Com-Pac 27 from Westbrook CT to Urbanna VA

[Deadrise]

Hello All,

We are having a 1993 CP-27 surveyed this Friday and if all works out we will be purchasing her. We have overland shipping arranged for mid Oct, but are thinking about possibly making the trip underway. We have a two week leave window from 01-14 Oct, what are your thoughts, strategies, concerns about making this run this time of year?

Westbrook - Port Jefferson
Port Jefferson - Manhasset Bay
Manhasset - Great Kills or Sandy Hook
GK/SH - Manasquan or Atlantic City
Man/AC to Cape May
Cape May - Delaware City
D City - Sassafras
Sass - Anapolois
Anapolis - Pax River
Pax - Great Wicomico
Great Wicomico - Urbanna

We are willing to put the boat up anywhere along the trip if we run out of time, our hope being at least into the upper Chesapeake worst case.

Any and all input will be very much appreciated.

Take care,
John

[Orion Jim]

Eminently doable. You just need the weather to cooperate. Take advantage of the tides whenever possible.
You should have lots of company as the annual migration to southern waters is in full effect.

[ggray]

Should be a lot of fun.

Might be good to start trip with short legs for shake down. I am more familiar with the southern end, but I suppose there are enough places at the beginning that you could duck in if necessary.

[Deadrise]

Thank you Jim and Gray for taking the time to respond,

I'm a tad concerned with the run down the Jersey Coast, hoping to get it done in one hop if we can get the weather. Manasquan doesn't looks like it's worth the trouble so it Atlantic City at least and Cape May at best.

Any additional input would be welcomed and appreciated.

Take care,
John

[Sparx]

Very doable. Your basic plan is sound.

From my experience i would.

Use Manhasset Bay to stage for favorable tide in the East River. I prefer an an after dark or early morning run in the East River, which gives plenty of time to get settled in at Atlantic Highlands

Use Atlantic Highlands (Sandy Point NJ) to stage for weather along the NJ coast.

If the weather is good I would run the entire NJ coast nonstop. If I had to duck in Barnegat Inlet and Atlantic City are my preferred stops. Early October is likely to be beautiful off the Jersey Coast, but I would not linger lest weather pins the boat in some dank harbor there.

Delaware City is a pleasant stop. But it is entirely possible to run from Cape May, through the CD Canal and into the Chesapeake in one day by riding the tide. There are plenty of very nice anchorages just inside the Chesapeake after exiting the canal.

Once in the Chesapeake if progress has left some extra time in the schedule take the opportunity to meander in the Chesapeake. The stops you have listed are all great choices by the way.

I live just across the river from Urbana. If you want to chat details with a local, pm me.

[Gary Matthesen]

Great anchorage in Port Jeff after you enter on left or right. I prefer to go right and grab a mooring for the night, usually abandon by owners by now for the season. As mentioned above you MUST play the tides to make any decent headway, even if it means up at 3 am. A good chart plotter is recommended for entering unfamiliar inlets in the dark. Watch for barges that roam Long Island Sound day and night. Also be aware on the East River, commercial traffic at night can "hide" among the city lights.
Been years but we raced out of Atlantic city, great marina, hit a casino of u feel lucky...

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Deadrise

Westbrook - Port Jefferson
I am a big fan of Tavern on Main. They marinate the lamb chops for five days! Their chocolate desserts are pretty good too, and we all know that chocolate is the first of five essential food groups! Regardless, it is a great place for dinner the night before you cast off.
Port Jefferson - Manhasset Bay
Manhasset - Great Kills or Sandy Hook
Another option is Sheepshead Bay, in Brooklyn. There are moorings you can tie up to. As many boats are starting to come out of the water, you should not have an issue grabbing one for a night. You can also anchor. The good news is that it is shorter to get to the ocean than from the usual anchorages in Sandy Hook. Both are decent anchorages though.
GK/SH - Manasquan or Atlantic City
Another option is Barnegat Bay. You can stay on the hook or there are several options to tie up to a pier.
Man/AC to Cape May
Cape May - Delaware City
In addition to Deleware City, you also have the options of Summit North and Chesapeake City, both on the C-D canal. The advantage is that they are roughly halfway through the canal, and you can make Annapolis in one day if you start reasonably early, such as daylight. Cheasapeake City is also a nice place to stop for an evening and do something.
D City - Sassafras
You should be able to make Annapolis in one day, if you wish to do so.
Sass - Anapolois
Anapolis - Pax River
Pax - Great Wicomico
Great Wicomico - Urbanna
There are also good places on the East shore of the Chesapeake. If the winds are from the south east or east, the east shore will offer a little more protection if needed.

