Cruising from Port Jefferson, NY to Block Island recommendations

[EME]

Originally Posted by NYSail

We are in Mt. Sinai and travel to block island every summer at least once and sail the east end all summer long. Mattituck nice with kids because of the pool… hike up the ri er and make sure it’s high tide if you draw over 5.5. Watch hill is gorgeous but need a dinghy to get to the beach and town. Swimming in the bay can be a challenge when the rivers are running brown. Mystic is great…. We have visited a few times with our grand daughter and stay at the museum. The aquarium is a short walk and also great fun for kids. Block is great…..gets very crowded in the summer. Launch will pick you up on the annchorage, however as was said be prepared as storms can whip up and create havoc….. Also as was said, 5-6 days is tight as you give yourself no time for weather, specifically fog. It can get nasty. We have been delayed for days due to fog. Best be prepared.
All that said, the trip and experience is excellent!

Good luck!

Thank you so much!!! Where’s the pool in Montauk? And yes that’s a plan for us as well, we’d love to start doing even weekend getaways. Can you please recommend other short trips we can take with kids if we leave sat and come back Sunday?

[malbert73]

Sounds like it’s coming together! What kind of powerboat? Just trying to get a sense of cruising speed and tolerance to chop/waves. Do you have radar?

[Kettlewell]

Just throwing this out there. If not this year, please consider cruising a bit further to Cuttyhunk Island. Much more sheltered harbor than Block, with lots of rental moorings (first-come-first served) and a small marina. From the town dinghy dock it is a short walk to beautiful views, wonderful beaches, some nice little shops and takeout places, great fishing. Everything is a lot closer than Block, where you really need bicycles or taxis to get from Salt Pond to downtown. Yes, Cuttyhunk doesn't have the bars, restaurants, and big crowds of Block, but it is a wonderful place to take your children for a more natural cruising destination. Block is fun if you don't mind the crowds, but we like to get away from it all.

[EME]

Originally Posted by pjShap

The attached LongIslandSoundAndVicinity.pdf is a brief summary of places I've stayed in Long Island Sound, Block Island Sound and Narragansett Bay.

this is so awesome and helpful, thank you so much!

[EME]

Originally Posted by gsuescum

There’s also the entire North Fork of Long Island to explore. Shelter Island is great to visit.

Can you please recommend some nice places to visit with kids where we can rent a mooring and they have shuttle to take us to town where we can walk and do things out in north fork?

[justinfinity]

I cruise to Block Island every year from Stamford (by sailboat). If you count races, I've probably been to/around Block fifty times. I've stopped at almost every possible point along the way.

The issue with going from PJ is that there are almost no easy stopping points on the south side of LIS past Mt Sinai which is very close to PJ of course.

If you consider the north side of LIS, there are lots of choices but then you need more travel time. Yes, Mystic and Watch hill are nice but the travel time is significant and the navigation can be tricky. Both of these should be considered destinations, not stopping points on the way to Block. Whoever it was in this thread who said "try Watch Hill, I've never been there" should not be giving advice.

If you can't make the 70nm from PJ to BI in a day, I would suggest (weather permitting) you go 35nm from PJ to Duck Island Roads (Pilots Point, Old Saybrook) and then 35nm from Duck Island Roads to BI.

At Duck Island, you can anchor inside the breakwater, or you can go into Pilots Point and take a dock and the kids/spouse will enjoy it.

Once at Block Island, you can usually always find a mooring or a place to anchor. I almost always anchor and have never had a problem but Great Salt Pond gets deep (30ft) in the middle and so you need enough rode and scope. It's nice and shallow on the perimeter especially near Dinghy Beach.

There is a water taxi and sometimes a concession boat that brings sticky buns and coffee out to you. There is lots to do on Block. I would make that your destination and get there without a lot of talk about stopping in hard to reach places like Mystic and Watch Hill. Do those when you have more time and more experience.

If you want to DM/call me, I will be happy to chat more.

[delucia]

This is a great trip. At Block Island I'd grab a mooring ball - reserve early. The anchorage is a bit far out so if there's a swell a rough ride with kids. Staying in a slip can be a bit loud.

