Sailing the Hudson to Long Island Sound

[larman]

I'm in the process of buying a sailboat and I need to get her home. The sailboat is on the Hudson River in Beacon, NY and I need to sail her to the North Shore of Eastern Long Island. I am a newbie sailor and will be traveling with an experienced sailor. I will be sailing on a 27' sailboat with a 9.9HP outboard. I will be bringing a back up outboard just in case. How long should this voyage take? Must I only sail when the current is going in the right direction? How long will the Hudson River portion of the trip take? Any tips or advice is much appreciated. This trip will be at the end of April early May.

[pbfein]

I have made this trip in the other direction from Noank, CT down to Raritan Bay, NJ on a Pearson 26 with a 9.9 two stroke in mid 90's. The last long day was from Eastchester Bay, NY to Keyport, NJ. Before that it took two long days to get down the sound. I Have done it many other times on larger auxiliaries.

On the Pearson 26 I carried three 10 gallon red portable fuel tanks.

Timing of the current is imperative for getting up the east river and through hells gate. The current will easily exceed your top speed at places. There is lots of stuff online about timing this trip. Basically you want to enter the east river about just after low tide at the Battery. Looking at some charts I would expect you will spend two days on the hudson, one day from NYC to Western LI sound and depending upon current one day to Eastern LI, longer if you are going inside the forks. This is assuming good weather and light-moderate breezes. Getting down the Hudson or LI Sound against a strong headwind will be trying.

Study your charts, shipping channels and tide charts. Lots of big fast moving commercial traffic along this entire route.

Sounds like a good adventure.

[Cuttyhunk]

Buy a 2014 Eldridge Tide and Pilot book now and study the current tables. It's a fun sleigh ride through the East River/Hell Gate and into LI Sound with the current. The Eldridge's will inform you of the tides and currents along your trip. It lists for $14.95 and you can buy it at any chandlery.

[Delancey]

New York Harbor can be a funny place as far as tides go for the fact that it is the confluence of the Hudson River, the Harlem River, and the East River where two out of the three "rivers" are tidal straits.

I link below to a Webpage that does an okay job of explaining. More importantly it provides some links to the Eldridge Tidal Current Charts that are the key to understanding it all.

For short stops to wait for the tide you can anchor between Liberty and Ellis Islands but it is a bit bumpy due to the constant ferry wakes. For a more peaceful respite try the well-protected anchorage just north of Caven Point on the Jersey side, on the south side of Liberty State Park.

To get to the Caven Point anchorage there is a narrow state-maintained channel just south of the Statue of Liberty that leads to a nice cozy spot that is about as snug as it gets. If instead you anchor by the statute be sure to stay out of the security zone described by white markers.

Congratulations on the new boat, welcome to the forum. Happy sailing!

NYC Harbor Tide Wheel | Village Community Boathouse – Pier 40

[Delancey]

Yes, sleigh ride. Looking at +6.5 knots through the Hell Gate passage so must abide by the tide. Also, fixed bridges on the Harlem River BTW in case you didn't notice.

[Time2Go]

I did this exact trip 20 something years ago when I picked up
My boat in Haverstraw NY. A few notes
1.You must absolutely time your runs with the tides and currents.
2. Tons of barge traffic be prepared to maneuver
3. Huge amount of construction related barges around the Tappan Zee
Bridge, there has allready been a few fatalities because some of construction
Barges are unlit at night
4. A good overnight spot would be Lincoln Harbor or Port imperial
On the New Jersey side
5. I have some reservations about only 9HP
I was on a 27' Ericson with a 30HP Atomic 4 and at times wished I had more
I would make sure you had tow insurance
6. The trip around lower Manhattan is fantastic but can get gnarly
Everything from giant cruise ships to ferries there can be a 5 foot chop
With no wind
7. Once you get passed the Throgs Neck Bridge you are in one of the best
Sailing spots in the world, Long Island Sound
8. An option would be to take down the mast and rigging and motor
Down via the Harlem River

[Paul Annapolis]

Put it on a truck.. save money and hassle..... could be five or Six day trip. . Get one out board to work And forget the sECond. ... not an easy trip especially in early spring.

