South Florida north to NYC area end of July, Tips?

[rossny]

Hi All, First time up the east coast and want to make the trip in 3 hops, Ft. Lauderdale to the Carolinas then around Hatteras to? and finally into NY harbor. The Gulf stream will help push but we don't want to use a whole day or more to get into a harbor and another one to get back out to the stream each stop. Our limitations are 6.5' draft, 55' mast height only 2 crew so no ICW. All comments welcome and appreciated.

[skipmac]

Off the top of my head I can't think of many stops along the way that won't involve a few hours to make it in from the ocean but should not come close to a day or two. Rough estimate, half a day each way for most stops.

Also, 6.5' and 55' shouldn't keep you out of the ICW. Could be tricky in parts of GA but other sections just a little attention to navigation is all that's required.

If you are fixed on outside and three hops I might consider first Ft Lauderdale to Charleston. Nice stop, city marina is reasonable, lots of good places to eat. Take care if you stop there as the current rips through at least 2-3 kts between high and low tides. It can be a little tight in the fairways and with the current can be tricky turning into a slip.

From there to the Chesapeake or Delaware Bay. If you're in a hurry you could just duck inside and anchor at the most convenient spot for an early departure.

Then last hop to NY.

I wouldn't worry too much about trying to stay in the Gulf Stream. Use it where it's convenient but I think you will lose more time than you will gain if you try to follow it too far offshore as you get further north.

[Captain Bill]

The trip from FL to Hatteras or more preferably Beaufort, NC is pretty easy if you have a good weather window. You will burn about a half a day in and half a day out of Beaufort from the stream. Getting a weather window around cape Hatteras is a bit more problematic, but once north of Hatteras you will be out of the Gulf stream anyway. I would not write off the ICW between Beaufort and Norfolk. A 55 foo mast is no issue and if you take the Coinjock route 6.5 should not be an issue either. This is a good alternative when the weather is not cooperating at Hatteras. You can jump out of Norfolk and be in Sandy Hook in about 48 hours. If you go north of Beaufort there are no inlets below Hatteras that you can go into to wait for weather because of your draft. Last time I was through Ocrakoke inlet I saw less than 5 feet at mid tide. 6.5 would be a problem even at high tide. Hatteras inlet is similar. One other option is to come in at Beaufort and go back out at Oregon inlet. Oregon inlet is a bit tricky but it is usually deeper than the other two but the channel moves a lot and you need to seek recent local knowledge. There is a 65 foot bridge at Oregon but it should be no issue for a 55 foot mast. You will make sure you stay in the marked channel on your approach to the inlet. You will not be able to go north to Manteo because of your draft unless there has been some recent dredging. I heard a rumor they were going to dredge the channel there, but I don't personally know if it's been done yet.

I'm leaving from Port Canaveral tomorrow for Beaufort and eventually to Maine. I'll be doing Beaufort to Norfolk on the inside. Good luck!