We made it to New York City! One of the highlights of the Great Loop is to cruise next to the Statue of Liberty while a fellow boater takes your picture. We were fortunate our friends, Roger & Chris on Betty Gail, were cruising with us, so we took pictures of each other’s boats as we motored by. We were even hailed by another boater asking if we could take pictures of their boat next to Lady Liberty. We then began cruising up the Hudson River. Viewing the Manhattan skyline from your own boat is a treat we will never forget.
Our last blog left us at Delaware City headed to Cape May, NJ. We had to move our travel window up a day to ensure the best travel conditions down Delaware Bay, which can be quite nasty if the wind and currents are against each other. We couldn’t have asked for a better travel day and arrived safely in Cape May, NJ for Memorial Day weekend. We wanted to be “off the water” during this busy holiday weekend and we were safely tucked away in a marina with several other loopers (see pictures of our happy hour/docktails we enjoyed together).
Although we planned to stay in the Cape May marina to avoid the crowded waterways, the holiday weekend was full of constant rain and strong winds. We stayed 5 nights in the marina and then had picture perfect weather on Tuesday to leave Cape May, NJ, travel up the outside (Atlantic Ocean), headed for New York City. Slo Pace, Betty Gail, and several other loopers left at sunrise (which is at 5:30 a.m.!), enjoying relatively calm seas as we cruised up the coast. A fellow looper, River Ranger, even had whales at their bow. Yep, whales not dolphins! We cruised up the coast for about 7 hours and then tucked into Barnegat Bay to anchor for the night.
We left at sunrise again blessed with calm seas as we headed up to New York Harbor another 7-hour cruise. Once in NY harbor, we motored to Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island and due to another upcoming weather event, we decided to stay for 3 days. Since I had recently enjoyed a trip to New York City with Patty and Lisa on one of our annual girl’s trips, and Dave and I really didn’t want to leave Murphy on the boat all day, Dave traveled into NYC for two days of exploring. He walked over 20 miles during those 2 days! I explored Staten Island with Murphy.
Lenore, our good friend from St. Petersburg, mentioned she grew up on Staten Island and gave me the address of her childhood home. Since it was only 2 miles from the marina, Murphy and I set off on a walk to take a picture of her childhood home. While in the neighborhood taking pictures, I saw an older man working in his yard. I mentioned to him my friend grew up in the neighborhood and pointed to the house. He said he is the only remaining original owner on the street. I called Lenore so they could have a quick trip down memory lane. Fun times!
After leaving New York harbor, we had a delightful cruise up the Hudson River, even spying the infamous Sing Sing prison from the river. We arrived at Half Moon Bay Marina in Croton-on-Hutson, NY, where we are staying for 6 days for sightseeing and lunch at The Bocuse restaurant on the grounds of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. More fun times ahead!
Such a surprise to see my childhood home and speak with a former neighbor! You are an amazing duo, Brenda and Murphy, and I’m so happy to be following along with your adventure! Motor on!!
What fun!!!! I can’t wait till one day we are sailing past the Statue of liberty!! How cool to find Lenore’s childhood home. My brother graduated from CIA in Hyde Park but never got to visit. Enjoy the yummy meals there!
Wow, I love it!
Great pics !, -really brings back some good cruising memories. Come to think of it, that’s the last time I saw those great sunrise/ sunset shots 😉
Enjoy!
How I wish now that we had done this trip on the loop.