New York, New York and Great Kills - Post 10

We were now close to New York City and had staged at a convenient location to pass through Hells Gate at the right time. Our next destination was Great Kills on Staten Island. Looking at Eldridge, we knew we would have to transit through Hells Gate within two hours of the morning slack water. There are two ways to go through New York's East River, the Eastern and the Western Branches. The Western Branch frequently closes to protect dignitaries at the United Nations and the Eastern branch has a drawbridge that would have to open for us to go through. With the strong currents and extensive marine traffic, the Eastern Branch is more challenging as we would have to hold station (wait in place for the bridge to open). Cheryl contacted the US Coast Guard New York Sector to find out if the Western Branch of the East River would be open for our planned transit and we were pleased to hear that it would be open.

At Little Neck Bay, where we were anchored, we were two hours away from Hells Gate. So, at 4:00 am we were up and got underway by 4:45 am. We were excited to traverse this great city by water and the illuminated skyline and bridge were a beautiful sight in early morning.

Throgs Neck Bridge, Little Neck Bay in Early Morning

With RADAR, AIS and two chartplotters going, we raised anchor in some current. We knew we would have current against us initially and planned for that. New York is "The City that Never Sleeps" and even that early there was shipping traffic. We were soon passed by a 110 ft (34 m) power yacht and we spotted a tug pushing a barge a couple of miles behind us. 

The approach to Hells Gate is narrow and full of sharp twists and turns. We kept our eyes open and monitored the approaching tug that was doing 8.5 knots (16 km/h). The currents at Hells Gate can run over 4 knots (7 km/h) and we had timed it to be there a couple of hours after slack water. The tug was closing in fast and with its limited maneuverability, we did not want to go through Hells Gate at the same time. So, we eased the throttle and slowed Rosalind to 2 knots (3.7 km/h) just to maintain steerage and let the tug pass us. The tug Captain waved and we tucked behind it and let its wake give us an extra boost. We went through Hells Gate at 9.4 knots (17 km/h)! The current pushing us was likely 2.5-3 knots (4.5-5.5 km/h) and we got almost 1.5 knots (2.5 km/h) additional pull from the tug so we were flying. By the time we reached Hells Gate it was daylight and we could see commuters driving to work. We left Roosevelt Island to port and we were passing through the heart of the city. There was the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building and soon after that we passed in front of the United Nations. Cheryl was taking pictures while I was focused on keeping Rosalind pointing in the right direction in the strong current.

Chrysler and United Nation Buildings, New York City

Empire State Building, New York City

After Hells Gate marine traffic really picked up with ferries rushing in all directions. The slow ones were doing 21 knots (39 km/h) while the fast ones were doing 32 knots (59 km/h). We were surrounded. Even when doing 8 knots (15 km/h) we felt like we were standing still in a very busy intersection with everyone buzzing around us. We stayed to the side of the channel, all the Captains were very professional, and we did not have any trouble other than having to hold on as there were large wakes all over and we got tossed around some.

We passed under the Brooklyn Bridge, saluted the Statue of Liberty and crossed New York's Upper Bay where a handful of large ships were at anchor.  Soon were passing under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. Had it all been a dream? 

We next turned to starboard and soon were navigating the narrow and shallow channel into Great Kills. We motored through the mooring field, past a sunken sailboat with only the tip of its mast sticking out above the water, and dropped anchor. We were near the Great Kills Park that had a dinghy landing, the only convenient place to get to shore. In the afternoon we went to shore and met with our friend Lydia, who works in the area, and then returned onboard just after sunset. 

The dinghy landing area at Great Kills, unfortunately, was not the best. Without any other options for getting to shore, we decided to move on to another port. So, the next day we were off to Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey.

New Haven and Little Neck Bay - Post 9

We got a mooring at the Pequonnock Yacht Club (PYC) in New Haven. Unlike Old Lyme Marina, the Club did not offer a launch service so we had to inflate and assemble the dinghy to get to shore. The staff and members of the Club were extremely friendly and we were made to feel welcome. Many Club members were interested in our trip and more than once we were invited to join the PYC. Even though we were only there for a couple of days, we were treated like old friends.

The Pequonnock Yacht Club facilities were first-rate and the views from the clubhouse balcony were expansive. Below the clubhouse was the Shell and Bones Restaurant, a fancy restaurant with seating outside, right on the water. We were told that the food was first-rate, but we did not get a chance to sample it. 

Rosalind at her PYC Mooring 
View from the Pequonnock Yacht Club Balcony

We did laundry at the Club; it was the best laundry facility of the entire cruise! We decided to stay an extra day and to see a bit of New Haven. So the next morning we took the dinghy to shore and walked the 2 1/2 miles (4 km) to downtown. The area right next to the water and the Club was fine but a couple of blocks from the water we saw a different side of New Haven:  boarded-up homes and abandoned cars in yards. The apparent poverty was not what took us by surprise but rather the stark contrast between it and the unbelievable wealth of Yale University.  

We got to the city center and Yale University and had a look around the Yale campus. The Yale library was normally off-limits to non-Yale personnel but the security guard at the door invited us in. The staff inside were all very welcoming and polite. We also enjoyed the library's air-conditioning as it was early August and it was still quite hot and humid outside.

 Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Nathan Hale Statue, Yale University

 Yale University Library

 Gold Leaf Ceiling, Yale University Library

After visiting the Yale library, we had lunch at Claire's Cornercopia, a landmark organic and vegetarian restaurant from the 1970s with many gluten-free options. The place was packed and the lunch was a wonderful experience.

Within two blocks of the Yale library, with its gold leaf ceilings, was a different world. The city advertised a video monitoring system downtown. We took a bus back and we only had to walk a couple of blocks through the boarded-up part of town. The close proximity of this extreme contrast truly made an impression on us.  

In order to catch the tide, we planned to leave early the next morning. So, after an early sundowner at the Club, we returned to Rosalind, secured the dinghy motor on the sternrail and hoisted the dinghy on the davits. The next morning we followed our inbound track out of New Haven harbor and headed for Stamford, Connecticut.

Sunrise, New Haven, Connecticut

We had fair current for the better part of the day and the miles passed under our keel. We approached Stamford in early afternoon and decided to press on to take advantage of the daylight. Traffic on Long Island Sound was light with a couple of ferries going back and forth between Long Island and the Connecticut shore, and a few sailboats and fishing boats. We mainly motored in light winds from dead ahead.  

After an eleven-hour day we anchored in Little Neck Bay, New York. We had averaged 5 knots (9 km/h) and had covered 55 miles (100 km), our longest single-day (non-overnight) run. We were treated to a beautiful sunset with the sun setting behind Throgs Neck Bridge.

Sunset from Little Neck Bay, New York

Throgs Neck Bridge

Leaving Old Lyme and Motoring to New Haven - Post 8

We thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality at Old Lyme Marina but it was time to continue our cruise south in Long Island Sound on our way to New York. After consulting both weather and tides, we decided to head out in the morning in order to make it to New Haven before sunset.

The mooring field of Old Lyme Marina is nestled between the northern shore of the Connecticut River and Calves Island. The width of the channel is less than a hundred feet (30 m) with two rows of moorings. Because the channel is narrow and the boats swing in unison, we opted not to fly our anchor riding sail. This way, Rosalind would lay similarly to the other boats in the mooring field.

 Looking South (from Rosalind's Starboard)

Old Lyme Marina on Left Side and One of Our Three Close Neighbors

 Looking Southeast

Old Lyme Marina on Right Side and Our Second Close Neighbor

 Looking East

Bank of the Connecticut River

Looking Northeast (from Rosalind's Port)

Mooring Field and Our Third Close Neighbor 

What we noticed shortly after catching the mooring, however, is that with wind over current the boats do not line up with either. This had been on my mind as I knew that we would not have two chances to get Rosalind off the mooring without damage. The current ran at 2 knots (3.7 km/h), the mooring field was packed, and we were very close to the marina dock where a very expensive motor yacht was laying less that two boat lengths from us. With such a strong current, we had to choreograph that departure very precisely. This was necessary as you do not get steerage until water is flowing past the rudder and it takes time for that to happen even after you engage the transmission. So we had to make the current work to our advantage. When the tide was flowing out towards the sound and the wind was coming from the south, Rosalind, tied to the mooring, was facing upriver but was resting at almost 45 degrees to the current because of the wind.

The morning of our departure Cheryl asked, "What is our plan?" and I said, "I have been thinking about it since yesterday...".  So this is what we did. We got Rosalind ready, turned on the instruments, got out the charts, and started the engine. I then took the mooring line off the bollard on the bow and walked it aft on the starboard side, the strong current making it hard work to hold on to the mooring pennant. Once I reached the stern, Cheryl put the engine in reverse and revved up the engine while turning the wheel all the way to port. Rosalind took the strain off the mooring pennant that I was still holding and, almost magically with the help of the current, rotated to starboard through 135 degrees and pointed downriver. I released the pennant and with Cheryl at the helm, we were off. We never got close to any of the other moored boats or the expensive motor yacht.

It was an exciting maneuver and we were very pleased with the whole thing! We then got stuck for over half an hour waiting for the railroad bridge to open so we could get out of the river. The bridge was supposed to be normally open but we found it closed and we could not get the bridge operator to answer our requests so we had to hold station in the current. We called on the radio and sounded the horn but nothing. A little over thirty minutes later the bridge opened. We followed a powerboat out and before long we were past the breakwaters and in Long Island Sound. We avoided the overfills near the breakwaters, and after getting into deeper water, turned to starboard and headed for New Haven.

Approaching New Haven
Looking Forward from Rosalind's Cockpit 

The 35 nautical mile (65 km) trip to New Haven was pleasant with light shipping traffic and fair current. The wind was light and on the nose so we motored all the way. As we approached New Haven, we turned to port and followed the West Haven Channel and in half a mile (1 km) we reached the Pequonnock Yacht Club. We called the club and were told to pick up any of the open moorings outside of the marina. All but one of the moorings were free, so we selected one in deeper water and picked up a mooring pennant. Once we got Rosalind organized, we assembled and inflated the dinghy and went to shore to check in with the club's manager. We had arrived in New Haven. 

Sunset, New Haven, Connecticut