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chuckr · 02-10-2014, 23:46

Doesn't anyone read Eldridge Nautical Almanac any more or know what it is? We ran the east coast of the USA 3 times and wore out our Reeds but we understand Reeds is no long published.

Get an Eldridge, read it and use it. It will answer your questions and you should have had one before you sailed Cape Cod.

CaptainBW · 03-10-2014, 07:49

We came down the Hudson, through NYC to Sandy Hook on Saturday. It was our first time through there and I was amazed at the amount of boat chop on the water around NYC. Don't know if it was just because it was a weekend or this is normal. Crazy chop like a washing machine and we had the tide with us. Can't imagine bucking the tide and dealing with the chop.

donradcliffe · 03-10-2014, 08:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainBW

We came down the Hudson, through NYC to Sandy Hook on Saturday. It was our first time through there and I was amazed at the amount of boat chop on the water around NYC. Don't know if it was just because it was a weekend or this is normal. Crazy chop like a washing machine and we had the tide with us. Can't imagine bucking the tide and dealing with the chop.

If you want to see impressive boat chop, be there just after the fireworks stop on the 4th of July....

Stu Jackson · 03-10-2014, 08:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

If you want to see impressive boat chop, be there just after the fireworks stop on the 4th of July....

Shoot, that's true almost anywhere on the water in the USA.

CruisingKitty · 03-10-2014, 08:24

The best advice is to get down the East River to the battery at slack water so you can ride the change in current northwards up the Hudson. We've written a couple of short stories about it.

If you get caught with currents against you, you can always stop into Manhattan Yacht Club for a spell or shoot over to Sandy Hook.

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Keep in mind that sometimes they close the section of river near the UN which means you have to wait for a bridge opening on the other side of Roosevelt Island. It's good to call the USCG in advance to check for any closings of the river.

fallingeggs · 03-10-2014, 08:36

I was at Astoria park over the weekend and watched a 30 foot or so sailboat try to make it down Hells Gate against the flood.

Didn't move in the 20 minutes I watched.

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Yukon Cornelius · 03-10-2014, 08:50

It's "Hell Gate" not "Hells Gate". Irony aside, using the correct name will help with your Google searches.

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antoha · 03-10-2014, 09:15

reasonably close to NYC is Mamaroneck, NY. you can try Orienta Yacht Club [45 min on MNR direct to Grand Central, and only 12 min walk from the club to the station], they [or should i say "we", as i'm a member there] have 2 guest moorings. moorings are double moorings (stern+bow), the harbor is a hurricane hole, and although we're past summer hours there's still decent launch coverage. i forget what the daily rate was, but there are showers at the club house (not much more). it's also right next to McMichael's who can help you with repairs should you need anything (and they are really great guys, although not cheap).

if you want to be closer to the city, there's the newportmarina right off the Newport/Pavonia PATH station. they have docks, you'd need to call and find out the rates and availability. but given that off-peak r/t MNR ticket from Grand Central to Mamaroneck is $17 now, depending on how many people you have and how many times you'll want to go to the city, paying more in docking and less in public transportation costs may be cheaper.

the 79th st basin is so far up the Hudson! you gotta time it going up, and you gotta time it going down, and it's very choppy with all the water taxi traffic (the same applies to anything on the Hudson, btw, so the one night i slept on the boat in Newport/Pavonia wasn't much fun, but it was a small boat and i was on the outer docks, so you should ask them where exactly they would put you) makes it feel like you're always going down Buzzards Bay in the wind against the current chop, every 5 minutes.

enjoy!

CruisingKitty · 03-10-2014, 09:21

Another idea is to leave your boat at City Island on LIS and catch the subway into Manhattan.

antoha · 03-10-2014, 09:48

City Island is an option, but the commute from there to the city is pretty long (it's the end of the 6 line, which is an hour in itself to midtown; and then it's a bus to city island itself - with only one road onto the island, so traffic for cars = traffic for that bus as well; plus its schedule is every so many minutes)

sully75 · 07-10-2014, 12:59

Hit it at slack tide was totally delightful. Coming out of the mouth was a different story. The ferries do not mess around and there were a whole lot of them. Anchored between the statue and Ellis island. Out of the cable area. I used the gps to find a position outside the safety zones of both. Police boat came by once at night and once in the am. Didn't come near me. Quite the view.

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JerseyJoe · 07-10-2014, 13:10

Just did the East River south from City Island the other week. Leaving Throg's Neck bridge 1 hr 45 minutes after High Tide at the Battery will give you slack tide at the gate and a following current south to the Battery. You will know you have it right if you have a throng of other sailboats heading same way at the same time as you, as we did. ))

sully75 · 07-10-2014, 13:12

Ps for dumb dumbs like me the drawing in Eldridge makes everything very clear. I can't imagine doing this trip without that book. I'm sure everything is available elsewhere but it's dead easy. Same with vineyard sound.

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