What an experience!
We left at sunrise so we could hit notorious Hell's Gate at slack water on a flooding tide. It can run 5 knots there! We entered the East River at the Throg's Neck Bridge...
and there was the New York skyline! We traveled along the quiet river passing just a couple of tugs with their barges and then LaGuardia Airport (the runway goes right out into the river!), Forest Hills and Riker's Island.
This is a prison barge. We could see the inmates exercising on the upper deck to the left. Show this to your children or students to convince them to make good choices in life.
This was the spot we were concerned about - but it was no problem. Luckily there was no traffic coming the other way. Although we were there just as the tide turned, we whizzed through at 9 knots, three knots faster than we can go while motoring.
Then we were in the narrow part, zipping down the East Side and FDR Drive...
and the United Nations Building...
and the Chrysler Building.
When quickly got to midtown and saw The Empire State Building and a new one in the foreground that is just freaky!
Further along we passed City Hall and the new Liberty Tower in the background.
Cruising down with confidence but keeping a sharp lookout for the ferries,
we had a thrill sailing under the iconic Brooklyn Bridge...
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and past South Street Seaport
Then, suddenly, we were at The Battery and gigantic ferries were crossing everywhere.
I enjoyed seeing the mix of the old and the new as we went through.
I taught a unit on waves of immigration several years ago so I tried to imagine what the city was like a hundred and fifty years ago. You get more of a feel for it from the water, seeing ferries and wharves - and of course, Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty.
Finally, we headed out of the harbor, past gigantic cruise ships, Navy ships, Coast Guard Buoy tenders, barges, tankers, container ships, ferries and a few little sailboats like us, catching the fair current on their trip south.
The whole day seems surreal we sit in a protected little anchorage on Staten Island.
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