Sandy Hook to 79th Street Manhattan

Wednesday morning after breakfast on the boat, we pulled the vent plug on the primary filter.  Here is the location and the culprit behind our engine stall out problems.

 

 

With the defective O-ring in hand, we took the launch back to shore at 10 AM.  The Ace Hardware did not have the right size in stock, so we headed upstreet.  The Napa store had the right size, but only had one in stock.  The Atlantic Marine Supply store was the jackpot for O-rings.  We stocked up on a handful of these precious little forty-nine cent parts.  Feeling like we might actually be able to get to Manhattan, we got a couple cups of Joe at the local coffee joint, and went back to the boat to test out our new O-rings.  The actual install took about five minutes.  After priming the fuel system one more time, we turned the key on a very happy Yanmar diesel.  We let it run for a good hour just to be sure we  would not lose prime again.  All was well with the world.

 

Around noon we slipped the painter off the bow, loosed the mooring, and headed out onto a much different Raritan Bay.  As we were leaving AHMM, Niki took this shot of our mooring.  In the background center is another Gulf 27 Pilothouse.  These rugged little boats were made in So Cal in the 80s.  It was comforting to see another one that had made it to the Eastern coast.  It was overcast with rain threatening as we left, but we had a good five miles of visibility under the cloud cover.  The winds were less than 5MPH, but we set the jib as an insurance policy against another engine problem.  We did not need it, as the diesel returned to its normal solid performance.  A marked channel bisects the bay on a tangent towards the Verrazano Bridge and the main shipping channel through the Narrows into the inner harbor of New York City.   The Chapel Hill North channel is marked by the West Bank Horn and Light at the spot where the Sandy Hook channel meets the main channel into New York City.  Ever wait at a crosswalk for the all clear to cross the street?  Well then you know the feeling.

 

We approached the Narrows against an outgoing tide.  Our second O-ring search had put us behind the tide clock.  A number of large freighters were using the outgoing tide to set sail for parts unknown.  There was lots of room between the big boys, and we hopped under full power from green buoy to red buoy just below the bridge.   From the eastern side of the channel, we were able to buoy hop the red channel markers up the Hudson towards Manhattan.  Here is what the traffic looks like at this street corner. 

 

We passed up the east side of the Narrows and finally made slow progress under the Verrazano and finally made it into the inner harbor at New York City!

Just above the Verrazano Bridge is a large anchorage area for all the big ships waiting to load or unload in New York.  As we closed on Coast Guard station at Governor’s Island, we could see Lady Liberty through the drizzle.  Ellis Island followed on next.  The Staten Island ferry made an appearance on cue.  By the time we could see Battery Park, it became really clear that our biggest challenge in making it to the City was going to be the ferry traffic.  We passed the East River around the end of the working day for most commuters.  The water was packed with big ferries, small jet ferries, water taxis, even a lunatic on a paddle board, and we were tracking at least eight different converging targets at once.  Every boat that passed threw a large wake, and soon Broad Reach was bobbin around in "tempest in a teapot" seas caused by the conflicting wakes of all the traffic.  We stayed close on the western shore of Manhattan to avoid the additional wind conditions, and tried to imitate barn owls with eyes everywhere at once.  That also brought us within spitting distance of several ferry terminals as we transited north up the shore of the Big Apple.

 

 

 As we made our way up to midtown, we passed the USS Intrepid and the Sea and Air Museum.  A USCG patrol boat came out to greet us.  The young guy manning the 50 caliber machine gun up front suggested that we were too close to the exclusion zone around the site.  They continued to match our course on our starboard beam for a good half mile.  Apparently those Coasties were aware of Niki's inclusion in the airport watch list from when she left my WM box cutter in her purse.  We thanked them for the special welcome to NY and continued up  to the 79th Street Marina.

 

We love the area around midtown on the West Side.  Our phenom of an actress daughter Stefne Mercedes attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy some years back.  We used to stay at the Milburn Hotel on West 76th when visiting to see her perform.  We were excited to eat our at our favorite Greek restaurant in the city Niko's on the corner of Broadway and W 76th.  When we got to the location, Niko's had been replaced by Fratelli La Bufala, oh no!  The place was packed.  We decided to give it a go.  Niki opted for the Cannellone Colorato E Parmigiana Di Melanzane and  I went for the  Pasta Fagioli E Cozze.  The food was amazing and the service from Cassandra was impeccable.  Another amazing night in the city to add to the collection, and then back to the boat for some sleep.