Forumite “Four Points, my crew for the 2012 northbound New Jersey passage and the black tarp monster encounter,
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=141071
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=141075
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=141077
showed up at the Halloween Yacht Club in Stamford at 1700 and, after his spending an hour getting a client’s computer fixed via remote connection while sitting in my cabin (is technology not wonderful?), we were off.
It was a bit splashy heading out into the afternoon southwester but conditions gradually improved and we had a nice night run under power to City Island where we picked up a long unused mooring for the night.
The run down the East River is always impressive but it’s beginning to feel like home waters after so many passages. We had a lazy start due to the tide, not weighing anchor until 1000, and still found ourselves a bit early so we took the long way around North Brother Island and Mill Rock for some scenic variety.
Once around the Battery, it was a different story. I’ve only been on this part of the Hudson once, going the other way at 20 knots on the delivery of one of my research vessels, and it was the first time under sail on the east side of Manhattan for either of us. The sight of the Freedom Tower with its top lost in the clouds and the whole new waterfront cityscape would have made it a memorable day even if it had ended at the 79 Street Boat Basin as planned.
A nice breeze was springing up just as we neared the basin, the day was beautiful with low puffy clouds and bright sun. Plan B, continuing on up to Croton didn’t even need discussion.
The wind was blowing straight up the river and just kept rising. Dead downwind is usually disappointing and awkward in Strider but, in the over 25,000 miles I’ve covered in her, I’ve never seen her even close to going so fast. The highest number I ever saw on the knot log was 8.2 for a few seconds on a reach.
Here is a video of what we were seeing on the knot log with full main and half jib:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4731607828579&l=4270446741648937160
Never have I seen this heavy boat doing dinghy like death rolls while running wing and wing. We finally rolled up the jib and were seeing a steady 8 – 9 knots under main alone with peaks over 10. We did a couple of hair raising jibes when Brian couldn’t get the main sheet out of the cam cleat.
The swells kept building as we ran against the tide which kept our SOG on the low side but they became long enough that we started surfing, something I’ve seldom seen in ocean water in this boat and never expected to see in a river.
Peak speed? 10.68 knots through the water coming off a wave for at least 2-3 boat lengths. This is the kind of thing I would only have expected to be doing in trade wind conditions.
All this while sailing past the incredible Palisades.
We anchored in the gentle lee of the bight north of Croton point at 1715, a perfect time to end one of the most exciting sails I’ve had in Strider yet.
I dropped Brian off at the marina this morning and then went out to anchor in the partial lee just off the yacht club and railroad station where the wind is gradually easing and I’m catching up on emails and this post while waiting to hear from friends to make plans for the next few days.
Full picture album is here:
https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1229938_4731807553572_2091604845_n.jpg
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=141071
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=141075
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=141077
showed up at the Halloween Yacht Club in Stamford at 1700 and, after his spending an hour getting a client’s computer fixed via remote connection while sitting in my cabin (is technology not wonderful?), we were off.
It was a bit splashy heading out into the afternoon southwester but conditions gradually improved and we had a nice night run under power to City Island where we picked up a long unused mooring for the night.
The run down the East River is always impressive but it’s beginning to feel like home waters after so many passages. We had a lazy start due to the tide, not weighing anchor until 1000, and still found ourselves a bit early so we took the long way around North Brother Island and Mill Rock for some scenic variety.
Once around the Battery, it was a different story. I’ve only been on this part of the Hudson once, going the other way at 20 knots on the delivery of one of my research vessels, and it was the first time under sail on the east side of Manhattan for either of us. The sight of the Freedom Tower with its top lost in the clouds and the whole new waterfront cityscape would have made it a memorable day even if it had ended at the 79 Street Boat Basin as planned.
A nice breeze was springing up just as we neared the basin, the day was beautiful with low puffy clouds and bright sun. Plan B, continuing on up to Croton didn’t even need discussion.
The wind was blowing straight up the river and just kept rising. Dead downwind is usually disappointing and awkward in Strider but, in the over 25,000 miles I’ve covered in her, I’ve never seen her even close to going so fast. The highest number I ever saw on the knot log was 8.2 for a few seconds on a reach.
Here is a video of what we were seeing on the knot log with full main and half jib:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4731607828579&l=4270446741648937160
Never have I seen this heavy boat doing dinghy like death rolls while running wing and wing. We finally rolled up the jib and were seeing a steady 8 – 9 knots under main alone with peaks over 10. We did a couple of hair raising jibes when Brian couldn’t get the main sheet out of the cam cleat.
The swells kept building as we ran against the tide which kept our SOG on the low side but they became long enough that we started surfing, something I’ve seldom seen in ocean water in this boat and never expected to see in a river.
Peak speed? 10.68 knots through the water coming off a wave for at least 2-3 boat lengths. This is the kind of thing I would only have expected to be doing in trade wind conditions.
All this while sailing past the incredible Palisades.
We anchored in the gentle lee of the bight north of Croton point at 1715, a perfect time to end one of the most exciting sails I’ve had in Strider yet.
I dropped Brian off at the marina this morning and then went out to anchor in the partial lee just off the yacht club and railroad station where the wind is gradually easing and I’m catching up on emails and this post while waiting to hear from friends to make plans for the next few days.
Full picture album is here:
https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1229938_4731807553572_2091604845_n.jpg
