40:50,32N 073:46.51W

May 18, Saturday and May 19 Sunday

Home again

Well there are no Dragons in the Gulfstream. Although the seas were quite choppy and the ride through the Stream was quite rocky the winds were strong but favorable and we sailed through the River in the Atlantic swiftly under shortened sails and emerged on the other side to find calm seas and and quiet airs. We spent Saturday chasing winds of 5-10 kt when lucky other times just motoring in waning swells under sunny skies.  The Sun took the day off on Sunday . The seas were calm the sky overcast and thickening fog covered the surface. The behemoths of the commercial traffic heading towards and coming from New York Harbor emerged from the fog like ghosts of giants from a bad dream. Thank goodness there is AIS; we were prepared to see them long before they emerged in front of us in real size; we knew a whole lot about them with their names attached to the little icons on that magical screen of the AIS, my reliable companion of all the dark nights and foggy days. We entered the harbor at 13:00 hour. The grand entry into New York Harbor under the Verrazano Bridge with the Statue of Liberty and the skyline of Downtown Manhattan as the backdrop was reduced to a gray scale abstract work of art served piecemeal under gray  skies with drizzle and rain. Going up the East River the Skipper managed to come close to UN Plaza and wave to Eva watching from her window, her version of the “Captain’s Walk” of times past in the Age of Sail. We docked at City Island around 16:00 hours.The “two old men” made it “Home” at last; the end of an adventure less ordinary. I am grateful for every moment, even the lonely, anxious, sleepless nights holding on for dear life and my meager dinner, getting tossed about in a 42 ft boat on the vast, dark ocean. Of course “the Main Halyard” is going to remain a secret between The Skipper and I...