Avid reader, first time blogger!

Avid reader, first time blogger!

Friday 9th October 2020

As many of you know it has become a tradition to have our visitors write a blog. When I asked Will this afternoon what he was thinking of writing about he replied it was already written.  So that’s what you call over-achieving and Will has set a high bar for future visitors! 

Our anchor anxieties were relieved this morning. As hoped, the overnight change in wind direction shifted our neighbors just far enough for us to sidle up while they were onshore and haul in the chain - with a lot of squirting to clean off the mud! - and move over to a more solitary spot before moving out in late morning.

We motored down the remainder of the Sound over glassy water with shoals of fish boiling around the boat. Beyond Throg's Neck the passage through the East River was a whirl of bridges, spectacular buildings, irresistible photo ops, and huge wakes from outsize barges. Eventually we made it beyond Battery Park and were rewarded with perfect views back to Manhattan and across to the Statue of Liberty, even filled out with the Staten Island Ferry passing by. Unforgettable! We passed under the Verrazzano Narrows bridge just as the sun was falling to the horizon and ended by Coney Island after a very full 7 hours. 

It has been a wonderful week - a true kaleidoscope of impressions for all the senses. Sailing is exhilarating, especially with a good heel, in fair weather or less so... but all the lines and knots are certainly intimidating to a landlubber like me! From previous guest blogs I knew that the food would be wonderful, and it was, and just being on the boat was great: the sense of freedom, the moving with the wind, the play of light on the water... and the stillness when at anchor. But best of all was the delight at resuming our friendship and having the time to enjoy being with Mike and Gloria. Who better?

Will 

40 34.863 N, 73 59.773 W

Mike paying attention as we head down the East River NYC (Photo: Will Watkins)

Mike NOT paying attention as we head down the East River NYC (Photo: Will Watkins)

The  Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges as we proceed down the east side of Manhattan (Photo: Will Watkins)

The Staten Island ferry on route from the Battery NYC (Photo: Will Watkins)

The sun starting to go down behind the Verrazzano bridge (Photo: Will Watkins)

The Verrazzano Bridge from our anchorage in Coney Island Creek (Photo: Will Watkins)