 |
| Nancy, Sandy and Dan |
After another early morning departure, we where on our way
to the second stop on the Jersey coast, Manasquan. As we skirted the coast northeast from
Atlantic City under sunny skies and fair winds, we began to see the devastation
left behind by Hurricane Sandy last year.
The coastline that used to be littered with seaside communities and
private homes now had far fewer homes and remnants of multistory structures
scarred by the force of Mother Nature.
What we found remarkable was the number of beach-goers still finding a
way to have fun near the ocean despite the incredible loss of property and
businesses. We got a closer look at both
the loss and regrowth by our friend from Vero Beach Power Squadron, Nancy, a
long time resident of the area. She met
us at Hoffman’s Marina and gave us a tour of the area and then shared a wonderful
meal at a local restaurant. It was fun
to see a familiar Florida face. Oh, did
I say Nancy, an octogenarian, still sails her own Bristol 29 and was the
instructor for our Seamanship Course?
On Sunday we left Manasquan Inlet at 7:30 AM on the final
leg of our ocean journey along with our friends on “Headquarters”. The plan was to pass along Sandy Hook,
traverse the Ambrose Channel and enter New York Harbor under the Verrazano
Bridge.
 |
| Verranzano Bridge with Manhattan in background |
What a rush!!! We’ve been to NYC
many times but never arrived by water.
The skyline of the city came into view hours before our arrival and
became more distinct as we got closer. First
Brooklyn then Manhattan with Staten Island to the west. As we approached Battery Park, with Lady
Liberty welcoming us into the harbor, we decided to cruise the East River
beyond the Brooklyn Bridge before returning to Liberty Park, behind the Statue,
and our anchorage for the night. New
York Harbor also exposed us for the first time to the Hudson River, a 155-mile
tidal estuary with both tide and current factoring into trip planning. We were amazed to learn that a 5-foot tide
could be felt as far north as Troy, NY with currents running several knots/hour
(in both directions – not at the same time silly). Anchoring behind The Statue of Liberty for
 |
| Some R Lovin' at anchor with Lady Liberty in background |
our first night in NYC will go down as one of the best experiences of our
trip. Proud to be an American!
Monday morning allowed us a quieter passage, from dodging an
abundance of pleasure boats, tour boats, ferries and other commercial traffic,
around Lady Liberty.
 |
Statue of Liberty
from NY harbor |
Our short trip up
the west coast of Manhattan ended at the 79
th Street Basin
Marina. How exciting to be only blocks
away from Mark, Natalie and Granddaughter Claire. After docking shortly after 11:00 AM we took
a brief walk up 79
th Street to Broadway, then south a couple blocks
to one of New York’s many markets to purchase dinner for the evening. The fishmonger convinced us to buy fresh cod
to add to the fresh veggies, cheese and bread we had already placed in our
cart. On our way back to the boat we
stopped at a New York Deli for a pastrami sandwich. By midafternoon we were back onboard preparing
for Mark, Natalie and Claire. A bit
bumpy in the Basin Marina and the floating docks reminded us of a carnival ride
while trying to walk on a moving walkway so getting the baby to the boat was
somewhat of a challenge; however, once safely aboard we had a wonderful evening
eating and being entertained by Claire.
 |
| Natalie, Claire,and Mark |
 |
| NYC skyline |
On Tuesday we left Manhattan to our south and transited to
Half Moon Bay Marina at Croton on the Hudson. This marina is mentioned throughout many
cruising guides and Looper publications so naturally it was on our “places to
stop” list. We arrived in the rain but
our spirits brightened with the unexpected visit by Heather, Shane and Parker
en route from Boston to Winchester (seems they had to pass within a few miles
of Croton anyway). The four of us
explored the town which, would have been an excellent stop had we wanted to
take a train into NYC, (the station was only a couple blocks away) but
naturally found a quaint restaurant and ice cream shop before the evening was
over.
 |
| Captain, mate and Parker |
It was a special night having
Parker onboard—what a perfectly well trained dog despite his size and Heather
and Shane, of course. We all wanted to
get on the “road” early Wednesday so we bid farewell to the kids, tossed the
lines off and headed north on the Hudson.
The tide carried us at 7-8 knots for the 6-hour trip to
Poughkeepsie Yacht Club near Hyde Park, NY.
This part of the Hudson River is wide and deep and it was not uncommon
to see 85’ on the depth sounder. As we
traveled we also read about the history associated with the area to include the
other Academy (at West Point) and the Spring and Fall playground of the rich
and famous during the gilded age. As the
Erie Canal was still closed due to flooding on the Mohawk River, we decided to
spend an extra day in Hyde Park touring the Vanderbilt mansion as well as the
homestead and Presidential Library of FDR.
What an enjoyable day! While at
Poughkeepsie we met Bob who has a house for rent in the Umbria region of central Italy
(another adventure for another blog).
 |
United States Military Academy
at West Point |
 |
Vanderbilt estate
(Sandy in the foreground) |
 |
FDR Presidential Library
(figures in the background are cut from the Berlin wall) |
 |
FDR Homestead and garden
|
 |
| Becky, Brenden, Annie and Wes |
We had been trying to figure a way for Becky and the
Grandkids to come aboard for a few days and decided to find a marina closer to
the Erie Canal that would be a fun place to entertain a 9, 7 and 3 year old
while allowing Mom a few days respite from summer vacation. Shady Harbor Marina in New Baltimore turned
out to be the perfect place. We arrived
only minutes after Becky and the kids on Friday and spent five days swimming in
the marina pool, cooking out and generally having a great time recharging our
batteries and preparing ourselves for the Erie Canal. Oh yea, we did a short trip up and down the
Hudson so Brenden, Annie, Wes and Becky could take turns at the helm. I see future cruisers…
While
at Shady Harbor we met a half dozen other Loopers who were waiting for the
Canal to reopen. Each night we met for a cocktail to discuss options and
intentions. Among the new friends we met were
 |
| Brenden, Annie, Wes and Papa overseeing Brenden at the helm |
the creators of Active
Captain, Karen and Jeff. It's always fun to cross paths with other
Loopers from earlier ports and share cruising stories. It's one of the
most enjoyable things associated with a cruising lifestyle.
