[Rhodes22-list] Next trip to Long Island Sound

[Christine Allison]

> From Michael and Richard's comments, it seems that the Half Moon
> was the last sailboat to sail from the Hudson River to Montauk Point.
> Could it be done under sail? >

I have never been able to do it and I never heard of anyone succeeding.
When you enter the East river the tall buildings in down town Manhattan
disrupt the wind flow so badly that it's impossible to sail.  Coupled with
that, the river can run as fast as 8 knots in places and there is heavy
ferry, excursion and tug boat traffic.  Not a place to sail close hauled.
There is only one marina on the Manhattan side and none on the Queens side.

The banks are bulkheaded and there are no places to tie up.  Obviously you
run your engine, stick to the side of the channel and get it over with.  It
goes without saying that this passage, when going to the Sound is best
accomplished when the flow is eastward.  I have seen large sailboats unable
to make any progress against the counter current.

At Hell Gate the stream turns North Eastward and it's entirely possible to
sail the rest of the way to the Sound.  However heavy commercial and
recreational boat traffic is still present and with the swift current wakes
can reach astonishing heights so it's generally best to get up around
LaGuardia airport under power before attempting to proceed under sail.

Richard Smith