Florida to NYC on a sailboat

Kings Gambit · Apr 27, 2024

Not clear from where you are departing or your destination. FL rocky? Most of it is beach coastline. Where did you find rockiness a concern? Yes- you must pass through inlets to come in at night from sea. Better plan well to hop between them or be stuck out at night if not wanting to pass through after dark.

Stu Jackson · Apr 27, 2024

I hate to burst your bubble, but the reality of your question is that you can't do both, i.e., harbor hop up the east coast just can't be done. First, there are looong stretches where there simply are NO harbors to hop into. Second, even if there were, the geology of the east coast is such that in many cases you would spend all day getting out only get back in without making any northing.

I sailed to Canada from San Francisco in 2016, took six weeks for 1,650 nm, harbors or three anchorages every night. How? Because there ARE refuges no longer than 70 nm all the way up the coast and once inside a bar (inlet to you) you don't have far to go to a marina. I did my research and homework, found a fellow who'd done it and wrote about it.

I'm sure that kind of stuff HAS been written about the east coast. Now, hmm, where would I go to look to find such writings...

shemandr · Apr 27, 2024

We took a boat from St. Lucie to Greenport in the ocean non-stop. 6.5 days. I think that you wait for a weather window (Not a Cold Front) and go. The Gulf Stream is your friend - going North. We had days of over 10 knots SOG. Hours at 13 + . We motored when wind was light. 37' Tartan and 3 guys.
I did the ICW going the other way on a POS power boat and it took 17 days. And I had to get off the boat early due to a health issue. I enjoyed seeing the coast, experiencing the beauty and isolation of the low country. But when you are re-locating a boat fast is better. It's about getting there.
I think the ocean direct is the best way to do that trip. Going in and out of inlets nightly will be slow. Don't underestimate how long it takes to sail from deep enough water to an inlet. It can be up to twenty miles (Frying Pan Shoals). A fair amount of the East Coast is fairly shallow off the beach. It doesn't mean you can't sail close to the beach but there will be shoaling and you have to avoid the shoals or stand off. And some inlets are OK and others aren't. Some of the ones that are OK aren't in certain conditions.
If you are uncomfortable sailing over night, hire a captain and get the trip done. Whatever the captain costs, I think it will be less than marina's, dinner etc. for what could turn into 2 weeks or more.

smokey73 · Apr 27, 2024

The specs for the Sun Odyssey 419 shows a 6.89 ft draft. Great for speed and upwind but a problem for skinny water. You will have some real difficulty with some shallow spots on the ICW through Georgia, South Carolina and parts of North Carolina along the ICW. What is your air draft (masthead plus stuff on the top of the mast)? With nearly 7 foot draft you will find it a real pucker factor in some stretches and you may have to wait for a rising tide to transit some areas. Depending on your air draft, you may have to wait for a falling tide or lower water to get through some of the the bridges (nominal 65 ft but often less). The Wilkerson Bridge near Bellhaven NC is ony 64 feet most of the time. Knowing your exact clearance is critical.

You are much better advised to wait for a weather window as @shemandr advised or to to do some day and night sailing offshore going from "point to point" where it is easy to get in and out. For instance, you could sail from St Augustine FL or St. Mary's GA with two days sailing and an overnight underway between the daylight sails to someplace like Beaufort SC or Charleston SC. Then leave Charleston for full daylight, an overnight plus another full daylight sail and get to Southport NC or possibly even Beaufort NC. From there you have the decision to either go on the ICW or around Cape Hatteras. The problem with the ICW option though is that the Wilkerson Bridge (64 ft) is between Beaufort NC and Norfolk so that can be a real problem based on your mast head height (which I can't find online.). The problem with around the Cape is that the don't call it the Graveyard of the Atlantic for nothing. You'll need a good weather window.

