Baltimore to New London

[Notyetsinking]

I am sailing my boat from Baltimore to New London Ct next and am in the final prep stages for the trip. The boat is a newly purchased Tripp 41, and I’ve been sailing it around the last two months to get a feel for the boat. I have quite a bit of sailing experience, however that has thus far been limited to bay sailing, though does include experience sailing at night. I have never sailed over-night or on the ocean, so I am quite nervous though excited to finally expand my sailing skills and experience in a way that I think is the “next-step”.
My current plan is to sail south to Norfolk as a final “shake-down” of the boat, and give the two other crew a chance to get comfortable. I know the recommended route, particularly from Baltimore, would be to go through the Delaware bay. However, looking at the charts for the Delaware bay it looks like there will be very limited sailing room for us (draft is 7’10), so it seems unless the wind is perfect that would need to be a motoring trip. Part of that decision matrix is a deep level of comfort on the Chesapeake, so if others have opinions and experience to give perspective otherwise I am all ears. From Norfolk we’d sail to Cape May, which is the portion of the trip I am most nervous for given there would be no safe harbor for us along that route. From Cape May we’d go to sandy hook and then from there to New London on the outside. The trip seems to be a bit unorthodox, but is setup in a way that I think allows a conservative introduction to coastal and ocean sailing.
What are peoples thoughts on the current plan? I’ve conservatively estimated an average speed of 7 knots, though I expect we will ultimately beat that.
Lastly, and the biggest question for me, can I count on weather forecasts to be reliable for a 24 hour period? What time frame can I expect forecasts to be accurate? I have a basic ability to read radar, but I have absolutely no desire to test foul weather in this trip.

[skipmac]

Hello,

Have made this trip four times now as part of the FL to MA trip. Just arrived last week from the most recent.

Weather. 24 hours should be 99% accurate, at least as far as rain and severe weather; less accurate for winds. Generally weather forecasts are considered very accurate up to three days which should cover your trip just fine.

I've always made the leg from Norfolk to Deleware Bay non-stop and in fact twice bypassed Deleware Bay altogether and did Norfolk to NYC.

You might consider going up LI Sound. No stops for you on the south side of Long Island and up the sound has several options to anchor or moor if you want to wait out the weather. The main concern is timing the passage through Hell Gate. Easy enough to do with all the online resources.

[Pandor]

Well, given your situation, I’d still be able to inclined to head north to the C&D rather than spend a whole 24 hours fighting the often flukey winds of the Chesapeake. It is really a nice sail north from Baltimore to Chesapeake City. Then yes, you may end up motoring down the Delaware if the wind doesn’t cooperate, but same thing applies for Chesapeake.

[Notyetsinking]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Hello,

Have made this trip four times now as part of the FL to MA trip. Just arrived last week from the most recent.

Weather. 24 hours should be 99% accurate, at least as far as rain and severe weather; less accurate for winds. Generally weather forecasts are considered very accurate up to three days which should cover your trip just fine.

I've always made the leg from Norfolk to Deleware Bay non-stop and in fact twice bypassed Deleware Bay altogether and did Norfolk to NYC.

You might consider going up LI Sound. No stops for you on the south side of Long Island and up the sound has several options to anchor or moor if you want to wait out the weather. The main concern is timing the passage through Hell Gate. Easy enough to do with all the online resources.

Thanks for the reply, severe weather was my concern. I know wind forecasts are a bit less accurate, but my experience has been the wind being lighter than forecast. Is this accurate from your experience offshore? I am ok with this as I need a reef in 10 knots (lol). I understand your comment about going through the sound, though the reason for the Sandy Hook stop is as much about weather windows as my desire to limit overnight sailing on this trip. Are you suggesting the sound as another safety measure? It is my understanding that going that route would add some time, which I would like to avoid as this sail is more of a delivery than a cruise.

[Notyetsinking]

Originally Posted by Pandor

Well, given your situation, I’d still be able to inclined to head north to the C&D rather than spend a whole 24 hours fighting the often flukey winds of the Chesapeake. It is really a nice sail north from Baltimore to Chesapeake City. Then yes, you may end up motoring down the Delaware if the wind doesn’t cooperate, but same thing applies for Chesapeake.

Yes, and there still could be a last minute change to the C&D if the current forecast holds up. The current thinking is for me to minimize the amount of 'new' I need to deal with in one trip. The Chesapeake is the only place I have sailed, so I have no real experience with Canals or Tides. On the latter, I know I will learn to deal with in New England, so was targeting the Delaware for a return trip to gain that canal experience. I suppose it wouldn't be too much to do both at once.

[Pandor]

Understood. Don’t be intimidated by the C&D, though. That would be the easiest part of the journey and can only be done under motor. It is very scenic and protected. The Delaware can stack up near the mouth if the winds are strong from the east, but I still think all in all the Delaware is less complex than navigating Norfolk and CBBT - especially if dark.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Notyetsinking

Thanks for the reply, severe weather was my concern. I know wind forecasts are a bit less accurate, but my experience has been the wind being lighter than forecast. Is this accurate from your experience offshore? I am ok with this as I need a reef in 10 knots (lol). I understand your comment about going through the sound, though the reason for the Sandy Hook stop is as much about weather windows as my desire to limit overnight sailing on this trip. Are you suggesting the sound as another safety measure? It is my understanding that going that route would add some time, which I would like to avoid as this sail is more of a delivery than a cruise.