[Paul Annapolis]

If going dOwn Harlem River.... get bullet pRoof vest and move fast. .....I have done it. ...

[smaarch]

Beacon to NY Harbor is a good long day. At some point you will have the tide against you. If you can make Liberty Landing, it would be a good stop to stage the ride up the East River. Usually you want to be at the Battery about 1 hour after low.
from there it will be an easy ride to Throgs Neck, City Island etc. if you catch an early tide up the East river and have fair winds and lots of daylight, it is possible to make Port Jeff. but it will be a long day.
with good weather I would count on a min. of 3 days - 4 days. If you're heading out to the bitter end, add a another day. This all assumes you won't be night sailing.
this is a great trip to start ownership of your boat. Congrats and Enjoy.

[tominny]

Not a difficult trip at all if you time the current right in the lower portion of the Hudson and in the East River. Since you will be motoring a lot I would get a cruising guide that lists all fuel stations along the way. Bring an extra jug or two.

Places to pick up a mooring for the night are 79 th St Boat Basin and the mooring field north of North Cove, both in Manhattan. When you get to LIS you can get a free town mooring in Port Washington. Just call the Water Taxi on ch 9.
Plum Gut is then your next tidal challenge if you go to the Forks.

I'd avoid Harlem River unless you are sure your mast clears all the bridges.

The view from the anchorage behind Liberty Island can 't be beat!

Have fun!

[Delancey]

Originally Posted by Paul Annapolis

If going dOwn Harlem River.... get bullet pRoof vest and move fast. .....I have done it. ...

Probably one of the most unintelligent things I have heard on this forum in some time. USCG and NYPD are very well funded world class security organizations charged with making the waterfront of America's cultural and financial capital secure. You watch too much TV.

Dropping your rig to go through the Harlem River? I guess, if you have money to burn and time to kill. Not sure where you would drop it, Tarrytown?


Crime in New York City - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Delancey]

Originally Posted by tominny

Places to pick up a mooring for the night are 79 th St Boat Basin and the mooring field north of North Cove, both in Manhattan.

Anchoring at The Statute and Caven Point are free. As mentioned above there are transient moorings available at Pier 25. Link below.

Pier 25 | Hudson River Park

[Sun and Moon]

Originally Posted by larman

I'm in the process of buying a sailboat and I need to get her home. The sailboat is on the Hudson River in Beacon, NY and I need to sail her to the North Shore of Eastern Long Island. I am a newbie sailor and will be traveling with an experienced sailor. I will be sailing on a 27' sailboat with a 9.9HP outboard. I will be bringing a back up outboard just in case. How long should this voyage take? Must I only sail when the current is going in the right direction? How long will the Hudson River portion of the trip take? Any tips or advice is much appreciated. This trip will be at the end of April early May.

The Hudson and the East River are fun - with the tides, currents and trafic there's never a dull moment. Plus the scenery is awesome. But the Harlem River might be even more fun. Last I heard, you have to call up and arrange the passage, then they will send a crew out to lift all the bridges for you as you pass. There's nothing like inconveniencing a few hundred thousand people to make you feel important!

[Paul Annapolis]

I don't mind that delancey wants to insult me but it's not helpful to this forum. A boat Ride in the Harlem River is interesTing. . To say the least. However my comment about crime should not be so lightly dismissed. A reference to a Wikipedia article on ny crime is of little relevance and a p.r. plug for ny police and uscg had about no relevance to my comments. Readers will draw their own conclusions but hopefully Mr Delancey will refrain from any more negative comments. We certainly don't want to cross delancey do we?

[Stu Jackson]

Speed = how fast your boat can go

Time = how much time you have

Distance = how far you can go on the first two

Oh, there's also the charts and bridges and stuff.

Amazing how much great information these respondents can provide. Great contributors.

Scoobert would be proud.