However you get from Norfolk to New York you'll need to either go offshore from Norfolk or up the Chesapeake to the Delaware-Chesapeake Canal then out the Delaware Bay around New Jersey to New York. There is a good place to pull in for a rest at Atlantic City NJ if you need a rest.

I've done the trip from St. Augustine north to Annapolis and the trip from Long Island Sound to Beaufort SC.

kappykaplan · Apr 27, 2024

xavpil, when I brought my boat up to the Chesapeake from Ft. Lauderdale in 2008, I determined where the track of the Gulf Stream was and laid out my track accordingly, to follow the Gulf Stream and get some extra boat speed. I had no intention of routinely attempting to find a port for an overnight stay for just the reasons Stu Jackson pointed out. My boat draws 6.5 ft, so the ICW was out of the question. I had a crew of four and we sailed 'round the clock for the week or so it took to get the boat to her new home. The crew was organized into two watch teams.

What size is your crew? What time constraints do you have to make the trip? Do you have spare jerry cans of fuel in case of extended periods of motoring? I carried four jerry cans to supplement my then 17 gal fuel tank (now it's 27 gal) and we used all of them.

Do a search on this site for postings by "Sequitur". He and his wife sailed from Vancouver to FL, rounding Cape Horn, in a Hunter 49. Their blogs are still at Leaving Sequitur

dlochner · Apr 27, 2024

xavpil said:
Hi all,
42' sailboat, ready to head to NYC next week.
First season on the water with a "big' boat. Just got back from the bahamas.
This post is part of my research, and yes, some questions will sound very naive, very uninformed, etc... But I have to start somewhere and since there is nothing better than others' experiences, here I am;

The ICW is NOT our favorite route (too busy, motoring, shallow, etc..).
We would rather coastal sail.
However our little experience with coastal sailing in Florida (didn't want to deal with the Gulf Stream) wasn't great: very rocky. Not something we would want to do on a daily basis for days.

We also don't want to sail at night so we will have to find mooring or anchor spots. I think it'll mean going through inlets, right?

But then we'll have to deal with tide/current/winds on a daily basis, right? and sometimes we might not be able to come in at night, correct?...
Or is the whole "inlet" thing just a Florida thing?

So, do we have to choose between
1- rocky sailing and daily worries of not being to come in/out an inlet
2- 100% motoring and watching depth finder in the ICW

Once you are off shore, you are off shore for many hours or days.

The ICW is made much easier with Aquamaps and Bob423's tracks. The problem with the ICW is the shoal areas, Bob423 tracks show the way around the shoaling areas. Bob also maintains a very active FaceBook group where members update their findings on the ICW. The US Army Corps of Engineers maintains the ICW and routinely surveys known shoaling areas. The soundings are uploaded to the web and Aquamaps will download the files daily.

In places where you can sail out to the ocean and then back in, the time spent entering and leaving really slows down progress. You may spend an hour trying get out an inlet and another hour getting in. That is just the nature of the route. If you go outside plan to spend at least a full day (24 hours) and maybe more outside. Navigation is also more difficult because it is necessary to plan for tides and weather.

Aqua Map

Most advanced Marine Navigation App

www.aquamap.app

Bob423 Long Tracks

4/14/2024 Update: The Savannah to Titusville track has been updated to follow the ATONs through Ft Matanzas. The previous track avoided the ...

bobicw.blogspot.com

Captain Larry-DH · Apr 28, 2024

dlochner said:
Once you are off shore, you are off shore for many hours or days.

The ICW is made much easier with Aquamaps and Bob423's tracks. The problem with the ICW is the shoal areas, Bob423 tracks show the way around the shoaling areas. Bob also maintains a very active FaceBook group where members update their findings on the ICW. The US Army Corps of Engineers maintains the ICW and routinely surveys known shoaling areas. The soundings are uploaded to the web and Aquamaps will download the files daily.

