At the end of November, I'll be pulling my CD26 out of Marion,MA and heading south to NC. I can't tow this boat with my truck as I did with my cd25. I'm trying to decide on the feasibility of sailing down the coast rather than having it hauled. I'll have a few weeks off work to do this. I'd like to stay close to the coast to find shelter when needed. Is there a route/plan that has been charted out? I know once south of Jersey I can use the intercoastal waterway but what about north of there? Thanks, Scott
capedorysailor@earthlink.net
Cruising South from Mass
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Clay Stalker
Re: Cruising South from Mass
Scott:Scott MacCready wrote: At the end of November, I'll be pulling my CD26 out of Marion,MA and heading south to NC. I can't tow this boat with my truck as I did with my cd25. I'm trying to decide on the feasibility of sailing down the coast rather than having it hauled. I'll have a few weeks off work to do this. I'd like to stay close to the coast to find shelter when needed. Is there a route/plan that has been charted out? I know once south of Jersey I can use the intercoastal waterway but what about north of there? Thanks, Scott
Sounds like a lot of fun, but you probably already know that the North Atlantic at the end of November and during December can be very unfriendly. There are some nice days, but more will be gray, windy, and cold (raw). You will at least need very warm clothes and a dodger would be highly recommended. I sailed from Maine to Boston a couple of years ago in November and it was damned cold...don't want to discourage you, but it ain't nothin' like the summer...the boat will be fine, though. Whatever the season, it will plow on down with vigor...Cape Dories are just great for this. Have a ball.
Clay Stalker
cstalker@cheshire.net
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Chris
Re: Cruising South from Mass
Scott - I did the trip in the opposite direction in late February. I ran the ditch from SC up Pamlico Sound. I headed outside until I reached Norfolk. Up the Chesapeak and then down The Delaware to NJ. back outside to NY, and then up LI Sound. Finally out of LI Sound at The Race and up to Cape Cod. The weather was not very favorable and thus the sheltered route. The trip can be done without much trouble provided you allow sufficient time to sit out any bad weather that may come your way. You should not plan on following a limited timetable or trying to force out any extra miles if the weather is unfavorable.
Scott MacCready wrote: At the end of November, I'll be pulling my CD26 out of Marion,MA and heading south to NC. I can't tow this boat with my truck as I did with my cd25. I'm trying to decide on the feasibility of sailing down the coast rather than having it hauled. I'll have a few weeks off work to do this. I'd like to stay close to the coast to find shelter when needed. Is there a route/plan that has been charted out? I know once south of Jersey I can use the intercoastal waterway but what about north of there? Thanks, Scott
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brian
Re: Cruising South from Mass
We took our CD 28 from Beverly, MA to FL departing on November 5th.
Below are our some of our stops. I've limited it to South of the Cape to NC since that's what you're interested in:
Hadley's Harbor/Woods Hole to Newport RI
Newport to Stamford, CT
Stamford to someplace on Long Island just before the start of the East River
East River/long Island to Shark River Inlet NJ
Shark River to Barnegat, NJ
Barnaget to Atlantic city (I think, I'd have to look at the log. Without exit numbers we were lost. Kidding, but the sequence of the NJ ports could be wrong)
Atlantic City to Cape May NJ
Cape May to Ocean City, MD
Ocean City MD to Norfolk, VA...this was our first overnight of the trip, and the first time it was warm enough to even think about an over night.
From here we stayed inside taking the Dismal Swamp to Pamelico Sound and eventually to the Alligator River and on to Beaufort, NC where we started hopping offshore again.
Two caveats:
1. Two weeks will be tight-you're into the shortest days of the year. 50 miles in day light hours will be a great day.
2. Most people get into trouble cruising when they are forced to sail to meet a 'deadline'.
That being said, I think you could make it pretty far. Even if you have to leave the boat somewhere rates that time of year are pretty low. We left our boat for a week in New Bern and it was the least expensive and nicest marina we stayed at. Granted we only stayed at about 4 marinas during the whole year, but it was nice.
I would go for it...either way you have to have the boat trucked right. Why not get it as close as possible?