This is a great trip and I am sure you will enjoy it quite a bit. Good luck and fair winds.

[altinr]

Hi, John

I've done almost all of those legs, many of them repeatedly.

You should have no trouble with that boat ... they are good and solid.

Manhasset is a great anchorage, easy in and easy out.

Just past the Verrazano Bridge, Great Kills is ok, but there's a real nice anchorage just to the east in Coney Island Creek. It's more on the way, nice and deep, but the neighborhood isn't great (so don't dinghy ashore). You should be fine at anchor.

Down to Barnegat or AC is realistic, depending on the waves and wind. You can get from Barnegat to AC easily, or to Cape May with a good westerly (flat water and a beam reach). Don't forget ... the course along the NJ shore is to the SW as you go further south.

AC to Cape May is an easy run, and that inlet is good. Take the canal into the Delaware Bay ... make sure your mast clears ... I think it's 50'.

An alternate anchorage in the Delaware Bay is the Cohanssey River, about a 1/2 mi in.

Chesapeake City is an alternate to Delaware City, 1/2 way down the canal.

The mouth of the Bohemia River is a good spot to anchor on a quiet night ... not out of the way. You may have to go pretty far in the Sassafras to get a quiet spot.

Annapolis is always fun ... if you need a shortstop there's always Worton Creek, Great Oak Landing, or Rock Hall along the eastern shore of the Northern Chesapaeake.

Solomons Island is a great stop, but I guess you can also find somewhere along the Pax River just around the corner.

I'm not real familiar with the area south of there.


As others have said, weather and tides are critical.
This is especially true in transmitting the East River in NY, any of the NJ inlets, the Delaware Bay, and the C and D Canal. Don't fight the currents!

Regarding the NJ inlets ... Manasquan and Barnegat are fine in good weather, when the tide isn't opposing the wind. However, a 3 knot outgoing current meeting a 15 knot easterly will give you at least 3' breaking waves. There's a good anchorage just past the lighthouse in Barnegat.
Atlantic City and Cape May are easier, but don't tempt fate!
The long stretches down the NJ coast are so variable ... with flat water and a 15 knot westerly, you can do 6-7 knots. Tacking into a strong southerly, with a 3-4 foot chop, you're unlikely to accomplish more than 3-4 knots. Plan accordingly.

If I can be of any help, feel free to get in touch.

Fair seas,
Bob Altin

609 5197900 cell
bobaltin@gmail.com

Originally Posted by Deadrise

Hello All,
We are having a 1993 CP-27 surveyed this Friday and if all works out we will be purchasing her. We have overland shipping arranged for mid Oct, but are thinking about possibly making the trip underway. We have a two week leave window from 01-14 Oct, what are your thoughts, strategies, concerns about making this run this time of year?

Westbrook - Port Jefferson
Port Jefferson - Manhasset Bay
Manhasset - Great Kills or Sandy Hook
GK/SH - Manasquan or Atlantic City
Man/AC to Cape May
Cape May - Delaware City
D City - Sassafras
Sass - Anapolois
Anapolis - Pax River
Pax - Great Wicomico
Great Wicomico - Urbanna

We are willing to put the boat up anywhere along the trip if we run out of time, our hope being at least into the upper Chesapeake worst case.

Any and all input will be very much appreciated.

Take care,
John

[SVTwilight]

Originally Posted by Deadrise

Thank you Jim and Gray for taking the time to respond,

I'm a tad concerned with the run down the Jersey Coast, hoping to get it done in one hop if we can get the weather. Manasquan doesn't looks like it's worth the trouble so it Atlantic City at least and Cape May at best.

Any additional input would be welcomed and appreciated.

Take care,
John

You are right the Jersey coast is long and can be very lumpy, esp if you cannot sail (due to adverse winds). Not many good stopping points. I was just on Long Beach Island last weekend and on Saturday there were NE winds producing 3-5 ft chop over 3-4 ft of SE swell. Didn't look like fun for the few sailboats we saw heading south and probably would have been a washing machine for a 27 footer. That stretch will require careful planning this time of year as the wx deteriorates. Bring extra fuel....



Little Neck Bay just East of the Whitestone Bridge is a good anchorage with protection from every direction except north, so a good place to stage for the East River and NY Harbor. No shore access.


Consider getting AIS if you don't have it already and monitor channel 13 for the barge/tug traffic. You can also see a lot of the AIS traffic on the Marine Traffic APP. You need to be able to call commericial ships by name or they often will not respond. You also tend to get a lot more respect from the big boys when you are broadcasting AIS as well.



