Any Long Island South Bay (shore) sailors?

[jmann]

Hi again,
I'm wondering if there are any Long Island south shore sailors on the board?
My wife and I have had 1 sailing lesson, so wherever we buy from, we'll probably stay awhile to learn.
The choices are:
Greenwood lake in NJ, 7-10 miles long, 1/4 mile wide in the Jersey mountains .
OR
The bay on the south shore of Long Island. Much bigger and shallow from what I hear.
My wife is scared of the bay, I'm scared of boredom in the lake after the first several hours.
Any thoughts in general on Lake vs Bay sailing?
Thanks again for all the input,
Joel

[Pouw Geuzebroek]

Well Joel, after one lesson I should start at the lake, if I where you. experience that for a few months and try the Bay next year. I am still on the lake near where I live for 4 years now and I am just thinking of an attempt to try some larger tidal waters this year for the first time. The lake never gets bored the weather lords take care of that.

[Frank C]

Greenwood lake in NJ, 7-10 miles long, 1/4 mile wide in the Jersey mountains OR
The bay on the south shore of Long Island. Much bigger and shallow from what I hear . . .

Joel,
I suppose you're looking at a new boat, 26M. If that Bay has lots of area that's 6' depth or less, your daggerboard will be a constant worry, especially when you're learning the ropes (pun). A swing centerboard would really shine in there.

Besides, 1/4 mile wide is perfect for learning the ropes, especially the sheets as you tack, tack, tack, tack ... pretty good if there are not too many ski boats. Take your choice, but seems like the lake is a natural, as Pouw suggested. Congrats on the new Mac!

[Michael]

Great South Bay is a great area to sail. If you cruise the eastern portion it offers large expanses of water. A southerly wind can offer a 20 mile two way reach. If you sail outside the channel markers the depths can be issue with the dagger board-but the bottom is mostly sand. The only solid underwater object I ever hit was the top of an old truck (that is marked on the chart) that apparently sunk through the ice.

[Catigale]

Joel - you might want to pull up to Nyack NY and try out the Hudson

Never more than 1/2 mile from shore or so.

I would take it slow and go out in the South Bay only with a sail-experienced companion

sps

[awolfe]

Wow!

You guys who live near the coast (any coast) are really spoiled. I've never had to make such a hard decision... For us its always been: "Well should we sail the LAKE this weekend, or should we cut the grass".

...well maybe someday

Tom
98x
Annie's Song
Denver

[Catigale]

Tom - being near a coast with a boat as versatile as the Mac (X or M) is the ultimate..

My boss is a keelboat racer and had a lot of fun poking at me about my 'Winebago' until my first summer 2001
Cayuga, Ontario, Erie, Champlain, Hudson

...he looked at me and said "Ive sailed since I was 20 and you have already been more places than I have in one year..."

I had the boat up in the lower Niagara River one weekend, and was on Nantucket the following week last summer!!

Catigale

[CHERRY911]

I have been sailing on the Great South Bay for about 5 years, the channels are all well marked, and if you stay in them you will be alright. Get your self a chart and you will be alright. I have gotten stuck a few times, but my last boat had a fixed keel, this is one of the reasons I switched to the Mac. As stated in the previous post the bottom is mostly soft sand so it is easy to get out if you hit bottom. Another good thing about the Bay is there are plenty of marinas and restaurants to visit, and you can spend some time over in Fire Island for much less than paying for a room.

[Catigale]

Cherry911

I havent sailed this area extensively, so I do not have local knowledge.

I thought South Bay has a large ocean fetch and a lot of traffic in the summer - remembering my first summer I was worried this isnt the best 'training ground' for the original poster

Your local knowledge would be invaluable here....

Catigale

[normo]

I don't have timely info but I sailed on the Great South Bay for 12 years from 1971-1982. A great place.

I started with a 20 foot catamaran, then had a Venture 17 for 2 years, a Venture 224 for 6 years followed by a Stiletto 27 catamaran until I left. I kept the boat in Blue Point. My daughter was a toddler when we moved. We used to frequently sail to Watch Hill, a federal marina/camp area and walk over to the ocean and get shells etc. There are several other good stopping spots on fire Island where you can overnight and there are a few you may want to avoid.

The South shore gets a stiff seabreeze most days and the bay develops a mean chop because it is shallow. At first pick you days and you will find it to be a wonderful sailing area. I really miss it. I spent one summer on Long Island Sound and was very disappointed. In July and August there were many days that I couldn't use the boat due to the lack of wind. It was rare to have a drifter on the south shore.

The Great South Bay leads eastward to Moriches Bay and then on to the Shinnecock Canal, Peconic Bay, Shelter Island, Gardners Bay and the towns of Greenport on the North or Montauk on the South. These are very nice cruising areas that would be great for a Mac.

Be sure to join the Keelhaul Yacht Club. They haul their keels all over Long Island and we had many wonderful cruises to Block Island, Connecticut etc.


You don't read much about it but I find the Mac to be damn near uncontrollable under power in high wind when you are in tight quarters where you really want to be moving slowly. Going into the crowded marinas will be a challenge. Practice, practice practice.

Good luck and don't forget the Keelhaul Yacht Club. They will be a great source of information.

[jmann]

Thanks for all the response, especially the real life stuff.
My dilemma is two fold:
Get the OB that I think belongs on the boat and learn in a more challenging area
OR
Get the standard OB and learn at a more forgiving spot.
Hmmm

[CHERRY911]

Normo is correct the Bay gets a pretty good seabreeze most days, except of course when I need it, which is another reason for the Mac. Of course the stronger the wind the greater the chop. There are many different areas in the Bay, if you are looking to buy from LI yacht sales the water around there is very wide, deep, and traffic is not as much of an issue. Of course weekends, especially holidays are a different story. I have never had an issue on the water, and there are usually other boaters willing to give you a yank of the sand or tow back to the dock. I did not learn how to sail on the Bay, all of my sailing experience had been on a small lake in a sunfish, before jumping to my old Hunter 27 on the Bay. This boat however had a deep fixed keel that I stuck in the sand a few times, and according to my wife too slow, so when I found the Mac it seemed the best of both worlds. With the ability to beach the boat you can go up to any of the beaches or just hang out for a while on a sandbar and do some claming.
I too went to Greenwood Lake to look at the Mac, and while the dealer up there was very friendly and helpful it just seemed like a small body of water for a boat that size, however living on the Great South Bay most lakes seem small to me.

[Catigale]

Thanks for all the response, especially the real life stuff.
My dilemma is two fold:
Get the OB that I think belongs on the boat and learn in a more challenging area
OR
Get the standard OB and learn at a more forgiving spot.
Hmmm

Easy one...

Get the outboard you want ...down in NYC area I would go bigger since there are some nice motor trips you can take.

That being said Ive done the length of Cayuga LAke in NY with my Mercury 50 HP EFI BF several times and loved it...I even tech supported IBM on the phone one day doing this, so I didnt charge vacation for those hours.

Take a couple times out on the lake - err on the side of lighter rather than heavier wind the first 5 times maybe - this will let you sort out all your kinks and halyards etc...

Find someone to go out with you on the bay in 10-15 mph wind.....

Barbara and I took Catigale out for maiden Sailing trip on Lake Champlain blowing 20-25.....

errr....dont do this......