11 September 2012

Day 60: New York to the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal – 11/09/12

We have to wait for high tide to get over the sand bank at the entrance to the marina, but by 7 am we are out and on our way.  The weather is just as glorious as yesterday but colder as the sun has not had a chance to warm up.  I only wish the weather had been like this when we arrived in New York with Victoria.  How much nicer it would have been than that miserable, gray drizzle.

The fact that we are leaving on another anniversary of 9/11 is poignant as we start off along the Hudson.  We are virtually the only yacht out on the water and NYDP helicopters are all around.  It’s a constant reminder of what happened 11 years ago almost to the very hour, and the beauty of Manhattan in the sparkling sunshine is a stark contrast to that day.

As the sun rises, buildings on both sides of the Hudson River, Manhattan and New Jersey, look like they have been built from gold and flares from the sun are all around.  For me the sight is totally mesmerising, and totally and absolutely breathtaking.

P1120014P1120012 P1120022 P1120023 P1120024 P1120017 P1120025 P1120034 P1120035 P1120049 P1120051 P1120053 P1120058 P1120066 P1120071 P1120080 Photos:  Manhattan and New Jersey looking breathtaking on a sad, sad day

Flags fly at half mast and the helicopters are still hovering, sentries over the south tip of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as we leave and sail under the bridge just one week after arriving.   I don’t think I have ever found a city so enthralling.

We are worried that outside the protection of land and again into open water, the sea state will change.  It was hideous when we came into New York and that memory is still with us.  What faces us, however, is a millpond with virtually no wind.  So we motor.  Again.

The rest of the day and evening pass uneventfully.  Most of our crew sleep the time away having been so worried about getting sea sick that they stuffed themselves full of Stugeron and were knocked out by it.

Having seen how calm it, Mike decides not to stop at Atlantic City but to continue on to Cape May and the entrance to the Delaware River.  Dinner is the totally delicious oak marinated salmon that we bought from Zabars and salad.  Mike and I do our normal night watches preferring to stick to our routine of 5 on and 5 off rather than involving other people.

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Photo:  A glorious day had to finish with a glorious sunset

Position:  39 deg 24 min N, 74 deg 14 min W

Distance so far:  2423 miles

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