Yesterday's Travel, April 22, 2023
Final overnight passage of slow and difficult two-week delivery voyage, FL-NY, with sunset departure from Atlantic City aboard aptly named cat, 'Nailbiter', to catch AM fair tide up NYC's East River to make Mamaroneck. NY on western Long Island Sound before a dangerous weather front arrives.
Approaching NYC, now with the Verrazzano Bridge in sight we converge with large ships and pass Lower New York Bay over Ambrose Channel then under the immense bridge passing through the Narrows, following that through Upper New York Bay leaving the Statue of Liberty to port. Turning right at the foot of Manhattan we enter the rollercoaster of the East River carrying us at up to 4 knots of speed. 6 hours ago we were in open ocean, now amongst a metropolis of huge buildings on water's edge.
{n short order we pass the Brooklyn Bridge and the United Nations with its large shallow copper dome housing the General Assembly Hall. At the confluence with the Harlem River which makes Manhatten an island, we turn right through Hell Gate, dynamited years ago for easier passage. We motor close under the wings of jets landing at Laguardia on Runway 22, past overcrowded Riker’s Island with its prison barge anchored across the river, pass North Brother Island that quarantined “Typhoid Mary” for 26 years, past the Sludge Boats that carry the city’s waste to sea, under both the Throgs Neck and Whitestone Bridges far above us and at the eastern end of the Bronx pass SUNY Maritime College, our nation's oldest and largest maritime academy situated at historic Fort Schuyler. The fort was named for Major General Philip Schuyler, the father of the three Schuyler sisters, Angelica, Eliza and Peggy, loved in the musical ‘Hamilton’. We now leave the East River, enter Long Island Sound and motor hard for Mamaroneck.
Brooklyn Bridge, 1883. The longest suspension bridge in the world.
Four hours after docking, sitting on JFK's tarmac for flight home to FL, awaiting a safe route vector from the tower through the squall line now upon us. Turbulence!
After the flight, a visit to the cockpit
Two Captains discussing the challenge of East Coast spring travel by sea and air.
Next up, Chespeake to FL then Panama, sailing the Caribbean back to East Coast.
PS. Nailbiter's pennant, flying off the stern ragged and torn, now reads "NAILBIT"
Thank you crew.: Amit, Oleg, Vic, Carol
