It's been a week since our last post and lots to share. We got into Atlantic City, NJ before the nor'easter. Wind blew up Friday and rain started Saturday. We just hunkered down and waited for it to blow itself out. Found we had a new leak up in the pilot house, oh the joy of owning a boat. Ken's maintenance list just got a little longer. It was incredible being on the boat during the storm and being able to watch the impact of the high winds on the boats around us. White caps in the marina was weird to say the least and our lines got such a workout that when we went to leave it took Ken several minutes to loosen them. Sunday dawn clear and calm for Mother's Day. Ron and Ken took Marji and I to a Mother's Day buffet in the Golden Nugget. It was awesome. I had an omelet with smoked salmon, scallions and Boursin cheese to start and moved on to roast beef, several different salads and sides then finishing with cookies, cake and pastries. And chased it all down with mimosas. Needless to say we were all stuffed. Ken and I literally did not eat another thing for rest of the day. Monday dawned with sunny skies and warmer temps but the winds were up again so I did laundry. It was great having 2 washers and 2 dryers. Got everything done in record time!
Captain Ron, had projected that our target date to complete the ocean run would be Tuesday and he nailed it. So Meander and Independence left at 6:00am. The waters were great, a few bumps along the way but we made it to Sandy Hook, NJ for refueling with all my nerves intact. :) We took off for Staten Island, NY where we planned to use a mooring ball over night. Got there late around 6:00pm and there was no one to hail to tell us where to moor up. Sooooo, we attempted to moor up at a random ball only to find that we were dragging the ball and that we did it wrong. Got the boat dirty in the process too. Ooops! Meander moored with no problem but we needed to move. Found another one and did it correctly this time but decided it would most likely drag too. We end up docking up at Great Kills Yacht Club. And guess what, there was another gold looper in the slip next to us. GKYC is John's home marina and he helped us dock up. He and his wife, April, and their 3 children completed the loop last year. Such a nice guy and so very helpful. He was there to meet another great loop couple who were also docking over night, Elizabeth and Jim. It was a mini rendezvous. Great day!
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| Staten Island, NY - Meander and Independence stern to stern |
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| Ron and Marji Cyr, our Gold Looper buddies we met in Cape May, NJ. Love them!! |
Wednesday, the 17th we parted ways with Ron and Marji. They were heading to their home in Shelter Island, NY which is in Long Island and we were heading into NYC and up the Hudson River. We had become close over the last week and it was like saying good bye to family. We did promise to meet up with them later in the year, at their winter home in Punta Gorda, FL. We pulled out about 9:00am for the trip into NYC. It was just amazing!!! Seeing the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Manhattan city skyline from our boat in the middle of the harbor was just too cool. We were definitely one of the smallest boats on the water and even though a busy harbor, we really had a smooth passage.
We took our time so we could absorb it all. Got into the Hudson River early afternoon and passed under the Tappan Zee Bridge about 2:30. It is still under construction. This area has been under construction forever. I remember when we took Stephanie to WPI, MA in her freshman year and there was construction even then. The never ending project. We pulled into Half Moon Bay Marina later in the afternoon. We are going to be here a week then Sue and Phil will be joining us for a cruise up the Hudson River to Albany, NY. Can't wait. In the meantime we need to find a vet, a hair dresser, a grocery store, a laundry and do some cleaning inside and outside on the boat. It will be nice to be in one place for a while, at our choose and not the weather's. Yeah! Also, planning a trip into NYC some time during the week.
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| NYC, NY at the Verrazano Narrows Bridge with Manhattan in the background. It connects Staten Island and Brooklyn. |
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| NYC, NY - Miss Liberty. Love this girl! And actually she is in NJ. |
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| Ellis Island. I had forgotten how beautiful the architecture is. |
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| Groton-On-Hudson, NY - Our home for the next week. See Independence at end of the T dock. |
PS from Roofus
No rough waters so I am not unhappy but have to say my humans really made a mess the day they tried to tie the boat to a tiny little floating ball (See my latest pic to left). Glad I didn't have to clean this up. also, I don't understand what all the fuss was about yesterday but my humans were really excited to see all these buildings. They are tall and shiny and in some cases had a pointy top but where's the grass Good grief, I just don't understand them
sometimes.
Glad you guys are doing well and get to settle down in NYC for a bit! Have fun and LOVE YOU! :)
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