Definitely take the Cape May Canal instead of outside. We have done both. I would try to do most of the Delaware Bay during the day. Lots of hazards and lots of very large ships moving fast. CD canal is ok at night and the Chesapeake City anchorage toward the West end is good holding and out of wind and current with fuel available across the canal at Schaefers with a nice restaurant as well.From there just time the tides to get the most advantage is transiting the north end of Chesapeake Bay. Enjoy!!


The Navionics App for the smart phone is a great way to plan the currents for this trip and it is cheap....

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by SVTwilight

I was just on Long Beach Island last weekend and on Saturday there were NE winds producing 3-5 ft chop over 3-4 ft of SE swell. Didn't look like fun for the few sailboats we saw heading south and probably would have been a washing machine for a 27 footer. That stretch will require careful planning this time of year as the wx deteriorates. Bring extra fuel....

Definitely take the Cape May Canal instead of outside. We have done both. I would try to do most of the Delaware Bay during the day. Lots of hazards and lots of very large ships moving fast. CD canal is ok at night and the Chesapeake City anchorage toward the West end is good holding and out of wind and current with fuel available across the canal at Schaefers with a nice restaurant as well.From there just time the tides to get the most advantage is transiting the north end of Chesapeake Bay. Enjoy!!

Good advice! I have done the trip south in a three to five foot chop. It was a bit of lumpy ride, but I myself didn't mind it. Maybe it was due to my time in tanks and I just don't know what a comfortable ride is!

All in all, the trip was enjoyable. IF the weather is a little uncomfortable and you have made it to Barnegat Bay, you can make the tip to Atlantic City (AC) on the inside. Just be sure to stay in the channel. You cannot make it from AC to Cape May in a sailboat due to the bridges. However, from AC to Cape May is just a few hours so that half a day on the inside will make the trip from Barnegat Bay to Cape May tolerable.

If you tie up at the Canyon Club marina in Cape May at this time of year, the offices will likely be closed by the time you arrive, and will likely be closed if you leave before 08:00. Everyone understands and they usually say that if you are there when the office opens, stop in and pay for the slip. If not, have a great day! EDIT: Cape May is pretty well lit by ambient and direct light so if it is a reasonably clear evening, and you run late, don't be alarmed. Go slowly, and enjoy.

When going up the Delaware River, I usually stay a hundred or so feet outside of the channel. This removes the risk of getting run over by the cargo ships yet there is no risk of running aground. Just be sure to check the charts to make sure nothing has changed.

[zstine]

I agree that the only part you really need to worry about is going around NJ. That said, with a 3.5 foot draft you could make miles in the ICW of NJ, which starts at Manasquan and goes to Cape May. Note, I don't have personal experience doing all the NJ ICW and there may be points, maybe?, that you'd have to wait for tide with 3.5 foot draft... ? BUT if the weather is not conducive to going outside, there is an alternative so you aren't stuck waiting for days.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by zstine

I agree that the only part you really need to worry about is going around NJ. That said, with a 3.5 foot draft you could make miles in the ICW of NJ, which starts at Manasquan and goes to Cape May. Note, I don't have personal experience doing all the NJ ICW and there may be points, maybe?, that you'd have to wait for tide with 3.5 foot draft... ? BUT if the weather is not conducive to going outside, there is an alternative so you aren't stuck waiting for days.

The issue isn't the draft. The issue are the bridges. The only area suitable for a sailboat is from Barnegat Bay to Atlantic City (AC). I took a Catalina down the coast with a 3.5 foot draft and everywhere except from the Bay to AC had bridges that were too low.

[zstine]

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

The issue isn't the draft. The issue are the bridges. The only area suitable for a sailboat is from Barnegat Bay to Atlantic City (AC). I took a Catalina down the coast with a 3.5 foot draft and everywhere except from the Bay to AC had bridges that were too low.

Ahh, right! haha.. duh..

is the Compac 27 Keel or Deck stepped? If deck stepped, it should be fairly easy to lower with a block and tackle on the forestay and a jib pole.


Barnegat to AC is still something to keep in mind though..

[waterman46]

Careful around "Anapolois". One of my favorite places in the whole world, but locals there get a little ornery if you mis-spell the name.



Seriously, good luck with the trip and I envy you - still waiting to get back to my boat in November.

[Time2Go]

I’ll just add be sure to get an “Eldridge “
and study the tides and currents.
Highly recommend that you time
Hellgate in the East River to go through at slack before ebb
you’ll rip down the East River.
Also I’d do this bit in Daylight as the traffic can get gnarly
There are now numerous ferry stops on the river
Have fun , sailing by the Statue of Liberty is special
Cheers