On to NY Harbor

Day 4: Another bout of terrible weather resulted in us staying on anchor in Dering Harbor on July 16th. What a day of torrential rain, thunder and lightening. I sat on the flybridge reading for awhile while the storm swirled around me. Although I love crazy weather I'd much rather have a good day to travel so we can get to our official start of the Loop in New York at the Statue of Liberty.  We did make good use of the day by learning how to play Rummikub.

Day 5: July 17. We were up and ready to go at 5:30a.m. Saying goodbye to Shelter Island we got UW at 5:45. Our plan was to go through Long Island Sound at least to an anchorage somewhere before the East River (actually an estuary) which connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. Thinking about going further in one day was a bit daunting but plans can certainly change. 

As the day began the winds were only blowing about 4kn and the tide was in our favor. Cruising out of Greenport and along Long Beach until we rounded the corner at Orient Point the skies were clear. Here is a picture of Orient Point Light which stands off Orient Point in Plum Gut of Long Island Sound. 

The Gut is a deep narrow gap between Orient Point and Plum Island.  From what I read Plum Island was part of the "Save the Sound" program; it was placed in preservation when President Trump signed legislation in 2020.

Our friend Joe told us to be sure to get through the gut with the tide because the waters can rush at currents over 5kn, creating a churning mixture of white-caps and riptides. Of course we took his advice and we cruised along speedily. However the weather gods were not done and we found ourselves in some thick ground fog for about 3 hours until the sun finally broke through. 

Once we got out of the fog the trip was incredible. Long Island Sound was smooth as glass and surprisingly there was not much boat traffic. This was a good time for us to practice with resuming the course with autopilot after it had been put to standby in order to go around something such as a boat or lobster pot. We contacted Garmin technical support and it turned out we were doing it correctly. Score one for the good guys. 

Since the weather was perfect and the seas were calm (flat ass calm as my son says) we made the decision to continue straight to the Statue of Liberty. On the way as we neared LaGuardia, it was neat to see so many airplanes flying so low as they approached the airport off to our port side. It's amazing seeing just how many planes land within minutes if not seconds of each other. And to see those giant birds flying directly overhead is a little intimidating. Don't miss John peeking out of the window on the flybridge.

We made it through the East River; a bit challenging for sure! John had been through this 10 years ago when we bought the boat in Florida. It took a few legs of travel to get her home and he was on the last one which included New York, the Sound etc. Still, currents and boat traffic can make what was once an easy trip a bit more difficult. 

Here are some New York sites with NY City in the haze. 

Hell Gate, which is on a precarious turn in the East River and where the current can run in excess of 5kn, was another issue. Not so much the water but the traffic. We did arrive at what might be considered rush hour and boy oh boy was it ever. I've never seen so many water taxis, ferries and pleasure boats in one place, just going every which way transporting people all along the waterway. I guess I wasn't prepared for the helicopters taking off one after another. My assumption is they were transportation for the high powered Wall Street execs. I felt like I was in a movie with the nonstop comings and goings. (My sister mentioned DieHard). Of course this created quite a chop and wakes making the cruise to the Statue of Liberty pretty tough. 

We dropped anchor behind the Lady but the current was flowing pretty good and John did not feel comfortable anchoring. It was also pretty bouncy; I'm sure the night would not have been comfortable. We pulled up anchor and headed toward the Verrazzano Bridge. John had anchored toward Coney Island in the past and thought that would be perfect. However, it was already getting dark, ferries were still everywhere and we had had enough for one day so we pulled over to the side of the channel near the highway. I'll say no more except morning couldn't come fast enough. 

Day 1 of the Great Loop: July 18th.

We woke up around 5a.m. and the rocking and rolling began as commuter boat traffic started. A quick cup of coffee and we were off to take the traditional picture in front of the Statue and officially start our Great Loop odyssey. As soon as we snapped our picture in front of Lady Liberty we hung our America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association (AGLCA) flag! And then headed north on the Hudson!

We left NY City (thankfully) and traveled for 32 nautical miles along the Hudson. Another day of cruising in flat ass calm (which makes me a happy camper). We did not encounter much boat traffic once again, except for a few tugs and barges waiting to offload something on shore. We stopped for the day in Haverstraw Bay where we spotted another trawler that was also flying the AGLCA anchored nearby. Hopefully we can chat with them tomorrow when we get UW. If not I'm sure we will run into them again as we must be on the same path. 

There are a few anchorage spots all along here including Half Moon Bay and Croton Park. We anchored in this area noted on the Navionics chart below. No sooner did we pull in, opened up the doors and hatches and settled in for lunch when a pretty significant wind, rain, thunder storm rolled in. Luckily it did not last very long and we were able to enjoy the rest of the day including a swim! I've added the Nebo report as well in case you want to take a look at today's route.