Interested in Sailing - Philadelphia area

[graraq]

Hello,
My husband and I have been interested in sailing for a long time. However, we finally now have the means and money to do so. We have been out on my husband's uncle's sailboat (he was experienced at sailing) when we were dating nearly 10 years ago and caught the bug!

Anyhow. For my birthday in July we are hoping to take a class on the South Jersey shore. We would then continue learning and start looking for a v small (less than 20 feet) sailboat to own.

My main question:

We live on a creek (woodbury creek in woodbury NJ) and have a small dock as well as an inlet that goes up into our backyard. Our previous neighbors (2 years ago, only briefly met) said they used to own a sailboat.

This seems ideal to us especially as we learn to be able to go on v short little afternoon trips and eventually long trips straight from the backyard.

HOWEVER, there is a bridge between us and connecting with the delaware river and a larger inlet that I HAVE seen sailboats in. From kayaking, I can tell you the clearance doesn't seem like much. Is this the "end of conversation" point for us? Would we need to keep our boat at a marina for getting past this bridge?

Before we get too far down this rabbit hole, this would POSSIBLY be a deal breaker for us (maaaybe, marinas around here are a bit pricey).

Thanks so much,
Sorry to probably be asking a really dumb question!
QG

[JoeRobertJr]

Hi, QG,
Are you talking about the Grove Ave bridge over the creek?

[JoeRobertJr]

Navionics is telling me that the Rt. 634 (Grove Ave.) bridge has a height of 15 feet at high tide. I was trying to find the air draft of a Laser dinghy for reference, but no luck.

You could consider paddling the boat through that bridge with the mast down, and then step the mast after you are past the bridge.

So, I do not think your idea is a non-starter, but you will have to consider the bridge clearance, and also the depth of water from your dock. A sailboat with a retractable daggerboard can get into pretty shallow water.

[boatman61]

Get a boat with a tabernacle mast foot, or have one made up once you have the boat you want.. under 20ft there'll not be much weight to deal with.
Just release the forestay and lower the mast which will pivot on the top pin in the tabernacle.. no need to touch the rest of the rigging just hold it inboard with bungee.
Raise it once you've cleared the bridge going out and when returning lower at the bridge go through and on to your dock..
May as well leave it down while docked.
Apart from the tabernacle you will need to make up an X frame or crutch to support the mast at the rear of the cockpit.

[Pete7]

15 ft? That's loads of room with a bit of practise:

Pete

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi1W..._channel=AnnaM

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Get a boat with a tabernacle mast foot, or have one made up once you have the boat you want.. under 20ft there'll not be much weight to deal with.
Just release the forestay and lower the mast which will pivot on the top pin in the tabernacle.. no need to touch the rest of the rigging just hold it inboard with bungee.
Raise it once you've cleared the bridge going out and when returning lower at the bridge go through and on to your dock..
May as well leave it down while docked.
Apart from the tabernacle you will need to make up an X frame or crutch to support the mast at the rear of the cockpit.

Obviously this applies to small boats with cabins such as this Sirocco 15..

[goodnumbers64]

Call the Corinthian yacht club in essington pa.good sailing program.

[graraq]

Wow, thank you all for so many responses. I can see I have wasted a couple weeks trying to figure this out without just asking!

QG

[graraq]

Here's a picture of my dog and husband in the creek (clearly our dog would prefer a bigger boat! haha). This is in just about exactly between high and low tide. We see larger boats (motorized) go down the creek regularly. With a small boat, it looks like draft is usually less than 5 feet (between 2 &4 seems normal), which should be fine. It's mainly that dang bridge, however... I'm happy to hear there might be some solutions!

[DMF Sailing]

Originally Posted by graraq

Here's a picture of my dog and husband in the creek (clearly our dog would prefer a bigger boat! haha). This is in just about exactly between high and low tide. We see larger boats (motorized) go down the creek regularly. With a small boat, it looks like draft is usually less than 5 feet (between 2 &4 seems normal), which should be fine. It's mainly that dang bridge, however... I'm happy to hear there might be some solutions!

Attachment 230633

As boatman (listen to him; he knows boats!) and others suggested, if you get a boat with a centerboard, your depth issues will be negated.

The Montgomery 17, for example, draws 2 feet with the centerboard up, has a mast crew can raise and lower, and a small cuddy cabin. Lift the centerboard and the rudder, and you can beach it. They also look great.

[Scrimshaw4]

As an alternative to docking a (20' +/_ ) boat with a tabernacle mast why not trailer it. That would open up a wider range of sailing and vacation opportunities.

[graraq]

Originally Posted by Scrimshaw4

As an alternative to docking a (20' +/_ ) boat with a tabernacle mast why not trailer it. That would open up a wider range of sailing and vacation opportunities.

At this point we honestly know almost nothing about sailing. We are thinking that we would often want to trailer it for some bigger trips down the road. However, we do also like the option of leaving straight from the backyard as well, especially for smaller trips.

[Adelie]

Welcome

[JackTracy]

Have you thought about sailing Raritan Bay? There are several fine yacht clubs on the bay with all kinds of sailing resources. Our club, Keyport Yacht Club has ASA certified sailing courses, seminars on cruising and racing, and a boat share program with several boats 22-26' available to members. Membership is very affordable. No bridges or slips to navigate, and a fine social scene. We have several members from your area, including our Vice Commodore. If you like sailing, you'll find yourself looking at larger and taller sailboats very soon! Your dog will thank you!