New York City

We are in New York City.

We left Hampton VA after being anchored there and at Norfolk for a week.  We got a possible weather window on Thursday and headed out in the late morning riding an outgoing tide.  The winds were light and we ended up motoring as we left the Bay and turned northeast.  We continued into the evening and were alerted by radio of a storm coming our way.  I watched the storm on radar as it advanced across the peninsula and came out to sea heading southeast.  The angle was just right that it passed by to our left and behind us.  I was ready with full foul weather gear but only got a short rain shower.  It put on an impressive light show as it moved by.  The rest of the night was uneventful.

On Friday we continued but the forecast was for a front to come down from the north with adverse winds.  First we could not get favorable winds for sailing and now it was going to be on the nose and increasing.  We chose to be sensible and set a course for Atlantic City.  We arrived late afternoon and dropped anchor in a quiet little anchorage with a view of the city.  No, we did not go ashore and lose any money.

In the morning we pulled anchor and headed out again, with about 12-14 hours to go.  Again the wind was refusing to make the forecasted shift to southeast and stayed out of the east and northeast, not a good angle for sailing.  As the wind shifted more to the east the waves started us rolling again, very uncomfortable but nothing we can do about it.  We made it to the entrance of New York Bay and worked our way around Sandy Hook in the dark, meeting an outgoing tug pulling a barge.  We have an AIS (automatic identification system) transponder that told the barge operator who we were and our heading and speed.  He gave us a call and warned us about how his barge was swinging more than normal.  It is good to have them be able to see and identify us and how we can identify them especially in the dark.  We dropped the hook about 10:30 Saturday after a 14 hour day.  In the morning we were able to see everything around us and what a nice anchorage this is.

Sunday was overcast and light rain in the morning and we waited until after lunch when it started to break up and set sail for New York City.  Winds were 15 knots and we made a quick sail across the bay and into the narrows.  The winds were blocked by land as we approached the Verrazano Narrows Bridge so we motored through along with several ships until we reached a point we could sail again.  Fortunately we were on a direct line to the Statue of Liberty.  We had to dodge a couple of anchored ships and barges moving about, not to mention the many ferries and sailed as close as we could to the statue.  We continued on past Ellis Island then proceeded up the Hudson River to the 79^th Street Marina where we picked up a mooring ball for the week.  Only by boat can you stay in Upper Westside Manhattan for $30 a day and the seventh day is free.  It is a long dinghy ride to and from the marina docks and it is a bit rough with the tide and winds but you can’t have everything.  Also, the ice and laundry are free.

We spent Monday seeing the city.  We have a short walk to the subway and after an early lunch at Zabar's Deli we took the subway to Times Square.  From there we took the subway to the 911 Memorial and from there we walked to Trinity Church and down Wall Street to the East River.  At the river we turned left and walked up to the South Street Seaport.  The area is all changed from when I was last there but the ships are still there.  We are going back to take a tour of the tall ship Peking later in the week since ship tours are closed on Mondays.  We took the subway back and instead of going back to the boat we walked over to see a little of Central Park and I mean a little.  Now we know where it is and what part is close to us.  Back at the boat we kicked back and rested from the walking and had dinner.  I guess I should say I kicked back and Cori fixed dinner.  Later as the tide was ready to change, what we call slack tide, we moved to another mooring ball they wanted us on because of our weight.  We are a heavy boat and with the tide and waves from the wind and boat traffic they wanted us on a larger anchor.  We are happy to comply since it makes us more secure but with a longer dinghy ride.

We are settling in for the night and will be hitting the city again tomorrow.