Reedy Island, Delaware Bay to Sandy Hook Bay, New Jersey

A tug/barge passes the Salem nuclear plant We rose at 4:30 am to catch the tide down Delaware Bay. It was overcast, but dry and we chugged along carried by a two knot tide so as to make grand time. The GPS read 7.8 knots at times. Last year as we made this run motoring against the tide we dropped to around two knots at times.

Traffic in Delaware Bay Near the Cape May canal the clouds moved in and we got a good soaking. It was only 2 pm though and the forecast was for clear weather for the night and next day and not too strong west or southwest winds. So we decided to top up the fuel and keep on. Let's just skip New Jersey this year. We cleared Cape May in bright afternoon sunshine at around 3 pm and kept on motoring. About 24 hours later we were entering Sandy Hook, still under power. After something like 34 hours, about 1.5 quarts of oil and 16 gallons of gas and maybe 2 hours of sailing we were getting very close to our last state-New York. We agreed that with a nice night and mild temperatures the all night run was worth considering as an alternative to the traffic of New Jersey's inlets. Once we got about 4 miles offshore most of the fishing gear that we had to keep a watch for disappeared and the tug and barge traffic along the shore wasn't bad at all. A bit of wind for sailing would have been nice, but we didn't have it this time. We got in just before some predicted late day showers and thunderstorms ahead of a fairly strong but slow moving cold front. After we were settled in a second batch of storms went through which we documented. Had it not been for our little engine that could, we would have been battening down the hatches somewhere around Atlantic City probably for that blow- only to have it followed by two days of northers! So now we're back on schedule to start up the Hudson. The rest of the trip will see lots more hours on the motor.

Sunset over the New Jersey Coast An Atlantic sunrise The yacht club launch & the approaching storm Manhattan May 30 The day was brisk and breezy as promised with strong northwesters whipping the waters of Raritan Bay into white caps. A good day for Titania to stay in port. Some what on impulse after viewing the skyline we decided to take the ferry over to the Big Apple for a short visit. The 10 am ferry made a run back at 2:30- just the right period of time for a visit after allowing for the 45 minutes each way. New York is known for its fast pace of life and the Seastreak ferry line lives up to it. These big catamaran type passenger ferries run at up to 42 knots and the acceleration is noticeable. It feels like being in a 100 foot long speed boat. So we roared over to the city racing under the Verazanno Narrows bridge, roaring past anchored tankers and barges and freighters and not a moment to lose.

The World Trade Center twin towers The ferry docks right next to the South Street Seaport and Fulton fish market. A few of the old brick buildings and remnants of the city's port past remain here, but most have long since given way to soaring monuments to capitalism. This is where the deals get made. We walked up Wall Street to Broadway past the NY stock exchange, past the statue of George Washington on the site where he took oath to become our first president. And go a few steps away from the water and the sense of the city's past as a great port and trading center with so much of its vast wealth created by waterborne commerce, carried by ships and canal boats, is quickly lost. The old ships of the Seaport seem like ghosts viewed against the skyline of Manhattan. The buildings loom high overhead shiny and sleek, hard edged and sharp against the sky. We followed the suits and tourists up past a nice little park where people were playing chess under the newly leafed out sycamores. We wandered around the old trinity church now surrounded by temples to Mamon and I studied the only bit of grass and earth I saw in Manhattan- that of the graveyard. We walked past vendors selling wallets, belts, produce, books and sunglasses. Chris thought most folks on the street looked pretty upbeat. He saw one fellow with two cell phones in action! Deals to make. Not a moment to lose.

Tall ships, tall buildings After 3 hours of walking and receiving massive visual input and sensory overload we were ready to go back to Titania. Yep, there's a lot of people in New York City . As the ferry roared off to New Jersey leaving the massive skyline of Manhatten to fall astern, it was sort of a relief to get a little space between us and them.