Our position is: 41:05.652N 73:24.747W

After all the excitement of the 4 July we were up early to try and get the best of the tide down the Hudson , while still having favourable tide up the East River and through East River and the notorious Hell Gate. As my attempts to decipher the tide and current tables had not proved very effective up to this point it was with no confidence on my part that we started to leave the marina berth. The first difficulty that presented itself was that, in spite of having moved slips to ensure more depth, we seemed to be aground. Fortunately we were able to drive through the soft mud and slipped out into the river, where the current proved to be with us – so far, so good! Miraculously it still was in our favour as we turned into East River and sailed under Brooklyn Bridge. Shortly after this we were alerted by a radio message indicating the emergency services were searching for a man in the waters in front of us. We scanned the route ahead diligently but saw nothing and soon we were entering Hell Gate. The pilot threatened standing waves, sinkings and fearsome currents. Before long we were whizzing along at over 9 knots but without any of the more fearsome threatened aspects, but negotiating large ships coming in the other direction.

All too soon we were through and losing the tidal advantage. The wind proved very variable as we tried to motorsail towards our destination. Telephone conversations with the marinas were made more difficult by the engine noise, as we tried to establish where there was availability. As we entered the (buoyed) approach to the channel into South Norwalk we were slightly panicked by a radio message warning an unidentified sailing vessel in a very poorly identified position we couldn’t decipher, that they were heading for rocks. We stopped immediately and verified our pilotage before deciding it wasn’t aimed at us and proceeding cautiously along our original course. Before long we were tied up in the family run Rex Marine Marina, where nothing was too much trouble for the Gardellas, in their excellent facility. We were even able to use the photocopier and scrounge envelopes, while Ted made the most of the well stocked marine store. It was so good that we stayed a day longer than we originally intended and visited the town, enjoying lunch in an interesting cafe and buying special Toy Story and Finding Nemo stamps for postcards home.

Goodbye to Ground Zero                                                                                        Sunrise over the East River

A bit like Moorglade among the super yachts!                               Southport Museum ships

Safely under Brooklyn Bridge                                                                                and they weren't after us

Other things to watch out for in Hell Gate                                                                  not a standing wave!

but plenty of turbulent water                                                                                    as we cover the ground at 9.3kn while achieving 5kn through the water

Luckily these weren't rocks and we were in the right place                                            safely tied up at Rex Marine

Would suit Little Britain                                                                                       interesting lunch spot