Sandy Hook, NJ to Ossining, NY via Hudson River

Friday, July 4, 2008

041-9.720 N
073-52.260 W

Happy 4th of July from the crew of the BlueJacket!

When you last heard from us, we were rounding Cape May and heading for Atlantic City, NJ. We didn't have much wind to start with, but it eventually filled in and we had a great sail the rest of the way. We got into Atlantic City late in the afternoon and we had just finished anchoring when I listened to a voice message from Sue letting us know that there were severe thunderstorm warnings for the area. So, we pulled up the anchor and pulled into a fuel dock for the evening. As it turned out, the storms went N of us, but they were very strong, so it was a good call. The fact that we had been anchored off of a casino which was having an outside concert (which was very loud), made the decision that much easier.

The next morning we were underway bright and early with the plan to pull into the Manasquam inlet as it appeared to as far as we could get in one day. Quartering seas and a wind dead on the stern made for a sloppy ride. Eventually the winds picked up and we rounded the coast, which improved our wind angle, so we ended up with a great sail. We also had 0.2 to 0.6 kts of current with us, so we were making great time. The forecast afternoon thunderstorms appeared to have formed to the N of us, so we decided to push on to Sandy Hook, which is at the end of NJ, just before the entrance to the NY harbor. We anchored in Horseshoe Cove and had a great nights sleep.

On Tuesday morning we headed towards NY City and the Hudson river. I must admit that this was the part of the trip that I had been really looking forward to. It was lots of fun motoring under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and watching Manhattan loom in the distance. Unfortunately it was a rather hazy morning and the sun was just coming up behind NY City, so most of the buildings appeared to be black siloutettes, but the buildings on the NJ side of the river were beautifully lit. Cruising right up to the Statue of Liberty was indeed the highlight of the morning.

One of the things that struck me was the number of EMPTY fuel barges moored along the river. There were easily 50 barges that we passed which were just floating there high and dry. We only saw one that appeared to be full. I will also point out that fuel in NY was about $0.60 higher than in NJ. I'm glad that I topped off my tanks in Atlantic City.

The cruise up the Hudson was very enjoyable, but quite hot as there was no apparent wind. It was very interesting to watch the terrain change as we moved along. Once you pass the George Washington bridge, the river bank on the Jersey side becomes vertical rock cliffs that are probably 200' high at points. The NY side is much lower or flat. The architecture was great to look at. Water traffic was very light and it was fun to cruise past historic landmarks without having to worry about the street traffic. You also get a very different view of the city from the water.

As we went N, the buildings thinned out (especially on the Jersey side) and the landscape became much more natural. Our destination was Ossining, NY, which is about 30 miles from the tip of Manhatten and about 5 miles N of the Tappan Zee Bridge. When we got there, the marina was closed and we had to figure out where we were supposed to dock. Luckily I had recorded the slip info and once we had located it, we managed to push our way into the slip. It was low tide and we dredged a channel into the slip. I then spent the next 18 hours scrubbing and prepping the boat. Bill's wife was flying in to spend the 4th of July in NY and I was going to drive home to pick up Sue.

It was a 4 hour/180 mile trip back to Marlborough, and I must admit that I was exhausted when I got here. It's been a long haul and lots of work to get to this point. Sue & I need to finish some tasks around the house and then we're going to head back to the boat on Sunday. We should be ready to depart on Tuesday morning.

We hope that you have a wonderful and safe 4th of July holiday. We'll keep you updated with our progress.

-- Geoff & Sue

Log ID: 1203