directions please RI-miami

So talked with one guy and told me stay outside along the edge to long island sound. Then up the sound to New York then to New Jersey then Cape May and then to the C and D canal into Chesapeake Bay then down to Norfork to get into the ICW canal system. Been looking at it and not sure but would like the best route. Thanks if You can help.
Your Drinkenbuddie.

P.S. Wouldn't mind interesting places along the way !

Greetings,
Mr. d. Kinda late to be starting but out of the harbor and turn south. I suspect any interesting places along the way would be anywhere warmer than you are now. Enjoy the run whatever route you take and watch out for the nor'easters.

Depending on the weather, we would leave RI and run offshore south of LI, then stop for the night in one of the NJ inlets. Then to OC Md, then offshore to Norfolk in the Ches Bay. Then ICW through the rest of Va into NC to Beafort. If nice offshore, Beaufort to Wrightsville Bch NC. Next stop offshore to Charleston SC. Then Fernandina, Fla. More stops if the boat is slower, fewer if faster.

It depends on the weather, your tolerance for rough stuff, and whether you want to get there quick, or want to see the sights.

I have run the ICW enough that it is not new to me, I'd rather be offshore. But if you have not done the inside, it is worth it at least once to see it. Many remarkable vistas along the way.

Is this for a delivery or a cruise? What time of year? Makes a big difference. We have made this trip several times.

caltexflanc said:

Is this for a delivery or a cruise? What time of year? Makes a big difference. We have made this trip several times.

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When and how long do you have for the trip?

Without a lot more info....very difficult to respond.

Let's start with something simple....what kind of boat?

Ok Yes first off thanks for the answers. I thought it says on my thing there-
1982 Marine Trader 36. Bought it there and need to bring it here. I'm leaving soon as the Marina unfreezes. Think May, and not sure if I'm going to take my time are make it quick as I can. Just planning it.

If you're in the planning mode then plan. Buy the charts and study them intently.

Then ask questions when you are more familiar with your route.

Sorry not use to the phone app and couldn't pull it uo.

If you are planning for as fast as you can, and you trust the boat, direct offshore runs are the fastest.

Such as Montauk to Cape May, Cape May to the mouth of the Chesapeake, around Hatteras to Wilmington, then just leapfrog as long or as short as u like.

drinkenbuddie said:

Ok Yes first off thanks for the answers. I thought it says on my thing there-
1982 Marine Trader 36. Bought it there and need to bring it here. I'm leaving soon as the Marina unfreezes. Think May, and not sure if I'm going to take my time are make it quick as I can. Just planning it.

Click to expand...

Ok, that changes things tons. If you have the time, then I'd take at least two months for the trip south. (Minimum of 6 weeks). You're already at the north end so why not take advantage.

I'd still do most of my traveling outside as Ski describes, other than the Virginia Cut (Norfolk to Beaufort). However, I'd now spend a couple of days at each stop along the way.

psneeld said:

Sorry not use to the phone app and couldn't pull it uo.

If you are planning for as fast as you can, and you trust the boat, direct offshore runs are the fastest.

Such as Montauk to Cape May, Cape May to the mouth of the Chesapeake, around Hatteras to Wilmington, then just leapfrog as long or as short as u like.

Click to expand...

That's not exactly the case. For instance it is much shorter time and distance to cut in Oregon Inlet and through the Pamlico. Depending on your cruising range and range and crew, another issue is getting into a place to get fuel then out again (say Georgetown SC, Brunswick, GA, etc). The inlets on the south shore of Long Island are tricky, and you really don't pick up that much (again, range dependent) vs using the sound. And you miss a whole lot of interesting and beautiful places. And many more issues to consider and very dependent on personal factors and boat specifics.

Ok, here's my 2 cents. If you're going in May (starting in the beginning of May) and plan to do most of it in the Ocean, you're either going to get your butt kicked in that 36' boat or you're going to be spending a lot of time in harbors waiting on weather windows. This isn't a knock on your boat but a comment on it's size relative to spring weather. I've spent almost 30 years running charter boats off Delmarva (peninsula of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia). Weather in May stinks. We generally average less than 25% of are charter days booked in May do to weather blowouts. Now if you were in a 50' +/- boat you could go more of the days, but you're not.

So my recommendation is plan the ICW from at least Cape May NJ south. Then figure out what inlets you can go in and out of so that if you get a weather window you can take advantage of it. As an example, figure 2 long days from Cape May to Norfolk. You may sit for 5 days in Cape May before the seas calm enough to go. Or, you could go up Delaware bay, through the C&D canal and down the Chesapeake in 3 to 4 days. If the Atlantic coast is getting pounded from the East, you can stay on the East side of Chesapeake Bay and comfortably travel South. Plan the safe inland route and take advantage of off shore weather when you can.

