Trip from Long Island to Baltimore

[Stu Jackson]

Have a great trip, sounds like you know what you're up to.

More info: http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...yc-133954.html

[tominny]

These are good sites to get relevant weather information for your trip:

http://www.opc.ncep.noaa.gov/Atl_tab.shtml

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/zone/off/offnt2mz.htm

The "Wave period & direction" forecast will be quite relevant for this trip.

As others pointed out the Atlantic inlets can get nasty in certain conditions (onshore swell and wind waves paired with outgoing tide) and be calm in others, so it pays to pay attention to these factors in the forecast. Remember, if the weather deteriorates it may be safer to get more sea room and staying at sea than running for an inlet, all depending on the conditions and your boat, of course.

[ztsf]

Couple of points.

0) If you leave City Island at HIGH TIDE at the Battery (consult Eldridge as someone suggested), you will have a nice ride down the East River and out the Narrows, heading for Sandy Hook/Atlantic Highlands.

Hellgate will not be an issue. Actually, the cut between Roosevelt island and Manhattan just south of Hellgate is the most challenging part of the trip with tug/barges, DEP boats, party boats and powerboats that don't know that throttling down is considered good seamanship. The riprap and seawall on each side magnify the waves from the wakes. We once took a complete standing wall of water over the entire length of a C&C 35 in there. Beware and transit that portion quickly (which you will - it's the fastest current on the East River).

In anything but a severe blow, there is good anchoring (and relatively protected), at the east end of Atlantic Highlands Municipal Harbor. Your only other anchoring bet is Horseshoe Cove, on the Hook itself, but that is not well protected in westerly winds. It will take you 1 hour in, and 1 hour out of Sandy Hook Bay, if you stay in Atlantic Highlands.

1) Watch out for commercial fishing boats heading off the coast of NJ. They don't like detouring around anyone.

2) The advice on Cape May is good and if your mast is lower than the 55' clearance - the Cape May Canal will save you LOTS of time. You can also take on diesel in Cape May.

3) Timing - we did Atlantic City to Sandy Hook in about 12 hours motoring a C&C 41. To make AC or Cape May, some of your sailing will likely be after dark. You should consider the inlets north of Atlantic City only for a weather bail-out. Keep going if you can.

4) The approaches to Atlantic City are pretty shallow, pretty far out. Study the charts and adjust your waypoints accordingly.

Godspeed.

[rhubstuff]

Two harbors that I haven't seen mentioned yet (unless I missed them...): If you need to get off Lower Bay, Great Kills on Staten Island is very protected. I've weathered more than one storm in there. And if you need to get off the ocean, Manasquan Inlet/Brielle is a good bet. Keep these in your back pocket just in case the wx goes bad. BTW, Del. bay has a lot of fish in it, 'specially on the incoming tide. Drag a line and catch dinner.

[Liunatic]

sent you a pm about your planned trip

Thanks
Richard and Melanie

[BigBoater917]

In Hell Gate most Eastbound traffic will transit up to 1 hour either side of slack, some stone tows and the municipal sludge tankers will go anytime as will Westbound tugs and tows. There are virtually no ferries on the East river on the weekend so definitely try to go then. Keep a radio on channel 12 for VTS and you'll have a good heads up on all reported traffic between Throgs Neck and the Brooklyn Bridge. All the commercial guys will be on 13 if you need to call them.

[BigBoater917]

I should have added that VTS changes channels to 14 at the Brooklyn Bridge.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by BigBoater917

I should have added that VTS changes channels to 14 at the Brooklyn Bridge.

I keep the VHF scanning on 9/16/13 through there. What's VTS?

[BigBoater917]

VTS is vessel traffic service, the USCG runs it and any tug with a barge and the larger ferries as well as ships are required to be on it. Light tugs and the smaller waterways ferries are not. If you're listening in you'll know where all of the traffic in the East River that you should be concerned about is. Also any vessel operating in the system does not have to monitor channel 16, none of the light tugs will be on 16 either, 13 is your best option for direct communication.

[Moody46CC]

Ran from CT to the Bay two years ago this May. Went through Hell's Gate from Port Washington at noon to get the right tide, but Atlantic Highlands (my preference) was still trashed from Sandy, so we over-nighted at Liberty Landing in NJ opposite the World Trade Center. We had just picked up this boat after buying her, so she was new to us and I did not want a night passage in a boat I hardly knew. Liberty Landing was not cheap, but it was out of season and frankly worth the view of lower Manhattan at any price. Truly awesome.

We left NYC at dawn and motor sailed to Atlantic City. Got there around 8-9 PM but it was dark. The wind was building, but I had been there before both in daylight and the dark. Uneventful entry until leaving a day later. The chart had said buoys not marked owing to frequent shoaling (and moving the buoys) so I looked for and found lighted buoys on way in. What I did not see until the next day when leaving in daylight were three red temporary and UNLIT buoys marking some shoaling along the north side of the channel once inside the jetties. Hittling one would have ruined my day, so beware. AC is a nice stop, but either enter in daylight or call on VHF to see if there are any unmarked temporary buoys. And have up-to-date charts.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by BigBoater917

VTS is vessel traffic service, the USCG runs it and any tug with a barge and the larger ferries as well as ships are required to be on it. Light tugs and the smaller waterways ferries are not. If you're listening in you'll know where all of the traffic in the East River that you should be concerned about is. Also any vessel operating in the system does not have to monitor channel 16, none of the light tugs will be on 16 either, 13 is your best option for direct communication.

I knew about 13 but not VTS. Thanks. I won't bother listening to it though, because we have AIS displayed onscreen at the helm and that's far more useful than trying to decipher positions and speed based on voice comms. With AIS transceivers in the $600+ range now, or under $400 for receivers, most boaters can afford it. Highly recommended in high traffic and/or low visibility situations, especially in constricted channels or where you want to be able to call other vessels by name.

BTW the trip down the East River is spectacular and exciting especially for the first few times -- it goes by way too quickly.

[George DuBose]

There is a canal through Cape May allowing one to avoid rounding the cape. Mind the two jetties that protect the entrance to this canal. I almost ran into one of the jetties when approaching at night. Mind the red buoys...