I must
say the feeling in New York has changed. We were last here before
the Mayor started to clean it up. It was dirty, grubby and not a
pleasure to walk in certain areas. Well this time we felt safe
wherever we walked and the streets were clean and the people
friendly. The 4 July celebrations showed me that the NYPD can clear
an area and put “a man on each street corner” with great
efficiency. Their show of force for the 4 July celebrations I have
never experienced before. I did however not like the multitude of
signs everywhere telling you what you cant do and the consequences of
doing it. The implied threat gets into the minds of the people and
they accept it. I now know why the USA has such a high prison
population and why they accept such an invasion of their privacy and
rights under the guise of the threat of a terrorist attack.
Now
for the sailing. The water runs fast in this part of the world as
huge volumes rush in and out with the tide as it rises and falls so
moving with the tide makes ones passage easy and fast or very slow.
I had calculated that I had to be at the southern tip of Manhattan at
2:30 pm and at Hells Gate at 4:30 pm.
We set
off at 10:30 about an hour early but I calculated I could spend time
around the Statue of Liberty. When we reached it the tide was still
running out and I had to motor to get into the East River at Battery
Point which was also flowing towards the sea. I had no other option
but to proceed up the East River.
The
tide was running fast and despite our 6 knots through the water we
where only making 2 over the ground. The chop from the many boats,
ferries and large vessels in the river made our progress slow.
Thankfully both Denny and I had experienced these conditions before
in the Bosporus and in the Rhone River so we took it in our stride.
We passed under the Brooklyn Bride with ease and then on to the
Williamsburg up past the Lower East side. I had planned to pass on
the east of Roosevelt Island but soon saw that the lifting bridge was
down and we would not get beneath it. So take the port channel past
the United Nations and towards Hells Gate where one can turn left and
go up the Harlem River or right into Long Island Sound. We passed
under the two bridges at Hells Gate as the tide started to slow and
then proceeded between the two Brothers Islands.
Rikers
island came into view. This is a huge prison island. The amount of
barbed and razor wire on this island must have kept one factory busy
for more than ten years. There appears to be a number of high
security blocks and then even more three story blocks with fewer
fences. All surrounded by wire and security cameras. I wonder what
would happen if one broke down and had to go ashore.
We
passed by with out seeing anyone in the water making a break for it
and on eastwards right under the flight path of la Guardia airport.
I felt I could reach up and touch the under carriage of the planes
about to land but like the many bridges we have passed under they are
much higher than you think.
The
tide had now well and truly turned and we where swept along under the
high Throgs Neck Bridge out into the Long Island sound. We had
decided to stop at Port Washington. This is an anchorage on Long
Island one can use to take a train into NYC and visit the sights.
Unfortunately you have to walk a fair distance to the train but it is
an easy ride into Penn Station or you can get off at a subway
connecting station.
We
stayed here a few days to get back into the cruising mode, stock up
on some items and purchase some anti-freeze at the West Marine. The
salesman asked if I had some inside information on the weather
because he expected a heat wave to hit NYC over the next few day and
I can tell you it was hot and humid. In fact it was so hot we moved
from this pleasant anchorage further east to get some sea breeze.
A
magical moment on Malua
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