2008 REED’s East Coast Edition - Pilot Notes
New York & New Jersey Pilot Notes
Coastal Summary 95 Intracoastal Waterway 101
East River and Approaches 96
Point Pleasant Canal 101
Hell Gate 96 Sandy Hook to Cape May 101
Hudson River to the Great Lakes 98
Manasquan, NJ 102
New York Harbor and Approaches 8
Atlantic City, NJ 102
Cape May, NJ 106
Sandy Hook Bay 100
New York, NY 100
the region. Keep a sharp watch and moni-
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Coastal Summary
From the E end of Long Island to the S end tor VHF 16 and 13 at all times while in the
of New Jersey, there are few safe havens for harbor.
boats traveling offshore. In good weather, The Hudson River leads N from New York
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many mariners choose to sail an offshore harbor to the New York canal system, which
rhumbline from Rhode Island or Massachu- connects to the Great Lakes. Many yachts
setts to the Delaware Bay, bypassing New make a seasonal passage between the Lakes
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York and New Jersey. Others take an inshore and the East Coast. or
route through Long Island Sound, into New The Atlantic coast of New Jersey is ex-
York harbor, then along the outside of the tremely busy with recreational and commer-
New Jersey coast. Although there is an in- cial fishing traffic, as well as tugs and larger e
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land waterway running the length of New commercial shipping going to and from New N
Jersey, it is extensively shoaled over, often to York harbor to the N, and Delaware Bay to
depths of less than 4ft. the S. The larger commercial ships tend to
There are no safe havens along the S shore stay well offshore, while yachts follow the
of Long Island. The inlets there are extremely coast. During the summer months, prevail-
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treacherous, mostly unmarked, and subject ing winds are SW 10-15kts.
to shoaling. Avoid running too close to the shore. Shift-
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Crossing the approaches to New York off- ing, sandy shoals may extend more than a
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shore, there is still heavy commercial traffic mile off the visible beach; charted depths
entering and exiting the traffic lanes. Note cannot be trusted. Especially during strong
the traffic separation zones on the chart and winds and storms off the ocean, coastal
avoid the marked shipping lanes. shoals contribute to choppy seas. Other in-
Following the inshore route from Long shore hazards include fleets of trawlers and
Island Sound, boats pass through Hell Gate fish traps. Manasquan, Absecon, and Cape
at the junction of the East River and Harlem May inlets offer the only harbors of refuge,
River, an area of treacherous currents. Con- and even the best should not be considered
sult current tables before transiting. “easy entry” during storms. From Sandy
New York Harbor is the busiest on the East Hook to Cape May, the coastal bottom is lit-
Coast. All manner of commercial traffic, tered with wreckage.
yachts and U.S. Navy ships transit through
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