I have seen the actual wind vary lighter or stronger than forecasts. The last trip most of the time lighter than forecast but one afternoon stronger but not seriously. Forecast was 7-8 kts and we got 12-14 which we really needed at the time. Either way it was usually in the ballpark but more often wrong on the times and how much it changed direction. To be fair, the winds and weather were very, very fluky on this trip and I would say worst case scenario for the forecasters and weather modeld.'

FYI we use several web sites for winds. Predictwind, Windy, windfinder, earth.nullschool.net and passageweather.com. Predict wind allows you to look at the forecasts from different models.

Going up LI Sound has a couple of benefits. I always enjoy seeing the city from the water and the commercial traffic is not really a problem. If timing is right you can anchor for the night right behind the Statue of Liberty for the most amazing night view of the city and also be just a short hop to the Battery to time the passage up the East River. Also you have the alternative to stopovers if the weather is nasty or you can go overnight if you're in a hurry. There are a few rocks and shoals but well marked and mostly well lit as well.

Distance will be about the same, possibly a bit shorter to New London as you won't have to round Montauk and cut back. Also avoids going through the Race or Plum Gut where you have another timing issue with the tidal currents.

[DeborahLee]

When dealing with canals don't just look at the tide. Look closely at the current. There can be quite a delay between them. In OPEN CPN you can pull up both tide and current charts at the same time and compare them.

[redneckrob]

Aside from those being two of my least favorite cities in the U.S....

Depending on your draft, air and water, there actually are several places you can pull in between Norfolk and Cape May. Ocean City is open to you no matter what and in pretty much any weather. Chincoteague pretty close behind although if you don't have visibility I wouldn't try it because you have to navigate the buoys and ignore your chart. If your water draft is shallow enough Wachapreague is also available to you and if you're below 45' you have the Indian River Inlet.

That said, I agree with the other posters to do the Delaware. I wouldn't pick the Delmarva coast as my first offshore leg with a new boat and new crew. You'll survive fine, but why subject yourself to the stress of what is probably the most isolated section of coastline on the east coast?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

Aside from those being two of my least favorite cities in the U.S....

Depending on your draft, air and water, there actually are several places you can pull in between Norfolk and Cape May. Ocean City is open to you no matter what and in pretty much any weather. Chincoteague pretty close behind although if you don't have visibility I wouldn't try it because you have to navigate the buoys and ignore your chart. If your water draft is shallow enough Wachapreague is also available to you and if you're below 45' you have the Indian River Inlet.

That said, I agree with the other posters to do the Delaware. I wouldn't pick the Delmarva coast as my first offshore leg with a new boat and new crew. You'll survive fine, but why subject yourself to the stress of what is probably the most isolated section of coastline on the east coast?

Check the original post. His draft is 7'10" Kind of limits access to a lot of inlets.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Check the original post. His draft is 7'10" Kind of limits access to a lot of inlets.

Okay, I'll change that to strike Wachapreagye and avoid Chincoteague in big seas. Ocean City and Indian River are both plenty deep for that draft.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by redneckrob

Okay, I'll change that to strike Wachapreagye and avoid Chincoteague in big seas. Ocean City and Indian River are both plenty deep for that draft.

Scratch Indian River. 45' fixed bridge.

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Scratch Indian River. 45' fixed bridge.

As I mentioned.

[mlydon]

Best route for you is c&d canal, stop at cape may, 24 hour run to ny Harbor, hell gate to the sound and on to port Jeff in one day, next day you're at new London.

Going south to Norfolk is wasting time, unless you hit the ocean and go non-stop to montauk......

[Notyetsinking]

Originally Posted by skipmac

I have seen the actual wind vary lighter or stronger than forecasts. The last trip most of the time lighter than forecast but one afternoon stronger but not seriously. Forecast was 7-8 kts and we got 12-14 which we really needed at the time. Either way it was usually in the ballpark but more often wrong on the times and how much it changed direction. To be fair, the winds and weather were very, very fluky on this trip and I would say worst case scenario for the forecasters and weather modeld.'

FYI we use several web sites for winds. Predictwind, Windy, windfinder, earth.nullschool.net and passageweather.com. Predict wind allows you to look at the forecasts from different models.

Going up LI Sound has a couple of benefits. I always enjoy seeing the city from the water and the commercial traffic is not really a problem. If timing is right you can anchor for the night right behind the Statue of Liberty for the most amazing night view of the city and also be just a short hop to the Battery to time the passage up the East River. Also you have the alternative to stopovers if the weather is nasty or you can go overnight if you're in a hurry. There are a few rocks and shoals but well marked and mostly well lit as well.

Distance will be about the same, possibly a bit shorter to New London as you won't have to round Montauk and cut back. Also avoids going through the Race or Plum Gut where you have another timing issue with the tidal currents.

Ok awesome thank you! Depending on the forecasts as I get closer to the New York portion of the trip, we still may go through the sound. Glad to know about your experience with the wind, though last week was great for sending my weather worry through the roof! We seemed to have a massive last minute thunderstorm come through, so I think my approach to leaving is going to be much more tightly tied to Radar than solely forecasts.