Long Island Sound and Newport Trip

[chef2sail]

Haleakula with Donna and I are headed to the LI Sound again for 2.5 weeks during the mid part of august next year. We are looking for other boats who might want to come along for some, part all of the trip.

We have 3 boats from our club comming so far. We will not be doing the straight run from Cape May to Block, but going up the Jersey Coast and East river in 3 "hops" ( Cape May to Barnegat Inlet, Barnegat to Liberty landing across from Manahattan, then Manhatten to Port Jefferson), Once in the Sound the iteinerary is loose. This year we would like to visit Greenport and Newport. Other options include, Block, Sag harbor, Mystic, Noank, Fischers island, Westport, Greenwich, Northport ( my favorite stop on the way back) Atlantic Highlands (way back).

We would welcome other SN coming also. We intend on meeting up with some of our fellow SN on the Sound.

Dave

[bobnpaula]

Hi Dave,
My wife, Paula, and I are new to sailnet, but were very interested to see your plan for next summer. We are heading up to LI sound for the first time,but our schedules don't match. We plan to leave Deale, MD in mid-July, and return mid-August. We are doing research and planning now, to make the winter go faster! Would love to pick your brain on ports and anchorages, etc. Noted that you plan to use Barnegat Inlet. Our thought so far is to go Cape May-Atlantic City-Manasquan-NYC. Barnegat sounded more challenging to us, but would love to make it in two days instead of three. Can you tell us a bit about your previous trips up there? We did cruise from Atlantic Highlands up through Hell Gate to the sound as far as Port Jeff several years ago, on a friend's boat, but this will be the first time to do the trip from the Chesapeake, on our boat. We sail a Caliber 35 LRC, and are really excited about doing this trip.
Would love to hear your take on:
Cape May Canal? Barnegat Inlet? Anchorages you have enjoyed on LI sound?
Have you been to Westbrook? We'd like to get into the Shelter Island area of the sound and spend a couple days there, cross to Block, Newport. Curious about Watch Hill/Napatree.
We'd appreciate any insight you can give, and thanks in advance.
Bob

[chef2sail]

Bob,

Welcome to Sailnet. Caliber 35 LRC great boat to cruise in. Insane amount of fuel tankage, but love the duel fuel system. Nice interior set up and roomy for a 35 with a great motion in the seaway. Donna and I have done this trip and love the Sound, Newport area a lot. It is great. Shelter Island is an area worth spending almost a week in with Greenport, Sag Harbor and other anchorages at the end of the forks of LI very nice. Mystic, Fishers Island, Noank, New London another n ice mini stop over area. We really were not inpressed with Wesport but love Old Saybrooke.Port Jefferson and Northport should not be missed.

As far as the trip up from here we have found the easiest thing would be for you to go from Deal to Reedy Island...wait for the favorable tide in the Delaware and ride it to Cape May. What is the air draft of the Caliber 35? Hopefully less than 55 so you can fit under the bridge on the Cape may Canal and save 3 hours.

As far as the way up the Jersey coast, we have done it two ways. The absolute safest inlets in NEW Jersey are Cape May, Atlantic City, and Manesquan. We have no problem going in Barnegat, especially in the summer when it is usually benign. Cape May stay at Utsches. I can tell you mmore about them. Atlantic City the anchorage can be done, but tenuous. There is the 5 dollar a foot Farley Marina or 3 dollar a foot Kammermans across from it owned by a family. Manesquan there is absolutely no place to anchor We have done some nights there and find it somewhat inhospitable for a number of reasons. Thats why we do the 2 day trip up the coast.

Barnegat can be a trecherous place , but most summer days as long as you understand the proper way in and follow the marks its not bad at all and the anchorage is breathtaking lighthouse views and nice ocean breeze. It s a long trip from Cape May to Barnegat 72 miles., but will make the next day a shorter one. You want to start before dawn ( you have lots of daylight hours. And at the very least motor sail the whole way up. Usually the Jersey breeze runs S-SE onshore in the afternoon and wont kick in till 12 or so in the summer. We usually have made this trip in 12-13 hours. The next day is a simple 35-50 miler depending on where you want to jump off from to head up the East River. The way up we prefer to stay at Liberty landing (Jersey Coty) with the killer NYC views at night. Worth staying an extra night and taking the water taxi ( stops right there) and lets off 3 blocks from the new World Trade Center. Great area to explore and rest a day. On the way back homne we usually forgo this and do ATLANTIC hIGHLANDS.

Play the tide and head up the sound through Hell Gate. We have hit 13+ SOG thre ( Have the picture on the chartplotter to prove it) and like to go to the Seatauket Yacht Club mooorings. My first trip into Port Jeff was on a misable day and I though it was a dreary ugly place and only stopped for gas , but have been back a few times and love the eclectic shops and great restaurants and town now and we always stop there. Mt Sinai is nice, and Northport is our favorite place we jump off down the East River on the way home from there, It is a quinessential LI small village. From Port Jeff you can hop up the Sound or choose to do the trip to Greenport in 1 longer day of 50+ miles and be out in the Shelter sland area. The Sound may be flat and brutally hot in mid July we have found, while Shelter Island and pts north have the cooling ocean breezes. It may be better tho start North see what you want there and visit the Conneticut side on the way back. Think about joining Mystic Seap[ort and staying two nights ( second one is free to members) and you are docked in the Seaport after it closes to the public. It is a no miss place to see and take more than a day.

Feel free to e mail be at Chef2sail@aol.com. I can give you my cell and maybe we can meet up for lunch and talk about some of the places as well as anchorages and things to not miss seeing. Put sailnet in the subject line in case you e mail winds up in my spam folde so I dont delate it.

Hope to talk to you soon.

Dave

[jameswilson29]

Dave,

It is an appealing idea. Just curious as to why you chose August instead of May or June? Wouldn't May or June provide more daylight hours plus less of a risk of hurricane-related weather?

Also, why not a straight shot to Block Island, then west through LI sound and south down the Jersey coast?

Jim Wilson

[chef2sail]

James

The main reason for the time is that I the businesses which I run are busy until about mid August. I still have plenty of timne wrapping aorund Labor Day . We never have had a hurricane problem but have made contingency plans and alternative Rivers to go up should that present itself. Plkenty of daylight on September 5 at the end of the cruise.

As far as the route. Multiple factors make us chose the way we do. We have done the straignt shot to Block. My wife prefers to "visit" places and likes the NY skyline I also have friends on the Barnegat Bay who meet us when we head up usually and may spend a couple of days with us. To my wife when we go on vaction it is important to see things and break the trip up so we are not just sailing. We often have other boats with us and they dont always feel comfortable being on the open ocean at night and like stopping at the end of the day rafting up and haveing cocktails.

I have thought of just taking a guy friend along and bringing the boat up to Block and having her take the train up and meet us, but it is our vacaction togther.

I have made the trip on my boat and others about a dozen times straignt up from Cape May to Block or further.

This is our route. We enjoy company when we go on vacation, but when we travel we encourgage others who go with us to be independent and break away to other ports and destinatioins they want to see and we meet up later on. We are like a maruading pack. That way there is no pressure to keep up if you want to stay a second or third day somewhere and the other boats can have some autonomy not to be part or feel part of the "pack". For some it is their first venture off shore or on this trip and the feel more comfortable making the voyage as a group. If we said we were doing it as a one shoter from Cape May to Block with the 36 hour overnighter in the mix, it might eliminate a few of the first timers who wouldnt consider it yet as they feel they dont have enough experience. Those who ewant to do it the straight way we meet further along in the vacation on the Sound or points north.

Want to join us?

Dave

[jameswilson29]

I am still working on my wife to discover what trips may be possible this summer.

[4arch]

Dave,

You know we are in, at least up to NYC. We're looking forward to it!

[Minnewaska]

Perhaps we will pop over when you get close. We are planning to cruise the sound this summer as well. However, we are targeting July. Hauling and tearing down in late Aug and early Sep for Earl and Irene these past two years in a row has us jittery. I'm sure it will be a great trip.

[smurphny]

The trip up the Hudson might be fun for you. Up through the Highlands and West point has a lot of historical interest. Even going through the Champlain Canal and doing some fresh water sailing on Champlain could be different. I have usually escaped to the salt by then and will likely be MUCH further south next season but if you need any info on making a trip up the Hudson/The East River to MV/ Newport/ CC Canal, let me know as I have sailed these areas many times.

You chefs could even stop in at the CIA which is visible from the Hudson:-)

[T37Chef]

My guess would be maybe next year we would go along. I doubt I'll have everything ready to go for a trip like that this year, plus I cant do vacations after August 5th usually That work thing gets in the way.