I know it seems silly to quote myself, but I read your post again and see that your friend will be heading north once on the Hudson and not south. Knowing that he'll want to enter the East River with the Ebb rather than the Flood as I stated earlier, but he'll still want to be in the vicinity of Hell Gate and the Roosevelt Island lift bridge at or near Slack. The tide will eventually turn as he continues southwest on the East River and he'll then have the Flood to carry him northward up the Hudson. As everyone has already stated, it's just a matter of timing and not difficult to plan.Cathy Monaghan wrote:Ditto what everybody else has already said. Make sure you have a copy of the 2005 Eldridge and/or Reed's Nautical Almanac for the East Coast -- don't leave the dock without it.
Regarding the East River -- don't let it scare you, I make that trip a few times each year. BUT, you must plan your trip to reach Hellgate at or around slack water. Why? If there's anything going on at the U.N., if the president's in town, there's any kind of shindig going on in NYC, or just because they feel like it, you might find the channel west of Roosevelt Island closed to pleasure boat traffic. If this is the case you'll have to use the channel on the east side of the island and there's a lift bridge on that side with vertical clearance of only 40 feet. You don't want to have to deal with that bridge at any time other than slack. So plan your trip based on the tides and currents and you'll be fine.
If your mast can clear that bridge then it's not an issue. Have a great trip!
Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay
As Mark mentioned, be on the lookout for traffic of all sorts -- mainly tugs/barges and other pleasure boats on the East River (monitor both VHF Ch. 16 and 13. You'll also use 13 to hail the bridge tender.). Once on the Hudson you'll be in the company of every type of surface vessel you can imagine. You'll have to keep a sharp lookout until you're north of the George Washington Bridge where river traffic will drop off dramatically. You'll still have to share the river with other vessels but you'll lose the ferrys, water taxis, tour and excursion boats.
Also, don't forget that the area is very, almost surprisingly, scenic. Everyone will want to be up on deck -- not just to help with the watch but to take in the sights. Manhattan is spectacular from the water and once you pass under the Brooklyn Bridge the harbor will open up in front of you and you'll be looking right at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The Palisades on the western shore of the Hudson in NJ are beautiful and the mountains of the Hudson Highlands in NY are gorgeous. Make sure you've got a camera and plenty of film onboard.
A couple of cruising guides to have on hand are "Cruising Guide to New York Waterways and Lake Champlain", by Chris Brown and "Cruising Guide to the Hudson River, Lake Champlain & the St. Lawrence River--The Waterway from New York City to Montreal and Quebec City", by Alan and Susan McKibben.
Fair winds,
Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay
