Charleston SC to Boston Ma. Snowbird questions

[morgan342]

Ive been living aboard and sailing coastal non stop last 4yrs small passages no more than 2-3 days no sleep always at the helm besides a few moments where i tie the tiller down. Usually solo. I got my blue water cruiser and am ready for some long distance blue water. 41 ft steel sailboat.
Im leaving charleston in june to head up to boston and then cape cod canal for plymputh ma.
My questions are about the dangers of cape hateras and what would be the best route? How far out should i be out? Gulf stream? I know north winds make steep waves and a rough time but i figure i can get some good practice heaving to which ive never had to do being so close to shore picking my days for the perfect passage. I really cant wait to be able to just set the sails and read a book knowing im staying the course.
I would like to go non stop to boston find an anchorage for a few nights before heading to plymouth and then what would be the best time to leave boston to head back south to key west?
Thanks
Tom

[caradow]

Always at the helm for 2-3 days without sleep?
And you want to do a non-stop from Charleston to Boston via Hatteras?

You will be "coastal" all the way with much commercial traffic even around Hatteras.

My suggestion is to forget the non-stop mentality and enjoy the trip.
You are missing a lot of great spots to enjoy.
Not to mention the dangers facing you.

Save the staying awake for long periods way off shore where there are statistically less thing to run in to.

Also chances of lying back reading a book around Hatteras is unlikely.
If you do go for this how are you planning to get good weather information?

Hopefully you will reconsider your present plans.

[rwidman]

What he said!

[morgan342]

Theres a misunderstanding. Ive been sailing small sailboats down the down for the last few years. Im not trying to make stops. I just got my full keel bluewater 41 ft boat to do long passages. And am wondering which route is best when passing hatteras. Do i go on the inside or outside of the gulf stream or do i take the gulf stream when i head north.
Thanks

[Suijin]

I second Cracow's advice. If you're thinking of doing this right now, you're facing pretty reliable NW winds and short cold days. Also, the amount of shipping traffic going in and out of the Chesapeake, Delaware River, and New York can be pretty intense. They are coming from and going to all over so they fan out and I've had to pick my way through multiple ships simultaneously at night, which is not a lot of fun or something you want to do when you're not good on sleep.

As far as CH goes, no you don't want to enter the gulf stream which can be a washing machine this time of year. There's no need to either. Just pick your weather window carefully and give CH a wide berth.

If I were you I would plan on putting in at Hampton/Norfolk, and then again at Cape May on your way up and again waiting for good windows. Then head to Block Island, a 36 hour sail which gets you through the busiest section, and you can make your way north from there through some pretty wonderful cruising grounds. Elizabeth Islands, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket are wonderful this time of year with all the crowds gone.

By the way, you're going the wrong direction this time of year, lol.

[morgan342]

In was post i was giving my experience for the last few years which has been coastal sailing. With stops every day or two. Being in small sailboats with no auto pilot very close to shore i do not sleep during these small passages. I just purchased my new cruising boat. Im not leaving now. Im leaving in june when the weatber is nice and i belive with mostly south winds around that time.
I do not what to make stops and would like to go around everything. How far out to seas do i need to go to avoid the boat traffic. Im trying to plan a non stop trip with the least amout of hassle. And obviously im sleeping around hatteras. Im yrying to find out the best way to go around and what is the safest distance from land.

[caradow]

It is always beneficial to catch what you can from the stream going north.
It's like turning on an afterburner for a sailboat.
But you MUST pay careful attention to weather!!!
Simply saying you can heave to off CH is fought with problems.
If that occurs you will be in survival mode in the Graveyard of the Atlantic.
Believe me you don't want to be there.
Have you ever sailed in the GS? How are you planning on actually finding the stream?

I do think you are heading in the right direction by asking questions on this forum where there is a wealth of knowledge. With most giving you good advice.

Maybe you could tell us more about you and your boat in order to get more specific help.
Things like: what electronics do you have?, do you have a life raft?, when was the last time your rigging was inspected? how much offshore experience do you have?
I am sure you have read about people who just get up and go without much experience and there are people on this forum who tell them to go for it.
I myself am more cautious on my suggestions but you weigh the responses and of course you will be the final judge.
The responsibility will be yours in the end including putting our rescue services in danger.
I applaud you on your enthusiasm and if your proceed with caution you will have a great trip.
I am curious why Boston? You can drive to Boston in a car.....you are missing some beautiful harbors along the way.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by morgan342

In was post i was giving my experience for the last few years which has been coastal sailing. With stops every day or two. Being in small sailboats with no auto pilot very close to shore i do not sleep during these small passages. I just purchased my new cruising boat. Im not leaving now. Im leaving in june when the weatber is nice and i belive with mostly south winds around that time.
I do not what to make stops and would like to go around everything. How far out to seas do i need to go to avoid the boat traffic. Im trying to plan a non stop trip with the least amout of hassle. And obviously im sleeping around hatteras. Im yrying to find out the best way to go around and what is the safest distance from land.

