Martha's Vineyard to New York City

[TxTrench]

I'm looking for some advice on the best way to make this trip from people who have done it. My two sons will be with me ages 10 and 12 so any points of interest along the way would be appreciated. My boat is a Lagoon 440. 75' tall. Where can I moor up close to the city? Also would like to know the best way to Washington DC from there. Thanks for the help.

[Drew13440]

I can't help with "best way" without knowing what's important to you, but with young children I'd go inside on both routes. Plenty to stop and see along the way (kids get a bang out of Mystic Seaport in CT, for example).


There's a NYC Parks Department marina at West 79th Street in Manhattan. Call ahead and reserve a mooring ball.

[sailorboy1]

Read your Eldridge book for the whole current planning. which is the key for the trip. If coming through long island sound Port Washington has free mooring balls and is a nice cruiser stop with a store/west marine/restaurants/movie theater all in walking distance. 10-12 hours to Sandy Hook for there assuming you planned the current.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by TxTrench

I'm looking for some advice on the best way to make this trip from people who have done it. My two sons will be with me ages 10 and 12 so any points of interest along the way would be appreciated. My boat is a Lagoon 440. 75' tall. Where can I moor up close to the city? Also would like to know the best way to Washington DC from there. Thanks for the help.

You can find all the great places to go by using Active Captain.
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[TheOffice]

You have to time the currents at The Race and Hell's Gate.

Stop in Newport, Mystic and Port washington. Liberty Marina in NJ, then Cape May. You can not do the Cape May canal. Around the point to the Delaware Bay to C&D canal (time the current there too), then Baltimore, Annapolis

[Tom and Maje]

NYC will not allow a catamaran on the mooring balls. If you stay at the 79th boat basin, plan on 100+ a night

[Cadence]

I would echo the suggestion of don't miss Mystic Seaport having boys their ages.

[hugosalt]

Interest/entertainment for your crew...
Look for the Longhorn cattle along the beach of Nashawena Island when sailing
Vineyard Sound/Buzzards bay. last island before Cuttyhunk.
Cuttyhunk is throwback in time, a favorite of many, a bit quiet for your young crew.
Up the bay from Newport in Bristol, R.I. is the Herreshoff museum, years ago i could not pry my young family away, much to my delight.
Up the Ct. River, Essex great town, Deep River... steam locomotive train ride, call ahead for info/reservations. Just missed the largest Fife and Drum gathering.
Western Long Island sound ct side ..anchor in Norwalk Islands, can (approach carefully) go in behind Goose Island swim, dinghy to island for picnic/bbq will almost surely be only boat there if you overnight.
Little further west, surprise crew and go to Rye Playland, amusement park right on the sound. Fireworks on Friday nights in summer.
On Long Island side western sound, village of Northport, all very close to waterfront
(Seymours Marina has moorings) concerts Thursday or fridays evenings.
Also Oyster bay, a short ride to Theodore Roosevelts home at Sagamore Hill.

[redhead]

Long Island Sound has many things to see and little/flukey wind at this time of year. Plan on motoring a lot.

I always liked my home port Mt. Sinai Harbor for a quiet night, or Port Jefferson for restaurants and shopping (both on north shore of LI about mid-way to NYC). Think quaint, New England-y stuff. I think Mystic has the Mayflower II up in dry dock, should be interesting. Have a ball, I miss it sometimes.

[grae]

second what Cotemar said, I dropped anchor last week in the bay by Liberty State Park boat ramp and I draw 5'- watch the channel coming in, I know you don't draw much in a cat but there are some walls off to the south.

There are a couple of spots to the west of Sandy Hook which are good to anchor up for or go down to Atlantic Highlands, there are a few spots there to anchor up too.

The Jersey shore is not great for stop offs on the way to Cape May so plan wisely - Barnegat and Atlantic City being the two I've used in the past.

[gwbull]

Agree with all sightseeing suggestions. But if you plan to spend any time in NYC there is ONLY ONE MARINA to even consider -- LIBERTY LANDING MARINA. Easy to find as you come around the southern tip of manhattan... very short distance up the Hudson R. on your left you will see a HUGE clock... marina just to the left of that. Well marked, and among other features the management is great there, fuel there, no wake from the Hudson there because it's in a canal off the river (important due to heavy maritime traffic and/or weather -- the only marina we know of that wasnt reduced to slivers by "Sandy"... all boats in the water survived without ANY damage, including ours). $7 ferry right from there to NYC, 10 min ride, very convenient. And if you do stop there, do us a favor and tell 'em "Snow Goose" of Boston says hello. We normally summer in Edgartown and go south for the winter, always stopping there for fuel, rest and city visits. Have a great cruise.

[HalfHitch]

What a lovely and educational journey you are planning with your sons! Hope you make lots of grand memories. Post some pics!

[kapnkarl]

[You have to time the currents at The Race and Hell's Gate.]

I've been reading about Hell Gate but where is The Race?

[redhead]

The Race is a point off the east end of Long Island between LI and Fisher's Island in a wicked piece of water near Plum Gut. It's an area where Long Island Sound, Gardiners Bay, Block Island Sound and the Atlantic all meet up and greet each other pretty boisterously. (This may not be entirely accurate, I'm pulling it out of my memory, I'm sure someone will educate us)

Lotsa fun if you don't know your tides and currents.

[Symphony]

the Race is west of the West End of Fishers Island.
the flood or ebb current is quite strong in Fishers Island Sound (which is on the north side of Fishers). lots of boats, very scenic and great wind tunnel in there, you might want to avoid it if the usual westerlies are blowing.
The other route is to way south of Fishers Island and out of the current and the wind tunnel, reach the Race at slack water or start of the flood and roar in.
You could also go into Long Island on Gardiners Bay, always great sailing there as long as you can time the current through Plum Gut. current can reach 5 and 6 knots easily. You could spend an entire season puttering around inside the eastern end of Long Island.

very nice anchorage in East Harbor of Fishers Island, West Harbor OK too. Stonington has moorings and anchorage, very nice. Mystic is a little ways up the river, could be fun to go through the bridge.

Once you are past Plum Gut there are very few places to stop on the north shore of Long Island (other than Mattituck Inlet) until you get to Port Jeff. South shore of CT has many many marinas and anchorages.

fantastic area to visit. Light winds will be OK (since they are usually westerlies).