Grasonville to Martha’s Vineyard

Hey folks,
May be purchasing a Ranger 29 in Grasonville,,MD and would like to know what pearls of wisdom and information anyone can offer such as where to stop and what routes to take , Marin’s used fuel stops, travel through NYC to get to the Long Island Sound…etc… any help greatly appreciated!

When are you planning to go? The next month or so would be dicey in LI sound.

David

No date set as of yet…

My parents and then their 4 children had a home in Chilmark for almost 50 years.

Depending on draft and weather conditions, I would go:

Up the Chesapeake to the C & D canal.
Down Delaware bay to the ferry channel into Cape May.
Depending on your draft, I would plane on the ICW up to Manasquan Inlet. You could also go up the NJ coast if you get a good weather window.
Either way, you will need to go up the NJ coast to NYC.
You will probably want to go out Long Island sound.
From their, I can't help you as I haven't gone East of NYC by boat.

Ted

Cape May to Atlantic City - 52 miles (ICW)
Atlantic City to Manisquan - 67 miles (ICW)
Manisquan to Sandy Hook - 45 miles (Offshore)

Sandy Hook to LIS - 30 miles (Wait for fair tide through East River)
(Lot of info on Hells gate timing online)

Many options on LIS. Do you like 10 hour days or 6 hour days?
Do you cruise at 8 kn or 15 kn? Sea conditions may limit speed.
Trip should be enjoyable. Just avoid Block Island on weekends.

If you have time check out Naragansett bay. Lots of great spots. Also going up buzzards bay and cutting through woods hole to MV is a pleasant trip. Especially if you stop at one of the Elizabethians Would avoid Block altogether.

I had a 29 footer and coming from Boston. Narragansett Bay can get rough!

I would not say for the first time that going though Woods Hole is a pleasant trip. The currents though there can hit 6 knots. Its a tight passage with rocks on both sides. My first time, my wife was on one side of the boat, me on the other making sure we did not leave the channel!

When you see the buoys standing at a 45 and water rushing over them. You get a little nervous. Than you get the jerks that have been though there dozens of times that fly though there hitting you with there wakes.

Not trying to talk you out of going though there! But what to expect for the first time if you go.

You could hit Cutty Hunk than go straight to the Vineyard without going though Woods Hole making the trip shorter.

One thing I found very useful is Maptechs guide book. If the weather turns on you and with a 29 footer you can find the nearest safe harbor. The book gives you a list of places with phone numbers and what they offer.

But I would buy a bigger boat to do that trip if thats the types of trips you are planning. With my 29 footer, I could never carry enough water and the fridge was just too small.

Pauliemv said:

Hey folks,
May be purchasing a Ranger 29 in Grasonville,,MD and would like to know what pearls of wisdom and information anyone can offer such as where to stop and what routes to take , Marin’s used fuel stops, travel through NYC to get to the Long Island Sound…etc… any help greatly appreciated!

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I'd almost always prefer a boat ride, but...

Given it's probably an easily trucked boat, you might want to compare delivery by road just in case.

-Chris

Different folks different experiences. Never found going through woods or quicks difficult. Only issue is for woods there’s two channels. But a preview of a chart makes the way through either pretty obvious. Of course you need to pick your moments. Don’t like fighting current. Especially when it’s swirly as it is in there. Time it for slack or near slack. Same for C&D . A long trip against current. I find getting into cape may from the Delaware can be interesting. Try to pay attention to the ferry schedules. Last few times just went around and did Jersey on the outside. Much lower stress. But agree 29’ a bit small and those options not available.

Hippocampus said:

Last few times just went around and did Jersey on the outside. Much lower stress. But agree 29’ a bit small and those options not available.

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Depends on the conditions. I came down from Sandy Hook, NJ one morning in early April and it was smooth as glass the whole way. Gale warnings pending, so we considered ducking into various places, but conditions held out and we made Cape May just before the rain/winds hit. It was a good thing too, because it was early in the season and several of the bridges we were thinking we'd go under... were completely out of operation. With how the weather went it would have meant leaving the boat in NJ for the better part of a week.

