard.) Cape Cod Canal ..to Provincetown.

From P-town you can head approx 100 miles to say Boothbay..and begin your Maine adventure...or pick your way up the Coast...Boston, Gloucester, Rockport, Smuttynose, Portland etc..

If you want to get up there quickly ..you can head offshore from Cape May to Block 30+ hours..then work toward the Canal. If you come up the jersey coast to NY wait for the prevailing southwest wind and you'll get a nice overnight..the atlantic highlands is a good stop, with ferries to NYC...or you can head further up the hudson to Liberty Landing or Newport marinas in Jersey City....

I'm jealous!

[roger.waite]

Nah. Not that supportive. Just follow the coast!

[Curmudgeon]

Everyone wants to head right up to Penobscot Bay (which is spectacular), and you can certainly do that. It's a straight shot from the Cape Cod Canal to Monhegan Island. But if you have time, there is some great cruising all the way up, starting in Essex County. MA. I'm not an expert because there are huge chunks of it I've never done. But I know people who have and I've heard no complaints.

[roger.waite]

Now that's a much more supportive type of curmudgeon.

[Catamount]

We have always just gone offshore from the mouth of the Delaware to some point in southern New England (e.g Block Island, or Buzzard's Bay), once even going non-stop from Annapolis to Boothbay Harbor via the C&D and Cape Cod canals as the the timing for the currents through the canals just worked out.

Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't stop in Cape May. In your case, your mast is probably too tall to get through the "back-door" canal into Cape May, so unless you're planning a crew exchange or need to wait out bad weather or something, I would probably just keep on going.

An alternative route would be to go offshore to Nantucket and then out around the outside of Cape Cod.

All of the above is assuming delivery-mode sailing -- getting to Maine as expeditiously as reasonably possible. There is a lot of interesting cruising in southern New England, too.

[Cats Eye]

We are in City Island, NY right now heading to Maine!! We have been coming up the East Coast From the USVI. We stopped in Cape May we could not go in the back door because of a fixed bridge but it was fine sailing on the outside! Belhaven, Atlantic Highlands (mooring) and now we are in City Island (mooring). We are leaving for the Long Island Sound on thursday. The nexdt stop will be in Niantic Bay, CT. We have family in Portland, ME we will be up there for the summer. Then we will tick our way back down the East Coast! Hope to cross paths with you!!

[Ishmael]

Originally Posted by Tempest245

As Far as books go...A cruising guide to the Maine Coast by Hank and Jan Taft.

I guess the route would depend on how quickly you want to get there, and how much along the way you've already seen. Anchor, Slips or Mooring preference?

If you've not been north and east before....Visit NY, then take the East River to the LI sound......number of potential stops are endless here but, I like Port Jefferson LI, then maybe Essex Conn. Block Island, Newport...( maybe a trip to cuttyhunk and Martha's Vinyard.) Cape Cod Canal ..to Provincetown.

From P-town you can head approx 100 miles to say Boothbay..and begin your Maine adventure...or pick your way up the Coast...Boston, Gloucester, Rockport, Smuttynose, Portland etc..

If you want to get up there quickly ..you can head offshore from Cape May to Block 30+ hours..then work toward the Canal. If you come up the jersey coast to NY wait for the prevailing southwest wind and you'll get a nice overnight..the atlantic highlands is a good stop, with ferries to NYC...or you can head further up the hudson to Liberty Landing or Newport marinas in Jersey City....

I'm jealous!

Why does everyone skip Nantucket?

[capttman]

Don't miss Newburport MA.... great town

[Tempest245]

Originally Posted by Ishmael

Why does everyone skip Nantucket?

So that someone could say...Why not stop in Nantucket..

No intent to discriminate..

[mbianka]

Don't forget to pick up an Eldridge Tide and Pilot book:
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: FROM BIANKA'S BOOK SHELF: ELDRIDGE TIDE AND PILOT BOOK
It will help A LOT in figuring out the currents and tides at various places all the way up to Maine and you will save you a lot of time if ride with the currents.

[donradcliffe]

Our usual stops are defined as where you can comfortably anchor, and are

Sassafrass River,
Cape May or Cape Henlopen Harbor of Refuge
Atlantic City
Atlantic Highlands
City Island or Manhasset Bay
Port Jefferson
Duck Island Roads
Block Island
Newport (N of Goat Island)
Onset
Martha's Vineyard
P-town
Isles of Shoals

From there you are in Maine, and there are many nice anchorages. Take your time, and wait for the weather if you can.

[capttman]

York Harbor is nice too and Cundy's Harbor and the basin and Southwest harbor and oh once there there are so many places to put in and they are all nice.... Fog can be a bitch tho

[Hudson Force]

I understand the "straight shot to Penobscot Bay" plan, but we have always been cockpit potatos that poke about all the ports on the way. So, here is my list of stops from Cape May:
1. Rum Creek just inside Absecon Inlet at Atlantic City
2. Atlantic Highlands inside the breakwater at Sandy Hook
3. Anchored SW of Liberty Island just behind the Lady's right shoulder
4. On the free town moorings in Port Washington, NY
5. Anchored in Cold Springs Harbor
6. Mattituck's little anchorage and park showers
7. Watch Hill's anchorage behind Napatree Beach
8. Block Island & then Newport
9. Onsett with a dinghy ashore to Antony's for pizza
10. Provencetown for the party
11. Gloucester,- on one of Brown's moorings & the town
12. Isles of Shoals for PYC guest moorings
13. Biddeford Pool
14. Jewel Island
15. Boothbay (where they are so proud of their harbor that they "park" their boats all facing in the same direction)
15. Tenants Harbor
16. Vinylhaven

and, yes, the Taft guide, but reconsider any thoughts of the straight shot if you enjoy all the possibilities.

[justdoit]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I have mostly been silently following the forum as we prepare to leave for good. Hopefully the kinks that have kept us here for two months are worked out enough to get going! You all may be hearing "distress" questions when we finally set sail. As with any aspect of life....the best laid out plan is really only a theory with m
any aha steps in between. Thanks again.