Fair winds and cheap diesel,
Brian
brian@harvardthermal.com
Below are our some of our stops. I've limited it to South of the Cape to NC since that's what you're interested in:
Hadley's Harbor/Woods Hole to Newport RI
Newport to Stamford, CT
Stamford to someplace on Long Island just before the start of the East River
East River/long Island to Shark River Inlet NJ
Shark River to Barnegat, NJ
Barnaget to Atlantic city (I think, I'd have to look at the log. Without exit numbers we were lost. Kidding, but the sequence of the NJ ports could be wrong)
Atlantic City to Cape May NJ
Cape May to Ocean City, MD
Ocean City MD to Norfolk, VA...this was our first overnight of the trip, and the first time it was warm enough to even think about an over night.
From here we stayed inside taking the Dismal Swamp to Pamelico Sound and eventually to the Alligator River and on to Beaufort, NC where we started hopping offshore again.
Two caveats:
1. Two weeks will be tight-you're into the shortest days of the year. 50 miles in day light hours will be a great day.
2. Most people get into trouble cruising when they are forced to sail to meet a 'deadline'.
That being said, I think you could make it pretty far. Even if you have to leave the boat somewhere rates that time of year are pretty low. We left our boat for a week in New Bern and it was the least expensive and nicest marina we stayed at. Granted we only stayed at about 4 marinas during the whole year, but it was nice.
I would go for it...either way you have to have the boat trucked right. Why not get it as close as possible?
Fair winds and cheap diesel,
Brian
brian@harvardthermal.com
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Dale W.
Re: Cruising South from Mass
Scott,
I just completed bringing a boat from Lake Erie to NC (on down to the scenic New River, not the Neuse River). To review the part that is common. We left Haverstraw Bay on the Hudson just north of the Tappen Zee Bridge at 0630 and refueled about 1300 at Liberty State Park just across from the Battery in NYC. We then headed for Verrazano Narrows Bridge and then Sandy Hook and put in at Manasquan about 1830. A good 12 hour day. Weather and crew conditions conspired to introduce us to most of the Jersey coast. We set off the next morning in clear weather but got fogged in before Barnegut Inlet. In we went and sat out the weather for an additional day and a half. Good people in Barnegat Light. Then the other half of that day we made Atlantic city and pulled into "Historic Gardner Basin" a nice evening and the next day we boogied for Cape May. We made it from Cape May Harbor up Delaware Bay with favorable winds to Chesapeake City about mile 13 of the C&D Canal. The bridge in Chesapeake City is the mile '0' marker for the Chesapeake bay. The owner of the boat liked marinas and showers so we seldom anchored out. We made Herring Bay and the marina in the south end (still Rose Haven on the GPS). another early start and 13 hours later we were at Dozier's in Deltaville which made the next day's run to Norfolk easy. Out of Norfolk we ran down past the nice place (Midway Marina) in Coinjock and anchored out in Broad creek just before the Ablemarle. So we make a good early morning run across the Ablemarle and made it to Belhaven. We were past Oriental well before noon but hooked a left down Adams Creek whereas you'll go right and head for New Bern.
We used the Skipper Bob books extensively as well as the Waterway Guides. The northern edition will have good stuff on the initial northern portion of the trip. The boat we were on was 36' with a Perkins 50 hp that cruised about 2400 rpm and 6.5 to 7.2 mph. (We kept stuff in statute miles and mph to correlate with the guides.)
We pretty much ran sunup to sundown. You will have less daylight later in the year. . . Current charts are nice . . . we had old ones for the Jersey coast and it's nice to see a bouy and have the number be about what it is on the chart . . .
I would consider some earlier incremental relays to get the boat as far south as possible as soon as possible. Some CD owner slips may be available down the way as their boats are pulled for the winter.
