Hells Gate

All U Get · Dec 10, 2014

Hi Casagf66 ,

Get a copy of Eldridge Tide and Pilot book and follow the locations and tide changes. We hit it perfect every time. (Don't buy one cause it's only good until the end of the month)

http://www.amazon.com/Eldridge-Tide...1418274407&sr=8-1&keywords=eldridge+tide+book

All U Get

Here's about the same info from Blue Seas.

http://www.offshoreblue.com/cruising/east-river-planning.php

Stu Jackson · Dec 10, 2014

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f19/hells-gate-nyc-133954.html

tommays · Dec 11, 2014

Done it in one day a few times to make around long island races

Your really short on daylight

and its really freaking cold

as you NEED to leave Northport at dead low with the hammer down so you can ride the flood in and down the river

And there is NO PLACE to buy fuel

Don't HAVE and confusion about your coarse past the LIS light houses as that will end up real bad

you can make 12 knots down the river so it is the fast part it gets a bit angry south of the verrazano bridge as enter the ocean and ship traffic

Apex · Dec 11, 2014

Yowzers!
So it is a LOT easier sailing the great lakes, no tides. (not that it is "easy" at times and have its own perils.)

I am torn between missing the excitement and novelty of tides, currents and missing tides and currents. LOL

Stu: I;ve said it before, you are the LInk MASTER! You should add to your signature.

shemandr · Dec 11, 2014

I've done the trip and it's reasonably easy. My advice, besides studying the Eldridge tables, is to do the route on a chart or plotter repeatedly. It is very helpful to know the route without any hesitation or confusion. At a ground speed of 10 kt. or more everything goes pretty fast. You can only go on one side of Roosevelt Island due to bridge clearance. You will not have time to pull out a chart and re-check. Have you decided your route around the islands north of Hell's Gate (I can't recall the names)? You'll be busy enough watching for barges and tugs. You'll be much happier if you're confidant in where you are going.

All U Get · Dec 11, 2014

shemandr said:
I've done the trip and it's reasonably easy. Have you decided your route around the islands north of Hell's Gate (I can't recall the names)? You'll be busy enough watching for barges and tugs. You'll be much happier if you're confidant in where you are going.

The Brothers?

All U Get

We set out from Port Washington, much easier to hit the current changes.

RichH · Dec 11, 2014

all good advice, especially the info on avoiding that bridge on Roosevelt Island - use ONLY the western side of the island.

The control channel (commercials) for the East River is Chanel 10 .... Listen in to hear the commercials 'check in' to 'control' for what is 'stacking up' and waiting for slack. When moving, keep your VHF on Ch 13 ... and TALK to them if anything looks 'doubtful' as the tow boats can sometimes wildly 'swing' in a following current. A jack-knifed tow is not 'fun' to watch, especially if close.

Going south I like to stage at City Island / Throgs Neck to be sure to be AT the Hell Gate precisely AT slack (for a mill pond ride through 'the gate') .... although you may have to wait if there's a crowd of 'commercials' waiting to go through. Be wary of the small sand scows, etc. crossing the river in the vicinity of 'the Brothers' - TALK to them to keep things 'clear'.
Do have your camera ready - its a great ride.

Benny17441 · Dec 11, 2014

2nd All You Get, we did it from port Washington and hit the current on the nose. At one point hit close to 11 knots.

shemandr · Dec 11, 2014

All U Get said:
The Brothers?

Yes! Brothers. I couldn't get that out of my foggy brain this AM. Dumplings kept coming up. That's the other end of the Sound.
I went around them. Seemed easier. Easy is good. An experienced delivery guy who was with me advised if I had any hesitation "Just go around." I took his advice.

gettinthere · Dec 11, 2014

We've done Northport to Sandy Hook/Atlantic Highlands several times. With favorable current, we do over 10k thru Hell Gate and 8k+ past Manhattan.
It has been much easier than we expected.

sailaway78 · Dec 11, 2014

I have only gone through there one time, in an Almand 31. Not a problem. I was expecting all kinds of spooky currents and other crap. Those who think Hells Gate is bad, should give the Mississippi river a shot through New Orleans. The current isn't squat compared to dodging ocean going tankers heading downstream.

Rob2435 · Dec 12, 2014

If you have gone thru Hells Gate and thought it was easy, you hit it at the right time. If you don't time it right, you quickly find out why it's called Hells Gate!

All U Get · Dec 12, 2014

BTW Hell Gate has a lot of history, just read about the Gen Slocum.

Of course there is also Hell Gate at SM 602 on the AICW.

All U Get

FourPoints · Dec 12, 2014

RichH said:
all good advice, especially the info on avoiding that bridge on Roosevelt Island - use ONLY the western side of the island.

The control channel (commercials) for the East River is Chanel 10 .... Listen in to hear the commercials 'check in' to 'control' for what is 'stacking up' and waiting for slack. When moving, keep your VHF on Ch 13 ... and TALK to them if anything looks 'doubtful' as the tow boats can sometimes wildly 'swing' in a following current. A jack-knifed tow is not 'fun' to watch, especially if close.

Going south I like to stage at City Island / Throgs Neck to be sure to be AT the Hell Gate precisely AT slack (for a mill pond ride through 'the gate') .... although you may have to wait if there's a crowd of 'commercials' waiting to go through. Be wary of the small sand scows, etc. crossing the river in the vicinity of 'the Brothers' - TALK to them to keep things 'clear'.
Do have your camera ready - its a great ride.

Staging at City Island makes it much much easier to time everything. The simplest way toil time everything is to look at any current chart and time your departure from City Island at, or up to about 90 minutes AFTER the current changes to ebb westward towards the city (but defiantly not a minute before or you'll ride the wrong edge of the wave and be really slow). This will put you on the ebb current which you will be able to ride all the way to NJ.

If you leave later than 90 minutes after the ebb current starts you may run into the start of the flood around the Narrows and be fighting current while dodging some large ships.

If you leave even a few minutes before the current swings, you'll likely ride into the last of the flood current the entire way through. I got there about 40 minutes early the last time because the wind and rains had delayed the ebb a bit, so I just dropped anchor, made a pot of coffee, and waited until I saw the current swing me towards the city, and then I resumed course.

On a J/109 delivery I once managed to time it flawlessly and get pushed by the current fall the way rom Larchmont to Sandy hook, then went down the NJ coast (no significant tidal current there), and caught the flood up into the Delaware around Cape May, which we ride all the way up to the inlet to the C&D canal where the currents split, and rode the ebb through the C&D and into the Chesapeake and nearly into Annapolis, before seeing any detectable current on the bow... dock to dock was 42 hours IIRC.

Salty · Dec 12, 2014

Casagf66,
We make the Hells gate passage every year to bring our boat to winter storage on the south shore(Sayville) from Mt Sinai. Its not bad. You need to get to the Throgs Neck Br 1 hour before or up to high tide(at Throgs neck) and will get a favorable ebb tide down the east river pass the Verrazano Bridge. The later you get to throgs neck (up to high tide), the faster the ride down the east river. Remember to keep west of Roosevelt Island towards the Queensboro Br.

All U Get · Dec 18, 2014

I'd be interested how you made out, if you're home yet?

All U Get

Hells Gate

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