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The Race

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Rich G
Navigator

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226 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/25/2005 : 02:36:56

Will soon be making the trip down the Long Island Sound from Buzzards Bay to NYC. Several here have mentioned "the Race" at the eastern end of the sound.

What advice can you give about sailing through this part of the sound? I know the current can get pretty strong and that you have to time your passage with the tide, but any other advice would be great. What would be a good starting point for the day we pass through there?

My current thoughts (no pun intended), are to go from Mattapoisett to Newport on the first day, then possibly to Block Island (or not), and then on to Fisher Island and/or New London. Then on through the Race. I figure City Island is probably 3 days or so from there.

Rich

Cerberus
Hull #4695
1984 SR/FK No Pop-Top

Edited by - on

John G-
Admiral

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793 Posts

Response Posted - 04/25/2005 : 10:14:51

Rich,
If the tides are with you, your plan sounds fine. The harbor at Fisher's Island is one of the prettiest on the Sound. Check out the Thimbles if you have time. If you need a final stop over, come into [url="http://www.obmc.com/once%20in%20the%20harbor.htm"]Oyster Bay[/url]. [url="http://www.catalina25-250.org/photo/peregrine2.jpg"]"Peregrine"[/url] is on mooring CB-36 right next to the anchorage area. She is still on the "hard" but should be on the mooring by the 1st of May.
The alternative to the race is “The Gut”. That’s Plum Gut, the strait between Orient Point and Plum Island. From Block Island it’s an easy shot. Usually sailors stay south of Valiant Rock and Constellation Rock then from Gardiner’s Point line up the “Gut” from the south east. It’s narrow but better than going backwards in the race. The currents in the gut can be bad as well running as much as 5 knots. Tide charts are a must.
Be careful, keep the charts handy and have the tides marked on your Eldrige by the hour.
What I’ve done is Xerox the tide charts and mark the time of day on each one so I am not doing the math in my head while sailing.
Sounds like a good trip. Please keep a log and or a journal and contact me when you get home. I’ve wanted to do a piece in the Mainsheet on Long Island Sound for quite awhile.

[url="jg949@hotmail.com"]John Gisondi[/url]
Mainsheet Contributing Editor
C25/C250 National Association

Underlined words are a HOT link.

Edited by - John G- on 04/25/2005 10:27:34

DrDre
1st Mate

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USA
68 Posts

Response Posted - 04/25/2005 : 12:00:06

Rich,
We keep our boat on City Island and last year we transited the Sound to Block Island and back over the course of 10 days. We only sailed during the daylight hours and took our time enjoying every second of it. Our trip out took three days in order to meet friends on Block. Had we sailed at night we could've done it in half the time. Maybe next time.

We approached the Race at slack before ebb which worked out perfectly. We had time to tuck in around the bend for fuel then the ebb tide gave us a nice push for a bit to Block Island. On the way from Block we timed our approach for slack before flood and all was calm as we passed through. Once we got through the mouth of the Sound the stern waves were formidable. We were being pushed along from Hurricane Bonnie down in the Carolinas. Those waves were about 4-6 feet and the period between was enough to allow us to surf without worry of getting swamped over the stern. Our speedo and GPS were giving us SOG readings of up to 13kts! Crazy ride and looking forward to doing again soon.

Hope to meet you when you come to City Island. The boat will be moored at Barron's Boat Yard on the East side of the Island. We're splashing next week and bringing Ananda down the Hudson and up the East River to our mooring on CI. The East River has a legendary pass known as Hell Gate (Helagate in Dutch). That's another roller coaster that has to be carefully timed and gently handled because of the barge/ferry/stinkboat traffic. More on that story another day.....

Fair winds and following seas to ya.

Andre'

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Rich G
Navigator

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226 Posts

Response Posted - 04/25/2005 : 12:50:48

DrDre-

Funny you should mention Hellgate, because after City Island our next stop is the 79th Street Boat Basin. I have friends who have signed on to help through that one once we reach it.

Not bad for a maiden voyage, eh?

Also, if Fisher's Island is really that nice a harbor, would it be an acceptable alternative to sail through Fisher's Island Sound? I know that it has more obstacles, but the current only seems to run at 3 knots (ONLY!). We're only planning on sailing daylight hours so visibility should be less of an issue.

Edited by - Rich G on 04/27/2005 11:59:08

cvwall
1st Mate

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USA
56 Posts

Response Posted - 04/28/2005 : 09:02:33

Sailing through Fisher's Island Sound is definately an alternative; plus, the current changes in FI Sound ~45 minutes before the Race. Have a good chart and watch your marks and you'll be OK. For a first timer I'd recommend entering through Watch Hill Passage ratner than the others - remember, the tide runs across them somewhat, which can set you sideways. For a little fun, if you have the time, go a couple of miles up the Mystic River to Mystic Seaport and overnight next to the Charles Morgan or the L.A. Dunton. Also good facilites at Mystic or around Morgan Point in West Cove, at Spicer's.

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Rich G
Navigator

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226 Posts

Response Posted - 04/28/2005 : 14:32:17

I'm still working out the details of when the trip will actually happen; ironing out schedules with crew and such. As of now, the planned launching is May 5th or 6th, and we'll take most of the month of May coming west through the sound, taking time off for weekday jobs and such. It's looking now like we're never going to spend more than 2 - 3 days at a time on the boat and leave it as a transient in several harbors along the way. The disadvantage of this is the cost and inconvenience of travel to and from the boat, but the price is worth it from what we gain in comfort and flexibility.

I'm also thinking now that a short jaunt to Montauk from Block Island will line up the Race rather nicely. I had no idea there was so much to keep track of when planning even a simple little passage through Long Island Sound! If I weren't having so much fun I might be overwhelmed!

ONWARDS . . .

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cvwall
1st Mate

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USA
56 Posts

Response Posted - 04/29/2005 : 08:35:16

It only seems to be a lot to keep track of. Take it one leg at a time (with alternative ports in case of adverse weather) and you'll be fine. Read Eldridge and plan your tides. Any good cruising guide will give you info on ports & facilities. Amtrack has stops in most CT ports. As you progress westward Shoreline East (Saybrook) and Metro North (from New Haven) lines also come in to play, so leaving your vessel and getting to where you need to be should be easy. It should be quite an adventure, have fun!

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