Atlantic City to Manisquan Inlet to NYC
Friday, May 30, 2014
At 7 am, the engines are running and boat lines are untied. Our plan is to head up the Atlantic ICW (IntraCoastal Waterway) towards Manisquon Inlet and dock for tonight. If the ocean looks good for a run up the coast, we will dock in NY. Atlantic City has been great fun, but time to move on.
Our morning started with cloud cover and temps in the 50’s. The captain had the heat on in the salon and the coffee made when the admiral heard the roar of the engines and crawled out of bed at 6:45 am. Wise man!
Desiring to “sleep in”, but not willing to shirk her duties, Mary donned a sweatshirt over her jammies and pulled boat fenders and stowed boat lines. Her morning task.
Steve headed to the upper helm coffee in hand, and Dream Chaser was on her way.
Today, we have multiple areas of shoaling to navigate through. We will be hitting the problem areas at rising and high tides, so with diligence, we should be OK.
Ahhh, the sun has broken through for the first time in a few days and it is glorious!
Today, while the captain drives, the admiral will be “putting everything in its place”. It’s time for reorganization while the ride is smooth. So, it's a day of inside boat cleaning...just like at home.
Less than 30 minutes away from Atlantic City, we began sharing the ICW channel with numerous fishing boat out to catch the big ones. Osprey nests have found homes on channel markers whenever there is space, and a trumpeter swan is spotted off our starboard.
After leaving Atlantic City, the Atlantic ICW has led us through Absecon Bay, Reeds Bay, Little Bay, Great Bay, Little Egg Harbor, Manahawkin Bay, and now into Barnegat Bay where we are being met by light chop coming from the inlet into the ocean. This was not a day to put Dream Chaser on auto pilot and sit back and relax. With our day full of numerous areas of serious shoaling, confusing buoys, inaccurate magenta line (follow your electronics and you are on land!), and narrow paths (for navigable water) through most of the bays, the captain and admiral will sleep like babies tonight! For those of you who don’t know about magenta line, it is the suggested path of travel on our electronics.
The only spot where the adrenaline really spiked was in Little Egg Harbor near Beach Haven where you can’t follow the magenta line without going aground (actually you would be up on land), the buoys are confusing, and the shoaling is severe. We found ourselves on the opposite side of the buoy from where we should have been but the captain inched Dream Chaser to the correct side and got re positioned. Whew!
By noon, we felt we’d put in a full day’s work and were ready for bean soup and chicken salads. We are still experiencing shoaling areas, and the captain breathes a sigh of relief when Dream Chaser hits deeper water.
About 2 pm, we pass under the Mantoloking Bridge. Just beyond the bridge and to the east is where the Atlantic Ocean broke through washing houses into the Bay and moved sand creating very shallow areas.
At 2:33 pm., Dream Chaser left the protection of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (for the last time- not to navigate it again) and entered the Atlantic Ocean to make a 3 hour run up the coast to NYC and Liberty Harbor Marina. We had planned to dock in NJ, but the captain had read the weather reports, consulted with the admiral, and the decision had been made to "take the run"!
Steve had been checking the weather, wind, and wave reports for days anticipating this run. Mary was also anticipating this run on the open ocean, but not in a positive way. We were very happy when this weather window opened for a few hours. The weather had not been conducive to travel up to today and will turn rough later tonight.
We had bright sun with light clouds, temps near 70, and 2-3 ft. prevailing seas from the east and 1 ft. wind driven seas off the stern. This was the best run up the coast we could have hoped for. We breathed a sigh of relief when we spotted New York City Harbor.
There is an art to taking pictures from a moving boat in rocking waves. You get many pictures like the one above (just a portion of your subject), when you want the picture like the one below.
At 5:22 pm, Dream Chaser entered the harbor to NYC, and we were taking a lot of pictures. We were delighted with the statue, the ferries, the sailboats, and how the sunlight was hitting the buildings. As we were admiring the Statue of Liberty, a Coast Guard boat pulled us over for a routine check and admonished Mary for sitting on the bow of the boat to take pictures.
If you know Dream Chaser,a person would have to climb
over the high side rails to fall
in-not an easy task! The
inspection officer couldn’t find anything to give us a citation
for, so again repeated the dangers
of sitting on the bow of a boat. “Thank you, sir (you are the age
of my kids), but could you leave
the boat so we can get docked
before dark?” Thank You!
Finally, we were free to get the
shots we wanted and then docked.
Getting to Carnegie’s was no simple endeavor and directions were complicated, but a lovely lady riding the subway knew where the trains ran and helped us work out our plan.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
We awoke to brilliant sunshine, spotty clouds, and temps the 60’s. Steve was out walking before Mary opened her eyes. We were so thankful to have navigated the open Atlantic Ocean yesterday, because this morning our friends are motoring their 44 ft. Tiara from Cape May to NYC in 6-7 ft. waves. At 22 mph, they will get beat up for six hours.
A hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast was a welcomed treat this morning.
At 10:45 am, Dream Chaser pulled away from the marina in “Jersey” and headed into NYC Harbor for some photo opportunities with Lady Liberty and the Manhattan skyline.
There was lots of action in the harbor with ferries, sailboats, pleasure boats, cruise liners, barges, and thrill ride boats like the “Beast”. It was a beautiful day for cruising and pictures, so we headed up the East River, connected with the Hudson River, and followed the Hudson back to Manhattan. Dream Chaser motored under numerous bridges and only needed to request one train bridge to be opened.
On this beautiful Saturday morning, people were out walking, jogging, families in the parks, people with pets, and even a lady near the river getting her exercise with a hula-hoop. Yes, really! That brought back memories from the 50's!
