New York City

Finally, we made it to Croton on the Hudson, New York.  You have heard me before that  a big problem in boating is to make a deadline.  Mother Nature always wants to mess with your deadline and make it difficult if not impossible to make.

So we are here a week in advance.  Max and Leo Wurth (our 13 and 10 year old grandsons are flying into New York a week from tomorrow.  We have been planning this for months, and working our way north to be sure we are here to meet them.   That has made us move on days we should have stayed put.  And this Spring has been full of cold bad weather with high winds.  But we made it!!!

Our last leg was from Great Kills Marina on Staten Island, just south of New York Harbor, up through New York City on the Hudson River to this marina at Croton on the Hudson.  We wanted to leave Great Kills at 7:30 am to play the tide as it flowed north through the harbor.  But a thick band of fog kept us in port.

But with my upgraded Chartplotter, my digital radar, and my AIS system (which identifies all ships and the direction they are moving) I felt comfortable leaving in the fog to work our way north.  Here is what it looked like.

My Nav station in thick fog.  Maybe 200 yards of visibility

Out of the fog, a Red marker confirms my location.   Yea!!

It was a bit nerve racking as we approached the busiest port in the country, where we were so limited in our visibility.  Shelley was great though, as she kept a sharp eye for the big ships that I knew were out there.  Finally, this big guy came by and I tucked in right behind him to navigate our way through the harbor.  Pretty cool.

We followed this big boy into the harbor.  

Two years ago, we had a beautiful day as we came into New York.   This time it was quite a bit different, but still the New York skyline is breathtaking when you approach from the water.  It still sends chills up my spine.  Plus this year the new World Trade Tower is completed to its 1776 ft.  Very impressive.

The World Center is back with Pride

It is a busy harbor and fun to navigate, with the world famous skyline.

The Statue of Liberty is still closed from Superstorm Sandy

The Air France Concorde next to the USS Aircraft Carrier Intrepid

George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River as we move north.

It is an experience of a lifetime to take your own boat through New York Harbor.   We have been privileged to do it twice now.  It is impressive both times, and an experience that I will never forget.   Now we will pick up Max and Leo and move north to Canada.   There are many more adventures yet to come on this trip.  Marc