My east coast trip and a question on approaching an inlet

[RonE58]

I and a friend sailed my newly acquired CD 27 up from Pasadena, MD this last week to NYC. It was a great adventure, my previous experience on ocean sailing was a couple of miles along the coast of Rockaway, Queens earlier in the summer. The delaware bay, was has everyone told me it would be, a long haul, it took us 18 hours to go from Chesapeake city to Cape May harbor. Our third leg was met with 6 to 8 foot seas b/w Cape May and Atlantic city. I was really impressed with how she handled those rough seas. We hit 9.9 knots down one face of a wave. Everything was in control until we decided to go into Atlantic City. There were 8 foot waves pounding the inlet and strong winds coming in directly behind the surf. I had a few debates with my partner already on when to use the diesel but I was convinced going into an fierce inlet we should be turning on the power. His argument was that the diesel wasn't strong enough to keep us ahead of the surf. We made it in on sail but had to content with a swing boom that almost breached us into the waves. I thought at the least we should have had the working jib out and the main down and on full throttle.
Some 24 hours later we sailed back through a flat inlet and on up the coast to new york. Sailing at first through the night seemed intimidating but it turned out to be my highlight of the trip. The Garmin 492 gps/chart plotter was great.
Ron

[Boyd]

I would agree with you. With the wind and waves from behind in rough conditions, entering a harbor, I use the jib and engine. Its much safer in my opinion. Why risk a broach? The jib will pull the bow ahead, lessening the tendency for the stern to swing around, and the engine will give you that extra boost if you need to turn after the wind catches your stern and trys to spin you around. I would use the engine at about half and power up when needed. You would not be able to move faster than the waves under almost any conditions anyway. The main just acts to spin the boat around with the wind from behind. It should be down under these conditions. I would have hove to outside the harbor, put the main down, and waited for it to let up if I had a doubt about the conditions. Strong incoming wind on an outbound tide at a harbor entrance is a potential for disaster.

Boyd
s/v Tern
CD30 MkII
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

[tartansailor]

Running Inlets is no fun. I vividly remember as a boy around 1950 crewing for my friend's Dad who bought a brand new Chris Craft Constellation, about 48'. Well the guy had zero experience driving a boat and when it rotated 360° in the middle of Barnegat inlet and headed for the rocks he fainted at the wheel!!
In sailing into an inlet with the wind, I like to use a jib only dragging an old truck tire as a drogue, and have the engine running just above idle.
I never, never transit a rocky inlet without some sail up.
And yes, the Delaware Bay (this humble sailor's venue) can put a rosy color in one's cheeks.
Dick

[Tom Keevil]

The best time to cross a bar is high tide slack; the worst is maximum ebb. There can be a huge difference in the sea state between those two, so you really need to know what the tide is doing before you commit to crossing. Most of the boating fatalities on the Oregon coast result from folks crossing the bar at the wrong time. We never go sailing without checking the tidal current predictions. Also note that high tide slack is not the same time as high tide.

[Carl Thunberg]

Now wait a minute! Where on earth would you stow an old truck tire on a CD25? There ain't no way you're gettin' an ol' truck tire through the companionway. That would look really great mounted on my stern rail. That, and lots of laundry hanging from the life lines.

[Steve Laume]

"That would look really great mounted on my stern rail." Truck tire stowage on the stern rail of a CD-25 has the added benefit of counteracting the weight of the fisherman anchors on the pulpit. If you get a washer dryer combo unit for down below you will not need to clutter things up with laundry on the life lines, Steve.

[tartansailor]

Carl,
The truck tire is lashed to the stern rail. It is reminiscent of a continental.
I am not advocating anything to anybody, but being no stranger to heavy weather sailing, that tire has relieved much anxiety on my part on many occasions, on many different boats.
May I suggest "Heavy Weather Sailing" by K Adlard Coles, published by John DE Graff.
Thank you for your concern.
Dick

[Al Levesque]

I suppose if the tire is painted yellow with the name of the boat painted on it the effect would not be too bad.