Cape May to Block Island :)

[rockDAWG]

OK ........ All Mighty Captains, i need to tap into you infinite wisdom for the nth time. We will only have two day (48 hours) window where has no Northerly wind components.

1. Should we take off?
2. Should we take the rhumb line to Block Island or sail along the NJ coast and sail parallel along LI? It is about 20 nm longer via coast line?

Your take ?

[CaptainForce]

There's no reason to tuck close to Long Island unless you want to change your mind and take the East River. There aren't great inlets to take shelter on the south side of Long Island. I'd say take the rumb line to Block Island or take the East River. There is no suitable "in between". Take care and joy, Aythya crew

[Tempest]

Dawg,

As usual the Captain is on the money!..

However, what's your plan for getting home? Cape May to Block is 38 hours or so..on the rhumb line

The coast of NJ would take about 24 hrs..and then from sandy hook to Block is another 26...so 50 hours the long way....even longer if you go inside.

[Sabreman]

This is a great sail. Do it! Go outside directly to Block and return via the Sound and the coast.

I did virtually the same trip on my dad's Catalina 30 in 1978 when I was 21. I went with two friends, departing from Ocean City, NJ. We left at about 0600, dead reckoning the entire way (GPS was a dream and a Loran unit was too expensive). I think the course was something like 065 degM. We flew a borrowed spinnaker (from our boss at NorEaster Yacht Yard) the whole way. At about 0200 we saw the offshore bell (approximately where Y "HA" is on current charts) dead ahead. I was so proud of my navigation; we had paper charts all over the cabin for every inch of offshore and inshore water. The wind went a bit westerly at about 0400 and I was worried that we'd be blown past Nantucket and into the North Atlantic (Now I know it's farfetched, but at 21 it seemed a real possibility), so we hardened up and intersected Long Island about 20 miles west of Montauk. Then we coasted on out to Block. We stayed there for about 2 days where 1 friend got off and the remaining friend and I went on to Newport where I met my dad. My friend got off and dad and I sailed back to NJ by way of the Sound.

Heading into the sound with a 20kt easterly against an outgoing tide we surfed 8 footers without a reef. At the time, we'd never reefed and failed in our attempt to do it this time (note to newbies - learn reefing in calm air and get proficient enough so that you can do it in 2 minutes). We did an accidental gibe (newbie note - rig a preventer when going downwind) and blew the gooseneck apart, tearing the main 4' up the luff. We secured everything and ditched into New London for repair. Dad and I pounded the gooseneck and lashed the boom to the mast so that we could sail again. I learned to sew that day too.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, as we stopped in Stamford, Manhassett Bay, and into Manasquan in a downpour. Then on to Ocean City and home.

This trip was a real maturing event for me and was probably the turning point where I became a dedicated cruiser. I love the landfalls and sense of accomplishment in discovering new ports. I had to navigate, provision the boat, and be responsible for my crew and my family's nearly new boat. Today, I'd have 3 GPS units, an EPIRB, and liferaft but in reality not be any safer.

Do the trip. Now.

[rockDAWG]

Originally Posted by Tempest

Dawg,

As usual the Captain is on the money!..

However, what's your plan for getting home? Cape May to Block is 38 hours or so..on the rhumb line

The coast of NJ would take about 24 hrs..and then from sandy hook to Block is another 26...so 50 hours the long way....even longer if you go inside.

I agree. From Google map, it is 200 nm to Block island rhumb line. so conservatively it will be 40 to 50 hours. If we leave bright and early morning this sat, we will be in block Island Monday morning. Take some rest and cross to CT.

The problem that I can see is Friday wind is from the north, and Monday the wind is also from north. We must make the crossing to Block Island as soon as possible. We will not hop out until we confirm the weather Friday nite or Sat morning. I need input here.

