New York City

Holy crap. Who would figure that finding wifi in a place with 10 million people, would be so damn difficult. So, I write this blog offline, in the hopes that I can make it to a signal sometime today.

Sorry about the last entry. We had free wifi in Kingston NY, but the evening was just so nice, we had a great meal on the boat, a couple of beers, a movie in the park, and just a real nice time. It seemed a shame to ruin it spending an hour writing a blog entry. We are stuck in a laundry mat off 79st and Broadway in New York; now that is time to write a blog.

Anyway, we left Kingston early in the morning, wanting to get the travelling over with early, so we could just sit back and relax.

We passed some lovely light houses in the middle of the river, here and there protecting mariners from the nasty shoals.

Saw some interesting houses, or in this case a gazebo over the water supported only in the middle.

Shared the channel with some larger traffic.

And in one case, large traffic in both directions. It was a tight fit, but luckily the oncoming barge and tug where a little faster than the ship behind us.

Getting passed takes on a whole new meaning here.

And look at the water being pushed up on that bow. Not a good place to swim.

And here is a family of tugs we saw on the way into Kingston. Daddy, Mommy, and Baby tug. Sorry, they were cute, we had to.

Some of the houses along the Hudson River get a little large.

And some of the areas are void of houses, both interesting, and both beautiful in their own way.

So at the end of the day Saturday, we anchored behind Pollepel Island with our new friends, Jorge & Kim, and Gil & Diana. We launched the dinghy, and picked up Kim & Jorge for a ride around the Island. We were not permitted to go on the island for safety reasons, but we toured around it. I hit a rock with the dinghy motor, but no damage done. This can be a dangerous place. Then we settled in for beers and appetizers aboard Serenada. Our first official sundowner. And after returning Jorge and Kim to their boat we went back to Vita, dinner, cleanup, and cockpit showers before bed. A great evening.

The next morning we left early, wanting to get to Nyack for laundry and grocery shopping. A futile attempt. The engine quit on the way out of the anchorage, so we had an emergency anchoring drill. Which worked out good. Apparently if you want to keep the engine running, you have to remember to turn the fuel back on after your done playing with it. No harm done. We got boarded by US Customs and Border Patrol, and the local Police. It was a great meeting, and the highlight of our day. The laundry ended up being a flop, and groceries were pretty scarce. Tired and wet, we went to bed early.

Next day, similar scenario. Up early. Wanting to get fuel, somewhere, and to West 79^th St. Basin Boat Club in Manhattan NY. No one in Nyack had fuel, so we tried calling the marina on the other side of the river. Nothing. Crap. Serena says lets just pull in and see, so we did, and wouldn’t you know it, credit card, self-serve fuel. I’ve seen it all now, and I can come home. Lol

We passed by the famous West Point, and its pretty impressive. No expense spared.

Made New York while the tide was going out, and the current was crazy. We got tied up to a mooring ball, with little difficulty, using our patented lasso methed (thanks Larry), then retired to a couple of cold beers and a nap. Lunch didn’t seem to sit well, and Serena was having a rough time in the rolly-polly anchorage. So, other than dinghying in to pay for 3 nights, we spent the day watching tv, laying around, napping, and just generally taking a badly needed break.

So far the trip has been a bit of a bag drive. Everything takes so much more effort to do, and there just isn’t enough energy in the day to get everything done. As evidenced by the 3 loads of laundry we are doing at the Laundromat right now. The blackwater tank is full, and there is no where to pump it. We have to drive two hours just to empty the tank. Not sure if that will get done just yet. Groceries; is a marathon even which usually ends with us exhausted and disappointed. However, I don’t think we would change it for anything. We have the next two days to see a little of New York before we head on. So far we have been unamazed. Expecting something bigger I guess, it reminded us of Toronto. It’s a neat place to be, with a different culture. We will probably tire ourselves out just walking around. I can’t wait to walk through Central Park, but I think that will wait until tomorrow when, reportedly, the sun will be out.

Until next time…. Not yet in paradise.

George Washington Bridge, Night and day. The current under this thing was 4 knots, 8 km for you non-boaty types.