3 footers in ocean?

H

Heaven Seeker

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Jul 1, 2013
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33320
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Need to bring boat from great south bay out to Peconic Saturday. Wind seems to be OK ,finally, around 10kts but 3-4 footers in ocean. I prefer the ocean run over going through Moriches because water has been so low this year so far, but don't know how rough that will seem. First full season with 40 foot Sundancer. Draft is 3 1/2 feet so I could time it to be through Moriches within an hour of high tide at Moriches coast guard station.

So the question is inside or out? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Depends on your comfort level and conditions.
I wouldn't want to be out in ocean by myself.
Make sure you have proper safety equipment.
Inside is a lot safer. Shouldn't be bad if at high tide.
 
More important than wave height is direction and duration between waves. If they are 3' - 4' rollers, no problems, if they are 3' - 4' chop hitting you from the side, it won't be a pleasant ride.
 
Wind will be out of the NE so no problem within a few miles of shore. Make the run from FI to Shinnecock I outside. Typically, early is better than late. Last weekend the predicted seas did not materialize until the afternoon.

Plan your trip around the lock schedule. Personally, I prefer to lock through rather than the excitement when the current is running.
 
Generally speaking, if the interval between waves is double the height or more, as in 3'/6 seconds, I consider the conditions calm enuff to go fishing. If the winds are 17 MPH or more, it's enuff to start blowing the water off the top of waves...white capping and sufficient to start pushing swells and wave heights. 10 MPH is a good wind speed.

Swell direction also dictates how smooth the ride will be. If your boat is fast enuff to keep up with the swells in following seas, it can feel fairly calm. Swells around here run about 20-22 MPH but can be 10-12 (or less) on larger swells if there's no wind pushing them.

lastly, the larger the boat, the less affected by the water...up to a certain point.
 
took the inside route at high tide - no problems at all. I had called sea tow and they recommended looping around towards the inlet after buoy 15 the route was the same as Walterv posted in the Moriches bay thread. Made it from Sayville to Mattituck in 3 hours, so it was certainly quicker for me.
 
good info, thanks!
That is route we did last year.
 
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