Goliath got a nice walk that morning as we waited for favorable tides and currents to make our passage of Hell Gate and the East River. Riverside Park has become a favorite with its promenade with views of the Hudson. Here you can see Kukulcan and Blue Guitar.

Shortly before 1400 we set out for the Battery. The views along the Hudson and the west end of the East River are extraordinary. The city views, South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridges, and the controversial Waterfalls and later the UN and Roosevelt Island reveal themselves as you sail along.

The trip to Long Island Sound was uneventful thanks to careful timing through Hell Gate. We exited the East River and headed to the Harlem Yacht Club at City Island for the night. We had a wonderful meal at the club with the Coxes and then retired for the evening.

Next stop, Port Jefferson on the north shore of Long Island. We admired the estates that dotted the shoreline and by mid afternoon we were dropping the anchor inside the harbor at Port Jefferson.

Goliath got a short run on the beach and then we grilled pork tenderloins for dinner aboard the Marylee with the Coxes. Tomorrow we would go to Mystic while they went to New London. We’ve had a great time sailing with them and hopefully we will see them again in the fall.

Early the next morning we were off again in windless conditions. A long days sail across the sound brought us to our destination, Mystic, Connecticut. As we navigated our way through the meandering channel and thousands of moored boats we encountered a dinghy heading directly for us in the channel. At about the moment when I felt like cursing at this crazy woman I realized it was Lisa! She had come out to guide us to our mooring. We felt like we were home again. It had been over three months since we parted company.

At dawn the rain was still falling. This was supposed to end after midnight. Well I guess it IS after midnight, I thought. When will it end?

Our planned departure was to be 0800. The rain wasn’t too bad so we readied for departure. Bill and Patti on Kukulcan were also getting ready to go. Just as it was time to weigh anchor the rain abated. How nice! Kukulcan was up and waiting. I have been experimenting with a tandem anchor setup and my Bruce anchor which is the lead in this setup was fouled on a 3/8″ steel cable firmly affixed to something. I wrestled with the trip line and managed to get the anchor within reach. The cable slipped off and we were ready to go.

We would have the flood current for awhile and then ride the ebb all the way to NYC. We slid under the Newburgh Beacon bridge and headed south in windless conditions. Mist and fog drifted through the valleys and concealed the peaks along the way.

With the George Washington Bridge off in the distance the skies started to clear and seven hours after departing Chelsea we were back on a mooring at 79th Street. Blue Guitar was once again anchored not too far away.

First order of business was a nice meal at the Boat Basin Cafe and then on to the Apple Store to pick up our computer. Bill joined me for the subway ride downtown and the walk over to 5th Ave. We waited in anticipation for the computer and were finally rewarded only to be told “it started up for the tech guys and they couldn’t find anything wrong with it!” They did nothing to it while it sat there. Of course the next morning it would not turn on again! GRRRRRRRRRR…

We decided to stay an extra day and take in the Museum of Natural History. We had a great time although we only were able to see a fraction of what is offered.

That evening the Half Moon, replica of Henry Hudson’s famous ship motored past us on it’s way up the Hudson.

Tomorrow we head for Long Island Sound.

Deciding that we could wait no longer, Mary and I decided to drop the mooring at 79th Street and head back down the Hudson to take a slip at Newport Marina and Yacht Club to join Pete and some of the other Oday group the day before the flotilla would start up the Hudson. When we got there we were greeted by Pete English (Fan go foill), O27. Pete Dodenhoff (Emmy Lou), O322 would be down shortly. He and Janice showed up in a bit to load their boat for the trip. Scott and Diane (On Eagles Wings) O23 soon joined the group with their two sons.

Newport is pretty rough with a lot of wakes from all the ferry traffic. We actually broke a 5/8″ three strand dock line while tied up. After a delicious dinner at the Confucius Restaurant we went back to the boat just in time for a storm to blow through. It was quite a sight to see the lights of Manhattan coming on with the backdrop of dark clouds receding.

Overnight, Roy and his daughter Katie showed up (Wise Eyes)O23 Poptop as well as Rick and Eric on Apple Oday, O26. Bill and Patti Coxe arrived mid morning aboard Kukulcan, their O40. We were all set and by mid day we were off. Jilda and Peter joined us north of the 79th Street mooring field with their O37, Yeraz (Armenian for “The Dream”).

The flotilla of eight boats worked it’s way up the Hudson and past the George Washington bridge. We were all close hauled with the smaller boats under full sail and the bigger boats under head sail. Several gusts over 20 knots provided for some exciting moments.

The goal for the day was to call it a day at the Tappan Zee Bridge. The smaller boats headed to Tarrytown for a slip while the three bigger boats went to Haverstraw Bay and anchored near Croton Point. I had wanted to check out dinghy access to the shore so I launched the dink and headed out only to have the outboard once again decide to quit. Having only one oar (no jokes, please) Bill came to my rescue and towed me back to the boat. The outboard soon restarted but I didn’t want to risk another outing.

