Saturday, June 22: New York! New York!

Date:                           June 22, 2013

Day on the Cruise:      68

From:                          Utches Marina, Cape May, NJ                                                        

To:                              Liberty Landing Marina, Jersey City, NJ

Statute Miles:              148

Time:                           10.5 Hrs

Cumulative Miles:       1,778.5 SM

On Board:                  Susan, Chuck, Maggie, Trooper, Peanut

Tonight we are in Jersey City, NJ, right across the Hudson River from New York.

We left the dock at Utches Marina inCape May, NJ at 5:30 AM. It was right before sunrise. We negotiated the Cape May inlet with no problem and entered the Atlantic Ocean just before 6:00. We set the throttle at 2,700 RPM, and headed North. This gave us a speed between 13 and 15 mph, which is where I wanted to be. We pretty much left the throttle on 2,700 RPM for the entire trip.

It took us about three hours to reach Atlantic City. We could see Atlantic City on the horizon about two hours before we got to it. It rises up from the flat beaches along the shore like the Emerald City in The Wizard of OZ. it felt like the Atlantic that we were on was the Yellow Brick Road.  Manasquan was about 6 to 7 hours. The seas were pretty much calm with large swells. This allowed us to make good time.

The wind picked up from the South when we reached the first New York Harbor buoys. This gave us the dreaded following seas. It was very rough heading up the ship channel to the Verazanno Narrows Bridge. The wind and the current made it very tricky to negotiate the narrow entrance to the New York Harbor. The ride was rougher than our ride from Tangier Island to Solomon's, with the boat being pushed left and right by the waves on the stern.

Once we got through the bridge, the seas flattened out as we got into a lee shore. Coming up to Manhattan was breath taking. I have been to the City many times, but coming up the Hudson River and seeing the City was unbelievable! That sight alone has made this trip worth it! Susan said it was like a photograph! We could actually see the skyline of New York way South of Sandy Hook, NJ, maybe 30 miles away. It was so clear that you could see the city on the Horizon.

We wound our way up the River to Manhattan. There were tugs and barges everywhere in the River. We wound our way around these barges. The huge cruise ship "Norwegian Gem" passed us coming down the river. What a sight!
We got close to the Statute of Liberty and Ellis Island. Our marina is on the Jersey side of the Hudson, right across from the city. We will be here until Monday.

It took us 10-1/2 hours to come the 148 mikes from Cape May. We burned a ton of fuel, but I am very glad that we did the trip like we did. Tomorrow the wind increases, and next week has high winds and high waves all week. We would have been stuck in Cape May for a week, not that that's bad, but we now have what I think is the worst part of the trip behind us. Thank Goodness! I am sooooo relieved!!

Now to get some rest from a VERY LONG day!

Thanks for Reading!

I have maxed out my picture allotment on the Blog. I need to figure out how to get more pictures posted!