So, why is New York City referred to as "the Big Apple"? Jazz musicians of the 1930's and 1940's put the phrase into use when they said that they had a gig in the "Big Apple". Others have linked it with apple vendors, a Harlem night club, and a popular 1930's dance.
With sufficient views of NYC, we pointed Dream Chaser back up the Hudson to continue our adventures. What an experience to circle the heart of NYC and see the boroughs from the water.
About 5 pm, we heard an announcement over the marine radio, “ladies and gentlemen please stay seated, we have a man overboard that we need to get back in” then it cut out. The driver of the boat accidentally was speaking on the marine radio instead of his boat speaker. (We monitor the marine radio channel #16 where all marine information comes across.) The first thing we thought was that someone had fallen out of the “Beast”, the thrill riding boat a previous picture. We had watched this boat zoom through the water zigging and zagging and whirling around and wonder how everyone stayed inside the boat. We would bet money that they lost one out! The Coast Guard came on the marine radio channel #16, a little later, confirming a man in the water.
At 5:30 pm, we tied up at the Yonker’s city dock. Yonkers in the fourth largest city in New York and about 15 miles north of NYC.
Looking back at NYC.
Tied up on the other side of the city dock from Dream Chaser was RA, a 48 ft. solar powered, twin-motored, three hulled boat built and owned by 73 year old Jim Greer. Jim and his one man crew,Tavis Lau, hope to be the first to complete the Great Loop, 8,000 miles, on this solar powered boat. RA, named after the Egyptian sun-god, was docked in Yonkers temporarily waiting for the delivery of new solar panels. They started in April from Florida. You can follow their adventure on “piratesofthesun”. Very exciting! See below.
We took through Yonkers, along the river, and
up by the train station, and we ran into Ella Fitzgerald
(1917-1996). This bronze sculpture honors the
jazz singer known for her wide vocal range.
Ella Fitzgerald spent much of her childhood and
youth in Yonkers.
This "guy" reminded us of an artist
that works with stone layers, and
we found out that it is the same
artist who now works with
bronze, also. We originally saw his
work in the Palm Springs area
and at the Palm Springs Museum
in California.
Sunday, May 1, 2014
After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, we are off to enjoy the beautiful day in NYC!
We hopped the 8:30 am train from the Yonker’s station and headed into NYC for the 10 am church service at Times Square Church on 51st St. in Times Square. Originally founded by David Wilkerson, Pastor Carter Conlon is now the senior pastor and CAN HE PREACH! The music was exceptional and the message was the perfect prescription for the soul!
stop was the new 9/11 Memorial Museumwhich opened on May 21, 2014. The
museum is an educational and historical
account of 9/11and honors the victims of
the horrid attacks. There is lots to see
including several videos and a great time
line on display which explains the order of
the attacks. The museum contains many
artifacts including a few main support beams,
the beams where the planes hit, fragments
of the planes that hit the Twin Towers, and
one of the fire engines from the scene.
The grounds of the 9/11 Memorial are
open and free to visit, but there is a charge
to visit the museum.
The picture to the right shows the tower
and the Memorial Museum at it's base.
One of the two reflecting pools is in the
foreground.
The reflecting pools are nearly anacre in size and feature the largest
man-made waterfalls in North
America. The pools sit within the
footprints of the Twin Towers. The
names of every person who died in the
attacks of 2001 and 1993 are inscribed
into bronze panels which edge the
pools; an emotional reminder of the
massive loss of life. It is a place of
remembrance and quiet reflection.
This is the middle section of a huge
quilt on display in the museum which
is beautifully done and honors those
killed in 9/11.
his death in the North Tower on 9/11,
members of Ladder 9 turned it into a
"bike of healing". It was restored and
the ten roses on the cover of the gas
tank symbolize the members of Ladder
Company 9 and Engine Company 33
who were killed on 9/11.
We arrived back to Dream Chaser about 6 pm, and a cruise boat was waiting for our spot, so we pulled the boat lines, and headed up the Hudson to dock at Half Moon Bay Marina in Croton on the Hudson.
Now I ask you, is there a better way to spend the day than a trip to NYC followed by a picnic dinner while cruising the Hudson River? Oh....and in sunshine with temps in the 70’s!
Off on our starboard side, a few miles before our dockage was Sing Sing Prison, a maximum security prison in Ossining, NY. The town originally called Sing Sing tries to pass itself off as a village of quaint shops and moss-stained marble, but the truth is that down towards the river is one of America's most infamous prisons "housing" 2,200 long term "guests" that don't care much for tourists. A museum was created in town for inquisitive tourists who desire gruesome thrills and information about life in the Big House. Perhaps, we will visit!?
FYI, the state is seeking funding to convert part of Sing Sing Prison into a museum and tourist attraction while thousands of serious convicts will continue to be incarcerated in others parts of the prison. We won't be rushing back for that experience!
Half Moon Bay Marina is a gem on the Hudson River! If you dock after 5 or 6 pm at most marinas, you are almost always on your own, but Steve Plotkin, the dock master, WAS THERE! He assisted us in docking, welcomed us to the area, and couldn't have been more helpful. We received info on the marina and local Croton on the Hudson area: maps, codes, car rental, restaurants, shops, and directions to the best pizza place around (Capriccio's)! The marina facilities are great including a fitness room and a sauna! Mary was happy for the strong WI-FI internet which we had been lacking for several days. Our dockage was quiet with calm waters-a rarity on the river! Thanks, Steve Plotkin, for all you do for us!
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