Ted

caltexflanc said:

That's not exactly the case. For instance it is much shorter time and distance to cut in Oregon Inlet and through the Pamlico. Depending on your cruising range and range and crew, another issue is getting into a place to get fuel then out again (say Georgetown SC, Brunswick, GA, etc). The inlets on the south shore of Long Island are tricky, and you really don't pick up that much (again, range dependent) vs using the sound. And you miss a whole lot of interesting and beautiful places. And many more issues to consider and very dependent on personal factors and boat specifics.

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I know all of that...but explaining a 1000 mile trip in detail in a few sentences?

Hopefully he will take my last post about the same as I understood his.

He described the route most would take. Any combo of mine and his would be fine depending on him which requires a lot more give and take of info.

"Bought it there and need to bring it here."

With a new to you , untested boat I would run inside LI sound.

When is the last time the fuel box got shaken up?

Minor extra distance and plenty of places to stop for fuel , fuel filters and shaft packing.

Running offshore 24/7 would be fine down the NJ coast , to Atlantic City then depending on weather inside or outside to Norfolk ( if the boat proves to be sound) would be the choice.

Once in Norfolk , severe winter is usually behind you so an offshore delivery or a lazy ICW cruise would be your choice.

Running offshore 24/7 with an untested boat might be a problem.

Do 400-500 inshore miles where you have options first.

Because the origional seller called it a TRAWLER does not make it an all weather sea boat.

"Bought it there and need to bring it here."

With a new to you , untested boat I would run inside LI sound.

When is the last time the fuel box got shaken up?

Minor extra distance and plenty of places to stop for fuel , fuel filters and shaft packing.

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What FF said.

While the outside (the ocean) is the shortest and fastest route, you are talking about a "new to you" boat that may have issues that you don't know about. If you have a breakdown in the ocean, you have a big problem. Inshore, you are much safer and can easily be towed to a boatyard.

Also, by the fact that you had to ask, I'm assuming you are not experienced, at least running a boat for a couple thousand miles offshore.

There are a lot of interesting towns and great anchorages along the ICW. It's going to cost the same either way so my suggestion is to make it an enjoyable trip inside and not a rush "delivery job" outside.

Just my very humble opinion,do as much of this particular trip inside. This is a brand new boat to you (I assume) and running off shore can create it's own unique problems, things like stirring up sediment in fuel tanks, items that are not secured properly for going to see, and a host of other potential problems. My own vessel is a 43' semi displacement trawler and don't consider her as a true offshore vessel. I have been in the marine industry for over 40 years and have decades of deliveries behind me which has made me more and more cautious as time went by. You MUST pick your weather and waiting for a good window to run outside can cost you days that you could have been underway on the inside. The speed our vessels travel at does not give us that much advantage to running outside. Take your time, learn about vessel and enjoy your trip. The money you may save from tearing up equipment (just a possibility) can be substantial. In closing, the outside trip down along the NJ coast at that time of year will more than likely persuade you to take the inside route. Stay safe and enjoy your trip!

With Respect, you have not bought an Ocean going boat and as said above early May is not Spring on the North Atlantic. I'm a career professional mariner and have just completed the same trip, mostly inside, due not so much to wind speed but to wind direction. I am currently in the process of doing it again on an old wooden party boat from Montauk (now in Norfolk for some planed work and up grades) then on to Miami. My recommendation while you are in the planning stage is to study using tides and wind direction to your advantage, Start with a study of Eldridge tide and pilot to see how you can make a faster passage up LI sound than off shore for instance. The same tricks exist all along the route. Feel free to contact me on private message if you would like to go into the subject more deeply. Bill

All good info, plenty of good advice, certainly the sound to start as others have said would give you better options to stop if there is a problem, stop in Atlantic Highlands in NJ, leave early in the morning and get to at least AC but Cape May is better. Cut through the back to Cape May Canal, stop in C&D or Georgetown, then onto St Micheals to Crisfield to Norfolk to Dismal swamp or Coinjock, then alot of options after that. Beauford NC. Now from here we went outside but if not ICW is the other option. All about weather and amount of time you want to spend, have a great trip!

I have and Island Packet 38 in marathon. I have used it quite a bit and just got back from 3 months in the Bahamas. Need to pay bills so selling my island packet. Bought the trawler. If I was going to plan the trip and then post to you all to check my plan I would have a plan. If that makes since ??
Yes I needed to contact You to help me because I have never been up that way and looking for experience of others that have done this trip. I have a few friends that would like to ride along on parts of the trip and want to do it inside because what has been said here. Thanks for the great ideas. Now to the planning and hope to take as long as it takes. And yes I'll PM Boatdriver. Thanks again. I'm thinking very nice post so far.

drinkenbuddie said:

I have and Island Packet 38 in marathon. I have used it quite a bit and just got back from 3 months in the Bahamas. Need to pay bills so selling my island packet. Bought the trawler. If I was going to plan the trip and then post to you all to check my plan I would have a plan. If that makes since ??
Yes I needed to contact You to help me because I have never been up that way and looking for experience of others that have done this trip. I have a few friends that would like to ride along on parts of the trip and want to do it inside because what has been said here. Thanks for the great ideas. Now to the planning and hope to take as long as it takes. And yes I'll PM Boatdriver. Thanks again. I'm thinking very nice post so far.

