At 5am, the sun peaked into our cabin. Eric and I laid there and listened to the absence of rain and wind, noticed the twinkle of light in the window. Oh, Oh, lets go! The next storm is on it’s way and if we hurry we can change our scenery before it hits. We passed the early morning fishermen and pulled out the jib for a downwind run to the Verrazzano Bridge at the Narrows between Brookland and Stanton Island. Along the way we were passed by the Ferry going 30 kts taking NJ commuters from Atlantic Highlands to NYC.
There are also four major shipping channels coming from the Atlantic Ocean meeting up with the one we used to hop across Raritan Bay all funneling in through the Narrows. All kinds of stuff comes in, we saw a cruise ship, many tugs pulling barges, and several tankers, all competing for the same channel with us. How about this freighter carrying wind turbine blades.
The radio was also a constant buzz with all the ships calling each other to ensure safe passing as well as the pilots making arrangements with the freighters.
Next is the Verrazano Bridge. On the right is Brooklyn, NY and a glimpse of Cony Island. On the left is Staten Island, NY, separated from mainland New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and Kill van Kull rivers. The Dutch word for creek is “Kill”, remember the southern tip of Manhattan used to be called New Amsterdam. The Verrazano Bridge is 228 feet high, plenty of room for Makai’s 70 foot mast.
We also saw this beautiful tug and barge. The Zachary Reinauer has been pushing barges around New York since the 1970. Follow the link for a photo of her with the twin towers in the background.
The kids and I spent two days in NYC several years ago for just a little taste of what the place is all about. Since then we’ve been pointing out NYC points of interest in movies and books. I’m sure there and dozens and dozens but some of the ones we remember are Funny Girl, Hello Dolly, Madagascar, Enchanted, Stuart Little, Spiderman, and books like The Orphan of Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge, and The Man Who Walked Between the Towers.
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On this trip we’ll get a great view from the bay and up the East River with a plan to return in the van this fall.
The Staten Island Ferry was also busy this morning. Ferry service dates back to the 1700s and became a municipal service in 1905.
Lady Liberty stands there in the bay greeting everyone as they go about their day. She was a gift from France, designed by Auguste Bartholdi, in 1886 in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution.
Liberty Island and Ellis Island are still closed for repairs from Hurricane Sandy, but tourists can still get an up close look from the Statue Cruises. Both parks are due to open on July 4th, 2013. I Googled around and found some wild hurricane photos of the Statue of Liberty.
Ellis Island is right next door. Millions of immigrants passed through these doors between 1892 and 1954, my grandmother’s older brother, sister and mother came through here in those early years.
Today it’s just the Mears family on Makai, cozy, comfortable and free as Americans.
So much for history, it’s time to anchor and the rain’s timing was perfect.
Throughout the day we listened to the Coast Guard warning small boats to find a safe harbor from the heavy rain, lightning and high winds. We did what we usually do in this instance. Eric works, the kids do their homework, I do a little of everything, and we all eat too much junk food. Whatever happened to those fresh Caribbean fruits and long swims in warm clear water.