In places where you can sail out to the ocean and then back in, the time spent entering and leaving really slows down progress. You may spend an hour trying get out an inlet and another hour getting in. That is just the nature of the route. If you go outside plan to spend at least a full day (24 hours) and maybe more outside. Navigation is also more difficult because it is necessary to plan for tides and weather.

Aqua Map

Most advanced Marine Navigation App

www.aquamap.app

Bob423 Long Tracks

4/14/2024 Update: The Savannah to Titusville track has been updated to follow the ATONs through Ft Matanzas. The previous track avoided the ...

bobicw.blogspot.com

THIS!
You can display the USACE overlays in Aquamaps (it’s a free add-in overlay for the paid version of AquaMaps AND you can concurrently display Bob’s tracks (also free add in). That will keep you up to date on the safe water. If you join Bob’s ICW facebook group you can ask questions and find people discussing and reporting current bridge closures, hazards, and other relevant info.
There are other low bridges besidss the Wilkerson. The Pungo Ferry Bridge is usually 63 or 64 feet. It’s only 65 when this hydrographic station hits zero or lower (usually only after a norther has been lowering the water level in the Albemarle Sound for a few days). National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. Your draft is too deep for the alternate route through the Dismal Swamp Canal.
The Socastee Bridge is often low Waterway Guide | Navigation Alert Information
Flagler Beach Bridge - Usually low and there’s no significant tide there (water level mostly depends on rainfall)

You can day hop outside in the ocean between the inlets past the Flagler and the Socastee, and you can bypass the Wilkerson by going east of Roanoke Island in the Pamlico Sound. But with your draft you must be able to pass under the Pungo Ferry bridge or your only alternative is to go outside around Hatteras.
You may wish to think about hiring a Captain and/or recruiting experienced crew as an option. There are crewfinder sites. I know 2 captains I can recommend (not sure if they’re available in your timeframe). I’m a licensed captain but I’m not for hire.

dlochner · Apr 28, 2024

Captain Larry-DH said:
THIS!
You can display the USACE overlays in Aquamaps (it’s a free add-in overlay for the paid version of AquaMaps AND you can concurrently display Bob’s tracks (also free add in). That will keep you up to date on the safe water. If you join Bob’s ICW facebook group you can ask questions and find people discussing and reporting current bridge closures, hazards, and other relevant info.
There are other low bridges besidss the Wilkerson. The Pungo Ferry Bridge is usually 63 or 64 feet. It’s only 65 when this hydrographic station hits zero or lower (usually only after a norther has been lowering the water level in the Albemarle Sound for a few days). National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. Your draft is too deep for the alternate route through the Dismal Swamp Canal.
The Socastee Bridge is often low Waterway Guide | Navigation Alert Information
Flagler Beach Bridge - Usually low and there’s no significant tide there (water level mostly depends on rainfall)

You can day hop outside in the ocean between the inlets past the Flagler and the Socastee, and you can bypass the Wilkerson by going east of Roanoke Island in the Pamlico Sound. But with your draft you must be able to pass under the Pungo Ferry bridge or your only alternative is to go outside around Hatteras.
You may wish to think about hiring a Captain and/or recruiting experienced crew as an option. There are crewfinder sites. I know 2 captains I can recommend (not sure if they’re available in your timeframe). I’m a licensed captain but I’m not for hire.

@Captain Larry-DH good point about the air draft! We all worry about the keel, however mast height is an issue too. According to Boat-Specs.com the air draft is a tad over 50' which is not very tall for a 42 foot boat. Other references list the I dimension as ~ 51' which would probably yield an air draft greater than 50' yet less than the ~64' feet clearance on the almost ICW compliant bridge clearances. So, no offshore around Hatteras.

Sun Odyssey 419 Shoal draft (Jeanneau) - Sailboat specifications - Boat-Specs.com

The Sun Odyssey 419 is a 39’4” (11.98m) cruising sailboat designed by Philippe Briand (France). She was built ...

www.boat-specs.com

Stu Jackson · Apr 28, 2024

dlochner said:
where members update their findings on the ICW

...ever since Garmin destroyed ActiveCaptain...

