Crusing a J22

[Joker919]

I sail a J22 in barnegate Bay. I''ve been considering taking out through the Barnegate light and sailing down to the Atlantic City Inlet. I figure it will take 1 1/2 full days to get down there once I''m out of the Barnegate inlet. Is this voyage too agressive for a J22? I can handle the boat just fine and I think the biggest challenge will be the Barnegate inlet.

All comments are appiciated

Thanks
Randy

There''s a hard question! First of all I think your length of time at sea is probably longer you will really take (That is if you have any wind). In rough numbers it should be somewhere between 40 to 50 NM between the two locations. If there is a reasonbable wind you should be able to cover that in 14 to 18 hours (faster if the wind is over 12 knots and you can reach). That shorter period of time means that you should be able to do the bulk of trip in daylight (if you get started before sunrise) and should be able to pick your sailing window pretty acurately.

Now then, I don''t think of a J22 as my idea of an offshore boat but I have seen them weather some pretty rough stuff. I would think that it will be important that you leave port with the boat ready to reef easily and with a downhaul to bring the jib to the deck without leaving the cockpit. I can''t imagine that it will be comfortable trying to sleep aboard under way but if I rememeber the interior at all (I haven''t seen one with a finished interior in years) there were quarter berths on either side. If you became becalmed and were not able to motor, you could be out there for a longer time than hoped for.

I guess the other part of this is how many people are going. Its a pretty easy trip with two people and the necessary gear. I would think that more, or less, than 2 people makes it a tougher trip.

Jeff

Regards

[JFolds]

Go for it. Just be smart and take your time. Smaller boats have made the trip

[whizsnap]

We keep a Catalina 22 at the causeway to LBI. In the past 2 years a sistership circumnavigated the island in under a day with a crew of 3. Also a 23'' hunter did the same, both quite successfully. In both cases the departure was early and toward Barnegat Inlet with the inlet traversed at either full flood or ebb. The main trick once outside is figuring your tacks against the prevailing south wind. Though I haven''t done this in our boat seems to me the major problem is coming back in at Holgate.
About three weeks ago my son and I brought a 27'' Hunter up from the Chessapeake. The last day was spent steaming from Cape May to Beach Haven Inlet with the wind on our nose (unusual) and 8 - 10 foot seas. (They put up a small craft warning after we were under way.) Seems to me from Absecon Inlet (Atlantic city) to Beach Haven Inlet took about 3 to 3 1/2 hours motoring at between 5 and 6 knots. So I think your time estimate is exaggerated. Good Luck.

[Pangaea]

I don''t know about your wind down there
(I sail S. E. Mass).but I do have maybe 100 hrs on a J 22. I think they are easily
driven so light air shouldn''t be a problem.
I always leave in the wee hours of night
so as to ALMOST guarantee landfall in daylight and I would take a crew.
Sounds like a good time!

Dennis L.