Today we motored through the East River and on to Manhattan - an extraordinary day. As we approached, we passed a prison ship that provoked two thoughts. The first its similarity to some of the cruise ships we have seen, the second that it has a fine view of The Freedom Tower!

We had timed our trip carefully as there is a fierce current through the river and it would have been too difficult  to motor against. The narrowest section is called Hell Gate and can have currents of up to 7 knots.  The result was a fast trip through and a large standing wave where the two bodies of water met, a bit like being in a washing machine for a couple of minutes.

We also went under Brooklyn Bridge, with its towers made of Vinalhaven granite!

Once out in New York harbour we motored up the Hudson River to look at the view – a skyline that never ceases to amaze.  This is also the first time we have seen The Freedom Tower. Built at the site of The Twin Towers it is 1776 feet high, not the highest building in New York even but with Independence in mind. It is much more attractive and impressive than the photographs I had seen before and has a gravitas about it that perhaps stems from the dreadful reason for its existence.

We then stopped for lunch near The Statue of Liberty. One of those things that you can’t quite believe you are doing even whilst doing it!  Then off to find a marina in Brooklyn where we dropped off Oscar. He just came for the weekend on his way from Davis, California to Seattle, Washington State - just a small detour! It was really lovely to spend the time with him and hopefully he will return. You are welcome anytime, just invite yourself!

We decided to go back to where we had lunch, to watch the sun go down and the lights appear in Manhattan. It was about 22.00 when we left, heading south for Delaware Bay. Interestingly, the last light you can see in New York is on the top of The Freedom Tower, from about 30 miles away.