Good Luck,
Dale
majortest@earthlink.net
I just completed bringing a boat from Lake Erie to NC (on down to the scenic New River, not the Neuse River). To review the part that is common. We left Haverstraw Bay on the Hudson just north of the Tappen Zee Bridge at 0630 and refueled about 1300 at Liberty State Park just across from the Battery in NYC. We then headed for Verrazano Narrows Bridge and then Sandy Hook and put in at Manasquan about 1830. A good 12 hour day. Weather and crew conditions conspired to introduce us to most of the Jersey coast. We set off the next morning in clear weather but got fogged in before Barnegut Inlet. In we went and sat out the weather for an additional day and a half. Good people in Barnegat Light. Then the other half of that day we made Atlantic city and pulled into "Historic Gardner Basin" a nice evening and the next day we boogied for Cape May. We made it from Cape May Harbor up Delaware Bay with favorable winds to Chesapeake City about mile 13 of the C&D Canal. The bridge in Chesapeake City is the mile '0' marker for the Chesapeake bay. The owner of the boat liked marinas and showers so we seldom anchored out. We made Herring Bay and the marina in the south end (still Rose Haven on the GPS). another early start and 13 hours later we were at Dozier's in Deltaville which made the next day's run to Norfolk easy. Out of Norfolk we ran down past the nice place (Midway Marina) in Coinjock and anchored out in Broad creek just before the Ablemarle. So we make a good early morning run across the Ablemarle and made it to Belhaven. We were past Oriental well before noon but hooked a left down Adams Creek whereas you'll go right and head for New Bern.
We used the Skipper Bob books extensively as well as the Waterway Guides. The northern edition will have good stuff on the initial northern portion of the trip. The boat we were on was 36' with a Perkins 50 hp that cruised about 2400 rpm and 6.5 to 7.2 mph. (We kept stuff in statute miles and mph to correlate with the guides.)
We pretty much ran sunup to sundown. You will have less daylight later in the year. . . Current charts are nice . . . we had old ones for the Jersey coast and it's nice to see a bouy and have the number be about what it is on the chart . . .
I would consider some earlier incremental relays to get the boat as far south as possible as soon as possible. Some CD owner slips may be available down the way as their boats are pulled for the winter.
Good Luck,
Dale
majortest@earthlink.net
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Jerry Axler
Re: Cruising South from Mass
I've read some of the posts with advice I would not follow if the weather was not great. Manasquan, Absecon( Atlantic City)and Cape May are the only all weather ports on the Jersey coast. Shark River and Barnegat can be treacherous because of shoaling, currents and closed bridges at the inlet. The trip is an easy one inthe summer, but I have sailed in snow on the Cheasapeake in the first week of November. Give yourself plenty of time and avoid deadlines that will get you in trouble. Someone advised starting out a little early by possibly moving the boat down to RI or Conn. before you take off for two weeks and I think that would make your life a lot easier and give you more time to sit out the inevitable bad conditions.( Murphy's law always is in play during a trip that has a deadline)Scott MacCready wrote: At the end of November, I'll be pulling my CD26 out of Marion,MA and heading south to NC. I can't tow this boat with my truck as I did with my cd25. I'm trying to decide on the feasibility of sailing down the coast rather than having it hauled. I'll have a few weeks off work to do this. I'd like to stay close to the coast to find shelter when needed. Is there a route/plan that has been charted out? I know once south of Jersey I can use the intercoastal waterway but what about north of there? Thanks, Scott
On a positve note, last year I sailed until the end of November on the Chesapeake in shirtsleeves most of the time. You just can't count on it.
With the aforementioned cautions , I would go for it and enjoy the trip.
Fair winds and warm temps
Jerry Axler
cutter36@erols.com
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Chris Reinke
Re: Cruising South from Mass - I have a slip....
Scott - I have a slip in Stamford which may be available for your use (free) depending upon exactly when you will be passing CT. I have made the trip from my house in Onset, just east of Marion, to Stamford in 28 hours. I usually set out early on Saturday morning so I make it into The Race around sundown Saturday. I then sail overnight and arrive in Stamford on Sunday morning. Please contact me directly if you might want to take me up on the use of the slip and I will try and determine when the dock will be pulled for the season. It may be beneficial for you to bring the boat down to Stamford a week or two prior to the start of your trip and leave her here. The slip is private and well protected.
Chris Reinke
CD330 - Innisfail
W 203-890-2031
chris.reinke@sac.com
Chris Reinke
CD330 - Innisfail
W 203-890-2031
Scott MacCready wrote: At the end of November, I'll be pulling my CD26 out of Marion,MA and heading south to NC. I can't tow this boat with my truck as I did with my cd25. I'm trying to decide on the feasibility of sailing down the coast rather than having it hauled. I'll have a few weeks off work to do this. I'd like to stay close to the coast to find shelter when needed. Is there a route/plan that has been charted out? I know once south of Jersey I can use the intercoastal waterway but what about north of there? Thanks, Scott
chris.reinke@sac.com