The captain says he will drop me off in any marina in the CT side. My son can pick me up (he works for Sikorsky) and drop me off the train station to NYC. I will take the Chinatown bus back to Philly. Or if too much trouble I will just pick up a rental car (Plan F)

[rockDAWG]

Originally Posted by Sabreman

I did virtually the same trip on my dad's Catalina 30 in 1978 when I was 21. I went with two friends, departing from Ocean City, NJ. We left at about 0600, dead reckoning the entire way (GPS was a dream and a Loran unit was too expensive). I think the course was something like 065 degM. We flew a borrowed spinnaker (from our boss at NorEaster Yacht Yard) the whole way. At about 0200 we saw the offshore bell (approximately where Y "HA" is on current charts) dead ahead. I was so proud of my navigation; we had paper charts all over the cabin for every inch of offshore and inshore water. The wind went a bit westerly at about 0400 and I was worried that we'd be blown past Nantucket and into the North Atlantic (Now I know it's farfetched, but at 21 it seemed a real possibility), so we hardened up and intersected Long Island about 20 miles west of Montauk. Then we coasted on out to Block. We stayed there for about 2 days where 1 friend got off and the remaining friend and I went on to Newport where I met my dad. My friend got off and dad and I sailed back to NJ by way of the Sound.
.

Sabreman, that is a good story I love to hear more. Dead reckoning is an art, I love to practice more. In a sense I was not as lucky as you. In the 70's we were so damn poor. I helped my parent put food on the table, took care of my younger brothers and sisters. Driving taxi cab in NYC and washing dishes for two dollars an hour paid under the table, working 7 days a week and put myself through College. Interestingly, life was hard and often degrading, but I was happy.

No bitterness and no regrets. Life is good.

[Tempest]

Dawg,

The Offshore forecast for friday, sat, and sun looks very reasonable:

SAT
VARIABLE WINDS 10 KT OR LESS BECOMING S TO SW 10 TO 15
KT. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT.

SUN
S TO SE WINDS INCREASING TO 15 TO 25 KT...THEN BECOMING
SW 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS BUILDING TO 3 TO 5 FT.
$$

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
keep on eye out as the winds pick-up and take a reef as needed...

depending on where the captain is headed....There's a train station in Old Saybrook..he can drop you at Saybrook point marina on the conn. river. Abby is the Dockmaster there.
A cab ride to the train.

New London is another possibility....

There are ferries from block, in case that needs to be a fall back to get to the train

[Sabreman]

Fortunate yes. Lucky, no. My first job was at a boat rental place for $0.60/hr and later at NorEaster for $3.25 building docks and working on a pile driving barge. Dad had a boat but worked very hard while overcoming the stigma of an immigrant (many times over).

But we're off topic. The point of my post was that if a kid can dead reckon to Block in the 70's, you can make it with all that is available to us today.

PS. Dead Reckoning isn't really an art. It's just keeping track of stuff. Anyway, I landed at Long Island, not Block. If I'd been headed for England, I'd have hit Morrocco.

[chef2sail]

Block is 32- 36 hours from CM. We do this trip every year. Going the NJ coast and out the south shore of LI is not a good choice and a time waste. Capt is correct. We sometime do the NJ coast, stop in at Barnegat....go to Sandy Hook (Atlantic Hihghlands)...then the East River if we want to stop in the neat towns along the western sound like Northport, Port Jefferson, Mount Saini, Greenwich

Reading Sabre post reminded me of our last year trip through the Plum Gut. We rocked down the sound from Port Jefferson with a 20 knott SW/SW wind to turn the LI corner at Plum Gut headed in to Greenport tide ebbing. We face 10-12 foot seas 6 second intervals for 6 miles. Green water over the bow needless to say and quite a wild ride for 6 miles until heading into Gardners Bay near Greenport. Can get pretty interesting when going through the Race, or Plum Gut. watch Hill Channel has always been a mellower ride for us.

Take the ferry from Block to New London ( slow or fast). The train station (Amtrack) is 1 block from the ferry terminal/

I have helped a few people move boats north and have done this trip a few times.

Amtrack to NY then DC or Balt.

Dave

[rockDAWG]

It is a go. Driving to Cape May later today. Spend a nite on the boat and get familiar with the boat.

We will head out in the morning. The weather has been down graded from 20-25 kn to 15-20 knots.

Sat morning: not much wind less than 5 knots
Sat Noon: 10 to 15 knot
Sat night and Sun Am: wind increasing to 15 to 20, 3 to 5 ft sea
Sun PM: Wind dies down as approaching to Block Island.

I haven't check the current in at around block Island and New London yet. We will work out the details while on route.