You will need to make that judgement at the time dependent upon the weather window you can find and the locale of the stream at the time. You can find reasonably good info on the Stream on a number of web sites and from them simply plan to sail along the primary axis of the stream and, once far enough north, back over the top of an eddy on the west side of the stream toward Mass. Obviously, one cannot pre-plan a route by more than a few daze and Hatteras is notoriously dangerous hence must be given a wide berth. For the sake of the exercise, click over to PassageWeather.com and take a look at the location of the stream now to get a sense of how that moves and where the eddies are.

FWIW...

[Hud3]

Just make sure you have a reliable weather forecast and the ability to get updates as you approach Hatteras and you should be fine.

I went around Hatteras during the passage of a weak front in late May, and didn't have any problems at all. I had come north from the Bahamas, and stayed near the western wall of the Stream the whole way, so I could bail out to the west if need be. Squalls tend to intensify as they move across the stream, generally from west to east, picking up energy from the warm water, and so tend to be stronger toward the east side of the Stream. We could see a lot of lightning to the east at night.

The cautions about coastal traffic--commercial, fishing and recreational--are valid. If you sleep for more than 20 minutes or so at a time, you're risking a collision.

[morgan342]

My boat is all equipped with everything i need for safety , gps and charts.... Everything...
I dont have any equipment question and my boat is sound. 41 ft steel. Beautiful boat great condition. As ready as you can be in a sailboat.
I am a sailor from boston. Have been going non stop for the last four yrs. I dont drive. Im not trying to see anything. Im trying to do long distance non stop. This is going to be my first real blue water trip. I have been coastal not going out more than 20 miles off coast.
After boston im planning non stop back to florida. But one thing at a time.
I thought i could find the gulf stream by a rough estimate of distance from shore.. I do know it changes. But i also figure you will be able to see the difference in the water and dependi g on the wind there might be a wall of step waves

[morgan342]

Coastal traffic is exactly that? Coastal. If im on the west side of the stream i wont have much traffic? Is that correct? Charts do mark shipping lanes right? Which are in and out of ports so not much to worry about in regaurds to collisions in bewtween ports but even less 100 miles off coast?

[Sailshabby]

I imagine with little effort you'd be able to find crew. Even if they're relatively worthless, four (or six) hands are better than two and you can park them in the cockpit to maintain a lookout while you nap next to them.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Hud3

Just make sure you have a reliable weather forecast and the ability to get updates as you approach Hatteras and you should be fine.

I went around Hatteras during the passage of a weak front in late May, and didn't have any problems at all. I had come north from the Bahamas, and stayed near the western wall of the Stream the whole way, so I could bail out to the west if need be. Squalls tend to intensify as they move across the stream, generally from west to east, picking up energy from the warm water, and so tend to be stronger toward the east side of the Stream. We could see a lot of lightning to the east at night.

The cautions about coastal traffic--commercial, fishing and recreational--are valid. If you sleep for more than 20 minutes or so at a time, you're risking a collision.

Hud--On your passage did you go west of 74ºW as you passed Hatteras?

[morgan342]

I could get a crew but ive been solo for all these years..and i need the prqctice being by myself.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by morgan342

r from boston. Have been going non stop for the last four yrs. I dont drive. Im not trying to see anything. Im trying to do long distance non stop. This is going to be my first real blue water trip. I have been coastal not going out more than 20 miles off coast.

Congratulations on your boat of your dreams.

Now, let's temper that with some reality.

This is NOT a "real blue water trip." Really. You have to understand this. You seem not to be able to.

20 miles out is still coastal, and, given the areas you will be transiting: CH, entrances to Chesapeake, Delaware and NYC, there WILL be a tremendous amount of commercial traffic. All year round. That includes June when you plan to go. Even 100 miles out for your planned route is still coastal, requiring you to sleep, as noted before, no more than 20 minutes at a time.

If you want blue water, head east, continue for two days, and maybe then you can relax.

What smart skippers do is stage their trips, especially when solo, and when in that kind of traffic, to remain awake and safe.

You seem to have the equipment to do your trip, but should do some more heavy research on the Gulf Stream and routes before you set out. If you attempt to do what you have originally planned, you could be in a world of hurt, tired, sleepy, groggy and unable to make good decisions when it really counts.

You wrote: " gps and charts.... Everything..." Do you have AIS?

Safe journey. Plan ahead.