Transiting Cape Ann by Annisquam and the cut

[Al - s/v Persephone]

I'm planning to sail my 05H36 from Newburyport down to Salem, and stay at the Hawthorne Cove Marina.I've never been through the Annisquam + Blynman Bridge route into Gloucester, and am a little intimidated by the charts showing a lot more mud than water. Consequently, I plan to motor cautiously through what for me will be new territory, and would grteatly appreciate any input I could get on how much time I should budget for the transitI plan to do as much of the cruise under sail as possible, with the slower passage that implies at this time of year.Consequently, I'm trying to decide if I need to plan stops down and back at the Cape Ann Marina. The Admiral and our dog both get restless with more than 6 hours of sea time at a stretch, and that looks like it'd be tight unless (or even if) I planned to play motorboat all the way to Salem and back.Any and all guidance from experienced hands will be greatly appreciated.Fair winds,Al

 

[Paul Akers]

Call the HarborMaster for more Advice

Call the Gloucester Harbor Master's Office for advice on the Annisquam. He will tell you what the safe tides and passage time will be.

 

[Al - s/v Persephone]

Passage duration, not time of passage

Thanks, Paul, but I have tide info and detailed charts (13279, paper and electronic). What I'm trying to estimate is passage duration from Annisquam entrance to the Cape Ann Marina, so I can work back from the end at half-tide to know when I have to arrive at the entrance.A detailed (buoy-by-buoy) route plan works out to 3.66nm, but the difference between doing it at 4kts or 3kts impacts my required time to leave the slip in Newburyport.If I assume 5kts (under sail) from buoy "MR" at the Merrimac entrance down to the Annisquam entrance and 4 kts under power through the Annisquam, I only need 3:20hrs to the Marina.If that's so, I was thinking I might try pushing on directly to Salem, but am concerned that it'd be too much for the crew unless I counted on perfect circumstances (which seldom occur with my sailboat passages).Consequently, my request for actual experience with the Newburyport-to-Salem passage, or at least the Annisquam portion. How slow is it, really?PS Any tips re currents at (ebbing) half-tide would also be helpful.

 

[chuckwayne]

transiting cape ann

Al,I'd be happy to talk to you about the passage-we've done it several times in our 356, and you're right to be concerned-you need to be very precise in some parts of the river.When are you coming down-we're at Hawthorne and it would be great ot meet you-I'm interested in some of the mods you've done to your boat!your time to the river mouth wil depend on the wind, but once you're in the river you will only motor-I'd guess maybe 20 minutes to the marina. we made the entire trip to HCM when we brought out boat down in about 5 hours, but it depends on the wind and the timing in the canal.when you enter the river, be very careful to stay centered on the channel, the sandbar has shifted, stay on center the whole trip-be very careful when you pass under the big bridge, the channel swings sharply to port and then back to starboard, if you miss the turn you'll be in big trouble. both the railroad bridge and the blyman bridge may make you hold position for up to 1/2 hour or more until they open, and there's a lot of motorboat traffic.there is also a very narrow cut that the river really races thru, and you have to make a sharp turn thru it-if the tide is wrong a 356 barely fits thru! once you're out on the glocester side, you can proceed straight across the sound to the passage between bakers and little misery island-maybe an hour at 5-6kts. once thru, I'd bear to starboard and follow the inside channel along the shore-interesting scenery and safer than crossing the middle ground if you haven't done it before-about an hour, maybe. proceed into salem harbor, HCM is right after the power plant on starboard. radio the dockmaster on ch 9 for directions. if you're taking a mooring,he'll direct you, I assume in the outer (to the left) part of the mooring field. If you're taking a slip, stay to the left part of the mooring field if it's not near high tide until you can see the small red and green pole type bouys leading into the marina. you must honor the channel, and don't try to come in at a low low (trust me on this-the nominal six feet is 5 in a couple of spots).email me at chuckwayne@comcast.net and I'll send you my phone numbersChuck WayneWWW.Escape

 

[Paul Akers]

Al, be concerned

Al, when I took my boat home from Portland to the south side of Cape Cod, I contacted the harbor master and he gave me some excellent info on the transit. Hence, I still recommend talking to him. It seems that the north end of the Annisquam is beginning to shoal at 5' during low tide. His advice was to skip it. So, do yourself a favor and give him a call. For piece of mind. BTW, I draw 4'10" with my boat.

 

[chuckwayne]

cape ann circumnavigation

Al,if you add in the time lost waiting at the bridges, I'm not sure it really saves you time. as you come out of the river, check a course direct to twin lights outside of the cape, then around to glocester, no tide issues, and if you're late, tired, etc you can duck into glocester harbor for the night. from that harbor mouth you can proceed to salem as described before. If the wind is right it could be nice sailing, and last year about this time (returning from downeast)we saw finback whales out there.Chuck

 

[Al - s/v Persephone]

Thanks so much, Guys

Both your postings were exactly the kind of real-world experience I was seeking. I had a slip neighbor last year with a Jeanneau 40 deck saloon with similar draft to my H36. He said the Annisquam route was no big deal at all for him, but after looking at the charts (and their soundings dates) I'm a little apprehensive. I'll take rough weather with sea room over calm mud flats any day. It looks to me like the ebb and flood currents under the Blynman Bridge are similar to the Merrimac, but the Canal is quite a bit narrower.I've made reservations at Cape Ann Marina for Monday night (down) and Thursday night (return), to accommodate the Admiral's (and our old dog's) limited sea-time tolerance.(We'll be at Hawthorne Cove Marina in Salem on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Chuck, you're most welcome to look over Persephone's various mods.)However, after your inputs, I'm seriously considering going around Cape Ann and under the Blynman Bridge to the Cape Ann Marina. The forecast is for W'lies at 10-15, gusting to 20. In such conditions I can go 2-reefed at hull speed (or 3-reefed almost as fast if the Admiral insists on 10 degree heel angles)I've often done a quick daysail down to Halibut Point and back. I can usually get to Halibut Point from the MR sea buoy in 2 hours with any decent winds. If I went around, should I budget another two hours from Halibut Point to the Glocester side of the Blynman Bridge? Ot would it be more?The dockmaster at Cape Ann Marina, Peter, recommended being at his entrance with at least half tide, which would mean being through the Blynman Canal by 1330, or 1400 at the latest.To make it through the Annisquam, I also need to have half-tide or better, which dictates a fairly early cast-off at my up-river slip. If the Cape circumnavigation route took 4 hours, that'd mean an 0900 cast-off, counting the time to get down the river and over the bar.I realize this posting is a stream-of-consciousness, rather than a definitive statement, but I'd appreciate any further commentary you'd have time to add.Fair Winds,Al

 

[chuckwayne]

halibut to gloucester

Al,It looks to me like about 10 miles, so 2-2 1/2 hours sounds about right. the harbor side of the blyman is wide open,so it's not an issue to wait for the bridge-it's the other side, where the canal is narrow and surrounded by shallows that's a pain. if you have the forecasted conditions it should be a nice sail (the admiral would have me at 3 reefs, too!).two years ago a similar sized boat ran aground in the north entrance to the river, right in the channel-since then I've gone around.If I don't hear from you, I'll look for you tues/wed-WWW.Escape is in slip 5.email me so I can give you my phone #s, in case you need anything-transport or whateverChuck