Vicky came back from China and we had a couple of weeks off from work together, so we decided to head back into NY harbor for a few days (mostly using Seas The Day as a movable hotel room).
However, the trip almost didn't happen. The night before our planned departure I was cooking some chicken breasts and encountered a wave of a different sorts - hot cooking oil. The result was a deep second degree burn on my inner wrist. While we could have self-treated, I decided prudence was the better path and we delayed a day so I could see the doc and confirm things were as OK as they could be. I'll spare you the gross photos that Doc gets to see.
So instead of Monday, it was Tuesday when we took lunch aboard Seas The Day and headed out across the Raritan Bay. We make this trip at least once each year (this year we did it twice). Tuesday was probably the coolest day in a long time and we were actually bundled up quite a bit. Wind was in the high teens and there were white caps on the bay making it a bit rough.
Vicky had just returned from China and it was the middle of the night for her. I'm sure the rocking helped her sleep a little bit.
I encountered a tanker crossing the channel... these always gets the right of way.
After going through Hoffman Narrows, we turn north under the Verazzano bridge and with the wind no longer on my nose, we could pull out a sail and sail into NY Harbor. Once in NY Harbor, we usually encounter all sorts of marine traffic.
Eventually we sailed in front of Miss Liberty. I always try to take her portrait. This year a shaft of sunlight hit her just as the clouds were clearing. It seemed like an apt metaphor for this year in general.
We then rounded the buoy right after the NJ Train Station just north of Ellis Island and soon we were home for the next few days at Liberty Landing Marina. We tied up and headed to Liberty House restaurant for a post cruise feast.
DAY 2
We awoke after a night of rain to the clouds lingering over Manhattan. Later in the day it was supposed to clear up so we took the ferry across the Hudson, having lunch at a nice place overlooking the river. Later we headed up to the Met and toured some of their galleries.
Rather than our typical fight over who had to clean the boat, we engaged the services of a boat detailer. He texted us the photo below to let us know their work was finished. As we came back to the dock, Seas The Day gleamed!
John later joined us for dinner at Maritime Parc (our favorite restaurant here).
DAY 3
Today was a relaxing day. We lounged around the marina most of the morning, then took the ferry across the Hudson, where we found a lovely park in Battery Park City. Vicky had a fashion fitting up in NoHo and I read my Kindle and fooled around on some of the software I'm responsible for at work while I waited on her. We came back and had a simple dinner on board (cheese, crackers and fruit), and enjoyed the evening.
Day 4
The fourth day was Maggie's day. Maggie is Vicky's childhood friend and we usually try and include her on a boating excursion each year (here, here and here). We started the day by taking the ferry across the Morris canal to Jersey City for a nice relaxing lunch, then later headed out for a tour of the harbor before another dinner at Maritime Parc.
After seeing Maggie off, we had some quality time reading in the cockpit enjoying the moonlight and later reading in the berth.
DAY 5
All good things come to an end. Today was a day to get some fuel, get rid of some Sh!t (literally - a pump out of our holding tank), and head back. This time we had the wind on the nose the whole way south through NY Harbor, but after reaching the bridge, we turned west and had a fabulous day of sailing all the way across Raritan Bay.
The sailing was perfect with 10 to 12 knot winds and a beam reach making for much more pleasant sailing than the trip out!
After a drink at the KYC bar, and dinner with John at Nemo's in Keyport, we drove down the turnpike and was greeted by the full moon.
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