With the weather that developed the ride up the Delaware was bumpy in a 47... and 29 would not be my choice for those conditions. But once you start the trek you're pretty much committed as, from what I understand, there's not many places to safely stop in-between the C&D and Cape May.

Make sure your schedule allows for delays. A 29 is not enough boat to push the limits, conditions-wise. Do not let a 'schedule' get you into trouble (though this is true for any boating). If the conditions say 'get up at the crack of dawn' to make the tides/conditions then DO THAT. Don't let a sightseeing venture cause you to miss a travel window.

WK99 good logic. Will note have done the C&D/Delaware more times than digits. Very boring except on one occasion a barge with metal scraps caught fire. Apparently those fires burn so hot water can’t be used but only foam. Find the trick for the Delaware is to stay as far as you safely can away from the shipping channel. There’s a couple of good places to anchor on the Delaware side just before the canal and you can anchor in spots along the sides but it’s fairly open. Okay if wind/wave direction allows you to anchor in the lee of the land. Otherwise just struggle through to cape may. Have found cape may quiet regardless of what’s going on outside. Truly a harbor of refuge. Like to anchor near the CG station to get a jump on doing the NJ coast.
Wife prefers traveling during the day and there can be debris in the C&D so try to go from chessie near canal entrance to CM in mostly daylight. Again will time for currents but wonder if OPs boat could do it. There’s fuel in the C&D and CM but don’t know if available elsewhere on this leg.
Another concern I see for the OP is range. It means he needs longer weather windows or more time waiting for one. Recently have taken to topping off before leaving the chessie. Have no concerns doing NJ coast at night. So damn the fuel bill and go top of chessie to Atlantic High lands non stop. Then after resting for a day or two AHL to western LIS. Then another stop followed by run to either Sag Harbor or port Judith. Then New England. Only stop in marinas for fuel and pump out. He will need more fuel stops and shorter legs.

Hippocampus said:

WK99 good logic. Will note have done the C&D/Delaware more times than digits. Very boring except on one occasion a barge with metal scraps caught fire. Apparently those fires burn so hot water can’t be used but only foam. Find the trick for the Delaware is to stay as far as you safely can away from the shipping channel. There’s a couple of good places to anchor on the Delaware side just before the canal and you can anchor in spots along the sides but it’s fairly open. Okay if wind/wave direction allows you to anchor in the lee of the land. Otherwise just struggle through to cape may. Have found cape may quiet regardless of what’s going on outside. Truly a harbor of refuge.

Wife prefers traveling during the day and there can be debris in the C&D so try to go from chessie near canal entrance to CM in one day. Again will time for currents but wonder if OPs boat could do it. There’s fuel in the C&D and CM but don’t know if available elsewhere on this leg.

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Good point about debris, recent weather is certainly something to consider as lots of rain tends to dislodge debris from the shorelines. I haven't seen much on the C&D or Delaware (though the snotty conditions never seem to make it easy to see!)

Likewise fuel, that's part of my plan regarding weather. Don't let needing to get fuel that morning before departing turn into missing a weather/conditions window. Fuel dock schedules can be inconsistent, though ones that cater to fishing vessels tend to be less random about it.

For the OP the chessie, NYC, LIS and New England have lots of delightful towns, anchorages and marinas a short hop away from each other. Even in a small boat should be great fun. But the Delaware and NJ are “fly over” country in my mind. Even in a stabilized NT astudiously try to avoid the NJ coast if there’s any east to things. If no east his boat should do just fine. Find this leg either breathtakingly boring or uncomfortable. The rest of his trip should be much fun and worth doing. Best of luck.

I just looked up the speed/fuel burn for the 29 with a Volvo D4. Speed at 3000 RPM is 15.5 knots fuel burn 10.2 GPH. That would be about 66 gallons. Fuel capacity is 145 gallons.

From Cape May to Atlantic Highlands would be 6-6.5 hours. I have done this trip many times at 7 knots or less and would have no qualms about doing it in a Ranger 29 especially at 15 knots. Just need a half decent day.

Rob

Then no issues for him with a good window. I should have looked up his boat. He’d do it faster than us.