Trip from Long Island to Baltimore

[johnvsmithiv]

Time is coming for my trip.....this will be my first long voyage aboard the Achillies Heel (Pearson 10m) As I get her in ship shape I'd appreciate any feed back for making such a trip and any suggestions regarding the Pearson 10m ocean handling.

My planned route is as follows....
Day 1
Leave city Island passing down the east river. Swing by the statue of liberty for some photos. Then over to Sandy hook to Anchor for the night.

Day 2
This seems to be the longest leg and not sure how much time it will take.
Leave Sandy Hook around 4-5 am, head down the Jersey coast. Stop in and anchor in Atlantic city. Go ashore site see maybe a a little on the craps table and slot machines....

Day 3
Head back down the Jersey coast into the delaware bay up to the delaware river find a place to anchor for the night.....

Day 4
Head down the C&d into the Chesapeake and on to our new Marina.

This is an overall and I will be otti g with a bit more detail based on tides, currents, wind and weather etc...

Sent from my SM-G900V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[fisherman.ben]

I would suggest that you stop in cape may, from there it's a good day up to the cape deleware canal. (I liked utsch's marina friendly people, cable laundry, clean showers)

[ranger58sb]

We didn't do extensive research on the possibilities, but didn't see much in the way of likely anchorages in Delaware Bay. Perhaps up closer to the C&D, maybe closer to Delaware City, though...


And FWIW, the marina in Delaware City is decent.


The C&D and the upper Chesapeake should be straightforward.


-Chris

[DeborahLee]

You might want to get Opencpn for your trip great for tide and current. I have done this trip a couple times and found it to be great leaving City Island and getting thru Hell's Gate. Fisherman is right about stopping at Cape. You can anchor off the Coast Guard station but make sure you have enough water thru canal which is best way instead of going around. Your next stop could be Chesapeake City along the C&D. You can anchor or they have a couple of spots to tie up I think are still free. Baltimore is still a long way next stop I like is Wharton Creek anchor right inside the entrance and this will put you in Baltimore before dark. We do City Island to cape May straight thru in about 25 hrs.

[Liunatic]

What is your departure date? Wife and I are have an Endeavour 40 leaving from Rhode Island in early July, pretty much the same course after we run down to the East River. Also our first extended cruise.

Richard

[tstano]

Originally Posted by johnvsmithiv

Time is coming for my trip.....this will be my first long voyage aboard the Achillies Heel (Pearson 10m) As I get her in ship shape I'd appreciate any feed back for making such a trip and any suggestions regarding the Pearson 10m ocean handling.



This is an overall and I will be otti g with a bit more detail based on tides, currents, wind and weather etc...

Sent from my SM-G900V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

You will need a copy of this book to plan your trip. Eldridge Tide & Pilot Book

[tstano]

Originally Posted by Liunatic

What is your departure date? Wife and I are have an Endeavour 40 leaving from Rhode Island in early July, pretty much the same course after we run down to the East River. Also our first extended cruise.

Richard

You will need a copy of this book to plan the trip.
Eldridge Tide & Pilot Book

It gives the tides and currents for transiting the East River, Delaware Bay, and the C&D Canal.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by Liunatic

What is your departure date? Wife and I are have an Endeavour 40 leaving from Rhode Island in early July, pretty much the same course after we run down to the East River. Also our first extended cruise.

Richard

If you and your wife are OK with a watch schedule and running outside you'll have much better sailing, even if you don't go direct -- and hug the southern coast of Long Island where you'll have a nice sea breeze daily.

LIS in July tends toward light air SW (0-5k) in the mornings with 4-7 in the afternoon dying down again around dusk. (Unless you catch a cold front with NW winds. Winds from with an easterly component are less frequent in July and tend to accompany foul weather.)

So that might be a better route unless you're committed to shorter sails and harbor hoping, and the (brief) sites while transiting the East River.

[PJOHara]

Good morning John,
That sounds like a fun trip you have planned. Plan your sailing around carrying a fair current, even if it means leaving a few days earlier or later than you would have liked. It will make a huge difference . If you leave City Island sometime before the current changes to fair you should be able to carry it all the way to Sandy Hook. Anchoring just inside the Atlantic Highlands Harbor breakwater is likely the best all around protection you’ll get in the area. There are moorings available if you prefer, and a number of decent restaurants in walking distance. There are othere places to anchor, but can be weather dependent.

You’ll have to leave Highlands on a slightly foul or just turned fair tide to make it around the hook and far enough south that it won’t affect you when it turns to flood. There really isn’t anyplace in either Belmar or Manasquan to anchor without going through a few bridges and fairly far out of your way. Barnegat Inlet can be sketchy if the weather is poor, and you shouldn’t try it wind over tide. There are some good anchoring spots just inside the inlet though.

