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It looks like we will be sailing with my father-in-law off Connecticut in June. From Branford to Block Island and points in between and beyond. What sort of sailing should we expect? I'm only familiar with sailing in Hawaii where it's open ocean as soon as we leave port and with very few ports to go to.
Does anyone know what sort of ocean conditions are likely in June? How are the ports along the coast there? Is there typically shops and things within walking distance of the boat harbors? Should I ask my father-in-law specifically which ports we will be in? Are there any that are not to be missed?
What questions should I be asking? I don't know anything about sailing in that area.
Will you be at Stony Creek in Branford? That's a beautiful little area. Branford is challenging though. Lots of hidden obstacles, islands, shallow areas.
Milford has a really nice harbor with docks/moorings you can rent for the day, with restaurants and shops within walking distance. It's a nice place to stop. Here's a map pin drop on the public docks you can pay for and some info on them:
Lot of people anchor out by Charles Island there too.
Mystic, Stonington, Essex, and New London all have recreational harbors within walking distance of things worth seeing and some really beautiful streets. However, I'm not entirely sure what the policies are at those harbors. I'm sure someone will chime in.
Also, further down the coast, Southport Harbor is absolutely gorgeous, though not much in walking distance and I'm honestly not sure how open it is to visitors. South Norwalk has some docks just south of the Washington Street area with shops and restaurants. Don't know about moorings. Anchoring is popular out by the Norwalk Islands. It's a tricky area to navigate.
There are recreational harbors in the rest of the state, but they're either inaccessible to the public or too far away from anything worth walking to.
Across the pond, Port Jefferson is a really nice stop with lots of stuff by the water. There's a lot of cool spots in eastern LI. Stop in Sag Harbor and Montauk.
You should definitely make at least one stop at Newport.
Long Island Sound out to Block Island is fairly protected. Don't expect big seas like in the ocean. I've only sailed a handful of times on LI Sound, but it seems like the wind can be very sporadic on many days. I've done more sailing in the Caribbean and it's nothing like those dependable trade winds. June shouldn't be any different than other months, maybe a bit drier and a tropical storm/hurricane is unlikely that early.
Hi Catz. I'm a regular boater on LIS so I can probably help you a bit.
First, where in Branford will you be sailing from? The two major "ports" are Bruce & Johnsons Yacht Yard and the Stony Creek Marina.
As Stylo said, use caution in Branford. There are many rocks, sandbars and just shallow spots. I would have advised you to check out the Thimble Islands if you're going on a cruiser, but your keel is likely deep with a sailboat so I do NOT recommend it. There's also a major sandbar off the coast of Hammonasset that you should look out for. Make sure you have a good GPS as well as nautical charts. You will need them on LIS.
The conditions will depend on the day. Remember, this is New England, where the weather can drastically change in 6 hours. You can go from calm seas in the AM to few foot swells in the afternoon. Keep an eye on the weather. Because we're protected by Long Island, you won't encounter the harsh conditions you likely see in the Pacific and Atlantic.
That said, I recommend you sail east from Branford and up the CT river just past the Old Saybrook lighthouse. You can dock in the Brewer Dauntless area and hop off, walk around Essex Village, grab lunch (I recommend the Black Seal) and a beer, and continue on your way. It's a great little area to stretch your legs and relax on a nice day.
From Essex, if you have plenty of time, you might want to head down to Sag Harbor in the Hamptons.
I have docked at Sag Harbor Yacht Yard (call for reservations) and there are lots of options in downtown along Main Street (about a 5 minute walk). Dockside Bar and Grill is very good, and Golden Pear Cafe has amazing baked goods.
I can sit here all day and make suggestions for you, but those are two of my favorite spots. Of course, Newport, RI is great and if you haven't ever been there, you NEED to make that a stop. These other areas are more low key, New England-style villages that offer strolling, lunch, dinner and desserts.
I don't recommend you go west from Branford, because to get to Block Island, you'll have to backtrack and that just wastes time and effort that could be spent in other places.
Check out also Pilot's Point Marina in Westbrook. Huge marina, very popular. Short walk ti many restaurants, although no little village to walk around. Give yourself plenty of time to make reservations to dock, space is limited.
A better place to walk around a village is Niantic. Harbor Hill Marina, on the Niantic River ( just few hundred feet in from the Sound) offers slips for boats up to 40'. They can accommodate sail boats.From the marina, it's just a block or so to Niantic village center. Stores to walk around, a number of restaurants along the water.
A note of caution. Hug the coastline as you head out toward Rhode Island and Newport. It's safest. Make the crossing to Block Island from the Rhode island shore well to the east of Fisher's Island. Just to the west and south of Fisher's Island is the area where Long Island Sound, Gardiner's Bay in NY and Block Island Sounds meet. It produces horrendous rips & sometimes giant waves. The area is hard to read and navigate. In particular, there is a wide area just to the south west of Fisher's Island and between it and Little Gull Island, called The Race, where the rips can essentially run in both directions at once. Great for fishing, but can be dangerous. Use motor, not sail if you go in that area.
