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Anchor Management

Anchor Management

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Hi Guys-A friend just purchased a 40' boat that is in Remsenburg Marina (Moriches Bay)and asked I give him a hand getting it back to The Hudson. Although I have been in the Sound tons of times, my experience on The South Shore is limited to one trip to see the Blue Angels. Any advise or areas I should be cognizant of? Thanks.
 
Looks like Remsenburg marina is east of the bad spot. I can't get you out of the marina to the channel, that will require local knowledge, But after that you have 3 choices.

1) If ocean is flat and you have the proper safety equipment, I would back track from there and go east to shinnecock inlet and go out the inlet and run the ocean. You will deal with a few bridges that open 6am to 10pm, no issues. Channel is well marked, just plot before you go and follow it. From the inlet it is a decent ocean run to ambrose.

2) Same route but go north thru lock, run up thru peconic, thru plum gut and get into the sound. I think you know your way from there. Safe, easy, scenic run. Deep water after lock. Lock is easy.

3) The most direct path is to go thru moriches. This has to be done at high tide since there is one bad spot between 26 and 27. All else is okay. We just went thru twice in the last week. Basically heading west, slow down at red 28 keeping it on your port and hug it close. Swing around green 27 and head north at a speed where you would keep moving forward if a prop or rudder touched (soft sand) but you won't touch at high tide. Split 27 and 26 staying in the middle and away from buoys. After red 26, watch depth come up and go back on plane. From there, stay in channel. Again mark a track and follow it, make sure you don't miss or cut any buoys! You can then run out fire island inlet. To get there stay in north channel to the east channel, which is right before robert moses causeway. Follow that around and go out inlet. If you want to stay inside to east rockaway, then it will be more complicated and more bridges to deal with! I can send you my plots but it's really best to visually see it and follow the buoys. Call Seatow or Boatus for advice.
 
For high tide thru the bad spot hit at or a hour after Moriches Coast Guard station.
Also try to lighten up back of boat.
I moved my dinghy to bow.
Cooler I put inside forward.
On way back I had 6 people and 2 dogs and I put 4 people on forward bed.
The bad spot is wide and not consistent, so it has high and low spots, so if you chose the wrong path you can touch.
I never saw less than 5' but if I moved over say 1 foot, that could be different.

Here is my path. Green is track boat took, brown is my marked route. Very important to study charts, mark a route out, then use your vision to adjust. You can see Remsenburg up in the upper corner. The marina looks like it has all good water out of Seatuck Cove.
Not sure why the chart says green 28, that is a red and where the bad spot starts. So red 28 stays on your port and hug it close.
The buoys between there and red 24 are not charted because they shift alot!
On the chart where it says bad spot, is where green 27 and red 26 are. You can see you have to leave the channel to get thru there.
After that is is all decent.
If he can do this at high, then I recommend option #3 and go out Fire Island Inlet.

IMG_0037_zpsnylgibeb.png
 
Seems to me that unless there are small craft warnings, the best route for me is to go through Shinnecock. Thanks.
 
It's the least risky but not the most direct or fastest.
What is the draft?
 
It looks like we may leave at high tide. To be clear, if we choose Moriches path, do I still need to leave channel in the "bad spot"?
 
Your not leaving the channel!
Your following the channel.
It is marked, just follow the buoys and don't look at your chart plotter!
Your plotter won't have the buoys marked and the channel it shows is not the best path!
Follow this:

This has to be done at high tide since there is one bad spot between 26 and 27. All else is okay. We just went thru twice in the last week. Basically heading west, slow down at red 28 keeping it on your port and hug it close. Swing around green 27 and head north at a speed where you would keep moving forward if a prop or rudder touched (soft sand) but you won't touch at high tide. Split 27 and 26 staying in the middle and away from buoys. After red 26, watch depth come up and go back on plane. From there, stay in channel. Again mark a track and follow it, make sure you don't miss or cut any buoys! You can then run out fire island inlet. To get there stay in north channel to the east channel, which is right before robert moses causeway. Follow that around and go out inlet. If you want to stay inside to east rockaway, then it will be more complicated and more bridges to deal with! I can send you my plots but it's really best to visually see it and follow the buoys. Call Seatow or Boatus for advice.
 
Leaving Remsenburg Marina and Seatuck Cove is straight forward - follow the markers (not your plotter) and observe the no-wake restrictions. As you will be leaving near high tide you shouldn't have any trouble with depths. There is bad shoaling to port just outside of the fuel dock fairway as you are leaving the marina and heading south but it is well marked. Once you clear the no-wake sign you are good to go. I would personally pick up the channel just east of G29 to get your bearings in slightly better water if you'll be heading towards the inlet. Speak to anyone who works there and they will be happy to give you guidance. Sea Tow is also based there and they will be more than happy to answer your questions if they're on the docks.
 
I would add that Shinnecock inlet is no walk on the park in the wrong conditions. There is a LOT of slow-go on your way there from Moriches Bay. Also, you wouldn't want to go through the eastern part of the narrows, just before you get to Tiana Bay and Shinnecock Bay too close to low tide (which is on a similar schedule as Moriches) so if heading that way plan accordingly. Take a close look at and carefully plot your course through Tiana Bay/Shinnecock Bay. It's well marked and charted but many boaters who try to navigate that area visually without consulting a chart are easily confused and run across the sand bar every day (heading east towards the Ponquogue Bridge instead of honoring the channel which first heads southeast). Not to confuse things but I would much sooner head west than east to accomplish what you're setting out to do.
 
Thank you both for the excellent advise. Going to do the run one day this week and will make the call that day per conditions. I plotted them both on my iPad and of course will program on boat as well.
 
Good luck! Again, use your plotter as a guide but use those eyes or binoculars. My habit is when I have the a buoy in site, I start looking ahead to the next buoy. Use plotter to give a rough idea where that buoy is. I use 2 plotters, one zoomed in and one zoomed out. Out one shows me direction of next buoy, in shows me where I am in the channel.

Bridges operate starting at 6AM, channel 13.
 
Dave - Thanks! read your posts, got through about 1.5 hours before high tide, all I can say is when you say BAD SPOT - you mean it! By 26/27 you really have to slow down and detour...
 
1.5 is pushing it. You have out drives? Draft?
You probably had about 3.5 to 4' of water.
 
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