Our Sail Plan: We left New York Harbor at 7:30 AM with a narrow weather window to make some good progress south towards Charleston before tropical storm Idalia came in. Our goal was to make Delaware Bay and wait things out. Our reality – we skipped Delaware and kept sailing to shelter in the Chesapeake. Then we continued on around Hatteras and anchored in beautiful Wrightsville Beach.
WATCH our Video: Sailing New York City to Wrightsville Beach
We left New York Harbor at 7:30 AM after dropping off Stephen’s sister Jennifer at the airport bright and early. We had a narrow weather window to make some good progress south before tropical storm Idalia came in.
As we went under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the suspension toll bridge connecting the New York City boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn, we couldn’t help but look back in appreciation for our stay in the Big Apple. The 13 lane double-deck bridge has seven lanes on the upper level and six on the lower level. Its 4260 feet span is the longest in America and the 18th longest in the world. This bridge opened November 21, 1964, ending the era where the only way to get to Staten Island was the ferry.
Our sail conditions were perfect – we were making 8-9 knots SOG, on a 55 degree wind angle, with smooth ocean swells that were probably 10 seconds apart, making for a comfortable sail even at that speed. We were planning on stopping in Delaware Bay, but with these sail conditions, we made a last minute decision to continue sailing and get down to Hampton where we would have more protection from Idalia.
After waiting the storm out a couple days, we left Chesapeake Bay and continued south. It’s a LONG way out of the bay – takes forever! And now we had no wind. So, we motored quite a bit, but enjoyed the calm blue ocean, warm sunshine and playful dolphins.
Sailing Around Cape Hatteras – 5 AM 9/3
Captain was off watch and I didn’t want to wake him. Can I do this by myself? I think I can. It’s a beautiful morning. What could go wrong? Gulf Stream is closer to shore than we are. Winds are tame. Should be fine.
We did lose 2 knots of speed, and the waves got choppy, but Gulf Stream was closer to shore, so conditions were right. And we were sailing again! So, we pressed on towards Wrightsville Beach with a 1 AM arrival planned.
Wrightsville Beach Anchorage
We hung around Wrightsville for a few days, enjoyed the clear waters and marshes, watched sailing lessons and races, met friends, and stopped at Mott’s Channel Seafood for provisions.
Mott’s Channel Seafood was a great stop! You know the fish is fresh when you see the back room behind the scenes where the fish is brought in, cleaned and put on ice. Can’t wait to go back sometime!
