Questions For the R.I. Sailors Out There

captainpete

captainpete

New Member
Next month I'll be headed to Jamestown, R.I. for family vacation. We've gone to Block Island for many years and the ferry made bringing the boat a prohibitive expense. This year I've got a brand new sail and I plan on sailing every day! I'm trying to plan everything out and I have some questions about the local waters...

1. Do I need any type of registration or permit? All I have on her now is a sticker for my local county park lake in PA.

2. Are there any prohibitions or rules for sailing through ferry lanes? (Other than to YIELD, of course)

3. I'd like to sail to Point Judith and also Block Island... any advice? Looking at a map I think it would be a nice, challenging sail for me to go from Jamestown down along the coast, then out to the Block... Looks like 14 miles, as the crow flies? What's the wind like out there?

4. Any other advice from the guys and gals that sail these waters? Does it get to be very crowded in certain spots? Any shipping activity to beware of? I learned to sail as a kid on jetski-choked Toms River in NJ, so I'm used to duckin and dodgin...

I can't wait to do some ocean sailing up there in New England with the big boys!! I know I have the experience, just wanna make sure I'm prepared and have the knowledge I need to hang!

Thanks Everyone!
 
In response to "what is the wind like out there?". Well, it can vary a lot! Check the weather radio carefully before venturing out. Secondly, go over every bit of your boat with a fine tooth comb before embarking on a solo open water trip in a Sunfish! If you break down out there or capsize and lose the boat,'you literally could die. I would not attempt that crossing myself, and before you do you should sail close to shore for a day or two to be sure you are going to make it across (and back) when you set out. I don't know much about hand held marine radios but you might want one for emergencies. N BB
 
I tried a lake trip of just three miles, when the wind died for four hours. Are you prepared to paddle?
 
I used to think about doing a similar trip - until one nice day when my mast hole split from the hull and the mast tipped over. I had a paddle, and it was all I could do to get back to shore.

Since then, I have never once considered a trip more than a reasonable distance from land. I just bought a Precision 15, and I still wouldn't consider it in that boat.
 
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