After the unfortunate grounding just outside the C&D Canal we continued down the Delaware Bay passed Cape Cod all this by engine, but then we could set sail and had a rather nice sail most of the night. After lunchtime we arrived Sandy Hook roughly 20 nM south of Manhattan

Sandy Hook anchorage, they store rather large boats in racks. Would not call this a very nice anchorage but rather convenient as a stop to time the arrival to The Big Apple.

The next morning we pulled the hook and with great excitement we set course towards NY.

Before we got out on open water we could see the skyline of NY and  the 228 feet high Verrazano Bridge, we all put out our cameras and started to take photos, but as you can see it was a hazy day so no great day for photos.

A big smile on Kerstin’s face as we approach

Getting closer

The current is strong on the Hudson River.

All the famous landmarks

Maybe the most famous of all

The hook is down and we can see the Statue of Liberty, it is amazing to be able to anchor for free in such a place.

Where to anchor in New York?

We can recommend two places, first the anchorage just behind The Statue of Liberty, which give you access to the Liberty Park

Screens shoot from Garmin Blue chart. It is very well protected at the NW anchorage, the one the center of the picture I would not recommend, as very exposed with a lot of swell.

If you go to US I strongly recommend that you down load Garmin Blue chart and the App Active Captain, it give you very valuable information about danger ( but you need to read and remember), anchorage and marinas. For the Liberty State Park anchorage one can read that the Park ranger do not like you to take the dingy to the dock, actually they lock your dingy or take something from it. The reason is probably due to that some use the anchorage permanent since several years, and that might not be the meaning. The permanent have solved the issue by taking their things ashore in the dingy, then back again and then they swim back to shore. Well we did not that, we took the dingy to the backside of the jetty and climbed the fence to enter the jetty, and during the two full days we left the dingy there we had no problems.

The next problem is how to get to Manhattan, the best way is to walk to the ferry terminal which you can see at the top right hand corner in the picture above. It takes at least half an hour, the ferries goes regularly and cost 7$ one way, it gets you to southern part of Manhattan not far from Battery Park.

Kerstin need a break after the long walk towards the ferry on Liberty State Park

The ferry to and from Manhattan

But do not exclude to explore the Hoboken side of NY, rather nice there too

A nice Hoboken Park for the more fortunate citizen guesses very expensive to have a flat close to the waterfront facing Manhattan

Guess this jetty was destroyed during the hurricane Sandy a few years ago

One day we took the dingy across, but I can’t recommend that at all, it’s a lot of traffic, strong current and very crab sea. Very few places to more the dingy, we found one at Pier 25 and it cost 45$ to have the dingy on a buoy, including transport to and from the dingy. But you have to be back before 20:00 as not allowed to stay overnight.

Port Washington is another alternative, but I suggest you do as us and try them both.

Port Washington is reached by taking East River passing Manhattan on the east side, but west of Roosevelt Island, it is around 20 nM. Make sure to time the current, it runs at some places at over 3 knots, it’s a big difference if it with you or against.

In Port Washington you can anchor, it’s a large anchorage, or pick up a buoy the two first nights are free, thereafter 25$/day including transfer to the dingy dock if your do not take your own dingy.

There are two good dingy docks, one very close to Stop & Shop so easy to provision, the other by the village, and from there it is about 15 minutes’ walk to the train station. The train take you to Penn station just besides Madison Square Garden, very central cost 17.5$ of peak and the ride takes about 45 minutes.

If you go the Port Washington, you must try the ice cream, from the dingy dock at the town walk south about 3-400 meters, one of the best ice cream ever, not too sweet and very tasty.

Port Washington, walk in the direction of the Pictures to the houses in the background and you get the best ice-cream

Me enjoying the ice-cream

Manhattan

Manhattan was/is fantastic, almost as one can see on TV series and on Movies, people were jogging, there were street performances, and of course a hell of a lot of people and traffic.

We really liked Central Park

 Where there is a strong contrast between the park and the high buildings, fascinating

Many people seams to enjoy the park, either by playing ball, barbecuing, or just relaxing together with good friends or family, we saw the same thing in the Liberty Park.

A lot of street performance of various sorts and caliber, unfortunately I can’t post videos but close to this place it was a lady singing opera and she was a good opera singer very nice indeed.

Another very nice thing on Manhattan was this café like places, but there was no café, just tables and chairs you could bring your own thing to eat and drink, or just stay and enjoy the day

Did not expect to see a street market on central Manhattan.

A mixture of old and new.

It was very hot and humid when we were there, almost unbearable, I wonder how this Policeman survived the day guarding outside The Trump Tower.

We thought we needed to help President Trump to make AMERICA Great again, so our support was to have a burger in The Trump Burger restaurant

Must say good value for money, they tasted good and the price was very reasonably for a Manhattan restaurant.

Unfortunately can’t say the same about the experience we had at the, at least in Sweden very famous Coffee chain FIKA. The environment was not very exiting at all, the coffee did not taste especially good and the selection of pastry was not very exiting either. Not worth a detour or the money.

Of course we need to see most the iconic landmarks on Manhattan

The new WTC

Just besides the very appealing and sober (maybe not the right words but I think you get the feeling) memorial from 9/11.

Empire State Building

Kristoffer in front of the UN Building

Cruising on East river the scenery was a little bit different

A bit north of Manhattan we saw this strange “ship” had to Google it and it’s a prison, difficult to dig one self out from that.

 

All in all a very nice experience to have sailed up to New York, but to many people for us, so on the way down I think we skip NY.