As planned (which a great deal of sailing is not) we
departed Bristol and had a successful trip to Mamaroneck, NY. On the way we spent time at Block Island,
Stonington, Port Jefferson, and Darien.
It was great to spend a few days with Mom and visit with Mark and Noah
before heading offshore. We had a 6:00 AM start from Mamaroneck on Thursday, motored
through the East River and around the Battery before dropping Mark off near his
neighborhood. With a “touch and go” we
were off into the heart of New York Harbor.
This is one busy place with water taxis, ferries, pleasure boats, and
very large commercial ships all criss-crossing the harbor in every direction. We
rounded Sandy Hook and headed south for our first overnight sail bound for Cape
May at the southern tip of NJ which is home to a reasonably vibrant commercial
fishing industry and many sport fisherman.
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| Rounding the Battery |
The sail From NYC to Cape May took approximately 35
hours. It began with a spectacular view of
Lower Manhattan and the new Freedom Tower which redefines the skyline. Once past the Battery, the Statue of Liberty
and Ellis Island add to departure in ways difficult to describe. The cruise past Coney Island and under the Verrazano
Narrows Bridge is only surpassed by entry into the Atlantic. From there, it’s a straight shot down the
coast. Our first overnight sail brought
15-20 kt winds and 3-4 foot seas. It was
a bit bouncy but a decent sail.
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| Ellis Island |
Reached Cape May just after sunset and felt our way between
the breakwaters to the inner harbor where we dropped the hook, had a night cap
and called it a day. Saturday is a stay
put day while we are docked at the South Jersey Marina. We will visit town, do a few boat repairs (never
lacking for those), and relax. Tomorrow brings
another early start to reach Delaware Bay and the C & D Canal, our gateway
to the Chesapeake. We are looking
forward to “gunk-holing” our way through the Bay and visiting with friends while
in the DC area.
Life is good.
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| Leaving New York Harbor for Points South |
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