I’ve not been in Atlantic City inlet in quite some time, but there’s a cove on the north side that leads into Brigantine that I’ve anchored in. The inlet itself is quite good and well marked, and of course there's marinas. If you make it this far in a day from Sandy Hook you’re doing well, it’s probably 75 miles or so.

From AC to Cape May would be a nice days run, and you can anchor just off the Coast Guard station, or a little further west near the moored boats. There’s a number of marina’s available. Shouldn't be a problem for you, but there is a limiting vertical height of 55 feet on the Cape May Canal.

Plan to leave Cape May to head up the Delaware catching a fair tide also or the ride can be long and uncomfortable. There’s a few places to anchor before you get to the C&D canal, it depends on where the wind is coming from. The Cohansey river is narrow but deep. There’s water around the small island at the entrance. It can be buggy due to the marshes. You can anchor off Reedy Island, you just have to plan to be on the lee side of the island or the breakwater. The anchorage in Chesapeake City is small and tends to get crowded , so get there early or time it to anchor before or after the C&D so you don’t get caught out. Heading south on the Chesapeake, Fairlee Creek or Worton Creek are nice anchorages. Sorry to be so wordy. Enjoy!

Pat

[psneeld]

Not too many places to anchor in or even along the Delaware River...pick and plan weather well. I have anchored in the middle of nowhere on a light wind night...but those can be rare.

Also plan on riding the tide if you plan on making any distance. When I do it at 6.3 knots still water speed...I can make Chesapeake City from Cape May in around 8 to 9 hrs easy riding the tide...hit it wrong and it can be as much as 14 to 15 hrs. You can average an easy 1.5 knots faster playing the tide and part of the river you travel in.

[hpeer]

Yes, stop in Cape May.

55' clearance under bridge on canal or you have to go out and around.

Be careful and read up on the entrances if you want to lay over behind the Reedy Point/Augistine Beach jetty. The jetty itself can be submerged at high tide. "Jetty jumpers" never make it.

Here is a link to a site with tide predictions. Spend Somme time watching the animations. You CAN ride the tide all the way up. Also, there is a marina at Delaware City, just past the North mouth of the canal, (Delaware Coty Marina) if you need to lay over for a night or get some supplies.

http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/ofs/dbofs/dbofs.html

[johnvsmithiv]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! There is quite a bit of info I hadn't thought of for stops. I plan on leaving the last week of may or first week of june, quite a bit of work to do in the boat yet.
Install new Garmin echomap 50dv gps, GMI 10 for wind sensor, pulling the engine and going over that with a fine tooth comb. Hopefully my sails will be ready just bought a new mylar main and a mylar 135 genoa. my current main is old but usable as a spare and my 140 was tattered when I bought the boat but first Nor easter storm 1st week of November the 100 was torn off the furler and my sides got a little gouged up at the dock.......

Question how is the entrance to atlantic city I heard it's rough?

Sent from my SM-G900V using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[rhubstuff]

You'll want to do Hell Gate and NY harbor on the ebb tide, and Delaware Bay on the flood. If not, you're in for very long days, probably motoring. There is no convenient, protected anchorage between Cape May and Delaware City, which is why you need the flood tide to do all of Delaware Bay in one shot. In a NW wind, Del. Bay/River can be hell going upstream. I second the Cape May recommendation; the anchorage is much better than Atlantic City, and the town is much nicer, IMO. I'd rather bet on the weather than slots.

[Windwalker44]

The East River can be a great adventure or a nightmare and its all in the timing. You want to ride the current down the river while Hudson Bay is emptying. If its a weekday then its a heavily used commercial traffic way and at your size you won't have any time for sightseeing, its survival. Then I've gone through the city on a Sunday morning and been the only boat in sight. Depending on your mast height stay west of Roosevelt Island.
If you need to quit early on day 1 after you pass the battery there's an anchorage behind the Statue of Liberty.
Depending on your draft the anchorage at Rum Cove in Atlantic City is ideal. Right across from the Coast Guard Station, but the entrance is tight.
Stay next to the grass bank with your port side entering.

[rhubstuff]

Atlantic City Inlet can be a breeze or a bitch depending on wind, tide, and waves. Ideally you want a flood tide, wind under 15 kts. or so, and little or no swell from offshore. With a strong
onshore wind and swell and an ebbing tide, the inlet may be dangerous or unusable. The Coast Guard station is just inside the inlet and can give you local conditions. Call them on your cell (609) 344-6595.