Cruise around Manhattan

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king5899

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We were thinking about taking another couple out this Friday or Saturday if Mother Nature cooperates. Something I've wanted to do before was to go around manhattan, and thought it would be a nice cruise. I figured we can get down to the Spytan Dival pretty quick and then take a leisurely cruise around Manhattan and then back up the hudson.

I'm sure many of you experienced baoters have done, this, and was looking for some tips. I have plotted it out and am aware of the heavy commercial traffic I will encounter including those damn ferries. Anything else I should look out for?

Any tips would be great...
 
Have you been thru Spuyten Duyvil before? I beleive you need to hail the bridge for passage...
 
It sounds cool, but truthfuly, more than half of it is "meh"

I suggest an alternative.

On Friday nights Coney Iland has fireworks at 9PM and you can anchor about 200 feet from them. They go off from shore.

You can get there by going down the Hudson, continuing past the Statue, go Under the Verrazano(sp) Brdge and hug Brooklyn, which is off to your left. After you round the point, you will see Coney Island. Go there, hang out, watch the fireworks.

Then, return on the same route, when you get to the tip of Manhattan, bear right and go up the East River, but only go as far as the UN. After that, it is pretty generic and boring. Turn around at the UN, bo back down teh East River and back up the Hudson for the return trip.

The Harlem River is all No Wake zone, is fairly boring, and kinda ugly.

just my suggestion.
 
quote:
Originally posted by millsan1

The Harlem River is all No Wake zone

Click to expand...


Please tell me why you feel this is true.

I know that there are some bridges with posted no wake signs and the area just before and after the Kayak launch although in that area the no wake signs are pretty lame, impossible to see unless you are looking at the shoreline instead of where you are going. I see nothing posted on the charts and regularly run on plane with the exception of the above mentioned areas.

I agree there is not much to see thou...
 
I was coming from the sound and a police boat hailed to me that the river is a no wake sound. Never new that no one obeys it.
 
How can something be no wake without posting a sign or something? I have no problem following the rules but sometimes it feels like they are made up as we go....
 
Did some googling and I find this;

Harlem River No Wake Zone: All boaters are advised of the passing of the Jim H. Runsdorf Law, which
designates a special No Wake Zone on the Harlem River. The recreational Sharp Boathouse is located in this
area. The law states that: “Swindler Cove and that portion of the Harlem River running from the University Heights Bridge southerly to the High Bridge; and that portion of the Harlem River between the Spuyten Duyvil trestle and the Broadway Bridge are hereby designated “No Wake Areas.” All vessels operating within the no wake area shall be operated at idle speed. “Idle speed” shall mean the lowest speed at which a vessel can operate, maintain safe steerage, and minimize the production of a wake that could unreasonably interfere with or endanger other persons, property, or water-borne vessels.”

The above is from http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_things_to_do/facilities/marinas/images/no_wake_notice.pdf

I also found the City Council notes on this law, part of the parks regulations. BUT all of this is in violation of the state law Hogan posted in that hears where not held and the signs are not in keeping with state law. In fact there are NO signs in the Spuyten Devil area at all! The signs for Swidler Cove don't even follow the rules as laid out in the parks rules and regulations!

See also http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_things_to_do/facilities/marinas/pdf/no_wake_bill.pdf
 
Beautiful trip that never gets old for us, just watch out for debris in the east river (ESPECIALLY if you are cruising at night). Oh, and let me know if you see my port trim tab floating around. lol.
 
So, the northern end, from the tressel to the first lift bridge (going east - south), is no wake, and what, from that dilapedated marina to the aqueduct (the small bridge just south of the X-Bronx expwy) is no wake? Neither Univeristy bridge (but the 207th street bridge is) or Swindler cove are on Maptech's charts. .. ... I hate when land-lubbers make laws.
 
Yep, that's about it, basically from the Hudson to just past the run down marina is no wake, then no wake thru the bridges, other than that, go as fast as you like.
 
Gene

I agree about the lanlubbers. The posted signs for Swindlers cove No wake are on the rock wall facing into the river in other words parallel to it. So you must be looking directly ashore to see them. White sign with very hard to read text. And if I read the rule correctly it does not apply to commercial vessels such as the circle line but if you run a charter tough $hit it applies to you.
 
You forgot one Mike, there is a hand made "No Wake" sign down in that little marina tucked in the conner where the police boats are berthed.

Probably not a legal no wake but since the cops live there I slow down.
 
We got tired of running the Harlem River years ago.. (when going to the LI Sound) too many No Wakes, Circle Line Boats and we always end up waiting 15 to 30 minutes for Spytan Dival.

Now we just go down around the tip of Manhatten and up the east river to the sound. "ON PLANE"
 
By going around Manhattan you avoid the risk of having a box of Church's Fried Chicken box filled with rocks dropped down onto your boat while going under one of the bridges in the 'hood', right Mike???

Jonathan
 
king,
If you do decide to go through the Harlem River (and there is no real reason why you shouldn't if you want to) just be cautious around the bridges and narrow parts of the river with the concrete walls. Bigger cruisers throw some large wakes at you and then they bounce back off the walls and try to get you a second time. You shouldn't have any trouble and even if some of the scenery isn't the greatest, it is an interesting part of the trip and at least you can say that you did it once.
 
Actually, it was "Kennedy Fried Chicken"
 
I was considering a trip from LI Sound to the Hudson but heard that in the narrow sections kids throw rocks and things that can reach your boat. Is there any truth to this?
 
We go through there every July, a couple of years ago some "kids" dropped a Kennedy Fried Chicken box filled with rocks and sand off the bridge just north of the Police marina onto my boat, it landed just in front of my windshield.

We try to plan our trips so that we go through early in the day, when the neer-do-wells are sleeping off the previous nights "activities"
 
Good ole Kennedy Fried Chicken.

Does this box size look familiar???

203179410_891c433f68_m.jpg

357658754_f8d3941e4f.jpg
 
The box was a little bigger, like the size of a shoe box, and there was no food in it!
 
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