Planning a trip to Charleston SC from Oyster Bay

[D.C.Y.]

Need help planning a trip from Oyster Bay to Charleston
Any of you salty dogs ever made similar trips?


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[marlinmike]

What is the draft, is there a time limit, do you like overnight passages?

[D.C.Y.]

Draft is 5'2"
We have a week or two to get there. (Really a month solid to get there and back.)
We have never sailed at night.


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[capt-couillon]

Not enough time... (In my opinion) If you start setting "drop dead dates" things go south in a hurry. Iffy weather, boat problems, etc get lost in the drive to "get there"

Quick look at the numbers...

Sandy Hook to Charleston straight down the outside, (Not a trip for newbies or the faint of heart) around 600nm or (using my offshore rule of thumb of 100nm/24 hrs) 6 days of 24 hr sailing. 2 to 4 days when you get there to recover, and fix broke stuff.

Outside from Sandy Hook to Norfolk 275nm (or there abouts) figure 3 24hr days. Norfolk to Charleston in the "Ditch" 750m. Ditch days = 50m on average, no night sailing, tides etc. 750/50 = 15 days. Total Sandy Hook to Chucktown 18 days.

You might save some time jumping outside at Cape Fear, and running down to Charleston, but still a couple of 24hr days.

Allot more time, or wait till you have more time.

I'm just sayin'...

Myself, leaving out of middle Chesapeake in a couple weeks, plan to stop in Savannah to visit friends. When they ask when I will arrive, my answer is "When I get there". No earlier than the end of the first week of Nov, if the weather is perfect, nothing breaks, and I don't get distracted along the way....

[D.C.Y.]

Thanks for the note. I figured a month was tight. We took her from Martha's Vineyard to oyster Bay this summer. That alone took us 5 days. No night sailing


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[marlinmike]

Thinking the exact same thing, that's why I was asking for overnight, also didn't know the time period, this could be in August for all we know, but even then its a haul, which is typical of a delivery.

Originally Posted by capt-couillon

Not enough time... (In my opinion) If you start setting "drop dead dates" things go south in a hurry. Iffy weather, boat problems, etc get lost in the drive to "get there"

Quick look at the numbers...

Sandy Hook to Charleston straight down the outside, (Not a trip for newbies or the faint of heart) around 600nm or (using my offshore rule of thumb of 100nm/24 hrs) 6 days of 24 hr sailing. 2 to 4 days when you get there to recover, and fix broke stuff.

Outside from Sandy Hook to Norfolk 275nm (or there abouts) figure 3 24hr days. Norfolk to Charleston in the "Ditch" 750m. Ditch days = 50m on average, no night sailing, tides etc. 750/50 = 15 days. Total Sandy Hook to Chucktown 18 days.

You might save some time jumping outside at Cape Fear, and running down to Charleston, but still a couple of 24hr days.

Allot more time, or wait till you have more time.

I'm just sayin'...

Myself, leaving out of middle Chesapeake in a couple weeks, plan to stop in Savannah to visit friends. When they ask when I will arrive, my answer is "When I get there". No earlier than the end of the first week of Nov, if the weather is perfect, nothing breaks, and I don't get distracted along the way....

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by D.C.Y.

Draft is 5'2"
We have a week or two to get there. (Really a month solid to get there and back.)
We have never sailed at night.


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I'd have to agree with everything capt. couillon said. How many crew? If even considering any outside I'd like 4. You can't stop and drop the hook and long watches and falling asleep isn't the way. Doing the ditch at night is an invitation for a grounding.

[D.C.Y.]

Hm... Boat weddings are tuff. We want to get married in BVI. But unlikely friends and family would come down. Thought we might meet family in Charleston... But this is sounding like a really big deal to sail down there. Looks like wedding in Oyster Bay on our mooring or at the club. Even still some family will be unable to attend. I was hoping for something more exotic. Exotic costs $$$$. Maybe in another life.


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[Cadence]

Originally Posted by D.C.Y.

Hm... Boat weddings are tuff. We want to get married in BVI. But unlikely friends and family would come down. Thought we might meet family in Charleston... But this is sounding like a really big deal to sail down there. Looks like wedding in Oyster Bay on our mooring or at the club. Even still some family will be unable to attend. I was hoping for something more exotic. Exotic costs $$$$. Maybe in another life.


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Congratulations!