[j11j]

Hello all, newbie to the community here.
Moved recently to Philly and thinking of buying a boat to knock around the river, take the occasional cruise to the nap town or the south shore of LI, and maybe get into the PHRF game. Have some new and used boats in mind, generally speaking in the 25-30ft range, sportboat/performance oriented types.
There are some older posts about sailing in the area but would love to new input. Is it worth the cost of owning a boat? Seems like a tough venue with light breeze, current and thin water in spots. I don't really have the option of keeping her elsewhere since I work too much to justify the 1-2 hours it would take to keep her in a better venue.
Has anyone made the trip up and down river to Cape May? Keeping tides in mind, is it reasonable to plan that leg of a cruise into say 12-16 hours or so, assuming I can keep a boat moving at roughly 5 knots under sail or power if needed?
Would really appreciate any insight, especially into the conditions on the river.

Thanks all so much in advance.

 

[capta]

If you are doubtful about whether it is worth owning a boat there, only you can answer that for yourself. I think it would behoove you to look into a boat club that allows members to use their boats and you pay a membership. Then you can see if you like the area enough to buy a boat.
The other option is to bare boat a few times to determine the same thing. The more time you spend near the water, in marinas and on it, the better you will be able to choose the proper boat to suit your needs.

 

[Ulladh]

I sail a 20ft boat out of Essington PA, just down river from the airport. Except for last year I usually sail down to Cape May once a year. This is a three day trip for me at an average of 4 knots, with the tidal current, overnighting at Delaware City DE and the Cohansey River NJ.

I also do a trip to the Chesapeake once a year, waiting at Delaware City DE for the tidal current in the C&D.
Sailing the Delaware River requires paying close attention to tidal currents, commercial shipping and having bailout options. There are well charted sand and mud flats which are easy to avoid.

 

[hpeer]

Philly is a kind of suck sailing town.

Essington is probably as good as it gets close to center city or on that side of the city. If you are in NJ then you might want to look at Riverside, Salem, or Greenwich. Greenwich has 2 marinas, ine with a good size lift. It puts you below the Salem nuclear plant. Probably the best place to stage from.