Sunset at Croton Point

We weighed anchor and circled in the bay while we waited for the rest of the fleet to join us. By midmorning we were advised that they would be there shortly and soon the flotilla was reformed. This is some of the prettiest sections of the Hudson with lots of history. After the Bear Mountain Bridge the hills begin to loom overhead. West Point comes into view and then you steer through World’s End and on up to the Bannerman Castle. Very cool.

We all gathered at the Newburgh Beacon Bridge for a coordinated arrival at Chelsea. As we waited for the last two boats it became a fine time for a swim. It had been a hot windless trip a dip in the very warm waters was quite refreshing. It was quite a sight to see all those Odays bobbing around together. Shortly, we arrived to quite a fanfare as the launch greeted us with Dee, Mike, Dennis, Arlene and others issuing a warm Chelsea Yacht Club welcome.

After making sure our anchor was well set, we ventured ashore. We socialized under the trees till way past dark. Reacquainting ourselves with folks we had not seen since the 2004 get together as well as meeting newcomers. Tomorrow would be the big dinner and the inevitable entertainment.

We managed to get ourselves out of bed and to shore sometime after noon. The socializing continued and we got to know some of the new faces.

The infamous Dennis G from Chelsea, Arlene and Moonstruck, O23.

Mike Colluci provided us with a great meal that evening along with lots of prizes and entertainment. The ultimate entertainment was later that evening as we sat under the stars and listened and sang along with Pete Dodenhoff, Mike Colucci and Bill Coxe. It was so much fun and it was also a sad moment as we realized that it all was to end soon.

The fleet was up early and we saw them off. We planned to stay another day and the Coxes joined us. The six boats motored off into a stiff headwind and we would later find out that they called it quits early. Bill and I got a special treat as we joined the Sunday regatta as crew on two different boats. We had a great time.

I cannot describe accurately what a good time Mary and I had. The hospitality was overwhelming. We consider the Oday group as family. Our deepest gratitude to Mike Colluci, Pete Dodenhoff and Dennis G. and Arlene. We extend an open invitation to any of you who would like to join us along the way. For those of you who missed it, shame on you. You will have another opportunity next year to make amends.

All pictures from the weekend will be posted in the gallery. Click here to view.

The Mac has been having some startup problems since last August and believe it or not, the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in NY is the closest we get to one in our travels. We decided it was time to get it fixed. It was dropped off at the Genius Bar the day before we went up the Hudson to the rOnDAYvous in Chelsea. I picked it up Monday and they said they couldn’t find anything wrong with it! GRRRRR….

I’ll post soon about the rOnDAYvous and the remainder of our stay in NY. We leave in several hours for a trip up the East River and on to Long Island Sound.

After a harrowing subway ride home last night we noticed Eric Clapton’s Blue Guitar had left the anchor and was replaced by the megayacht Klosters a 154′ sailing yacht designed and built by Perini Navi. It even has a matching motor launch! Very cool.

Billed as the “world’s largest fireworks display”, Mary and I left the boat with great expectations for what is our favorite pastime, watching fireworks. The #1 train took us all the way to the South Ferry stop at the Battery. After disembarking we headed down Water Street toward South Street Seaport. There was a street festival going on and we enjoyed the aroma of the many different ethic foods offered. We chose “soul food”. Very tasty spiced fried shrimp and mac and cheese. Yum! We stopped at the Pacific Grill for a pitcher of sangria and a few more morsels.

The crowd was gathering so we searched for a spot to sit. With four hours to go before show time we got a spot under the balcony but fairly close to the railing. Those in front of us had already been there for six hours!!! We had a great view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Waterfalls on the East River by artist Olafur Eliasson. As “art” I wasn’t impressed but they are better than nothing.

We were to find out that it really doesn’t make any difference when you get there, in New York you push past others and take up your own spot despite that you are now blocking everyone else’s view.

This is Miss Center of the Universe and her eunuch Fubu. She barged in front of several groups, including us, and defied anyone to try to make her move. The universe revolved around her and heaven forbid if Fubu raised a voice in her defense or to ask her to be rational. It became quite interesting. There is a final justice though. It started to rain and they were now standing under the downspout draining dirty water from the decks above. She still wouldn’t move but she was wet and dirty which I’m sure was not pleasant for a woman of her stature in the scheme of things.

All in all, Mary and I would like to say that it was indeed a great show, but we can’t. It was mediocre at best. Thirty minutes long is not a great show. It may be the largest but only because they shot off four different barges with the same show on them. We waited for four hours to watch thirty minutes of mediocre fireworks. Never again. Milwaukee, Wisconsin still rates as number 1! There are no pictures of fireworks to post because we ended up behind a post and well, they just weren’t that impressive!

