Our current plan is to leave VA Beach on Tuesday, heading to Great Kills which is on Staten Island, NY.  It’s about a 40 hour run so it will be our biggest jump to date.  Once we get into Great Kills we will re-group on Friday and then prepare for our next leg on Sunday through the East River and Hells Gate into Long Island Sound and Stamford CT.  Our friends Clare and Brian will join us on Saturday via the following modes of transportation to get from CT to Staten Island:

• Drive to the marina in Stamford, CT
• walk to the train station
• Train to Grand Central Station
• Subway to the ferry dock
• Ferry to Staten Island
• Cab to the marina
• Overnight on boat
• Start the 8+ hour transit through Hell’s Gate

Both Clare and I boated for many years in Connecticut and always heard stories about Hells Gate.  We have both sailed through Plum Gut, the Race and Fishers Island Sound and now we are going to check off Hells Gate.  I came across this list on the Coastal Boating Website and before the summer/fall is over we will have knocked off all of these challenges except the Maine fog.  (We will certainly get our share of New England fog so not to worry.)  Whole lotta interesting stuff coming up for us on Masterplan over the next few months.

CB Top 10 Challenging Cruising Waters in the Northeastern US

The East River waters boiling all around us. We chose Hell Gate as one of the most challenging (and fascinating) bits of water in the Northeast.

1. Hell Gate, NY

2. The Race, NY

3. Fishers Island Sound, NY

4. Woods Hole, MA

5. Plum Gut, NY

6. Maine in Fog (anywhere NE in fog)

7. Nantucket Sound, MA

8. NJ inlets in a storm

9. Vineyard Sound, MA

10. Tie – Delaware Bay, PA/DE/NJ

10. Tie – Buzzards Bay, MA

 

 

Woo Hoo, who would have thought we could have made it this far.  To date we have traveled 992 nautical miles and our/my confidence is building.  We did the jump from Charleston to Morehead City NC, then Hatteras, then Norfolk with only a few small hiccups along the way.  Some of the interesting things that happened along our trek were; we found a great town concert in Morehead City while out for a walk, got into some very skinny water coming into Hatteras and got attacked by killer flies in Pamlico Sound, NC.  Stan was in his glory swatting away with his electric flyswatter (which is the size of a tennis racquet).  He killed hundreds of them during our very hot transit across the Sound.  As the carcasses piled up I had to keep getting the broom out and sweep the dead flies off the flybridge.  It seems that the only thing in Pamlico Sound were the flies and those suckers bite.  Who would have thought that it was such a desolate area?  We were traveling along and had not seen another boat for hours when we see this off in the distance.  I kept telling Stan to move over in the channel to give it room as it was coming towards us.  Didn’t I feel foolish when we got closer and could see this relic hadn’t moved in years?  Looked like something out of Water World.  He happened to be parked near a sunken vessel that had just the top of its mask sticking out of the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coming out of Hatteras we found out there was a change in weather.  After kicking around ideas on what to do we decided to continue on along our way outside into the Atlantic and hope for the best.  Hearing there were potential 50 knot winds in the squalls was a bit unnerving for me.  Oregon Inlet was also a concern as it is not marked on the charts due to the constant shoaling that happens there.  Stan found a recent survey from Corp of Engineers on the internet that showed some of the details but we were a still a little concerned.  Our guardian angel appeared when we got to Oregon Inlet in the form of a shrimp boat.  As we were going to turn into the channel, the boat was coming from the opposite channel and we waited to see if he would turn into where we were going.  Sure enough, how sweet it was.  The name of the boat was Sarah Brent and my son’s name is Brent.  We played follow the leader and did high fives as it ended up so easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once we were in the Atlantic we somehow dodged all the squalls that were covering most of NC and offshore.  We had relatively calm seas, some rain, lots of lightening and little wind.  It made for a long night and we came into Norfolk at 7 am and were greeted by this….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and his backside looked like this…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then we met up with him…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After all this excitement then getting into our slip and tied up, we were exhausted.  But we made it!

We have spent a very very HOT 10 days in Charleston SC and now it is time to get our butts moving again.  Our plan is to do a 30 hour ocean jump from Charleston SC to Morehead City NC.  We decided to stay in Charleston for the fireworks display that is on for tonight.  The local boats have been racing up and down the harbor all day and should start jockeying into position this evening.  I believe there are 3 places that do their fireworks over the Harbor.  We will have our ring-side seat and don’t have to do a thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will be leaving tomorrow, July 5th and should arrive, barring complications Friday afternoon into Morehead City.  If this part goes well, our next stop will be through the Sound to Hatteras, NC arriving on Sunday night and then back outside into Virginia Beach on Monday or Tuesday.  I am sure by then we will need a much deserved rest while we visit with family.

Will keep you posted.