On a fun note, There is a submarine base in Groton, CT, just up the river from New London, CT. Submarines use the deep water of The Race to come into Fisher's Island/ Long Island Sound, then head up the Thames River. So if you're in the New London/ Groton area you might see a conning tower as a sub runs along the surface, or if it's very foggy you may have a panic attack as a giant blip suddenly appears on the radar.
Wow! Sailing in New England sounds like a lot more fun than sailing in Hawaii. Just in that little section of the coast there are a lot more places to go than in our whole state.
My father-in-law is an experienced sailor in the Connecticut area and he will have charts, GPS and probably personally know all the rocks by name as well as GPS co-ordinates. However, he is a bit of a pragmatic fellow and doesn't realize that he doesn't always take into consideration what other folks don't know. Which is why I'm asking you lovely folks about sailing conditions so we will know how to properly pack for this cruise. When I ask him, he just says "oh, nothing special". From the sounds of it, we won't need a full foul weather gear suit. Just the jacket and hood should probably be enough and maybe not even that. The cap't downloads weather data every morning so we hopefully won't be surprised by anything, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared just in case.
Doesn't sound like there will ever be bluewater over the bow type conditions? Around here just a couple of foot swells is considered calm water so it doesn't sound like the sailing conditions will be more than we have around here. I think we will still take layers of clothes and wind blocking gear since we are used to warmer conditions as well as warmer water, no doubt. Folks don't generally just jump overboard into the ocean when at anchor?
He is also capable of stocking the boat with "lovely" it-doesn't-take-up-much-room dried foods and ignore any resupply spots for fresh food. Along with the dried food is eating dinner on board every night, too. I'm electing myself cook to get around reconstituted food, although I don't know if there is a pot big enough to boil lobsters on board. Lobsters are too expensive around here, so we are hoping to get quite a few of them over there. Finding docking or mooring spots where we can walk to town, we will be able to take the captain out to dinner and save ourselves from nightly dried food. He is also capable of instant coffee, I may have to take along a French press, I'm still not getting many galley details yet, but one hopes there is a way to heat water.
The boat is starting out at a yacht club in Branford, I'm not sure which one, I think there are several. There are two days of boat racing during this cruise although this boat is a cat rig so there's nothing for me to do since I generally am foredeck. I don't think he even has a spinnaker so I may as well be cook. The boat is thirty some odd feet, either two, four or six, I'm not quite sure but it's got a lot of beam on it so it's pretty roomy for it's length. Dunno the draft, nor the keel shape but I'll find out before going just so I'll know what to expect the boat to do.
If things go along swimmingly, we could be cruising for up to three or four weeks. If things don't go so good, then it will only be for a week, so things are still pretty open ended at this time.
So, Norfolk is a "must" and I'll chart out the other spots mentioned so when the Cap't is picking spots to dock, if given a choice we can opt for the ones which have more amenities. When I know which ports to ask for, I'll send a list to the Cap't and ask if he thinks they are good ones. That will hopefully put them on his radar for possible stops. I'm hoping for Mystic and Martha's Vineyard since the first one sounds like an amazing museum port and the other is supposed to have some amazing gingerbread houses in some sort of Methodist Camp.
Since it sounds like you'll be in open waters overnight, definitely bring warm clothes (and lots of wine!) to keep you warm. Summers up here can be hot and humid but it definitely gets cold at night, especially on the water.
I think the waters will be a lot calmer here than your used to.
Re: jumping off in the sound. I've done it. Just don't expect the water to be nearly as beautiful as Hawaii's.
If you can, post some pictures when you return. I'm jealous.
The village of which you speak on Martha's Vineyard is called Oak Bluffs. Yes, at one time part of the area used to be a Methodist summer camp. One section is streets filled with little one and half to two story story houses with gingerbread trim and painted all sorts of trims/ colors. Very cute. The area is walkable, tons of shops.
Oak Bluffs is considered to be the low rent district on Martha's Vineyard, if anywhere there could be considered low rent. Can't believe I used low rent and Martha's Vineyard in the same sentence.
However, more upscale, more perfect New England type village on the Vineyard is Edgartown. Again , tons of shopping and eateries; very historic, walkable, picture postcard New England. Also note, the whole island is packed with tourists in the season, make reservations.
Bring warm enough clothes. Nights can get cool on the water or near the water. June weather can be very
" iffy".
Ooops! You're right! I had been researching Norfolk island lately since my father-in-law is fondly called "Cap't Bligh" and I had wondered what had happened to the Bounty and it's mutineers. Pitcairn and Norfolk are where the descendants ended up so "Norfolk" has been on my mind much more than "Newport" lately. I'll check the list and make sure it has the correct name on it.
Are there places for just regular boats to dock on Martha's Vineyard? I would expect so, but I know nothing of the area or customs of sailing in New England.
This is a great area to sail, just because of the natural beauty and variety of cultural spots to visit.
Ever bareboat in the BVI? Highly recommended.
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