On Thursday, May 22nd, we left Liberty Landing without any issues. However, when we got back into the Hudson, it was like dodge'em boats.  There were ferries and water taxis coming from every direction taking commuters into Manhattan.  They stirred up the river so we were rocking and rolling. In addition to the ferries, we were fighting both an ebb tide and the current so we were traveling at the incredible speed of 3knots. Tony threatened to jump in the water and drag Summer Recess. Sharon talked him out of it but only because the water was very chilly. Once we went under the George Washington Bridge the water became calmer and the ferries became fewer.  The scenery began to change from skyscrapers to more tree lined shores.  By 12:30 we had left New Jersey behind and New York was on both sides of the river.  At 2:15pm we docked at Half Moon Bay Marina in Croton on Hudson.  This was going to be our home through Sunday as well as our point of departure into New York City.  Steve, the dockmaster, was very obliging and promised to take us to the train station whenever we needed it.  Even though Friday morning was a little cool and overcast, we meet Steve equipped with an umbrella, Steve drove us to the Amtrak Station. We began our first day into Manhattan following a short 45 minute express train ride.  We arrived in Grand Central Station, It is a hustling bustling place of people going in every direction.  We managed to exit on 42nd Street and after walking a mere half mile going in the wrong direction, finally made our way to Times Square.  We had a Starbucks' beverage and enjoyed looking at all the electronic billboards and seeing the famous Tiffany Ball that drops every New Year's Eve. From Times Square, we walked to Rockefeller Center. It wasn't what we had imagined but accepted it as the place we were looking for. We took a cab to Central Park and changed our mode of transportation to horse and buggy.  We took a lovely tour of the park.  Later we discovered that people are trying to do away with the carriage rides. Another cab took us to our next stop, Chelsea Market. The market is home to the "Food Network," as well as many bakeries, cheese shops, spice shops and restaurants.  People eat standing up, sitting on the floor or on window ledges.Everything is fast and crowded. We had lunch at the Lobster Company. It is a market with every type of seafood imaginable.  Tony had a oyster po-boy and I had a smoked salmon sandwich.  However, many people chose to eat steamed lobster ranging in size from one pound to three and a half pounds on a plastic plate with lemon and butter. The meal was delicious but there is no ambience. We ate standing up with one foot of counter space for each of us. Our stomachs full, we took a cab to the 9/11 memorial. The memorial is the foundation of one of the towers, which contains a pool of water continuously flowing into the ground.  We then took a taxi back to Grand Central Station and the Summer Recess. We were amazed by the the crowds, the traffic, and the construction and renovation in downtown New York City.  Bright and early on Saturday, Steve again took us to the train station and we made our way back to Manhattan.  Our first stop was to walk to pick up our tickets for the play, "The Book of Mormon." We then walked on 5th Avenue and did some shopping, saw the real Rockefeller Center and stopped into St. Patrick's Cathedral, which is also under renovation.  We went to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre to see the matinee performance of "The Book of Mormon." It is a hilariously funny musical, during which nothing is held sacred, i.e. race, religion, etc.  As we were coming out of the theatre, it began to rain.  Our plan was to eat at a restaurant in Rockefeller Center, but we discovered it was closed for the Memorial Day Weekend. Now it was really raining. We made our way back to Grand Central Station, where we had a wonderful Italian dinner at Ciprianni's which is on the mezzanine. We were able to people watch while waiting for our meal to be prepared. Again the train and then a cab took us back to the boat.  Sunday dawned bright and sunny. Steve drove us to the Catholic Church.  On the way back we discovered a farmers' market. We bought mahi-mahi, fresh asparagus, and field greens, which made for a yummy dinner after a relaxing afternoon at the marina.  New York City was another highlight of our adventure.  We decided to highlight and explore only those places, we really wanted to see. Tomorrow we will continue north up the Hudson River.

                                                Who's buried in Grant's Tomb?

                                                                  Times Square

                                                           This one is for you, son.