Captain Larry-DH · Apr 29, 2024

Stu Jackson said:
...ever since Garmin destroyed ActiveCaptain...

OK thread drift LOL

To be fair, they neglected it but didn't destroy it. It's still very useful, although it's starting to look a little stale in many (most?) places.

dlochner · Apr 29, 2024

Captain Larry-DH said:
OK thread drift LOL
To be fair, they neglected it but didn't destroy it. It's still very useful, although it's starting to look a little stale in many (most?) places.

Waterway Guide has really stepped in to AC's demise. Full online access for about $5 a month is hard to beat. Information tends to be current and accurate. All the reviews are vetted, unlike AC. WG sends out a weekly email update on navigation issues, from missing buoys, shoaling, events, etc. A good organization, just don't waste money on the expensive books. All the info is online, each book costs about $50, or about a year's subscription to the online service. As the saying goes, "Don't leave the dock without it."

David in Sandusky · Apr 29, 2024

My recommendation:

- recruit 2 friends as crew.
- buy fuel cans as recommended above.
- hire an experienced captain to guide and train you.
- go into the Gulfstream for a quick trip north offshore.

Advantages:

A fun, safe adventure for you and your friends.
Great training for you on how to captain a vessel safely and effectively.
The probably lowest cost and certainly the quickest way to get your boat onto your cruising grounds.

dLj · Apr 29, 2024

You've gotten a lot of good advice above. What I can add is simply some anecdotal information.

I just ran the East coast from the Bahamas to the Chesapeake. I ran the gulf stream all the way from southern Florida to Charleston. Weather forced us into Charleston . The leg running the Gulf Stream was quite nice, we were making 10 to 12 knots consistently. I had picked a weather window where there had not been any north winds for a couple days so the Gulf Stream was very smooth.

We had constant weather info throughout.

Once in Charleston, we had a poor weather window for a few days so we decided to run up the ICW. I have 6 feet if draft and 60 feet of overhead clearance. The overhead at that height is not a problem. The 6 feet of draft did make some areas a bit difficult. We ended up running the ICW for 2 and a half days. It was very interesting, we found some nice anchorages using the Waterway Guide - free version. But it was not something I'd want to do again unless I was in a trawler.

Then we jumped back out into the ocean. We had to jump back in at Cape Fear and spend two nights at anchor to avoid some real bad weather. We then jumped back out and went around Hatteras and into the Chesapeake.

There were two of us. We ran 4 hour shifts. We were both experienced sailors.

The bob tracks are superb!

There is an excellent Facebook group on the ICW.

The waterway guide is excellent.

I didn't have Aquamaps, but it I were to do it again, I'd get it.

If I'm ever heading that way again, I'll have at least one crew that can do watches and I would do as much as possible off shore. Lots of homework to know where you can go in to avoid weather. It's takes a long time going in and out...

dj

BarryL · Apr 29, 2024

Hi,

I’m in a sort of similar position.

https://www.sailnet.com/threads/sailing-from-west-palm-beach-fl-to-port-jefferson-ny.352530/#post-2051802551

dLj · Apr 30, 2024

BarryL said:
Hi,

I’m in a sort of similar position.

https://www.sailnet.com/threads/sailing-from-west-palm-beach-fl-to-port-jefferson-ny.352530/#post-2051802551

You may want to start a separate thread on your upcoming trip.

Some quick notes. ICW route - There is one bridge in the Carolinas (I'd have to look back as to where) with overhead clearance of 64 feet. You boat would be really tight on that one - watch your tides. My boat has 6 feet of draft - I'd be worried especially through the dismal swap of that 7.5 feet draft.

Will you have starlink for real time weather info?

You mentioned difficult to provision for 10 days - I'd be happy to talk with you about long term provisioning. 10 days is not a big deal at all...

Let me know if you'd like.more input.

dj