I need some advice on going from Florida to Massachusetts

[morgan342]

i am sailing a 25 ft 1969 coranado fin keel with a 3.6 draft and a 9.9 johnston outboard 2 stroke. im looking to leave fernandina beach , florida in or around april 2015 to the inside of the hook of massachusetts. any advice for a beginer sailor?
i know i have to go on the inside at cape hatteras.
- is there any other places i should go around or avoid?
- some people say i cant do it in my little boat with my little engine?
- what is your opinion on the sailboat i am taking?
i will have a portable vhf, and a portable garmin gps. i have the icw flip book chart, and good ground tackle. sails are in good condition. not much of an electrical system. i have a depth finder and a compass, but i dont use much else than that. i want to sail outside as much as possible and was just planning each passage by the weather. any advice helps.
thanks

[Suijin]

The advisability of going outside anywhere along the route is a function of your experience and the condition of your boat, neither of which you describe. I would only take that boat outside for day hops in perfect weather, and that's not easy to do as you get farther north given your limited speed, experience and boat condition aside.

Maybe you can tell us more about your sailing experience and what sort of shape the boat is in. For example, when was the standing rigging last replaced? If never, it's 50 years old and I would not go outside at all with that, period.

[morgan342]

boats all around in pretty good shape in my mind. i replaced all lines and running rigging. i sailed outside in charleston and did a charleston florida passage. i also came down the maine coast so i have some experience and have been living on the boat for 2 years. i only was planning to do day passages. im not trying to go over night. go as far as i can in the day light hours then drop anchor. ive been is some pretty good size waves. 10plus in this boat. i get tossed around but it has handled it so far, but i figured if it was a rough or stormy that i will just wait it out until the weather gets better. im in no rush

[onestepcsy37]

One of those sailed around the world with a family of four aboard, so I guess the boat is capable. Although the owners did beef it up a bit first. Google Dave Martin Cal 25.

[Suijin]

Those with more experience going north to south in the southern parts can give you better advice than I. Once you get to Norfolk, I'd suggest you go up the Chesapeake, then down the Delaware to Cape May. You'll need to time your exit from the canal to take advantage of ebbing tide on the Delaware. Then you'll need to make a decision...up the Jersey coast, or head straight for Block Island on a 40 hour overnight trip. Both have their challenges, particularly in a boat that size where speed is limited. I would not want to be trying to get into one of the Jersey inlets if the wind has set up against the tide in any boat much less yours. That said I would probably carefully plan a route inside and take my time.

Going inside, or up the Jersey coast, your next challenge will be getting up the East River to Long Island Sound. You'll need to carefully time your departure that day to coincide with the incoming tide or you'll never make it to Manhasset Bay. Tides will still be an issue as you move through the Sound, increasing as you move east, and will be a very big issue approaching the Cape Cod Canal. Get a copy of Eldridge's for 2015, which has tide/current maps as well as tables.

Lots of wonderful places to stop on the Chesapeake and the Sound. If you're taking your time, you'll have a great trip

[morgan342]

i havent done any over nights. i usually just try to go as far as i can during the day light hours and drop anchor where ever i make it to.
thanks

[Vasco]

If you're going to motor up the ICW you'd better have lots of extra jugs of fuel. If you're going outside day trips will not do it. Your boat will be too slow even with the longer daylight hours in April. Most of the in and out passages going north will not be worth it as it will take most of your time just getting in and out of the ICW.

The outside passages are usually longer, there are few that can be done in a day in a boat your size. For example one of the best in and out is Fernandina to Charleston and that usually takes at least 30 odd hours in a 40 footer. And there's no place to drop anchor offshore.

So you have a lot of planning to do. Look at the good inlets and how far they are from the ICW to the sea buoys. You also have to remember that there are strong currents in most of the ICW and if your luck is like mine they're always against you.

[Hudson Force]

I've made this trip about twenty times and, like all coastal passages, it's never a problem as long as you adapt to the weather and choose inlets that suit the weather. I usually take short hops in the best of weather and enjoy many ports along the route.

I'm always "inside" from Beaufort, North Carolina and up the Chesapeake. With your draft, the only locations where you must go "outside" are from Cape May, New Jersey to Atlantic City, NJ; from Manasquan Inlet, NJ to Atlantic Highlands, NJ; and from Watch Hill, Rhode Island to Buzzards Bay, Mass. My point in saying this is not to recommend staying inside in protected waters, but to make it clear that you can continue cruising in these waters in less favorable weather and you only must be offshore for three approx. 40 mile stretches from Florida to Cape Cod.

There are other cautions specific to some of the inside routes. In South Carolina, Elliott Cut by Charleston can have disturbing currents and the "rockpile" at North Myrtle Beach has some jagged rock just outside the channel and often close under the surface. The inside route just south of Manasquan Inlet has the Point Pleasant Canal that must not be run with maximum currents or without prior contact with the lift bridges.

Take the best of weather outside and enjoy your cruise!

[morgan342]

thanks. im trying to find a good chart book of the outside. anything you recommend? the flip book chart is much easier for me with limited space sailing solo. i was hoping to find something like the icw chart flip book

[morgan342]

i already found out that the wind and currents are always against you. i have 2 5 gallon outboard tanks and 2 5gallon extra gas cans, and was going to get 2 more 5 gallon cans before i leave.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by morgan342

i already found out that the wind and currents are always against you. i have 2 5 gallon outboard tanks and 2 5gallon extra gas cans, and was going to get 2 more 5 gallon cans before i leave.

Wise move and make sure you have enough outboard oil. There are lots of anchorages but fuel stops are not so frequent. If you get a few Waterway Guides you can see how far it is from the ICW to the ocean and then how far it's back to the ICW from the ocean in your next stop. You will see that in most cases it's not worth the effort for a short hop. You say that you only intend to daysail and if it's 10 miles out to the ocean and another 8 miles back to the ICW in the next inlet, that's 18 miles and at 4 knots you've shot about 5 hours of daylight. You'd be better off sticking to the ICW.

[morgan342]

icw only goes to virginia tho?

[Adelie]

Does the motor have a charger?
Have you considered getting a solar panel?
Have you considered getting a netbook to run OpenCPN on? The program and all the charts are free.

[morgan342]

no charger that i know of, but i could be wrong.
i do have a couple panels but havent got them to work yet.
i have a garmin hand held gps with the blue charts -all of us and islands along with an icw flip bookchart. i also just got a metro pcs smartphone, that im hoping will give something to my trip. not sure how the service will be but im sure i will find out soon enough

[Orion Jim]

You're a bit early for the run north but nothing is perfect. Keep to the established inland waterway guide routes and you should have some company even in April. Never store gas or allow fumes to get below. Get a "jiggle" siphon for fuel transfer. Download an online owners manual so you, or a helpful friend, can troubleshoot engine problems. Jacklines and a safety harness are less troublesome than treading water as your boat continues on it's way. An EPIRB is a wise investment. So is a backup GPS. Have fun! You only live once.