One hop from Groton, CT to Cape May, NJ

[Cthoops]

We are about a week away from being ready to start our first trip south. Weather permitting, we are hoping to go on the outside from Groton, CT to Cape May, NJ in one hop.

For some reason I seem to recall reading that an east wind should be avoided when going down the New Jersey coast, but I can't remember if that was only applicable when staying closer to shore (i.e. going from Sandy Hook to Atlantic City, Atlantic City to Cape May, etc). I think that's the case, but I just wanted to double check.

Thanks.

[Suijin]

Pretty much, lee shore. However it can make entering inlets a bit dicey with the ocean swell and downright dangerous on an outgoing tide. If you’re pulling into Cape May on an outgoing and it looks bad (standing waves) you can go around to the back side inside the river if you’ll fit under the bridge.

You’ll be crossing a lot of traffic at night so keep a good look out. Give the big commercial fishing boats S/SW of Long Island a wide berth as they meander all over the place. If you have AIS it makes the trip significantly less stressful.

SW winds are prevailing so go when you can go.