August 25, 2019 Sag Harbor, NY

Our time in Catskill, NY went well.   Stepping of the mast (raising) and repairs on the roller furling were completed in three days.   The crew at Riverview Marina graciously helped with the lifting and made the job possible. A Traverse City friend,  Sam Bender, arranged for an overnight at his yacht club in Garrison, NY,  where members were  wonderfully helpful and food at nearby Dolly’s was excellent.  At 5:45 the following morning we were awakened by what sounded like a mob of hollering and singing.   On deck in PJs for the next 45 minutes we were entertained by the West Point activities across the river.   More than 1000 cadets were running the zigzagged streets and trails across the campus, some carrying flags, all raising strong, full voices that carried impressively across the flat water.  We were mesmerized by the emotional power of that unified effort.   Later, as we left the dock, the engine gagged to a stop.  We lassoed a piling before drifting too far on the falling tide and Dietrich had to dive on the prop and rudder to clear a mass of stringy weeds.                                                                                                                                

The trip downriver was time well spent.  The Hudson River Valley is a mix of lush scenery, colorful and multi-leveled landscape, and a history we reviewed as we progressed.   An overnight anchorage at the George Washington Bridge was bumpy, but the night view of NYC (9 miles away) was a thrill.   The next morning’s arrival left us gawking in all directions.  We stayed three nights at Hudson Point Marina near Liberty Landing Marina. Three days in the city were breathtaking!   We saw the contemporary play, To Kill a Mockingbird, with Jeff Daniels, and understood why it won so many awards.  We enjoyed fabulous food, toured the Whitney and MET museums, walked the Highline, toured Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and spent not nearly enough time catching up with relatives and friends.   While living in NYC does not appeal, our attitudes and insights were most certainly enhanced by the diversity and creative energy we encountered.   Through it all, our time in NYC was hot. The temps were in the 90s and humidity was high.  

Eventually, we headed up the East River with the tide.  As we passed through Hell Gate our speed increased to 10 knots over ground, with considerable turbulence.  It was an interesting trip, from the eye-popping architecture of East Manhattan to the industry and artful bridges as we headed north.  Now, we are exploring Long Island Sound, the quiet bays, summer retreats, and friendly people who live out here year around.  So far, we have stayed at anchor in Oyster Bay, on a mooring at the Mt. Sinai Yacht Club (where members were generous with their stories and advice about where we should go next), and anchored off Shelter Island across from Sag Harbor.   Tonight, we are hiding from those nasty little flies so dinner will be in the cabin, followed by several games of wildly competitive domino.  Sag is the best port for the Hamptons crowd and the mega-yachts.   Currently four of them are parked on this side of the bay for shelter and yesterday eighteen of the behemoths were parked in the Sag Harbor Marina.   

Catskill Creek

 

Hudson Athens Lighthouse 

West Point from Garrison YC

Hudson River Raft of Weeds, 2 feet thick

Hudson River in AM

GW Bridge with the anchor down in thick silt

The new Tappan Zee Bridge

The new Tappan Zee Bridge 

The Whitney Museum

The Vessel

The Historic Central RR of NJ, ⅔ of all immigrants traveled through this station

Central RR of NJ

Ellis Island

The old torch to the new torch

The face

Too busy looking at the statue

Hudson Point Marina

View from the rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

A traveling show called "Camp" at the Met

True Camp

 Another Met installation, vintage musical instruments

Flatiron

Manhattan Bridge

Williamsburg Bridge

East River traffic of all types

Hell Gate at near full ebb with 10.1 knots speed over ground!

Long Island Sound downwind sailing

Oyster Bay sunset

Sag Harbor sunset

Sag Harbor Revoutionary War cemetery