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East Greenwich RI, to Mystic CT

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ruachwrights
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USA
258 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/14/2010 : 08:40:03

Am planning a trip to Mystic. We will leave East Greenwich RI by eight or nine on Friday morning. We will arrive at Point Judith in the late afternoon or early evening. Will purchase slip at Point Judith Marina or Anchor behind Plato Island. Could be thunder showers on Saturday. Depending on up to date forecast, will depart Saturday morning and arrive in Mystic on Saturday late afternoon or early evening. We will take Sunday to explore Mystic and take the kids to the Aquarium. If Saturday's weather is overly inclement we shall be exploring on Monday. Return trip will bring us back to point Judith, day four or five, and East Greenwich day six or seven.

Questions: 1) All seems prudent? 2) Are there any cool things or dangers about Point Judith as I have never sailed here. 3) Is it possible to sail to the actual seaport part of Mystic (I have heard it is, but once I get there is there any place to tie up?) Would I be better advised to find a place in Mystic harbor and just explore the town from there? 4)Are there other things a 14 year old boy, a 9 year old boy, a 5 year old girl and a 40 year old wife might enjoy besides the tourist shops and the aquarium? 5)Should we run tight on cash (which happens frequently) are there money saving tips I should know about such as protected anchorages etc...?

We shall be bringing our hard dingy.

Chime in any time here Port Captain Dave!

Vern Wright

97 Catalina 250 TR/ WK
Hull #301
Attleboro, MA

Edited by - on

JohnP
Master Marine Consultant

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1520 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2010 : 12:47:14

That's a cool trip! Maybe you can raft up to the old wooden whaling ship!

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Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9089 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2010 : 18:07:41

Welcome to my stomping grounds!

You can motor to the Seaport--not sail... I'd take the sails down in Noank--especially in weekend traffic on the river. There are two bridges--first "Mystic Rail" and then "Mystic Highway"--call them on Ch 13. "Rail" closes for trains, and stays open otherwise. Contact him either way--if he's open, you want him to know you're approaching so he doesn't close on your nose without warning. "Highway" opens hourly on the 40-minute mark unless nobody asks. Monitor 13 once you enter the river and you'll hear the chatter with both bridges. To make the highway bridge comfortably (given the vagaries of the railroad bridge), you want to be entering the river at the Noank Shipyard by about the top of the hour.

Once past the highway bridge, you can dock at the Seaport (with a reservation and for a hefty fee), but it's a <i>lot</i> cheaper (free) to anchor just north of can 53--there's a fair amount of 7-9' water there--how's your sounder working? It's a quiet anchorage (except for occasional wedding reception music) and there will probably be a few other boats there--often anchored fore-and-aft facing SW. The Seaport has a dinghy dock very close to 53, right at the excellent Latitude 41 restaurant. Kitchen Little, on the river (a short walk up the highway) just north of there, is the best breakfast around. The aquarium is a little over a mile from there.

Other anchorages are pretty distant from the seaport, town, and aquarium, although there's a dinghy dock in the village just south of the highway bridge. There are some marinas between the bridges close to town, but that's 1/2 to 3/4 mile from the Seaport. About the only thing for your kids in town is a nice toy store... The [url="http://www.oldemistickvillage.com/"]Olde Mistick Village[/url] shopping "mall" by the aquarium probably has more interesting shops for the kids.

Besides the aquarium, there are always things going on at the Seaport, including activities for kids. Check their [url="http://www.mysticseaport.org/"]website[/url]. You can even rent a little classic sailboat and patrol around the seaport area. You won't be rafting up with the whaler (the Morgan)--she's up on the hard, getting a multi-million, multi-year re-build. You can climb up to a big scaffold and see the work. There are other old ships to go aboard and down below in. I can't recommend swimming in the river--it's thick with jellyfish right now--the most I've ever seen.

Sorry I won't be available, but I'll e-mail you a cell number, and you can e-mail or call any time.

Safe trip and good times!

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 07/14/2010 19:12:45

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9089 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2010 : 19:39:50

Regarding the trip from E. Greenwich, I can't speak to Pt. Judith, but I'll suggest you check the tide so you aren't trying to buck it as you approach Watch Hill. From there into Fishers Island Sound, the tide runs just about like it does in The Race--going either direction against it at full flow is a big waste of time, and going with it is a nice boost. Saturday it looks like it'll be at max-ebb (flowing east) at about noon, going to slack late in the afternoon.

Also be sure you know where Watch Hill Passage is ("WH" in the middle, with red "2" and green "1" flanking. There's plenty of room, but the reefs just outside of the marks are treacherous. Then it's a pretty easy route to the north side of Ram Island--keep the green cans there to port, and then to daymark "5" (a small tower) at the mouth of the river. The river snakes around but is well marked, and you can probably just follow the traffic. When you get to about the Mystic Shipyard marina (about 2 miles in on port), contact "Mystic Rail" on 13. You'll see the swing bridge from there, and you're about five minutes from it.

Get back with any other questions...

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 07/14/2010 19:46:08

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5444 Posts

Response Posted - 07/16/2010 : 20:16:36

I guess this is pretty late but . . .

I second Dave's advice on the Watch Hill Passage.

Even if you have a chart plotter, you still need a handheld GPS, a compass and a loud horn, since fog is quite common in this area.

You should also have the following nautical charts on board:

Narragansett Bay: 13221

Martha's Vineyard to Block Island: 13215 and

Fishers Island Sound: 13214

You can buy them at west marine, and download them from NOAA's Online Chart Viewer.

Good luck and take pictures.

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