M/V MAERIN

Two consecutive days at sea took us from Sunset Lake to Atlantic City, then on to Belmar. Belmar is a good fuel stop, and we took advantage of the $2.54 diesel price and topped off the tanks. Our previous fill was in Brunswick, GA at $2.71, and we couldn’t find lower fuel prices anywhere further north, so no time like the present! We took an extra day’s layover in Belmar to wait out some stiff winds Thursday, it blew 20-30 kts. most of the day, and reports about wild conditions in the Shark River Inlet confirmed that the decision was a prudent one.

We arrived at Liberty Landing across the river from New York City Friday afternoon, after a smooth cruise from Belmar. We enjoyed a walk around the park and were able to see a few practice runs for the Red Bull air races scheduled for the weekend. The course was set up between Liberty Landing Park and Ellis Island, the Coast Guard had a restricted zone set up in the harbor, as if there’s not enough going on there!

Nelson was waiting for us in Manhattan as we disembarked the Liberty Landing Ferry, and was our tour guide for a walking …. and walking… and walking… tour of lower Manhattan. We saw the start of the Freedom Tower at the site of “ground zero”. We also saw St. Paul’s chapel, where 9/11 recovery workers received round the clock care. It’s the oldest public building in continuous use in Manhattan. The visit was sobering, and gave some insight into how New Yorkers dealt with the horror of 9/11.

Our walking tour continued east then north through Soho. We ended up at Katz’s Famous Deli, where Katie joined us for a light dinner of pastrami on rye. Katz’s is a popular spot, billed as the best deli in NYC. The pastrami sandwich is a meal…. and delicious! Afterward, we hoofed it back to the financial district to catch the last ferry back to Liberty Landing.

With our guests on board and settled in, we made plans to shove off in the morning for Haverstraw. We had a delightful cruise, smooth water, bright sunshine and a very warm day. We enjoyed dinner on the grille Saturday evening and Sunday headed back out onto the river for a day cruise north past Bear Mountain, West Point and Bannerman’s Island. This stretch of the Hudson has some of the most beautiful scenery, and makes a great day cruise. We dropped our guests at Half Moon Bay Marina, where they caught the Metro train back to the city. It was a very pleasant day, and we’re glad we were able to provide a short intro to the cruising life! Oh, and Katie didn’t get seasick!

Monday we caught up with Chris and Joyce, part of our Selene family. Their home is in Matamoras, about an hour from Haverstraw, where they kept their former boat, Magic Moments, Solo #11. We’ve cruised together, and during our last meeting in Brunswick in April we discussed our possible plans to do the Down East Loop, so they said we should be sure to let them know when we’re close, so we can get a visit to the farm during our transit through Haverstraw.

So Monday afternoon we traveled with Chris to the farm, and enjoyed one of Joyce’s wonderful gourmet meals, a few drinks, and a wonderful overnight visit. It was strange sleeping in a stationary bed, and the quiet was deafening!

Sammy was enjoying dog nirvana, I believe he’d have been happy to be adopted if he’d get to stay at the farm! But the girls, Phyllis & Bacci would have no part of it! We headed back to the marina with Joyce in the morning, a short stay, but a great time!

We got a late start, but decided to head for Kingston, arriving shortly before 8PM, in the rain. Back on the river Wednesday morning, and pushed on to Waterford with the help of favorable currents, arriving around 1800. We lucked out with a spot on the wall with power! The A/C is wonderful with the hot humid weather of the past few days!