Shark River Inlet

[tommyc_37]

Hey guys,

Going to be spending the night at Belmar Marina this weekend. In looking at the chart of Shark River, it looks like there is a little cove past the Route 35 bridge and to the north, just off of Memorial Park. Looks like 4-5 feet of water there - is this a good spot to drop anchor to have lunch?

Any advice for getting in and out of the inlet? Lots of traffic?

 

[ImpulseIII]

The inlet's not a problem. Straight in and out. Not so sure there is anywhere I would feel comfortable anchoring....current is pretty strong and lots of very shallow areas.

 

[Mr Salt]

Went into the inlet and up to Belmar Marina. There were two bridges that had to be opened the bridge tenders worked together and the trip was smooth but the current in the river are very strong so be careful anchoring.

 

[Alex F]

+1 on the river currents. I was there with 30+MPH winds, it was an "interesting" moment while going through the bridge in these conditions. Wait for the clear pass and don't be shy on using the throttles to maintain the control.

 

[tommyc_37]

Thanks guys. We'll probably just eat lunch at Belmar Marina once we are docked. Now I have a different question. NOAA is forecasting the following for Saturday:

N WINDS AROUND 10 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

My float plan is to hug the coast (no more than 1-2 miles from the coast) all the way down to Belmar. I've really never taken this boat in the ocean much (just off Sandy Hook a bit, on really calm days). Do you think my boat can handle 3-5' seas? Will it be worse 1-2 miles from the coast (will waves be breaking?)?

Is it still too early for an accurate forecast from NOAA?

Any advice from some of the seasoned captains is much appreciated. I'm still pretty green.

 

[rondds]

Accurate forecast and NOAA generally not used in the same sentence! I really can't say if your boat can handle 3-5's. I can say that the closer to shore you are, the more bouncy the ride will be. I've found that you really need to have about 40' under you for things to smooth out a bit. I'd wake up and check the forecast and the radar picture. Weather is supposed to be pretty unstable tomorrow and pop-up t-storms are possible throughout the day.

 

[rcknecht]

I only hug the coast when there is a wind out the west. If you get too close you may run across some shallow water. Your boat should do fine, its not a very long trip... I had my 250 DA in 7 footers in the Ocean off AC and ripped the Bimini bolts out of my fiber glass... The boat handles rough seas better than the crew... Watch out for the merchant traffic. Take your time and enjoy the trip... Take pictures...

 

[brewster16]

I agree that the boat will be fine in 3-5's but the crew is a seperate issue all together. My wife/kids would certainly freak if my 340 was riding over those! Incidently I just made the Liberty Landing to Manesquan inlet trip this past weekend. It is just amazing out there in the big blue ocean. I stayed 2 miles off in order to avoid the "fish traps" area which basically means every once in a while there are little sticks or flags indicating......who knows????! Going up to NYC I went through fish trap magenta box and saw them periodically, coming back at 2 miles off.....nothing. BTW seas were pretty flat for me and crew enjoyed the ride. (They slept)

 

[tommyc_37]

I guess my concern is, I actually don't KNOW what it feels like to traverse over seas that are that high? I mean, to me, 3 feet does not seem very high. I've been in some swells for sure, and have landed pretty hard ... would 3-5' seas mean that I would be experiencing such hard landings every 10 seconds or so?

 

[rcknecht]

What is more important is the frequency... I find the Ocean three footers to be easy because they are usually separated by 20 yards or more. They are not white caps like you find in the Delaware Bay... The worst I have been in on my 300 DA was 15' seas, and we made ok... 3' seas should be no problem... Just take it as slow as you can efficiently run on plane...

 

[tommyc_37]

I guess I'll just have to find out what it "feels" like to go over one of those huge waves. 15' sounds pretty scary - does the boat jump over those, or do they come over the bow? Trying to envision it...

This weekend I'll have an all-male crew (and none of them are total strangers to the sea), so at the risk of sounding sexist, I'm somewhat relieved that my first ocean trip will not include women.

 

[vandal]

The shark river has a huge tibe change will go from mud flats above Belmar Marine to 6 feet of water in no time. Dont go above municipal marine or only at high tide and get out quickly.

 

[Alex F]

What is more important is the frequency....

I 100% agree.

Thanks guys. We'll probably just eat lunch at Belmar Marina once we are docked. Now I have a different question. NOAA is forecasting the following for Saturday:

N WINDS AROUND 10 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
A CHANCE OF TSTMS IN THE AFTERNOON. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.

My float plan is to hug the coast (no more than 1-2 miles from the coast) all the way down to Belmar. I've really never taken this boat in the ocean much (just off Sandy Hook a bit, on really calm days). Do you think my boat can handle 3-5' seas? Will it be worse 1-2 miles from the coast (will waves be breaking?)?

Is it still too early for an accurate forecast from NOAA?

Any advice from some of the seasoned captains is much appreciated. I'm still pretty green.

1. The good news is that you'll be travelling with the wind on the way south.
2. It's way too early to make the conclusion what the true forecast will be and as Ron said, it's still not guarantied that even the last minute forecast will be accurate.
3. Make sure the boat is tuned and ready for such trip.
4. She will handle 3-5' seas just fine.
5. If it gets too bumpy (I think it very well might be a bumpy ride) slow down to the point where you still on plane but not pounding the boat on each wave. Keep the bow down by adjusting the tabs and the outdrive (I assumed yiurs is not v-drive) all the way down. This way you'll plow thru slow and steady.
6. Asses the situation and if it's not safe or comfortable enough turn around and go back.

Good luck,
Alex.

 

[tommyc_37]

Hi Alex...wait, so I must be completely clueless with these forecasts, because I thought that "N winds around 10 kts" means that the wind will be heading NORTH, and I would be going AGAINST the wind (now I have the song stuck in my head). Does "N Winds" mean that the wind is coming FROM the north, headed south? If so, that is confusing as all hell!

 

[rcknecht]

I would go by the following... If there was no small craft warnings I would go out in the Ocean... The waves are like hills you go up and down... Sometimes, if you enter a inlet with wind against the tide you may have some rough seas... Just take it easy and ride with the bow up on the incline following the seas into the the inlet...

 

[CAMELLA]

Hi Alex...wait, so I must be completely clueless with these forecasts, because I thought that "N winds around 10 kts" means that the wind will be heading NORTH, and I would be going AGAINST the wind (now I have the song stuck in my head). Does "N Winds" mean that the wind is coming FROM the north, headed south? If so, that is confusing as all hell!

North winds means it's blowing towards the south.
West winds means it''s blowing towards the east.

 

[Alex F]

..... Does "N Winds" mean that the wind is coming FROM the north, headed south? ....

That is correct. So, with N wind it'll be behind you as you go south. Pray for the S winds on your way back...LOL.

 

[tommyc_37]

Thanks guys, for all the advice. I'm looking forward to the trip!

 

[tommyc_37]

Hey guys, the trip down to Belmar was GREAT. The weather was perfect, and the swells were not bad, at all. Coming back up north yesterday, it was so clear that we could see Manhattan looming in the background from about Long Branch or so. It was really awesome.

 

[rcknecht]

Hey guys, the trip down to Belmar was GREAT. The weather was perfect, and the swells were not bad, at all. Coming back up north yesterday, it was so clear that we could see Manhattan looming in the background from about Long Branch or so. It was really awesome.

GOT Pictures???