[Ricktravis]

Originally Posted by EME

Hi All, we are planning to take a trip this summer from Port Jefferson, NY to Block Island for our very first time. We are traveling with kids, ideally would be great to stop by 2 more destinations on the way to break up the trip. If any of you can please recommend great destinations to stop at on the way and fun things to do especially with kids ages 11, 8 and 4. Also as far as staying overnight, we are planning to sleep on the boat. Do you recommend booking a dock, mooring or anchor?? If anchoring, do most destinations allow it in certain spots? As far as time wise, we are thinking to do 5-6 days trip. Thanks so much in advance!

I made the trip a few years back and it was wonderful. My strongest suggestion is to contact a weather router; I used WRI, and have them plan a route based weather considerations. It’s a fun relaxing trip but it can be hazardous if you have wind against current. It’s roughly 740 miles direct from NYC if you add any stops your adding more miles because there’s nothing in between NYC and Bermuda. We checked in in Georgetown and stayed anchored there the whole time. I also planned to return after 5 days. I called WRI on the evening of day 4 and they STRONGLY suggested that I delay departure due to a series of fronts coming off the Carolina’s. So be flexible . Good luck and have a great trip

[Capt Jimmy]

Go through Plum gut to Montauk. Go in the harbor to mid harbor Anchorage. Go for a swim Take a dinghy to Gosmans for dinner and entertainment, fishing boats. Next morning go all the way in the harbor to the end. Dinghy to shore and walk to Ditch Plains and watch the surfers and dogs on the beach. Walk along the upper path along the dunes for great views. On of my favorite places. You could leave late morning to get to Block or stay until the next day. Have fun.

[justinfinity]

Originally Posted by Ricktravis

I made the trip a few years back and it was wonderful. My strongest suggestion is to contact a weather router; I used WRI, and have them plan a route based weather considerations. It’s a fun relaxing trip but it can be hazardous if you have wind against current. It’s roughly 740 miles direct from NYC if you add any stops your adding more miles because there’s nothing in between NYC and Bermuda. We checked in in Georgetown and stayed anchored there the whole time. I also planned to return after 5 days. I called WRI on the evening of day 4 and they STRONGLY suggested that I delay departure due to a series of fronts coming off the Carolina’s. So be flexible . Good luck and have a great trip

This is an insanely weird response.
Even if the topic were actually about Bermuda, it's still weird.

[Reeve21]

OP is going from Port Jeff, Long Island, NY to Block Island, RI without a dinghy.


Moorings cannot be reserved at Block. If all the green town moorings are full the harbormaster will rent you a private mooring for the night. They used to start doing this at 3 pm, lately it seems a little earlier. Call on channel 12, and they will direct you to can 13 at the end of the channel where they will meet you and take you to your spot.



Duck Island Roads is fine in settled weather, but no launch service there. With 3 kids on a 30 foot boat they will want to get off and stretch.


Alternative to Duck Island Roads is North Cove in Old Saybrook, about 1.5 miles north of the mouth of the CT River. The yacht Club has a launch service during daylight hours, contact them on Channel 78.

[BobMc]

Originally Posted by EME

Thank you. That's our plan someday to get a dingy but not this summer. Sounds like so much fun for sure though! We will aim for the mooring for sure!

Block Island is a fair distance out in the open ocean, no matter how you cut it. What's your emergency plan in case your boat sinks and you have no dingy? It's a long swim in a life jacket!

You need to rearrange your priorities and get that dingy BEFORE setting out on a trip like this. Even Long Island Sound could present a problem if you have no plan B.

[cottonsail]

Mattituck has a federal anchorage area.

[tweitz]

If you do go to Mystic, I strongly recommend staying right at the Seaport. The trick is that when the museum closes in late afternoon, the few boats docked at the Seaport have the run of the place to themselves. It conveys the feel of a real old village.

[hukilaumike]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Milford CT yet. There have been a couple of references to Charles Island, but none for the town marina. It is up the river (well, technically "Milford Harbor" and is a marina that caters solely to transients. Watch out for the tides rushing out of Gulf Pond as you enter the harbor. The marina (Lisman Landing) is steps away from downtown Milford and its shops and restaurants. There's also a town park with I think tennis courts and playgrounds. Milford is only a few miles east of Bridgeport, so it's almost directly across the Sound from Port Jeff; doesn't sound like it's a place you'd want to stop if you are trying to make miles to Block, but it could be a very nice place for you and the family if you are looking for a convenient place to stop after a short hop across the Sound or want an easy last day home.