Delaware Bay to NYC In The Spring (May)

[Joe Mullee]

Wondering if anyone has made the trip from the Delaware Bay up the Jersey coast to NYC and back in mid to late May? I've done it a few times before as crew in the summer and fall but never in the spring. Are conditions similiar to those times of the year? I assume the nights can get a bit cold. Just curious what it's like off the Jersey coast this time of year.

Thanks.

 

[RichH]

You will be traveling down the Del. Bay during BITING FLY SEASON - so be sure to take along plenty of OFF (no-see-ums & gnats)..... and if possible an electronic FLY-BAT (zapper that looks like a tennis racket) for the Green Head Flies.

Depending on the prevailing weather patterns May is usually a time of constant SW'ers @10-15 .... 'good time' to make passage along the NJ coast.
Also depending on the weather patterns, can be a time of a few remaining equinoctal gales and severe thunderstorms/squalls - easily determined by listening to weather forecasts for the 'entire' eastern US, looking for cold fronts with 'very distinct temperature variations'.

 

[Ariel]

Joe,

Watch the weather and go for it. Here is a story I wrote about this route several years ago.

Enjoy

Dave
s/v ARIEL

A DREAM BECOMES REALITY
May, 2008
by Dave Nance​

I frequently day dream of the perfect sailing passage, one where the wind is from the optimum direction, the seas in the correct pattern, and the weather mild. This situation seldom happens in real life; in fact, it may happen only once in years, or may never happen. It’s that anticipation that keeps us sailing, looking and hopping for that perfect sailing passage.
It finally happened. We left Rock Hall, MD on Tuesday bound for New York Harbor. The weather forecast was for a cold front to pass over the New Jersey coast on Tuesday night and a high to build rapidly over Cape Cod on Wednesday. As we sailed up the Chesapeake to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal the wind was light and at our back. We motor/sailed to the canal and picked up a strong flood tide to rapidly carry us to the first nights anchorage at Chesapeake City.
The front came past about 2 AM on Wednesday as predicted. We departed the anchorage at 6 AM to meet the beginning of the ebb at the mouth of the canal at 8 AM. As we left the protection of the canal and entered Delaware Bay the wind was from the north at 15 to 20 kn with gusts to 28. We set a reefed main, joined the ebb and flew down the bay at 7 kn through the water and with the fair tide, over 9 kn over the bottom. We carried the ebb to Cross Ledge before it ran out. At that point the bay is wide enough that the new flood tide had little impact. We easily made the Cape May Canal, squeaked under the bridge with eighteen inches to spare and had a restful night in Cape May. Eight hours of downwind sailing in Delaware Bay is a rare treat on such a notoriously messy bit of water.
Thursday dawned calm with winds forecast to be light and rotating to the southeast as the high began to build. We left Cape May bound for New York City and set all sail in a west wind off the coast and in smooth water. We sailed at 5 kn in beautiful blue/green water and marveled about the weather. By noon the wind began to clock to the southwest and continued to strengthen. By 2 PM it was 15 to 20 kn and seas building. We were now running with reefed main and no jib. Our speed increased to 7 kn and surged to over 8 kn down the larger waves. We were having much too much fun to get any rest in preparation for nightfall.
As dusk came the wind lightened as anticipated and as a precaution we put a second reef in the main before darkness. This slowed us to 4 kn as planned so that we would arrive at the New York shipping lanes at dawn.
The night was beautiful. The high brought in dry air and stars were everywhere and seemed close enough to touch. We counted satellites and looked for constellations. A sliver of moon rose in the early hours of Friday morning and cast a red glow on the water as it rose and turned silver. Throughout the night Lois and I applied the sleep strategy of alternating naps of 30 to 50 minutes as we had read in Erin Myers article The Sleeping Enemy. Amazingly it worked well. We both stayed alert and were not dead tired when we arrived in New York. (Those of you that read my review of this sleep strategy article know what I am referring to).
We arrived at Sandy Hook at dawn as planned, shook out the reefs and made course for the Verrazano Narrows. Twenty hours and a perfect passage from Cape May to New York. What a treat.
Our next treat is to enjoy New York City for several days.
Hope you can also fill your dream sail soon.
Dave & Lois Nance
S/V ARIEL

 

[captainpat]

The weather pattern along the Jersey coast is often at odds with the general forecast for the region as given by NOAA. This is due, in part, to the thermalling effect of the land heating all morning. As a rule you are going to get heavier then forecast winds (15 to 25 - depending) in the afternoon, subsiding as the late afternoon temps moderate. Another curiosity is that the bays often see heavier winds then the ocean. The prevailing southerlies will normally give a nice boost to northbound travelers. Southbound, you may want to opt for a layover in Manasquan (no place to anchor unfortunately) or Atlantic City and break the run up into two or three legs to avoid beating into the afternoon seas. FYI: Barnegat Inlet has a well documented bad reputation, however, it has improved since the construction of the new south jetty. It is normally a good inlet in easy to moderate conditions, ESPECIALLY when the wind and current are in conjunction. On the other hand I have experience bad inlet conditions in calm wind, depending on factors well out to sea. It is sometimes difficult to predict and a call to Sea-tow or Boat/US to find out the local conditions is a good idea. The reason why I mention Barnegat Inlet as a possibility is that it breaks the run down the coast into two fairly equal legs. There is a convenient and well known anchorage inside the inlet past the CG station in a "hole" (Myer's Hole - not labeled on the chart). You want to enter the anchorage from the east once well past the CG station - NOT FROM THE SOUTH! One more bit of info; your Hunter 34 will require some planning to transit the Cape May Canal with bridge restrictions of 55 feet. You will need 1/2 tide or lower to squeak under the two bridges. Such planning will save about three (or more) hours to round the Cape. The NY trip is a terrific experience and even more so if you have the time to get up into LI sound through the East River. If you need more detail feel free to contact me via the owners directory.