Back in Great South Bay – south shore of Long Island NY

/ shellerina

First, we have to thank Hal Goldschlag of Gemini who suggested a fantastic, safe, and easy route from our anchorage near East Rockaway NY to Blue Water YC in Merrick NY.

The charts offered many different route choices. However, there was *something* wrong with each of them. Hal used to run a commercial Towing service in these waters. So I asked him for his advice on, “Which choice was the best?”

Hal responded, “I’m going to suggest an altogether different route that avoids several of the pitfalls that you are trying to avoid!”

The very creative “hump” shown on our track above gets us around a very troublesome “Loop Parkway Bridge” with very narrow horizontal clearance and a current that makes the bridge structure come by and “smack” into you… unless you time it at slack tide.
The problem with that is one needs to time other parts of the relatively short day’s route at high tide. (Both are very different times in the cycle).

This route also avoids the challenges of crossing by the head of “Jones Inlet” which is rarely docile.

This route enabled us to ignore the slack tide challenge and simply chose a time that worked for incoming WEATHER and some incoming high tide where we needed it!

Masterful HAL! Thanks.

Here is where we ended up.

… and where we’ll stay till the day after Nick’s 31st birthday on June 4.

Two restaurants are on the same property very close to our dock.
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Shelly waves from the cockpit before she hoses things down.

Happy Memorial Day! Our ensign is a bit faded. Each year, I usually change our American flag and the US Union Jack for July 4.

Since I’ve already purchased and received the new flags, this annual task may make it on the to-do list today, or at least sooner than the 4th of July.

Shelly arranged for a slip close to civilization, (so she doesn’t have to walk far.)
Nick & Dez enjoyed dinner aboard Shellerina with us Monday night!

It was SOOooo good to be hangin’ with these two young people again after months away.

Addendum

Here are the actual turns taken.

Bannister Creek (South)

Reynolds Channel (East)

… becomes Hempstead Bay / State Channel (East)

Under “Wreck Lead RR Bridge” 14ft vertical x 85ft VHF 13 opens on demand, (avoid weekday rush hours). LIRR

Under bascule bridge 20 vertical x 100 horizontal

LEFT on Sea Dog Creek – North- Green “SD3” ((Do not go straight under Loop Parkway Bridge w/narrow horizontal clearance. In current, this bridge will come by and whack you!))

Sea Dog Creek curves from North to the EAST.

Go straight across Long Creek (the North-South creek from Jones Inlet.)

“SD_” ATONs become “FB_” ATONs. (Sea Dog to Fundy Bay)

RIGHT (South) onto Swift Creek at Red-Green “FB”

Under bridge 20 vertical x 50 horizontal

Back to State Channel: go EAST around Green “SW1”

Under M3 Meadowbrook State Parkway 21vertical x 50horizontal aka Sloop Channel on the charts.

LEFT (North) Haunts Creek around Green “R1” this becomes Broad Creek Channel to the north.

Finally, take a LEFT at RED-GREEN “W” to Blue Water Yacht Club on Nick’s Point.

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