NYC to Lindenhurst assistance please

S

sierra

Member
exMember
Joined
Sep 11, 2007
RO Number
28541
Messages
292
I have never ventured east below the Verrazano out into the Atlantic but will need to for a trip to Lindenhurst in the coming weeks. All thoughts and suggestions on the proper route and which tide to target are welcome. I have studied the charts but it's always good to hear from those who know new cruising grounds well to be sure I am taking the most sensible route - local knowledge is a major part of my planning process.

I am looking for the safest, most straight-forward path. No wake zones are not a concern. I have a four foot draft and twenty-four foot air draft, so I will obviously need to make choices regarding the bridges. I have read the LNM's and your posts about the nearby inlets and presume the East Rockaway inlet is the most sensible way in.

Thanks for your assistance!
 
Sierra,

I literally just made this trip this past weekend heading east on the inside and returning home via the ocean. I draft 4'4" and air draft 18' with antennas down.

East Rockaway is the easiest inlet and the least amount of time spent in the ocean. However, taking that route, you will encounter 6 bridges and no wake zones. On this route, the first bridge is Atlantic Beach. You should make it under without an opening with no problem as it is high enough. If you are concerned, the outer spans are 33 ft. From here, you pretty much need the rest opened. The Leeds RR bridge is low and most boats need it opened. Immediately following is the Long Beach Road Bridges which I think are 21-25ft closed. Next you will detour around to the north to the Loop Parkway bridge (the fixed bridge is too low). Again the bascule is about a 21ft clearance closed. Next will be the Meadowbrook Parkway bridge, again about 21ft. Last the Wantagh Parkway Bridge (sloop channel?) which is only 18ft closed. At 24 ft you will likely require openings at three to four of the five. I believe the bridges for the Loop, Meadowbrook and Wantagh are manned by a lone tender who drives between them so you may be waiting for him. Once you have passed the last bridge you stick to the channel and endure a few 5mph zones. I went north through the Babylon Cut (Oak Island Channel) and found good water to the North Channel. I was careful about staying center in the channels and had no low water issues.

Your alternative is to run the ocean to Fire Island Inlet. Despite what has been written and the LNM, I found good water all the way through at mid-tide. However, due to the narrow nature and sharp turn around Democrat Point, this would seem to be nasty on a rough day. Assuming a calm day, once inside I believe you can come around and under the Captree Bridge and use the state channel to get back to the Babylon or Lindenhurst Cuts or a straight shot farther east to the West Channel which is wide and has plenty of water. There are several guys from the Anchorage who can speak to the water around Lindenhurst and the conditions of the channels around the Captree bridge. I believe it has more clearance but I don't have latest information as I've never gone that way.

IMO. On a rough day East Rockaway is the best inlet. Jones is narrow but will get you past 3 of the bridges you will likely need opened (leaving 2). Fire Island may get you there without any openings and few if any no wake zones.

It's a mixed bag. Hope this is helpful.
 
Jones Inlet is a very easy Inlet and well marked. I fish there frequently. If you jump in there you have two bridges (Meadowbrook Parkway & Wantagh Pakway to pass under to get to Lindenhurst.
Probably take you about 45 minutes to an hour to Lindenhurst once you get through Jones Inlet. Add to that the time needed to get up whatever canal you are going to head to and you have a rough idea of time.
Good Luck!
Enjoy the trip!
 
With a boat that size going through East Rock is a waste of time. I would just come in Jones Inlet. Straight and easy run.
 
Thanks for the great advice so far!
Mintregila - thank you for the terrific detail if I do end up running East Rockaway - I really appreciate it.
If I do come that way, there is conflicting info out there on arranging bridge openings varying from signaling or hailing to calling well ahead by phone. If anyone has current info on timing or method of arrangement for these bridges (I will be running on a weekend), it would be appreciated.

Thanks again!
 
You can go to Fire Island Inlet, but I think there is little difference in the amount of time it will take you to get from either one to Lindenhurst. When you take in the extra time it will take to run outside to Fire Island Inlet it will probably take longer that way.
I would go Jones Inlet which lets you stay up on plane up to the Meadowbrook where you need to slow down to go under bridge, and then up on plane again to the Wantagh Bridge.
Once you pass under the Wantagh I would take the State boat Channel to the Amityille Cut (just west of Gilgo Beach) then north through the cut and turn right to Lindenhurst. That will probably be the fastest route.
If you go through at, or close to low tide I would continue east in the State Boat Channel to the Lindenhurst Cut (just east of Cedar Beach) where there might be just a little more water at low tide.
I like to use the Amityville cut because once you go through it heading north and make a right turn to go east there are no more 5 MPH zones. The State Boat Channel has several of them between the Amityville and Lindenhurst Cuts.
If you are really worried about shallow water and have time to spare you can head north after you pass under the Wantagh Bridge and hug the shoreline through Massapequa. As long as you stay between the buoys and the backyards through there you will have 10 to 20 feet of water. The down side to that is that it is all 5 MPH until you get to the end of Massapequa in to Amityville where you can open it up. You'll see locals and smaller boats running up on plane outside the buoys through there because there is no speed limit outside the buoys, but that's not an option for you.
Once you make the trip please post the details, particularly the time, from the VZ to Lindenhurst. My dock is in the Lindenhurst area and I'm thinking about doing the trip in reverse as a day trip of sightseeing around the City sometime next season. I'd be going in and out through Jones.
 
