08 – 09 July:  Hudson River, New York – 40 41N 74 03W

New York Harbour Tour

Only two weeks after leaving St Augustine and here we were in New York Harbour.  We spent one night down at the peaceful anchorage at Atlantic Highlands in New Jersey and took the opportunity to stock up on fresh provisions so we could concentrate on sightseeing while in the Big Apple.

We experienced our first taste of unsolicited American hospitality while packing all our groceries into our daypacks and carry bags – ready for the long walk back to the harbour.  A local lady asked if we were on a boat and offered us a ride back to the port, what a gem she was.  We have heard from cruiser friends that have been this way in previous years just how hospitable the east coast Americans are, we can now confirm it!
 

Sighting the Statue of Liberty

We left Atlantic Highlands early to take advantage of the favourable current to head north across the bay.  Conditions were perfect for our morning sightseeing tour of the New York City harbour - past Coney Island on our right with the Brooklyn skyline peeping out of the haze behind it, Staten Island on our left with a parade of yellow ferries marching to and from the harbour, through the Verrazano Narrows where we dodged shipping that looked way too big to be in the Upper Harbour and then, the moment we had been waiting for, into sight came the Statue of Liberty, standing proud and bold, gleaming in the morning sun; quite a sight to behold from your own yacht.  

We did a few twirls round for photos, lucky to be in company with Bandit so we could photograph each other!  But it is a busy spot, the tour boats had already despatched sightseers ashore, yacht racing had commenced out of a nearby sailing club, ferries were tearing past in all directions and at all speeds; it certainly set the scene for New York – a busy, happening place, where the pace is full steam ahead !



Moseying Past Manhattan

We crossed over the Hudson River and motored up the western shore of Manhattan Island.  Neither of us have visited New York since 9/11, the skyline looked so different without the dominant Twin Towers overshadowing everything else.
 
Time to Hit the Streets

We arrived at the designated anchoring zone north of the 79th Street Boat Basin, dropped the hook, put on our “glad rags” and hit the ground running!!  A walk across the West Side saw us cross Broadway and eventually pop out at Central Park.  Time for a picnic lunch with the inquisitive squirrels in The Rambles (which should really be called The Maze), then it was on to the world famous Metropolitan Museum of Art. 
Two words spring to mind to describe this museum - totally overwhelming!  We had both visited before, and we couldn’t begin to count how many museums and art gallery collections we have admired over the years, but it seems there is nothing you could find elsewhere in the world that isn’t also on display here. It is simply outstanding, but the entrance fee should be for a week, it could easily take that long to do it justice.  We scanned as much as we could, stopped for highlights but with skippers attention span narrowing by the minute, three hours and we were done!  

Time to Collapse    

Late afternoon storm clouds were forming, thunder was rumbling, the wind was gusting and the tide was about to turn making the dinghy ride home against the current almost impossible.  Time to call it a day and head back to Balvenie.  It had certainly been an action packed day.  Happy hour drinks were poured and we sat back and watched the sights and sounds of the New York City skyline change as day turned to night.