I am so glad we decided to take the Long Island Sound route rather than go the Atlantic side. I thoroughly enjoyed our time bouncing between the coasts of CT and Long Island, but I especially enjoyed our trip yesterday down the East River through NYC into New York Harbor. It was exhilarating! I described it to my sister as a 3-hour waterpark ride.
We had anchored on the west side of City Island the night before, and started our journey from there around 9:00 am so as to reach the start of the East River just after slack so we could ride the current through the river and harbor. We cruise at 5 kts and needed to make 32 nm that day, so going with the current was important to our getting to Sandy Hook, NJ the same day and before any of the predicted afternoon thunderstorms (which never actually materialized). The first part from Throgs Neck to Hell’s Gate was calm with only a few fast boats passing us and throwing up wakes. At Hell’s Gate we started picking up speed from the current; the top speed Dave noted was 10.4 kts! From Hell’s Gate to the harbor was the waterpark ride part of the transit. We had speeds of around 9 kts for a good part of it, squirrely currents, big wakes from numerous fast ferries and other speed boats, and 6-8 foot waves in some places! Dave commented that it was sort of like white water rafting. As the river narrowed inside the city we were close to the heartbeat of the town, watching it tick by, so close we could even see window washers up on the high rises waving to us. What a ride! Like any good water park ride, I even got drenched once. That’s what I get for sitting on the walkway between the tramps, but it was an awesome vantage point! Mom sat on the starboard bow seat the entire time and only got her ankles tickled by a couple of splashes- the safe seat. After my soaking I opted to sit back up on the bulkhead for the rest of the ride, except when I drove the boat for about 15 minutes under the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. I can now say I’ve driven in New York City. 😉 Dad took a turn near the end of the river and navigated us through most of the harbor. Dave was all smiles having driven the majority of the way- happy as a clam in mud. 🙂
The harbor was still busy with tons of ferries, tour boats, and private boats, but we’d slowed to around 7 kts with no squirrely currents and much more room to maneuver. I took a bunch of pictures of the Statue of Liberty (a couple even came out well). Once the excitement was over, I was like a kid coming off an excellent roller coaster ride and said to Dave, “That was cool! Let’s do it again!”
We had lunch as we transited New York Harbor, and looked at options for the night near Sandy Hook, opting to anchor in Atlantic Highlands Harbor (nice little town). We made it from City Island to anchor in about 5 hours.
The picture I included in this post was one Dave took during the last 45 minutes of the cruise across to NJ. We were spent from the thrill and adrenaline rush! Dave got his nap later in the afternoon.
(For more pictures, visit my facebook page or instagram feed linked at right.)
Life on Lady 
I’m so homesick…. Hearing about my childhood haven, City Island, and all the New York sights. I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve driven across both the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, plus the Throgs Neck and the Whitestone.
My daughter Bernadette lived about a 15 minute walk from the Brooklyn Bridge in her first apartment. And her ex-husband walked home across it , covered with debris, after escaping from the 79th floor of the WTC on 9/11.
He was never right to begin with. And it was all downhill after that.
I lived in Belle Harbor, a 4 block wide sand bar in between Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, for 23 years. And I get how much boat traffic traffic there is around New York. On the summer nights, you could see the beautifully lit cruise ships lined up, waiting to get into the harbor. Damn, I miss it.
I couldn’t believe how emotional I felt after talking to Mary Ann. I would have given a lot to be there.
One thing I don’t quite understand is how the speed in kilometers relates to miles per hour. But it sounded like a pretty exciting ride anyway. Congratulations to you all. You are now veterans. After all, if you can drive in New York, you can drive anywhere.
Onward and Upward. R. R.
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Hi Pat! I’m sorry I made you homesick! Still, it’s nice to know my description can evoke any kind of emotion in a reader. To answer your question about speed, the speeds I use are knots (abbreviated kts), the standard unit used in marine settings. I knot= 1 nautical mile/hour. 1 nautical mile = 1.15 statute (land) miles. So a 10 kt wind = 11.5 mph. I hope that helps clarify 🙂
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It sounds like a great ride. Are you going to have to go against the same current to return?
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If Indigo Lady ever makes a return trip, we would just wait for the current to run the other way before making the transit. The current follows the tides.
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