                                                                     Radio City

                                                             Central Park

                                                               Carriage in Central Park

                                                                  Central Park

                                                               Chelsea Market

                                                                Chelsea Market

                                       

                                                                 9/11 Memorial

                                                                    9/11 Memorial

                                                            Grand Central Station

                                                       St. Patrick's Cathedral (Interior)

                                                         St. Patrick's Cathedral (Exterior)

                                                           Rockefeller Center

                                                          Rockefeller Center

                                                                 Eugene O'Neill Theater

                                                                 Chelsea Market

Time Square

On Sunday, May 18th, we left Utsch's Marina and proceeded out the Cape May Inlet into the Atlantic.  Meandering was in the lead.  We cruised northward about one mile off the coast.  There were many signs of Hurricane Sandy's destruction as we moved along.  After a very comfortable ride we docked in Atlantic City with Kathy and Ken next to us.  Island Time pulled in, but decided to go to another marina because Gina could not get of the boat.  The four of us, Tony, Sharon Ken and Kathy walked Atlantic City's famous boardwalk. We stopped for beverages and appetizers. Kathy and Ken decided to go into the Showboat to play the penny slots, such big gamblers. When Kathy and Ken came back from the casino, we planned tomorrow's trip.  The weather was iffy, seas were supposed to be 3 to 5 feet with a fetch of 15 seconds. We chose to do the AICW even though we knew there would be some places the the water levels would be less than 6 feet.We had a late start on Monday because we needed to wait for high tide to give us some cushion in the areas that had serious shoaling.  Island Time lead us through the inter-coastal waterway.  It was a very tense day due to many shoaling areas. As we traveled in one particularly shallow area we saw Towboat US getting a motor yacht off a sandbar. We all took our time and made it safely to Barnegat Bay. Summer Recess and Island Time anchored out and Meandering went to the marina.  Tuesday, we travelled with Island Time.  We lead through the ICW. Again, we faced areas with shallow waters. We passed by areas on the ocean side that were breached by Sandy.  There is a lot of rebuilding still going on. Again by moving at a slow pace, we made it safely to Manasquan.  We docked at Hoffman's Marina with Island Time.  Meandering was at the next marina. We were at a fixed dock and Sharon was really challenged in getting on and off the boat.  We had docktails with Island Time. Steve, Gina and Tony sat on the dock and Sharon sat on the back deck of Summer Recess.  Wednesday, May 21st, would be our last day on the Atlantic.  The three boats left after the the railroad bridge went up at 7:15am. Meandering went first, followed by Island Time and Summer Recess was to bringing up the rear.  We pulled away from the dock with no issues, but when we backed up and made the turn into the narrow passage of the railway bridge, we were caught by the current.  It took three tries before we successfully cleared the bridge.  Our travel on the Atlantic was fairly smooth.  The skies were threatening, but not a drop of rain fell.  At about 11:00am, we said good bye to the Atlantic and after we went under the Verrazano Bridge, we were officially in New York Harbor.  It was Fleet Week in New York Harbor with both Naval and Coast Guard Vessels parading along the Battery. They closed the harbor to traffic for approximately one hour. As a result, all the commercial traffic was racing to make up for the lost time. The Harbor was a very busy place with tows, large ships, and coast guard vessels going in many directions.  The result was a lot of turbulence in the water.  However, seeing the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Manhattan Skyline made it all worth it.  We pulled into our marina with heavy hearts because we said good bye to our dear friends, Kathy and Ken, on Meandering. They were not stopping in New York, but going farther up the Hudson.  With luck we may run into them in the Erie Canal.  We have a spectacular view of Manhattan from our boat as well as Lady Liberty. We took a wonderful walk through Liberty Park. Tonight, we are ordering New York Style Pizza. We will spend the next four days exploring New York.

Meandering leading into the Atlantic

                                                                      Atlantic City

                                                                       Jersey Shore

                                                                  Kathy and Ken

                                                   How did that golf ball get up there?

