NYC Harbor / East River

We departed Atlantic Highlands at 0620 and headed for the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor and then turned past the Battery and up into the East River with a destination of Port Washington, NY. Radeen calculated the tides right and they were verified by our great friend Bobby who provides routing services for these legs. The currents in the East River were running at 6 knots so we were able to have an SOG of 12+ knots as we flew up the river and zipped around Hell Gate and shot out into the Sound. But first you need to survive the New York Harbor at 0900 RUSH HOUR!

Yes, we were at the Statue of Liberty at 0830 and then off the Battery and Southern Manhattan at 0900. We had the Staten Island Ferries criss crossing our bows, tugs with barges on the hip blowing their horns to tell us to get out of their way, and then the high speed 30 knot ferries taking our sterns, all within minutes. Welcome to New Your Harbor at rush hour and what a RUSH IT WAS. It was so exciting to run this route with 5 Island Packets and with great friends. We have made this trip 4 times before, yet it is still exciting. If this does not get your adrenaline pumping then I don't know what will. Just try to drive your boat through here!

The run up the East River is just as exciting, but with much less traffic. The beauties of this run are the sights of the city, the elaborately engineered bridges, and the unusual views of the city, especially the United Nations with the Chrysler Building off in the distance. It all goes by so fast, and the boat is sliding left and right down the current, and its difficult to steer a straight line, but you are committed now. Before you know it, you are sliding around Hell Gate with the water really boiling and churning, the boat feels like it could be swallowed up, and then after the last turn out of Hell Gate, it all settles down. The end of the run is past LaGaurdia Airport with jets on final approach with them passing, what seems to be, a few hundred feet over your mast. It is all part of the run from NYC to Long Island Sound, and IT IS EXCITING....

Here is a photo of the excitiment..
click for larger photo

Here is a great shot looking back at the Brooklyn Bridge
Here is the MAP again...
Tomorrow, we will make a dash out the Sound...