Sailing NC to NYC

[Lifetracker]

Hi all

First time large boat owner with little off shore experience here

Picked up a boat in Wilmington NC. And. Need to sail it home to Bklyn NY

It’s a 38 Benneteau and would welcome any route suggestions , and practical warning tips )


Effie

[skipmac]

My preference.

ICW from Wilmington to Norfolk.

Anchor or get a slip around the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

Check weather, leave early morning sail up the coast to DE Bay, should arrive by the next afternoon.

Dock or anchor around Cape May NJ or Lewes DE, watch the weather, leave early am sail up the coast to NY Harbor.

Next step depends on where around the city you are keeping the boat. If City Island or someplace in LI Sound you have to do the East River and Hell Gate. For that you have to time the tidal currents that can run up to 5-6 kts.

[skipmac]

PS

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new boat.

[Lifetracker]

Thanks

[laika]

Skipmac's would be my plan as well. Change the fuel filters before you set off and consider rigging an easily deployable stern anchor to use as an e-brake. Ideally, check the fuel system up and down before you set off.

Watch out for the big guy traffic around the NY harbor channel. That'll likely be the diciest part of the trip.

Cheers

[Bean Counter]

The weather seems pretty inconsistent at the moment and if you can't get a window to sail in the ocean from Norfolk to Cape May, then a longer but interesting route with plenty of sheltered harbors is to sail up the Chesapeake across the C&D canal, pick the right tide and sail down Delaware river to Cape May or Lewes. You want to exit the Delaware on an ebb tide.



If weather windows are still short up the NJ coast stop at Atlantic city, it is an OK entrance.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Bean Counter

The weather seems pretty inconsistent at the moment

Ain't that the truth. Left FL yesterday am it was close to 95 degrees. Got to New England and a nor'easter was blowing and it was about 55 degrees. Supposed to get better in a few days but gee, from air conditioning to heater in a day.

[Suijin]

First time big boat owner on a just purchased used boat = as little offshore as possible and definitely not around Cape Hatteras. If I were them I’d go up the Chesapeake, through the C&D down the Delaware and post up in Cape May for a good window to run up the Jersey shore.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

Originally Posted by Suijin

First time big boat owner on a just purchased used boat = as little offshore as possible and definitely not around Cape Hatteras. If I were them I’d go up the Chesapeake, through the C&D down the Delaware and post up in Cape May for a good window to run up the Jersey shore.

Generally I agree, but the outside run from Masonboro Inlet near Wilmington to Beaufort Inlet is easy this time of year, and avoids the multiple shoaling areas on the ICW between Wrightsville and Beaufort, plus avoids traffic and the possible Camp Lejeune live fire area. Other than that, I agree ICW, especially around Hatteras.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Hello and congratulations. Skipmac's plan has merit, but the only thing that may change its viability is the number of crew. Are you going solo or do you have two or three additional people? Are you planning on stopping every night?


If you want to stop at night, there are limited places to stop from the entrance to the Chesapeake to Cape May. There is Ocean City, but you'd have to leave very early to get there by sundown. There are a couple of inlets roughly halfway to Ocean City but they are subject to change and shallow in spots.



If you are planning to stop each night, or if you are going solo, you may wish to consider going up the Chesapeake, through the C-D canal, down the Delaware to Cape May. From Cape May you can make Barnegat Bay to anchor or berth, then from there one day to Brooklyn.


Again, this is an alternate if you plan on stopping at night or if you are short handed.

[akprb]

I agree with skipmac. Norfolk to Cape May an easy run.

ALSO with fuel management!!!!!!!! Know how to change your filter and hopefully you have a parallel system. I keep a 1 gal jug of diesel on hand for changing filters as well and have the right filter wrenches at the ready.

Remember, there is a filter on the engine as well. Change that one before leaving and have spare of both onboard, lots.

Install a vacuum guage!!!!!!!!! They are cheap and easy and worth their weight in GOLD.

Since boat is new to you you are likely to have fuel issues. If you heed this advice you will save yourself a TON of grief.

Also the alternator belt. Before leaving inspect and tighten it. I keep the three wrenches needed to replace ours in my tool bag ready to go......NO SEARCHING for the right ones. I also keep a spare in the engine room ready to go. Once I had one break and it was replaced within 4 minutes with no drama. You want the same.

believe me, believe me :-)

There are a million other things that can kill ya but those two will get you started!

[sveinung]

Where are you headed in Brooklyn? We're at World's Fair in Queens. Compromise of ease of access to marina and Long Island sound.

[SVTwilight]

Definitely take the ICW from Beaufort to Norfolk

I would prefer outside with a good wx window from Wilmington to Beaufort. Inside there is a real time waster with shoaling as mentioned

Norfolk to Cape May is a pretty big run on a new to you boat if the wx gets unfriendly from the E or NE and there is a lot of that this year. In April we planned Norfolk to Newport, but ended up running straight up to NYC when the wx turned NE on little notice.

Our general experience this Spring is that when the wx turns NE in the mid Atlantic region that the forecasts are late in catching on and it would be easy to get caught out.

[Powercon Steve]

Ditto!

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by akprb

I agree with skipmac. Norfolk to Cape May an easy run.

ALSO with fuel management!!!!!!!! Know how to change your filter and hopefully you have a parallel system. I keep a 1 gal jug of diesel on hand for changing filters as well and have the right filter wrenches at the ready.

Remember, there is a filter on the engine as well. Change that one before leaving and have spare of both onboard, lots.

Install a vacuum guage!!!!!!!!! They are cheap and easy and worth their weight in GOLD.

Since boat is new to you you are likely to have fuel issues. If you heed this advice you will save yourself a TON of grief.

Also the alternator belt. Before leaving inspect and tighten it. I keep the three wrenches needed to replace ours in my tool bag ready to go......NO SEARCHING for the right ones. I also keep a spare in the engine room ready to go. Once I had one break and it was replaced within 4 minutes with no drama. You want the same.

believe me, believe me :-)

There are a million other things that can kill ya but those two will get you started!

Excellent advice on all the above. Taking off on a new to you boat has a lot of potential problems that can jump up and bite you in the butt and akprb has hit the main ones.

I highly recommend checking out the fuel tanks. Hopefully there is an inspection plate but if not (like the ones on my boat) but if not you can probably get some access through a fitting on the top, like where the gauge senor mounts. At least try to poke a small hose into the lowest point in the tank and use a small pump to suck out a sample into a jar and inspect it for water and sludge.

Another advantage to starting the trip in the ICW is it will give you at least a little shakedown time on the boat before going offshore. If you haven't already done so, sign up for BoatUS unlimited towing package, it's cheap insurance.