                                                                  Taj Mahal Casino

                                                                        Salt Flats

                                                                  Atlantic Sunrise

                                                     Meandering leading into New York

                                                                 Harbor Light

                                                             Verrazano Bridge

                                                               Ft. Wadsworth

                                                                New York  New York

                                                                 Lady Liberty

                                                               Ellis Island

                                                         View from Liberty Landing Marina

                                                         New Jersey 9/11 Memorial

Christopher Columbus Tribute Sculpture

On Sunday, May 11th, we celebrated Mothers' Day with a delicious breakfast at the historic Maryland Inn. We left Annapolis and took a very short run to an anchorage off the Chesapeake in Bodkin Creek. We sat on the back deck and enjoyed a warm sunny afternoon.  Monday's destination was Baltimore on the Patapsco River. The Inner East Harbor Marina was right downtown. We walked to a Starbucks and Whole Foods. After cleaning Summer Recess inside and out we strolled the Harbor Walk.  We passed every chain restaurant (both reasonable and gourmet) you could think of.  The harbor is also home to a large coast guard ship that served at Pearl Harbor, the lightship Chesapeake, a submarine from WWII, the USS Constitution, and a lighthouse.  Baltimore is also the headquarters for Domino Sugar and Under Armour. the evening began with a shower and it delayed the start of the Tigers Orioles game which was being held at Camden Field only a short walk from where we were docked. No, Karen, If Tony won't see the Tigers in Detroit do you really think he would go to a game in Baltimore. We continued our journey Tuesday to the Sassafras River and moored at Georgetown.  As we were traveling past the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, we heard many loud booms.  The journey down the river was pretty but the marina and mooring field left a great deal to be desired. Fog rolled in on Wednesday, May 14th.  We entered the Elk River and left the Chesapeake behind. We felt it was a wise decision to spend several days cruising the Chesapeake. It was one of the highlights of our loop adventure so far.  From the Elk River we entered the C&D Canal which connects the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays and docked at the Chesapeake City Docks. It is a free dock which all you have to pay for is the electricity.  About an hour after our arrival our dear cruising friends, Kathy and Ken, on Meandering joined us. We have not seen them since Mobile, Alabama.  To celebrate we went out to lunch and walked around the small town of Chesapeake City.  Around six o'clock Steven and Gina on Island Time came in and rafted off  us.  We had drinks and retired for the evening.  A very dense fog greeted us Thursday morning, but we carefully took the short ride to through the C&D and proceeded to the Delaware City Marina. We are in a new state, Delaware.  This marina is on a very narrow creek, but the two harbor masters expertly docked all three boats including turning us around to make for an easy departure.  The six of us walked into the very small town of Delaware City.  We did find a bakery and we bought freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to celebrate National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day.  Docktails were aboard the Summer Recess later that evening.  Rain, rain, and more rain fell on Friday. Cory, the harbor master took Gina, Kathy, and Sharon to the grocery store and they all looked liked drowned rats, when they returned to the boat with their purchases.  Erben Renewal came in later in the day.  Steve and Julia have already crossed their wake and are traveling to the places they did not go to on their first loop. Erben Renewal was the first looper boat we met at Beaver Island in Lake Michigan.  We enjoyed catching up on all their news.  The captains met with the harbor master at five o'clock to look at weather conditions for Saturday.  The weather forecast was grim but Tim the harbormaster said he would meet with any captains interested at five thirty the next morning. The decision to leave would be made in the morning.  Saturday dawned with perfect weather for traversing Delaware Bay. Meandering, Summer Recess, and Island Time left early. The bay was fairly calm the whole way and we entered the Cape May Canal in early afternoon. We are now in New Jersey. Kathy invited us to Meandering for her famous crab dip bread bowl and we made plans to go out into the Atlantic on Sunday.

                                                     Baltimore - Ft.McHenry

                                                      Baltimore Skyline

                                                      Turtles and Duck at Baltimore Marina

                                                      Baltimore Lighthouse

                                                          American Clipper Ship

                                                       Coast Guard Ship in Baltimore Harbor

                                              Aquarium in Baltimore

                                                       Art outside aquarium

                                                                Sub in Baltimore Harbor

                                                      Dragon paddle boat in Baltimore

                                                        USS Constitution

                                                      Lightship in Baltimore Harbor

Cape May Canal