The sun is out and the sky is blue. The torrential rain last night made everything damp and soggy, so it is a relief to have dry air once again. We are planning a trip up through Manhattan, but it wouldn’t be much fun in a fog or rainstorm, so the fair weather is doubly welcome. Rick has been studying the Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book and making various calculations. Apparently, Hell Gate, the confluence of various currents at the north end of Manhattan Island, is particularly difficult to get through, so you need to time your entry just right in order to take advantage of the tide-induced current. Last night he thought we would need to leave Sandy Hook at about 10:00, but now he wants to leave as quickly as possible. I’m a little sorry to leave Sandy Hook so quickly - it’s a lovely little spot, and we couldn’t really appreciate it last night when we pulled in because of the rain.
Getting closer and closer to Manhattan, Rick is concerned that the tide does not seem to be with us as expected. Today is Saturday right? The calendar starts to become irrelevant when you’ve been out on the water for a while, but when you need to know the tide schedule you do kind of need to know what day it is. Rick continues to fuss with his calculations, while I do what I do best these days while the boat is moving – I fall asleep.
When I wake up, we are close enough to see the New York skyline, along with the Statue of Liberty.
We have two “captain’s chairs” on the boat – these are foldable foam chairs that will adjust to any angle, like beach lounge chairs, except these have no legs and they won’t scratch the boat. Rick has had one of these chairs for a long time, and I knew if I came along on a long journey we would need two, so I made him buy me another one. These are the most important pieces of equipment on board. The designer of this boat didn’t really take into account the need for comfortable places to sit, but with one of these chairs you can sit anywhere! I’m sure Rick would name a number of things as the most important before even thinking of these chairs; like maybe, oh, the autohelm, or the engine itself, or maybe the sails. But I can tell you that from my point of view, it’s the chairs, without a doubt.
Rick is busy navigating, so I take my chair up to the bow of the boat. I really feel like Cleopatra up here, being transported up the Nile. Peel me a grape, would you? I have never lived in New York, but I’ve certainly visited often enough to have a pretty good idea of the city. I’ve never seen it from this vantage point though; seeing Manhattan from the bow of a sailboat has got to be one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced. The current is strong and along with some pretty big wakes from other boats I get sprayed with river water, but I don’t care. I’m not one for current slang usually, but the word that comes to mind here is “AWESOME”!
We head up the East River – you can see the Empire State building, as well as the Chrysler building, the Trump Tower (yes, big D again) and the United Nations headquarters. Rick’s aunt and uncle have an apartment in that building just north of the UN; I have long enjoyed and admired the view of the river from their apartment, but I never dreamed I would be part of this scene myself someday. It’s too bad they aren’t here to witness it; they are up in Maine for the summer, and we will get to see them along with the rest of Rick’s family once we arrive up there.
New York has its own Domino Sugar factory, but, as a sign, it doesn’t hold a candle to ours in Baltimore. Maybe I’m biased though…
They have a pretty good Pepsi sign though:
The river opens up into the Long Island Sound and, with the Manhattan skyline behind us, we head over to Manhasset where we will spend the night. The wind is perfect, and Rick finally gets his sailing fix; we have been motoring for most of the journey from Annapolis, and while we get from point A to point B just fine that way, it’s not really what the boat, or this trip were designed for. There are an astounding number of sailboats out today, and they make for a very pretty scene against the blue of the sky and water. We pass a cute little light house on the way.
The anchorage in Manhasset is bustling with boats; it is nice to be in a place where sailing vessels far outnumber the speed boats and cabin cruisers. You would never know that we are only about 20 miles from New York City; it is quite beautiful here. We even get treated to a lovely sunset. What a fantastic day!
No comments:
Post a Comment