Our day was planned around the tides and currents. Our anchorage last night in Sandy Hook wasn't bad after the wakes had diminished, and we started before it got too bad this morning. There were lots of boats this gorgeous holiday week-end.
The first tide we looked at was the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, where, the Narrows acts as a deep funnel through which much of the New York Harbor waters must pass (as well as from Long Island, and Staten Island)
The reason we were paying so much attention to tides today, is that we wanted to travel down current around Manhattan. We looked next at the current at Hell Gate, so that we could catch the current change that floods NE on the East River, to ebb NW on the Harlem River, and continue ebbing south on the Hudson. We made better speed than I had calculated, but, my numbers worked pretty close, only causing us to meet a little current in the lower Harlem River.
We went from Sandy Hook to quickly crossing ship channels and riding the Brooklyn side of the harbor north.
We went under the Verrazano Narrows bridge.
We went up the Brooklyn Side of the harbor, turning to cross south of Governor's Island to the Statue of Liberty.
We went into the channel south of the Statue of Liberty, and investigated a good anchorage there.
We came out of the anchorage area, past the Statue of Liberty, and turned to go past Ellis Island, as close to each as the security zones would allow.
Then we crossed the Hudson River, under the new World Trade Center, and turned to ride the current up the East River.
Keep in mind, there is a LOT of boat traffic. There is lots of commercial traffic (one ferry passed us at 36 kts in the East River) ships, ferries, commuter lines, sightseeing boats, tugs, barges, police, fire, USCG, recreational boats, yachts, jet skies, and kayaks! If traffic makes you nervous, this is not the spot to be! If not, the Manhattan Loop is a great experience.
I can't even name all the places we passed. It was funny, that many of the bridges that we passed under were known names to me (ie. Brookland, Broadway, etc.) We passed the UN, and its security zone. I think all traffic is closed through there at certain times.
We went up the East River to Hell Gate, and then turned into the Harlem River to the Hudson.
It was interesting to watch as the landscape changed from sky scrapers to huge apartment buildings, with some park areas interspersed.
We saw Yankee Stadium.
I was surprised how upper Manhattan has huge trees, and across the river in the Bronx, there are huge rocks.
The only bridge that had to open for us was the railroad bridge immediately before the Hudson River.
Coming into the Hudson, the Jersey shore has huge cliff banks, and you realize this river actually puts you into the mountains! The Appalachian Trail even crosses the Hudson further north.
We rode the current down, past lower Manhattan, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, through the tug/barge anchorage, down the Staten Island side, under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to anchor off Coney Island.
Every Friday night during the summer, Coney Island shoots off fireworks. I'd checked the Local Notice to Mariners to find out about closed areas for security, and ended up with a list of who was shooting fireworks and where. We watched Coney Island, which we were close to, and then Staten Island shot theirs, which was even better, since we could watch them through the Verrazano Bridge!
Tomorrow, we're going to Manhattan to stage for 4th of July fireworks.
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