Making the trip on the East River either from Upper New York Bay to Long Island Sound or in the opposite direction, from Long Island Sound to The Battery in New York City, can be an enjoyable experience or it can be one of those things where you wish you were somewhere else... Anywhere Else!
To start, a little background:
The East River is not a river! It is actually a tidal strait connecting Upper New York Bay with Long Island Sound. The lower portion of the East River runs on a predominately north - south axis while the upper portion runs east and west. There seems to be some disagreement as to how you should refer to your direction of travel when transiting the East River. Some use the terms north or south bound, while others use east or west bound. While I do not want to get caught up in this debate, I use north and south bound since the average axis of the East River is Northeast - Southwest. Regardless of which of these terms you prefer to use, you will be understood by anyone with any knowledge of the area.
The East River, from The Battery (the southern tip of Manhattan) in New York City to the Throgs Neck Bridge, the western entrance to Long Island Sound (LIS), is approximately 13.7 NM. From The Battery to Hell Gate is 6.6 NM and Hell Gate to the Throgs Neck Bridge another 7.1 NM. It is spanned by 8 bridges including the famous, or as some may suggest, infamous Brooklyn Bridge. The minimum vertical clearance on the bridges is 123’. Additionally there is a secondary channel to the east of Roosevelt Island which has a lift bridge with 40’ vertical clearance in the closed position and 99’ when open. This bridge is generally not a problem since the preferred channel is to the west of Roosevelt Island. Keep in mind that the preferred channel can be closed when the UN requests it for security purposes requiring the use of the secondary channel. Finally there is a bridge from the Borough of Queens to Rikers Island which has little significance to the transiting mariner.
The East River is heavily traveled with commercial traffic, primarily tugs with tows, hi-speed ferries, and a few deep draft ships. You will also find plenty of pleasure craft during the warmer months.
Being a tidal strait, the East River has strong current flows. Currents often reach 5+ knots in the areas of the river around Roosevelt Island and as much as 5 knots in Hell Gate. The tidal current floods North & East and Ebbs South & West.
And then there is Hell Gate! - Trying not to blow this out of proportion, the Gate can be a challenge for low powered vessels. It also can be daunting for larger vessels with limited maneuverability and a fair current. Many of the horror stories that you may have heard about Hell Gate are just that... Stories. That being said, the combination of strong tidal currents occasionally exceeding 5 knots, heavy swirls and boils, a channel dog leg in a narrow section of the river, and heavy commercial traffic will require your utmost attention when transiting this area.
So, here are a few tips to consider when transiting Hell Gate: