One More Time Around: NYC June ’99

Crown Vic towing a 15'11" cuddy cabin "QT"

For me, the prospect of driving in Manhattan falls somewhere between unappealing and terrifying. But the Hudson River and Long Island Sound had screamed “Bring the boat” on all previous business trips to NY. My wife and 18 year old daughter would be available during the next scheduled business trip. They were excited about doing some boating in the area. With the help of a boating friend, Mark, who works in NY and lives in NJ we came up with a plan to not only combine business with pleasure but also to minimize the pain of having a car (with trailer) in NY City.

The boat was packed, tires and bearings checked and all trailer lights operative in time for the scheduled 5/25 7am departure. We drove an uneventful 587 miles before checking in to the Newark Delaware Best Western. The next day (Wed 5/26), after a total of 700+ miles and failure of one trailer tire we arrived at the Weehawken NJ Sheraton Suites Hotel at about 2pm. We checked in, did a little exploring by foot, got a delicious sandwich at a nearby food court and generally unwound from the road miles until Mark showed up about 5pm.

With Mark taking us on a quick tour through his home town of Hoboken, the four of us made our way the 5 or so miles to Liberty Landing State Park to launch the boat. The girls then took the car/trailer back to the Sheraton parking lot, and Mark and I boated our way around the Statue of Liberty and back up to the Lincoln Harbor Marina where he keeps his Sea Ray 250. Before tying up in a slip that he had arranged for me to use during the stay, we swung by the NY waterfront to get a look at the ships that were part of the Fleet Week festivities. We secured QT in the Lincoln Harbor slip and I walked the ¼ mile to the hotel to prepare for the business meeting the next day, my appetite thoroughly whetted for some NY boating.

Getting to Manhattan from the hotel is a joy to behold. Stop by the front desk and purchase a ferry ticket. Walk out the front door of the hotel and get directly on the ferry, in 5 minutes later you’re across the Hudson in Manhattan boarding the ferry bus which will drop you off within a short walk of just about anyplace in Manhattan. Ferries, Marinas and restaurants within a quarter mile of the hotel. It doesn’t get any better. Not having to use a car for the daily routine is to me one of life’s greatest pleasures. Two other notable carless experiences immediately come to mind. One was a week at Disney World when we stayed on the grounds …took the Disney transportation everywhere… never fired up the car once. The other was when we rented a house on the beach at Bald Head Island. There are no cars on Bald Head, you leave them at the ferry terminal at Southport. On Bald Head, everyone gets about in golf carts. The house we rented was so far out on the beach that the high tide actually came up under the house.

Thursday, with a successful business meeting behind me, the family explored Manhattan by foot (and Black Rolls). Thursday evening the girls were a little pooped from exploring the city. I too rested for a spell, but soon the call of the boat less than ¼ mile away was too loud to ignore. It was dark as I untied her, and slowly made my way out of the marina. Manhattan was a fairyland of lights, sky scrapers and moving vehicles. As I rounded the turn to head south down the Hudson, the Statue of Liberty came into view with a fireworks display overhead. What an overwhelming sight – I thought I was dreaming.

Reality quickly slapped me in the face as I realized that all those lights were not landside. The river was bristling with red, green, white and amber nav lights. One could not just meander down the Hudson gawking at the sights; careful, diligent attention was necessary to keep out of the way of yachts, barges, ferries, cruiseliners, dinner/sightseeing, and military boats. I carefully made my way around the southern end of Manhattan and up the East River. I spent about ½ hour drifting while I took in the activities at the Seaport, then made it up to the Williamsburg Bridge before deciding I’d get into trouble with my girls if I spent too much more time on the water that night. On the return I did pause at the Statue of Liberty, marveling at her majestic presence in the harbor, then hugged the Manhattan shore, trying to stay out of traffic while taking in the brilliance of nightime Manhattan.

The next morning, after a leisurely ‘free’ breakfast at the hotel, we loaded up QT in preparation for a day on the Hudson. The plan was to make our way to West Point, then decide what to do from there. The morning was crisp and clear. We pretty much had the river to ourselves as we headed north. We asked the Honda to push us at a comfortable, quiet 8 mph. This pace gave us an opportunity leisurely absorb the sights along both shores. As we came to the Spyten Duyvil RR Bridge at the north end of Manhattan, we noticed a boat waiting for an opening. This got us to thinking about a circumnavigation of Manhattan rather than heading further up the Hudson. We throttled her back and waited for the bridge.

The back side of Manhattan down to Hells Gate was not particularly memorable. Neither was Hells Gate for that matter. In 1972, when we made the trip aboard a 27’ sloop with a 10 HP diesel giving us a max speed of 6mph we were much more interested in tides/currents, bridge clearances, water depths and the threats of commercial traffic than we are today. Our current boat is a 15’11” cuddy we call “QT”. She sports a Honda 50 outboard, is capable of over 25 mph, needs only 6’ of vertical clearance and is quite content in only 20” of water. The critical boating concerns of today are basically limited to weather, and then only when we’re planning open water adventures. Even the worst of weather is quite manageable up a small creek in 2 1/2 feet of water, either tied to a tree on the bank or swinging from our 8S Danforth. For me, never worrying about bridge clearances, current, shallow water, or having the right charts, combined with the ability to tow the boat to the cruising area as well as being able to do all maintenance in my back yard, far outweigh any sacrifices in comfort associated with the diminutive size of QT.

The are interesting sights coming down the East River, but it wasn’t until we approached the South Street Seaport area that we slowed and diverted closer to take in the happenings ashore. Watch out for the gigantic fast moving Staten Island ferry as you round the Battery, gawk at the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in the distance and marvel at the Statue of Liberty as you bear northish into the Hudson. It’s then decision time, whether to head over to Liberty and Ellis Islands and poke around in the protected marina at Liberty State Park, or continue up the Hudson favoring the bustling Manhattan shore. We did both.

We had the boat secured in the slip at Lincoln Harbor and were beginning the short walk to the Hotel when we spotted Mark heading our way. He was on his way to gas up before the scheduled jaunt to Port Washington Saturday am. My girls and I parted company as I accompanied Mark back into the marina. Lincoln Harbor only has diesel, so it was necessary to take the boat(s) about ½ mile north to the next marina. We did his boat first, then mine, taking detours across the river for yet another look at the attractions and ships of Fleet Week.

Saturday morning both the Sea Ray 250 and the Arima 1511 set out for Port Washington on Long Island. I put my girls aboard the Sea Ray, hoping my Honda 50 and lightly loaded boat would be able to keep up with all the Sea Ray’s horses. We covered the 30+ miles in about 2 hours. The choppy waters around Hells Gate kept me off a plane for much of the way between the Queensboro and Bronx Whitestone bridges…the Sea Ray could easily have made better time but stayed close. We were brought to a crawl at the No Wake signs guarding Port Washington Harbor. We finally arrived at the marina together and immediately topped off the tanks. The Sea Ray took a little under 40 gallons, my boat took a couple tenths over 4 gallons.

A friend who lives in Port Washington met us at the marina. He took us on a tour of the surrounding area by car, and then we settled in at his place for a pleasant picnic with his family. Early in the afternoon he and his wife returned us to the harbor and I took them for a brief test drive on my little boat. We then all said good-by at the dock . Mark steered the Sea Ray back to Lincoln Harbor, our friends headed back home and my wife, daughter and I plotted a NE course up Long Island Sound to use up what little daylight remained.

The Sound was busy, but there is plenty of room for everyone. At least we thought there was plenty of room for everyone until we put into Larchmont to drop the hook for the night. As soon as we entered the basic confines of the harbor, there were moorings as thick as crab traps on the Chesapeake. We courteously snaked our way back into the harbor expecting to find a break in the moorings up in shallower water. We found no such opportunity to drop the hook. Even areas with 3 or 4 feet of water at low tide were packed with floating bouys. We decided to see if the next harbor, Mamaroneck was as populated.

Once in Mamaroneck Harbor, we found a small area devoid of moorings just south of where the main channel splits. We lowered the 8S Danforth in 5 feet of water. NOAA said it would be cool and calm that night, so we didn’t really test the holding – getting blown up into the mud was the least of my worries and if we ended up drifting through the anchorage, I’d just wrap a line around someone’s stern cleat. I’ve completely overcome my fear of dragging in my little 15’11” boat.

It didn’t seem necessary, but we deployed the bug tent anyway. The bug tent is a fine mesh screen that attached via velcro to the gunnels, stern and windshield to provide a complete stand up enclosure for the cockpit. It’s a necessity for maintaining sanity while anchored on the ICW during no-see-um season. I’ve learned to get the bug tent up early, well before dusk, as putting it up later traps the evening bugs inside. The tent cuts the circulation to less than 50%, but I can live with the heat if it means no bugs. Heat wasn’t an issue at Mamaroneck, in fact, the chill that night made the sleeping bag ‘down’right cozy.

QT's 'Camper back' and old unreliable Yamaha

Sleeping 3 on a 15’11” boat needs to be closely coordinated. Two sleep in the cuddy, the 3^rd crew member sleeps athwartship in the cockpit. The porta potty’s home is under the berth in the cuddy. To keep from having everyone disturbed when nature calls in the middle of the night, the potty is relocated to the cockpit. Any gear occupying the sleeping area in the cockpit is moved, then the inflatable mattress is blown up, after which the sleeping bag is made ready. After these arrangements are complete, the berth in the cuddy is made up. I’m usually horizontal on the cockpit sole in or on my sleeping bag shortly thereafter, asleep within minutes. The girls might opt to read a spell before turning in, either sitting at the helm or passenger seats, or snuggled in the cuddy. No one could claim the helm seat at night during this expedition though, because we had brought along my wife’s Black Rolls (wheelchair), and the helm area was the only place that we could squeeze the wheelchair to allow room for me to occupy my required 6’ of sleeping space. In the morning, the air has to be removed from the mattress and the sleeping bag must be stowed in order for there to be maneuvering room in the cockpit to prepare breakfast.

On your boat or mine, I’m up to watch the sunrise. If humanly possible, I’ll have a cup of coffee in my hand. I don’t mind standing or tinkering as the sun emerges, but I’ve also been known to relax in even a dew covered seat to witness the spectacle. As soon as the sun clears the horizon I’m ready to up-anchor. This sunrise watching may seem like a pretty ambitious feat, but it ties in rather closely with my ‘explorer’ mode that comes into play around 1pm. Not long after lunch, I like to explore. Some folks like to look for the ideal place to build a house or start a business or take a family vacation or to go fishing. When I’m on the boat, at about 1pm, I begin to explore for a good place to take a nap. Between 1 and 4 or so pm, I may try naps in several different places. I can’t remember the last time I found a bad place. If there is other crew aboard, I will encourage someone else to take the helm while I go below for a nap...I boat alone quite often and a nap under way is a great pleasure.

My girls may not make sunrise, but the shuffling in the cockpit usually has them working their way into the daylight shortly thereafter. We put together some milk and cereal in a styrofoam cup, shared some pop tarts, passed around a glass of juice, tidied up ourselves and the boat and it was time to get the anchor aboard.

The morning on the Sound was ideal…it was crisp, clear and flat. It took us about 4 ½ hours to leisurely make the 70 some miles to Clinton. It was a most enjoyable way to turn a morning into an afternoon. The harbor at Clinton was busy, but pleasant. We had lunch at a marina restaurant and explored the waterfront businesses before venturing back out into the Sound. Mystic was a tantalizing distance, but we decided we could tow the boat up that way and launch instead of making the trip by water. This would allow us a more leisurely return pace to the marina.

After the pleasant visit to Clinton we headed back down Long Island Sound, settling in at Zieglers Cove for the night. By 6:30 pm we were comfortably anchored amidst the many moored boats in the cove. We were beginning to be a little more comfortable being part of the moored fleets that apparently inhabit every nook and cranny of protected water on the Sound, but got a little homesick for the unmatched solitude found in the anchorages along the North and South Carolina ICW.

About sundown several of the boats slipped their lines and headed back into the Sound, probably heading home. Just when we were grateful for things thinning out, a big stink came in and picked up the mooring next to us. He immediately lit up the genset. I thought I was going to have to take my can of spray paint and graffiti his stern with, “I ran my genset all night”, but evidently after cooking dinner and watching his evening TV he realized it would be cool enough that he wouldn’t have to keep his A/C on all night. He shut down the genset about 10 pm.

We did the evening turn-in drill and slept soundly, getting underway again shortly after sunrise. The Sound was again friendly and inviting. As we headed back to Lincoln Harbor, plans for the rest of the cruise were considered. There was the Hudson and West Point as well as Mystic by car and an Arima boat dealer I would like to have visited, but about this time, my teenage daughter’s thoughts were of all the things she was missing at home and my wife was ready for at least one night ashore. We decided to postpone any decisions until we were back at the marina in Weehawken.

As we approached Manhattan we were brought out of our lazy cruising world by maneuvers necessary to keep out of the way of commercial and pleasure boat traffic. The closer we got to Manhattan, the browner the air became. The water traffic around Manhattan was overwhelming. We still had a couple of vacation days left, but we unanimously decided to put QT back on her trailer and head home. This wasn’t a big sacrifice for me as I had a buddy, Sadler, back home who needed help getting his 29’ Sea Ray back in the water at Charleston SC. In agreeing to head home early I could easily negotiate spending the upcoming weekend in Charleston, and I’d have a couple days vacation to burn later.

The entire NY experience was an overwhelming success. It was fortunate we didn’t experience the ‘brown side’ of New York until late in our visit, and maybe the boat traffic was no worse when we left than when we arrived. We will get back up there one day to fulfill our promise to do the Hudson…hopefully all the way to Lake Champlain.

Total miles = 1,776

Boat miles = 224

Boat fuel = 44.6

Engine Hours = 24.8