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Saturday June 13,2015
Jim and our harbor host spent some time in the bilge, looking at the hoses connected to the port side water tank as well as the throttle. Once that was completed, John drove us to a fabulous Italian deli a short distance from the yacht club. Yum! By 12:30pm we were ready to cast off our lines, and head for New York harbor. Staten Island was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, and we passed by several abandoned boats that had washed up on the shore.
Motoring under the Verrazano bridge and into New York harbor was every bit as wonderful as I had hoped it would be. Jim was at the helm, while I sat up on the foredeck with our fish stowaways. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, and the harbor was busy with ferries, tug and barges, sailboats, sightseeing boats, motorboats, and a cruise ship. Plenty of room for everyone! We motored right by the Statue of Liberty! Breath taking!
We had called ahead to Liberty Landing marina for a slip reservation. It’s in Jersey City, where the tour boats leave for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. And it’s directly across the Hudson River from lower Manhatten and the Freedom Tower. I maneuvered Heron into our slip like a pro, then stopped to take in our gorgeous views from the boat. Fun spot to spend the night.
One of the great benefits of belonging to the AGLCA (the Great Loopers) is that you can walk around a marina looking for the burgee that we all fly. We have a white burgee like all the others who are in progress. Gold flags indicate completion of the loop. Platinum flags are for those who have gone around more than once. There were at least six other boats at our marina flying the great loop burgee. It’s fun to stop and chat. Where have they been? What have they enjoyed most so far? What is happening on the Erie Canal? Etc…
We splurged on a fancy dinner at the marina restaurant, sitting on the terrace with a view of Heron as well as of the skyline and the state of Liberty (if we looked behind us).
The Hudson River is complicated! We’d discussed the tides with John on Staten Island, and we’d come to the conclusion that the best time to leave Jersey City in the morning would be in the early afternoon, to ride the incoming tide north.
Might at the Liberty Landing marina.