After an eventful crossing of the Gulf Stream from Bermuda, we reach the New York Bight and set anchor at Coney Island. We explore Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Gold Coast along Long Island Sound before continuing on towards Cape Cod.
After retrieving our flare and spear guns from the Customs Office in St. George, Bermuda, we stowed the dinghy on deck of Rua Hatu and proceeded to retrieve her anchor. We departed Bermuda in light winds anticipating better winds as we round the bottom of the island group. The first few days we experienced little wind and too many hours of motoring but on day 4 we were finally enveloped in nice breeze sailing with all three sails up until after about a day diminishing winds once again forced us to run the engine. Unfortunately the crossing of the Gulf Stream put us on a sort of a schedule. We were hoping to cross it when the winds are predominantly from the south to avoid stacked waves due to wind and current being from opposite directions.
A bumpy ride across the Gulf Stream
On the evening of day 5 as we were approaching the Gulf Stream, the wind continued to increase until we reached gusts of about 30 knots. At this point, and maybe a bit late, we decided to reef the main to reduce the sail area and make Rua Hatu easier to handle in such strong winds. The winds continued to increase and we were getting waves washing into the cockpit. At this point we heaved to, backwinding the foresail to reduce speed. This pushed us against our desired direction but it made weathering the storm more comfortable. We closed up the hatches and, keeping an eye on our track, camped out on the floor of the cabin to wait out the storm.
A few hours after sunrise the wind had diminished enough that we could sail again and take inventory of the storm’s inflicted damages: A bent stanchion, a torn weather cloth (canvas fabric stretched between the stanchions protecting the cockpit from waves), a bent wind indicator on top of the mast, and a very tired crew. A few hours later we were joined by a pod of dolphins, the first we’ve seen since the Caribbean!
Once we sailed beyond the Gulf Stream, the temperature and humidity noticeably changed. The evening air had a crispness to it that we had not experienced since leaving the North Pacific over two years ago.
Big city sights, lights, and smells
Entering the Bight of New York and with it the crazy traffic of oil tankers, cargo ships, tug boats, and private yachts, we could even smell food odors wafting over the water from a shore we wouldn’t see for another 24 hours.
On Thursday, May 30th, 2024 we dropped anchor in Coney Island Creek just north of famous Coney Island. We were definitely in a big city. The water around us was a dark brown and a persistent smell of sewage was draped over the cove. We didn’t care. Not yet at least. We wanted to experience the City.
The next day we took the metro into Brooklyn for some good food and fresh groceries. When you hear people talk about the variety of international influence in this city they are not joking. At every street corner you seemingly hear a different language being spoken. When you go into stores that aren’t typically frequented by English speaking New Yorkers, you enter a different world inside the big world that New York City. Having big grocery stores nearby is convenient but boring. Going through the various small grocery stores full of Eastern European, Asian, Jewish, Mexican, and Caribbean foods, and tasting the unique foods made my heart jump.
Reaching Manhattan from Coney Island was a breeze with the metro. But don’t underestimate the smell of the metro tunnels in the heat of the summer. We explored the people-packed streets between Penn Station and Grand Central and enjoyed authentic, thin crust New York pizza.
City lights and the Statue of Liberty
After a couple of days at Coney Island we decided to continue our journey north by anchoring behind the Statue of Liberty for two nights which afforded us a beautiful view of the city’s skyline. Unfortunately there was no good place to take Kiwi to shore so we had to keep our stay here short.
Up the East River to Long Island’s Gold Coast
Next we motored up the East River into Long Island Sound. This required some timing with the tides and currents. The currents in the East River canal can reach over 5 knots. We timed it so we could go with the currents. At times this allowed us speeds of up to 9 knots through the canal. Unfortunately the day was overcast, windy, and cold, but we reached Manhasset Bay and Port Washington without any troubles.
Manhasset Bay
We dropped anchor in Manhasset Bay. Later we learned that this is the setting of the Great Gatsby. Port Washington being East Egg. Boating is BIG here. Many yacht clubs and lots and lots of small sailboats on moorings. Every weekend we observed small yacht regattas inside Manhasset Bay or out in or towards Long Island Sound.
We stayed in Manhasset Bay for a few weeks to allow us to receive some mail and for me to get my passport renewed at the German embassy in Manhattan. This gave us another opportunity to do some sight seeing, this time, the World Trade Center and the Memorial Fountains.
Cruising up Long Island Sound
After a couple of nice weeks in Port Washington, we continued on up Long Island Sound stopping in at several picturesque harbors including Oyster Bay, Sag Harbor, and Montauk. We spent the breezy 4th of July celebrating in Port Jefferson then collected 8 nearly new baseball caps on the beach the day after! The breeze (and booze) and boating prompted many an unplanned offering to Poseidon on Independence Day, but we did our part to clean up the mess that made it to shore.
Next we dodged squalls and maneuvered between the holiday ferry and boat traffic towards the end of the sound. There we encountered a weather phenomenon that we hadn’t seen for many years; Fog! Thick, persistent, cool fog began to roll in from the nearby ocean, blanketing our anchorages for hours each morning. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the cooler temperatures, quiet nights and still managed to see the sun most afternoons.
The farther east we journeyed, the more open the landscape became. Streets and suburbs gave way to grassy marshes, hardwood forests and rocky beaches. The houses became larger, and farther apart, suggesting the wealth of the residents was increasing. After all, we were now just a stones throw from the Hampton’s. Since our humble form of cruising didn’t quite meet the standards of the far fancier townsfolk, we opted to spend most of our time exploring the many beautiful beaches, parks and nature preserves.
But with plenty of summer and fall still ahead, we awaited the right weather to set out on the next leg of our adventure into New England. New York provided us with a unique re-introduction to the USA, a whole new coastline to explore and many wonderful memories to take along.