With a 4' plus under water draw I would stay clear of the Amity cut. I would continue east in the state boat channel and head north up the Lindy cut..Especially If you are not familiar with the Amity cut.

Im sure Dave, Rob, and Brad will chime in pretty soon with the local water ways in and out of Lindy, once you clear the bridges...
 
With those drafts stay out in Ocean.
Run Coast to Fire Island Inlet.
Try to hit inlet at high tide.
Come inside. Go under bridge.
Stay in South channel to west channel. Don't cut corners around there.
Head North in West Channel, then head west to go under robert moses causeway.
Stay in North Channel. Easy Run.
Lindenhurst starts just after the Sewage treatment plant which will be big building on right.

Now if you do come inside, then once you get past all the bridges and your heading East in State Boat Channel, past Zacks bay, to Lindenhurst Cut which will run you North to Lindenhurst.
 
Thanks again. I am not familiar with any of these waters and, while I am an experienced and capable navigator, I'm looking to make this as low-stress a trip as possible. I'm not looking to make it an all day affair, but even with no-wake zones and bridge openings, it certainly shouldn't be (in open water I cruise in the mid to high 20kt range).

If I luck out with conditions it might be nice to make the run to Jones if it truly is not at all hazardous as it has been made out to be in some places. But I would sooner take the longest route than one deemed risky without local experience.

I'm a week or two away from the run but will certainly report back after.
 
I've done the trip several times from my home in Lindenhurst where I dock my boat to the city (usually cruising up the Hudson or staying at Liberty Landing). Going through Fire Island Inlet it's a 60 nautical mile trip from Lindenhurst to Liberty Landing. Cruising in the 22-24 knot range I can do the trip in under 3 hours. I have also gone through Jones Inlet which saves a few miles off the trip but not much in time because of the no wake zones. When I went through Jones previously with my current boat I could get under both bridges so that wasn't an issue, with a 24' air draft you'll need at least the Wantagh Parkway bridge opened. As Mark mentioned there is only one operator between the Wantagh and Meadowbrook bridges and I've waited 20 minutes for an opening when I had my previous boat with a tower.

I have not been through Jones Inlet this season but was through Fire Island Inlet this past weekend and at mid-tide I saw no less than 11' of water and it's pretty well marked. If you went that route I'd suggest timing the run to arrive during incoming tide if there is any swell or southerly winds to avoid a wind/waves against tide situation. Slack high tide at FI Inlet is approximately 3 hours after high tide at the inlet so keep that in mind. If you go that route you have 2 choices, one is to go into the State Boat Channel past Captree State Park and run back west that way, the other is to continue east past the Fire Island lighthouse and then go north into the bay via West Channel and then back west through the bay. My draft is over 4' and that is the route I now take since there has been a lot of shoaling around Captree the past couple seasons and there is a long no wake zone there. The West Channel route is about 4 miles longer but usually saves me time and the channels are wider with deeper water, I would stick with that route (same as Currentsea suggested).

John
 
The Leeds RR bridge will open on demand pending the train schedule. I waited only 10 minutes for a train to clear. During the summer, the Long Beach Bridge opens on the half hour during the day upon request.

I don't know about the others.

Having just been through there, I would follow John's advice if conditions are good. Run FI inlet to the west channel north to the north channel and then west to Lindenhurst. You can run on plane the entire way with no skinny water issues.

Second choice would be Jones with 2 bridges to deal with and then the Lindy or Babylon cut (Not Amity).

Third choice would be East Rockaway if the ocean is slop or you have a day to kill.

With 18' air draft I was sweating while going under the Wantagh so you will need an opening there under any circumstances with 24'.

As to time, with only the 10 minute wait included the run on the inside took fully an hour longer than the outside run for me.
 
The running time is about the same coming in Jones or going around to F.I. It would have to be a real bad day to come in Rockaway. For someone coming over first time in a boat your size I would go F.I., west and then north channels. You will not need to slow down until the Lindy creek you are going in. Once you come in Rockaway or Jones you need to pay strict attention immediately to 5mph zones, bouys and bridges.

just saying,

Billy K.
 
If the weather is good, take ocean to FI inlet like others have said. Can't get in trouble running outside and no bridges to worry about either. Good luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top