September 27, 2014
What a thrill we are feeling to have finally left
the dock in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. We
have been tethered there for a few months due to all types of responsibilities. As we made our way to Newport on Monday
afternoon, we high-fived one another in celebration of having actually started
our adventure. Our chores in Newport
were to have a diver clean the bottom (the faster to getaway), fill the fuel
tanks, and get a good night’s rest.
Tuesday morning, heading out of Newport Harbor (one of our favorite
haunts) we looked toward the ocean and set our sails. First day was to Fishers Island, NY, a lovely
quiet anchorage. Wednesday up early to
catch the currents at The Race (fast currents between the north tip of Long
Island and the CT shore). Dropped the
hook in Oyster Bay, Long Island (who can name the Billy Joel song that mentions
this location?). We took a lay day here due to heavy rainfall. We were snug in our new full cockpit
enclosure, even as the rain fell. The
most exciting day yet was transiting through New York City. Just after City Island, NY, we took a left
and headed up under the Throgs Neck Bridge.
As we made our way, we passed Riker’s Island with all its miles of curly
razor wire, around a couple islands, under five bridges, all with spectacular
views of the great city and all its wonderful buildings. We even went by Courtney’s old neighborhood:
78th Street. It was Sharon’s favorite experience yet! After dropping out into NY Harbor by the
Battery, passing the Staten Island Ferries going back and forth, we motored
right up to the base of the Statue of Liberty – so awe-inspiring and so exciting
to see from the water. Passing under
the last bridge, the Verrazano-Narrows, we continued on to Sandy Hook, NJ,
about 15 miles away and anchored in a nice little cove for the evening. This morning, up before dawn, we headed around
the bend and into open ocean with our running lights glowing, sailing down the
beautiful Jersey Shore, only about a mile and a half offshore. Miles and miles of sand dunes all the way to Atlantic
City, NJ. Our longest day yet, 85 miles
and nearly 12 hours, we finally dropped the hook just inside the inlet at
5:30pm.
Tomorrow we head for Cape May and plan to stay for
a couple of days, then on to the Chesapeake.
We've been taking lots of pictures, and even some short videos as we
enter and leave anchorages. We look
forward to sharing these once we download and upload. Great fun so far!
