FAIR WINDS & CALM SEAS ALL THE WAY TO NY HARBOR AND BEYOND, plus FUN, FUN AND MORE FUN!

6 June 2022 – Croton-on-Hudson, NY

We are VERY pleased to report that what could have been an extremely stressful segment of our Loop Adventure turned out to be pretty EASY! It’s amazing what our minds tend to do when others describe something as “one of the scariest parts of the Loop.” In other situations along the way, rarely has anything been as “awful” as some have made it out to be (we call it “awfulizing”), although we have certainly had some unexpected challenges of our own. We both admitted that we were excited and a bit apprehensive when we first thought about this segment and even as we started out, but the weather forecasts were ideal and we knew we could do it.

Cruising down the mouth of the Delaware River into Delaware Bay to Cape May, NJ was quite easy since we timed our departure to go with the currents and simply followed the channel markers. We encountered several large ships, ocean-going tugboats (on the left below) and barges along the way but we were able to stay just outside the shipping channel and simply enjoy watching them pass by. The tanker on the right is 735′ long (more than 2 football fields!) and is being pushed by a towboat that is tucked into its stern. We find all of the ships and barges we see fascinating.

           

The weather fully cooperated with us so the very next day (Sunday, May 29), we decided to forego an interim stop in Atlantic City and go all the way to Great Kills Yacht Club (directly across the “Lower Bay” from Sandy Hook, on Staten Island). We cruised for 137 miles up the entire coast of New Jersey in 7.25 hours, averaging 20 mph, consuming 37 gallons of fuel per hour (vs. our usual 10 mph at 6 gallons of fuel per hour)!$! But we both agreed it was well worth it! S.L.O. Dancer purred right along and made it very, very easy. The winds were fair (less than 10 knots) and the swells in the Atlantic were less than 3 feet with a “period” of 6 (seconds in between swells), which made for very smooth cruising almost the entire way. We were quite proud of the way we did this, and I was especially pleased that I was able to be at the helm twice for over an hour each time to give Captain Gary the rest time he needed. It made me feel good that he could relax enough to actually take a nap!

I had never driven at high speed before, but Gary has really helped me “educate my eyes” to judge distances. This helped me deal with the cross traffic (mostly fishing and speed boats) so I knew whether we needed to change course or speed. He has taught me that, most of the time, the best thing to do is simply hold course and speed and let others navigate around us.

Since we cancelled an extra night at Cape May (in case of a weather hold) and one night at Atlantic City, we chose to stay two extra days at Great Kills where the locals couldn’t have been more helpful and welcoming.

As expected, we were a bit weary from the adrenaline rush of that 137-mile run in the Atlantic, and we both were very ready for just “being.” We also enjoyed reading, art journaling, napping, snuggling and watching the Warriors make it to the NBA Championships! We ended up making more plans than usual for the next four days in and around NYC, so it was good to renew and restore ourselves beforehand.

It was pretty exciting to cruise up the bay toward our next marina and see the 305’ Statue of Liberty from the water. She is also affectionately known as “Lady Liberty” and she is truly a treasure to behold. We traveled with another Looper “buddy boat” so we could take pictures of each other in front of Lady Liberty…and that was the only busy place we experienced in NY Harbor the whole time we were in or near NYC. There were several tour boats, water taxis, huge ferries (left photo below), plus jet skiers and other pleasure craft, all trying to get the best water view of this amazing landmark with her torchlight visible for miles.

           

We had lots of fun when a dear NAPO* colleague from New Jersey came to spend the night with us at Liberty Landing in Jersey City, right across from Manhattan. (*NAPO=National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, formerly known as the National Association of Professional Organizers.)  Then more fun was in store when we had dinner with another longtime NAPO* buddy and her guy after taking a 2.5-hour narrated Circle Tour cruising all the way around the Island of Manhattan, seeing so many of NYC’s iconic landmarks. The variety of buildings was amazing—some elegant, some very ordinary, some with very unusual architecture. And, of course, the building that was most poignant to see was the 1,776-foot One World Trade Center, built on the site where the twin towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001. The photo on the left was taken on our Circle Tour; the photo on the right was taken early in the morning as we were leaving NY Harbor.

           

Continuing our very busy but fun opportunities, we cruised up the Hudson early Saturday morning and, in “the very busy New York Harbor,” we were the only boat on the water! It was amazing. Once we passed the George Washington Bridge (with its span of 4,760’), there were very few tall buildings and just a few barges.

It was then that we expressed our gratitude for the delightful time we had in NYC and welcomed the lush, deep-green trees and stunning cliffs that border the Hudson River as we headed north to our next stop—Half Moon Bay Marina at Croton-on-Hudson. The waters were calm, the skies were bright blue, the temperature was perfect and the bridges quite beautiful, including the 16,368’ Tappan Zee (the last of the 23 NYC bridges we went under). 

                       

Our next adventure during this busy and fun time was attending the annual “Movable Feast” at the Culinary Institute of America—ranked the No. 1 Culinary School in America. We were told that reservations are usually made at least two months in advance, but we called four days beforehand, got put on a waiting list, and 20 minutes later we filled a cancellation. The CIA campus is beautiful with many brick buildings, amazing displays and bustling groups of students training as chefs or studying food science, hospitality management and/or much more. We were served four courses in three different restaurants (Italian, French and American) complete with wine pairings and good company. What an experience!

The next day we rounded out this uncommonly busy but very fun whirlwind of activities with a guided tour of the United States Military Academy at West Point, on the west side of the Hudson River about 30 minutes north of our marina. What an amazing campus, reflecting so much of our Nation’s military history and its famous and extraordinary leaders (part of “the long grey line”). There are many beautiful gothic stone buildings including its stunning chapel (below), as well as state-of-the-art facilities for study, dining, athletics and leadership training. The newest building under construction is dedicated solely to cyber security. There were no students on campus but it still made us very proud to know there are so many extraordinary young men and women (24%) who will become some of our Nation’s future leaders. The photo of us was taken overlooking the aptly named West Point of the Hudson River–a very strategic fort that stopped the British during the Revolutionary War.

          

We were pretty weary after all these fun activities packed in only four days, but we are glad we made time for each of them and will treasure the memories we created. We’ve scheduled in several days of rest now and we’ll soon head farther up the Hudson, through Albany and into Vermont and Lake Champlain, anticipating lots more adventures as we cruise into Canada and the St. Lawrence Seaway. We are very excited about all of it, but plan to go at a fairly “S.L.O.” pace so we can stay as healthy and rested as possible and enjoy each segment.

Thanks again for cruising along with us. That makes it even more fun for us!