Going from Rochester NY by the canal and NYC how hard.

[LittleWing77]

It's pretty straightforward, Curtis. Just break it down into manageable pieces. A busy harbour like NYC is just that: busy. Don't let it freak you out too much. Make sure you're well-rested beforehand, give yourself all day and time your transit with the tides as PSK says. Remember, all the ferry traffic, etc. will see you long before you see them. They ALL have AIS.

And you're already researching and planning, which is prudent seamanship.

If it were me, I would ensure that my mast was restepped at Troy (what is the point of a sailboat that you can't sail?) Also if you're motorsailing, remember - Main up - even with the engine on, will give you added stability.

Everyone has already provided good advice. (Especially note PSK's, they are his local waters, so he's a great resource.)

For some Winter viewing of your actual trip, how about Distant Shores?
Season Six.

Here's the link to the trailer:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/distantshorestv6 They go from here in Ontario through Oswego Canal, restep at Troy, down to and thru ICW and eventually Caribbean.

Note: They also stop for a few days at the 92nd Street marina before tackling NYC Harbour, so you might consider that as a further keep-it-manageable technique. Until I had watched that episode, I never even knew that marina existed!

Fair winds!
Warmly,
LittleWing77

[LittleWing77]

Oh - and as for the hard-of-hearing thing. Just keep a hand-held VHF in the cockpit with you (in addition to the boat's full power masthead VHF) that way you'll hear the traffic talk and could communicate in a pinch without leaving the helm.

[Dave Lochner]

As far as boat traffic goes, given a choice of sailing through NY Harbor or sailing in Irondequiot Bay or Sodus Bay on a hot summer holiday, I'd take NY Harbor. The professional mariners know what they're doing and they'r moving much slower.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Dave Lochner

As far as boat traffic goes, given a choice of sailing through NY Harbor or sailing in Irondequiot Bay or Sodus Bay on a hot summer holiday, I'd take NY Harbor. The professional mariners know what they're doing and they'r moving much slower.

Agreed. The craziness around Rochester is far worse than anything I remember from growing up on Long Island Sound. Mind you, I don't think the boaters are necessarily worse, but they're more concentrated. So instead of the idiots being scattered around and mixed in with the non-idiots, they're all packed together into a tiny space where you're stuck with them non-stop. And this year seemed even worse, to the point where we made a point to travel for July 4th just to avoid the craziness.

[Tetepare]

For those who transit from NYC to Lake Ontario, the exit onto the lake is Oswego.



Get your mast stepped in Oswego. Most likely the winds will be SW or NW, and you'll want that extra bit of stability and speed since the waves will be predominately on the nose.