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Well, the unanswered question is how much time can you take on the trip. That plays a part in the routing.

Second, with it being a new boat to you, sitting all winter and maybe longer, I would do a local or very short distance shake down cruise before doing anything more. Professional delivery captains get by fine just picking a boat up, quick check, then taking off in it, but that's not generally the wisest thing for the rest of us.

When I speak of running outside, that's obviously all conditions dependent, and there may be large periods of your trip where that isn't possible.

As to "best route" that exists in the same realm as "best boat." Different to each of us and we can really only attempt to provide by knowing more of the time you have, your experience (which you have shared now), who if anyone will be traveling with you.

Just throwing this out there in case it helps and because I wonder about doing this for the WA/AK run. If it does not have to be done in one continuous run, perhaps you could do it in hops based on weather windows. Hop part of the way down the coast (inside, outside, or mix), slip it, return home. Repeat as needed. The from/to for the interim slips would add to the cost, but might allow for more weather flexibility as well as time flexibility for exploring on the way. Each hop would be a separate mini test that might inform what is possible for the next hop. For those with more experience, would this be feasible? What other drawbacks might it cause?

Thanks.

Tim

Where in RI is the boat?
When I cruise down Long Island Sound I usually do 3 days...
Day one to Mattituck Inlet which is on the north shore of Long Island.
Day 2 to Manhasset Bay which is also Long Island just before NYC.
Day 3 lets you set up for the current to go thru NYC.

Add a day to get you from RI to Mystic or Stonington, Ct.

All those stops put you in places to get supplies or repair parts which you might need in a new to you boat.

Timing may vary if you want longer days or if you catch the tide.

Yes it's actually in Moby Dick marina in Fairhaven, MA

I might add I'm very handy and can do all types of work, but yes as you said, do need parts and like things cheep and can't afford the prices for slips up there. I called around and wow I'm in one of the cheepest one just as long as it's not in the water.

If you want to make this trip and take best advantage of tides and weather windows you need to do 2 things 1 be comfortable with running at night and 2 be totally comfortable with your ground tackle and anchoring as required. These things will save you a lot of time and a lot more money over running marina to marina. Bill

Ski in NC said:

Depending on the weather, we would leave RI and run offshore south of LI, then stop for the night in one of the NJ inlets. Then to OC Md, then offshore to Norfolk in the Ches Bay. Then ICW through the rest of Va into NC to Beafort. If nice offshore, Beaufort to Wrightsville Bch NC. Next stop offshore to Charleston SC. Then Fernandina, Fla. More stops if the boat is slower, fewer if faster.

It depends on the weather, your tolerance for rough stuff, and whether you want to get there quick, or want to see the sights.

I have run the ICW enough that it is not new to me, I'd rather be offshore. But if you have not done the inside, it is worth it at least once to see it. Many remarkable vistas along the way.

Click to expand...

The above looks very good to me also.

I've done block Island to NJ twice. Better to wait for fair winds then to do Long Island Sound.

Richard

In summary go south go carefully go outside weather permitting. Know your boat and its abilities know how and where to safely duck inside don't rush to the point of endangerment. Understand the east coasts inlets and their dangers. Be prepared to run aground a common experience for newbies on ICW try not to do this in an inlet. If you have the option of having an experienced skipper aboard go for it.( A hint your boat does not have the speed and acceleration to ride waves into a breaking inlet you need about 14K for that)

We summered a few times in Westport Mass, just west of New Bedford. All these suggestions are useless until we know a few more things.
1) is the OP looking to do some gourmet cruising (which there is a lot of) or for some reason hellbound to get back to Florida?
2) Come the time to leave, how much confidence will he have in the boat's seaworthiness? It sounds like it was a cheap boat; what were the engine and hull surveys like?
3) What is the usable range of this boat?
4) What safety equipment will be on board? Liferaft ?
5) Sounds like money is a problem. If so, anchoring and free or low cost docks and moorings come into play.

Just as starters....

caltexflanc said:

We summered a few times in Westport Mass, just west of New Bedford. All these suggestions are useless until we know a few more things.
1) is the OP looking to do some gourmet cruising (which there is a lot of) or for some reason hellbound to get back to Florida?
2) Come the time to leave, how much confidence will he have in the boat's seaworthiness? It sounds like it was a cheap boat; what were the engine and hull surveys like?
3) What is the usable range of this boat?
4) What safety equipment will be on board? Liferaft ?
5) Sounds like money is a problem. If so, anchoring and free or low cost docks and moorings come into play.

Just as starters....

Click to expand...

We still have no idea how much time he has to make the trip. Not that we haven't asked that. So far he really hasn't given us the information to assist him.