East End Journey: Timing the Barriers to Long Island’s Top Destinations

Sailing from the populous western end of the Long Island Sound to The East End is a long haul that ends with a potentially dramatic passage through fast-moving currents off the tip of Long Island’s North Fork.

By
Doug Henschen
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Sailing from the populous western end of the Long Island Sound to The East End is a long haul that ends with a potentially dramatic passage through fast-moving currents off the tip of Long Island’s North Fork. (Image/ Apple Maps)

The East End of New York’s Long Island shelters within its North and South “forks” popular cruising destinations including Greenport, Shelter Island, Sag Harbor, and Montauk. What keeps many sailors hailing from the populous western end of the Long Island Sound (The Sound) from ever reaching these destinations is the sheer length of this tidal estuary, at nearly 80 nautical miles. Then there’s the psychological and very real nautical challenge of passing through Plum Gut or The Race.

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Doug Henschen
Doug Henschen
Doug Henschen has been sailing in and around the waters of the lower Hudson River, New York Harbor, and the Long Island Sound since the 1980s. A career editor and journalist, Doug served as associate editor and managing editor of The Waterway Guide from 1984 until 1987 and as executive editor of Boating Industry magazine from 1990 to 1996. Doug is a member of Sail America and is American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) certified on Marine Systems, Marine Electrical, Corrosion Mitigation, Disaster Avoidance, Outboard Repowering Considerations, and Boatyard Basics.

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1 COMMENT

  1. You are a braver man than I. Every season I think, “This is the year I finally tackle my Mattituck fears.” And every season I talk myself out of it. Same with Coecles Harbor. 🙂

    My wife buries herself in Eldridge as we begin planning our voyage every February. She could earn a merit badge in The Race and Plum Gut currents. I gently mock her for being so obsessed with them, but then every trip transiting those areas is smooth because of her prep. (She’s also the Watch Hill, Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod Canal current guru. I’m the East River, Hell Gate and NY Harbor guy.)

    We were out there some of those same dates as you, while transiting from NJ to the Vineyard, and while we have a 24HP motor, negotiating that chop was still not fun. We normally stick primarily to the LI side on our way out – usually Oyster Bay and/or Port Jeff, before crossing over to Noank – but this year we stuck strictly to the CT side, as we wanted to visit the Norwalk Islands and tuck into New Haven to shorten the trip to Noank. Of course the prevailing south westerlies decided to take a few days off as we headed that way.

    Thanks for sharing. Enjoyed this article very much.