August 6
Today, we are staying in the marina and my daughter, Melani, and all four grandkids are coming to visit. We spent the morning relaxing and doing a few thing around the boat. Mel and the kids arrived a little before noon. The grandkids are ages 14, 3, and twin 2 year olds. Along with the two young ladies who help Mel take care of the kids, we all piled aboard MoonSail. We showed everybody around and remarkably, the kids did not grab anything they shouldn't have, nor did anybody get injured moving about the unfamiliar surroundings. After a while, we went up to the restaurant at the marina for lunch. We opted for the indoor restaurant instead of the outdoor bar & grille type of place, simply to enjoy the air conditioning. I don't think they were ready for a group like ours, as we were in shorts and t-shirts and had three little kids with us. But, we had a nice, but expensive, lunch. Back at the boat, we sat and chatted a little while longer before the kids started getting tired and they headed home.
Later, in the late afternoon, we took a walk in the park. The marina is part of Liberty State Park. This is a large park which New Jersey made out of abandoned land that used to belong to the railroad. Ellis Island lies just offshore and as immigrants passed through Ellis Island, they came here to the large railroad station to catch trains to their final destinations. We walked for about two miles around the park on nice trails made for joggers and bicycles. Lots of people were out enjoying picnics, flying kites, fishing, riding bikes, etc. We stopped at the bar on the way back and had one round. The ambiance of the bar was not worth the difference between their prices and drinking on the boat.
GPS N 40-42.610 W 74-02.490 Miles made good this leg 0. Total miles covered 2256.
August 7
Today my brother is coming to the city to spend the day with us and then sail up the Hudson tomorrow. We are going to meet him at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art at 10:30. We got up early and showered and had breakfast. The water taxi that we used Friday to get to Manhattan blew it's motor Friday might, so we have to go the long way today. We called a cab about 8:15 to pick us up at the marina and take us into Jersey City. From here we catch a PATH train to the World Trade Center station in Manhattan. From there, we catch a subway up to 53rd ST and 5th Av, where the museum is. We made good connections, so we were at the museum almost an hour earlier than Bob was going to get there. We found that 6th Av was blocked off and was full of vendors of various types. There didn't seem to be any reason for this street market, but there were food vendors, clothing, jewelry, sunglasses, etc. This went on for as far down 6th Av as I could see.
Bob showed up about 10:00, and we got in line for the museum. We were almost the last people who got to stand in the air conditioned lobby waiting, instead of being out on the sidewalk. At 10:30, the museum opened and we paid and were on our way. We started at the top floor and worked our way down. The current special exhibit was a collection of paintings by Pissaro and Cezanne. They lived at the same time at were good friends. They painted a lot of the same things, and it was interesting to see how the two interpreted things differently. We spent about four hours at the museum, and were ready for a chair and an adult beverage. We walked a few blocks to Rockefeller Center and went to the restaurant that occupies the space where the famous skating rink is during the winter. We had a beer and lunch.
After lunch, we took the subway back to Ground Zero. Even though Bob lives not far away, and has been in the city many times since 2001, he had never been to Ground Zero. We spent some time walking around the site, and then caught the PATH train back to New Jersey. We picked up a few things at a deli by the train station in Jersey City, and then took a cab back to the marina. We took a walk around the park with Bob and relaxed for the evening.
GPS N 40-42.610 W 74-02.490 Miles made good this leg 0. Total miles covered 2256.
August 8
We were up early this morning. I thought it was early when I woke up about 06:00, but Bob had been up for an hour and taken a walk and a shower already. We shoved off about 07:45 headed north in the Hudson. We hoped to ride a flood tide up the river, but we were a little early. We had about a half a knot current against us. From the marina to north of about 100th St, the water was very choppy, due to all the water taxis which run around this area. Once north of there, the water smoothed out and we settled in for the ride. Of course there was very little wind. And since we were on a schedule to make the trip in one day, we motored.
Having grown up in this area, it was very cool to me to see things from the river that I knew well from the river side. We went under the George Washington bridge, the Tappan Zee bridge, the Bear Mountain bridge, and the Newburgh-Beacon bridge. We passed by the US Military Academy at West Point. We did not encounter much commercial traffic. We had one barge going our way who was in sight all day, and passed one going southbound. About ten miles before we got to Newburgh, we watched a good sized thunderstorm pass from west to east up ahead of us, but by the time we got there, it was gone.
The place we are going to park the boat while we're here is the Marlboro Yacht Club. An old high school friend is a member here and has arranged for us to keep the boat here for a month, either at dockside or on a mooring ball as needed. The yacht club is only about fifteen miles from my brother's house, so it will be quite convenient. As we approach the yacht club, I hail them on the radio, and my friend Blair is the one who answers. He directs me where to dock, and meets us there. Bob's wife is also here, waiting to take us back to the house. After we secure the boat, we go inside and Blair treats us to a cold beer.
We packed a quick bag for overnight and headed to Bob and Kitty's house. We are here. The first major leg of the journey is complete. There is both a sense of accomplishment and relief at finally getting here. We don't have to worry about hurricanes, and we can relax for a month or so while we enjoy our visit.
GPS N 41-36.380 W 73-57.640 Miles made good this leg 59. Total miles covered 2315.
August 9
Today we went back over to the boat to clean up and get what we need for our road trip. We washed the boat and stowed all the things which we have gotten used to carrying in the cockpit. We packed all the perishable food in a cooler, took the laundry, and packed enough clean clothes to last us on the road trip. We also got the cat, his litter box, and his food/water bowl. We launched the dinghy and put the motor on and tied it to the stern to be towed over to the mooring.
After all the stuff we are taking is off the boat, we move it over to a mooring ball. The mooring ball didn't have a pennant on it, so Barb had to lay on the deck and stretch down while I held the boat steady so she could loop two dock lines through the eye on the mooring ball and secure them back to the boat. Once secure, we locked her up and dinghied back to the docks. (We locked the boat up, not Barb.)
Back to Bob & Kitty's to relax for the rest of the afternoon. We tried to introduce our cat to Bob & Kitty's cat and dog, but so far he is not being very friendly. He has been hiding behind a couch since we got here. Both of their animals expressed interest in meeting him, but so far he has just hissed and growled at them. Mid afternoon, Bob took me to town to his barber to get a haircut. That was about it for the day.
Our road trip will start Friday for two weeks. The logs may get sparse for awhile.
GPS N 41-36.380 W 73-57.640 Miles made good this leg 0. Total miles covered 2315.