Provincetown, New York, Virginia Passage
After wrapping up a fantastic summer in Provincetown, it was time to make our migration down to Virginia to haul out in a bit more mild climate than the North East. The journey took us through Long Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean and into the Chesapeake Bay. We made stops in Newport, Port Jefferson, Port Washington, Brooklyn Heights, and Fishing Bay, Virginia.
The first leg of the journey was a solo sail by Captain Chris from Provincetown to Newport. The trip usually takes about 12 hours via the Cape Cod Canal. The tides have to be timed to make it through the Canal without getting stuck going no where (like our trip down a week prior with Momento). September New England sunsets can be the most magnificent and colorful of the entire year. The wind had died and the reflection on the water from the very orange sunset that night was one of the best!
After a late arrival in Newport and a couple days reprieve there, we took on a couple more crew members that were long time fellow race team members of Captain Chris. We enjoyed a ride on one of the beautiful classic launches that lives in Newport Harbor and experience the cool autumn air.
The next long 86 mile leg was to Port Jefferson on Long Island, which is currently know for being a large ferry transportation hub, but in it’s day was well known for its history of ship building. We arrived after dark and then wandered into town for a dinner and a walk around the quirky New York port.
The following morning, with strong winds aiding the first part of our leg, we had a much shorter 25 mile hop over to Port Washington, where we do do a crew exchange and enjoy a nice evening sunset prior to transiting the East River.
Perhaps even more ferocious than the Cape Cod Canal is the East River passage and Hell Gate. The currents can rip so strong through there – timing the entry is essential for a safe passage. We arrived in Brooklyn Heights at the new marina and spent a week about the city. While we were available for sailing charters, the weather for a second year in a row was very rainy and not desirable to sail around this very active port.
Our last leg was from New York Harbor to Deltaville, Virginia. The first twenty hours was mostly a motor sail as we waited for strong Northwest winds to fill in. And once they did, they really did. We had the main sail only and were moving fast over building waves as we scooted down the outside of the eastern shore. All was fairly uneventful until we entered the bay and turned the boat north toward the wind. Suddenly things got very wet and very slow. After a few hours of getting beat up, we were able to head off the wind some and utilize the engine to push us forward. At that point, the ride was uncomfortable enough and our destination was close enough, it was worth pulling an all nighter to just get there and then have a day of sleep.
After the night of “slogging” up the Chesapeake, we nestled in Fishing Bay, a very protected anchorage to get some rest and prepare the boat to be hauled out the next day around the bend. This included changing the oil and removing the jibs – both items that cannot be done while the boat is out of the water. The next morning we had a quick hop over to Deltaville where Moment was quickly brought to her winter spot in the yard.