What a difference a day makes! We agreed with our travel buddies on the Nordic Tug that today would be another early start. The forecast was favorable and we both decided that anything we could do to get out of the New Jersey ICW ASAP would be a plus. We lifted our anchors at 0600 hrs and made our way down the Forked River to the ICW. We snaked our way the last twenty five miles in this miserable portion of the waterway touching bottom twice in the poorly maintained channel before arriving at the Manasquan Inlet, our outlet to the Atlantic Ocean. From here it is twenty miles to the southern end of New York City. Most of the course is in the Atlantic Ocean.
The forecast was for better conditions than we had yesterday and this time the forecast held true. We had a NW wind and a following rolling sea that provided us with a tolerable ride and we made good time 'till we were abeam Sandy Hook where we picked our way through a fleet of fishing boats before entering New York Harbor. Conditions changed slightly for the worse for a short time then it turned out to be a beautiful day. The tide was very much against which gave us more time to enjoy the experience of traversing the harbor. The commercial traffic made staying clear of the shipping channels essential but the passage was a memorable experience. We passed through the Buttermilk Channel which is between Brooklyn and Governor's Island. This gave us a different view of lower Manhatten which is always a beautiful sight. We picked up a tide change as we made our way through Hell's Gate which helped a great deal time wise. No matter how many times we have made the passage around Manhatten it is always an interesting experience.
Both boats are now anchored in Manhasset Harbor where the weather is picture perfect. Yet another beautiful sunset! Tomorrow morning we will part company with our traveling buddies. The Nordic Tug crew is headed for Clinton, CT and, if all goes well, we will be in Milford in the afternoon. It seem hard to believe that our journey from Padre Island, Texas is coming to an end. It certainly has been an adventure!
Y'all stay vertical,
Capt John and Admiral Sue (Yes, she earned the promotion!)
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