The Rear Commodore's River Run is Harlem's newest sailing event. In 2019, we tried something new. Instead of turning left around Big Tom, we turned right, and headed down the East River. "But, that's crazy!" you say. "There's no good sailing down there. And the currents are insane. Time it wrong, and you'll get flushed down the river and out through Hell Gate." Well, the first part is just plain untrue; there's lots of great sailing between the bridges, and beyond. And, while the flushing part can be true, we've done our homework with the tide tables to ensure favorable currents for the race.
From Cuban Ledge, it's a short (and familiar) leg down to Throgs neck, then hang a right. But don't just plug the right buoy into your GPS. If you want to be fast, you'll need to play the current for all it's worth. Moving water is free speed. If we've crunched the numbers right, the current should be turning just about the time you get to the turning mark, and then you get to play the current back the other way.
We're aiming to get everybody finished by mid afternoon. Then, it's back to the clubhouse for a party on the deck.