Hello All,
I want to apologize right off the bat for asking what is probably already been asked elsewhere but I cant seem to find the right word combos in my many searchs and keep getting no results. Oh well here goes and take pity on a beginner.
I am a relative newbie to sailing and am contemplating buying an 1998 O'day 27' LE. I am condsidering bringing her from Newport, RI to the lower Barnegat Bay, NJ around Memorial day weekend. I dont know what the avg speed under power (inboard 10hp diesel) would be (given ideal conditions) and what a fair estimate of speed under sail is (again given ideal conditions) so I cant estimate how long this would take if I was to be very very conservative in my assumptions. I figure around 250 statute miles for the total trip length. I dont know how the currents run on avg in the sound and what the prevailing winds are at that time of year so have no basis for any estimation. Guess I need to get real comfy with Eldridge's. Once I were to reach the Manasquan inlet and the ICW its fairly familiar so thats not a big concern for me. What's a reasonable time frame for the LI sound portion given good weather (LOL) and Murphy's law staying out of the equation.
I have experience sailing in the NYC harbor (dodging the ferries and working the currents around the Battery and the Brooklyn bridge), in Florida (gulf coast), Barnegat Bay, NJ, and the Caribbean on different sized boats but none smaller than 35'. I dont know what the LI sound is like and am concerned that it would be a lot to ask this 27' to handle. I know people take small boats around the world but they outfit them for months on end to meet almost any possible condition. I just want to get the boat to home port safely and quickly. Is this too much to ask of this boat which is in very good shape but not rigged for heavy seas. "You dont know what you dont know" keeps ringing in my ears. I know enough to know that most of my questions are predicated entirely on good weather for the trip.
Assuming that a long range forcast was good how quickly on the LI sound do the conditions go to pot. If a forcast changed calling for deteriorating conditions is it possible to find and put into a RI or CT marina in a transient slip over Memorial day and wait it out or is that like trying to find a taxi in Manhattan in a rain storm.
I have been also been advised that it is crazy to think about sailing in the LI sound without radar due to fog so that is another issue. How common, where and when is fog prevalent on the sound. This boat has no radar and no radar deflector. I have read elsewhere of others inching along in the fog but it seemed foolhardy to me. If there was heavy fog then I would not go.
Well any input about sailing along this route, and or, the capabilities of the O'day 27'Le, and anything else you think would be helpful would be greatly appreciated.
I want to apologize right off the bat for asking what is probably already been asked elsewhere but I cant seem to find the right word combos in my many searchs and keep getting no results. Oh well here goes and take pity on a beginner.
I am a relative newbie to sailing and am contemplating buying an 1998 O'day 27' LE. I am condsidering bringing her from Newport, RI to the lower Barnegat Bay, NJ around Memorial day weekend. I dont know what the avg speed under power (inboard 10hp diesel) would be (given ideal conditions) and what a fair estimate of speed under sail is (again given ideal conditions) so I cant estimate how long this would take if I was to be very very conservative in my assumptions. I figure around 250 statute miles for the total trip length. I dont know how the currents run on avg in the sound and what the prevailing winds are at that time of year so have no basis for any estimation. Guess I need to get real comfy with Eldridge's. Once I were to reach the Manasquan inlet and the ICW its fairly familiar so thats not a big concern for me. What's a reasonable time frame for the LI sound portion given good weather (LOL) and Murphy's law staying out of the equation.
I have experience sailing in the NYC harbor (dodging the ferries and working the currents around the Battery and the Brooklyn bridge), in Florida (gulf coast), Barnegat Bay, NJ, and the Caribbean on different sized boats but none smaller than 35'. I dont know what the LI sound is like and am concerned that it would be a lot to ask this 27' to handle. I know people take small boats around the world but they outfit them for months on end to meet almost any possible condition. I just want to get the boat to home port safely and quickly. Is this too much to ask of this boat which is in very good shape but not rigged for heavy seas. "You dont know what you dont know" keeps ringing in my ears. I know enough to know that most of my questions are predicated entirely on good weather for the trip.
Assuming that a long range forcast was good how quickly on the LI sound do the conditions go to pot. If a forcast changed calling for deteriorating conditions is it possible to find and put into a RI or CT marina in a transient slip over Memorial day and wait it out or is that like trying to find a taxi in Manhattan in a rain storm.
I have been also been advised that it is crazy to think about sailing in the LI sound without radar due to fog so that is another issue. How common, where and when is fog prevalent on the sound. This boat has no radar and no radar deflector. I have read elsewhere of others inching along in the fog but it seemed foolhardy to me. If there was heavy fog then I would not go.
Well any input about sailing along this route, and or, the capabilities of the O'day 27'Le, and anything else you think would be helpful would be greatly appreciated.