We had real problems sticking the hook at Atlantic Highlands. We dragged slightly the day after arriving and relocated to a more open area. It felt like it was set well but at 2:30 am on Monday morning we dragged several hundred yards during another severe thunderstorm with plenty of lightning and wind gusts up around the 40 knot range. Enough of this, so we got fuel, pumped out and filled with water and headed for a mooring at 79th Street Boat Basin. This was to be a day of one irritation after another. While fueling I managed to spray the cockpit with a little diesel fuel. Nice!!!

After a long haul up the Hudson, passing under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and then past Lady Liberty and Ellis Island we made it 79th Street and picked up a ball. As we picked up the ball I noticed that the thru hull for the automatic bilge pump was spewing a steading stream of water. This may sound gross but I tasted the water to see if it was fresh or salt. Fresh is a problem, salt is a serious problem. It was fresh. Mary went below as the last of our 100 gallons of fresh water was pumped overboard. Another fitting had blown off and all our water was pumped to the bilge. While below Mary saw a wet spot on one of the settee cushions. Goliath not only had failed to warn us of another problem but had created one also.

We’ve been having troubles with the dinghy’s outboard and after launching the dink to go ashore we weren’t surprised when it wouldn’t start. There was water in the fuel so I changed tanks but still no start. I decided I’d wait a until the next day to tackle this problem. Enough, already, I went to bed.

The next day after a good rest, I tackled the outboard. I took everything apart, inspected and cleaned and reassembled. I removed the float bowl from the carb and noticed a pin laying in the bottom. It’s not supposed to be there.

It’s supposed to hold the needle valve to the arm of the float. The needle valve was stuck so I removed it, cleaned everything, installed the pin where it’s supposed to go and put everything back together. The engine starts fine now but still doesn’t run well under load. We’re close enough to the docks to go ashore but it can get harrowing when it isn’t slack tide.

This place is crazy but where else can you stay in NY for $30! There is a tidal range of almost 6′ and currents can run upwards of 2 1/2 mph or more. When the wind is blowing hard against the current it can get very unpleasant as the waves get real choppy and the boat sails around on the mooring bouncing you all over. It can be real uncomfortable especially when combined with the wakes from passing barges and ferries. Doing it a dinghy with a half hearted outboard is insane.

If he rain holds off we plan on heading to the Battery and South Street Seaport to watch the big Macy’s fireworks display tonight.

I have forgotten little things that should have been in other posts but I had forgotten to mention them.

The trip from Titusville to Daytona takes you through the Haulover Canal. Perhaps the highest concentration of manatees, on our route, live there. I saw at least a half dozen in the canal and maybe four more further up Mosquito Lagoon. Also there is an island that is always full of exotic birds, this time there where flamingos, roseate spoonbills, scarlet ibis and white pelicans.

While walking to West Marine, Tom and I saw one whopping crane fly over and two more whopping cranes near the roadway in a park. Turns out there is a pretty good population of these cranes in the area.

While at Calvert Marina in Solomons several weeks ago we fell asleep to the sounds of ZZ Top drifting over the water. They were performing at Calvert Marine Musuem across the river.

Just the other night while anchored in Atlantic City we listened to a band that sounded an awfully lot like The Who, doing their music.

And last but not least, our neighbor, anchored not to far away is none other than Eric Clapton’s boat “Blue Guitar”. Pretty cool stuff happening here.

As we rounded Sandy Hook, New Jersey I had to say it, “Well it looks like we dodged the last of them, we were pretty lucky but it looks like we should make it just fine”. Within 10 minutes the wind was blowing 30 knots and we were being pelted by a torrential downpour.

We had made the run up the Atlantic coast from Cape May to Atlantic Highlands with an overnight stop in Atlantic City. Overall about 150 statute miles with almost a hundred the last day. The trip from Cape May to Atlantic City was uneventful. Sea swells were running on average 2 to 4 feet with occasional swells of twice that. Apparent wind was negligible so we motored the whole way. We arrived in time to eat dinner and go to bed early. The next day was to be a long one. Marine warnings would be issued that evening due to incoming weather and those warnings may not be lifted for several days. We wanted to be ahead of the weather.

Up at dawn (5:30ish) we readied for the day ahead. The anchor chain had decided to become a mussel farm. Cleaning it off as we weighed anchor took forever. It was covered in little mussels, 1000’s of them. The ride out Absecon Inlet was exciting. The swells were from the southeast and the tide was ebbing and since the current in this inlet is swift, the waves were steep and large. Had we done the right thing? After reaching deeper water out a mile or so the waves lessened and we continued on. The fog thickened as we headed out four to five miles offshore to keep us out of fish traps and floats and inside of any ship traffic. Visibility was soon a half mile or less, sometimes much less. Our radar became our eyes.

Around 11:00 the fog finally lifted as the wind increased to 20 knots, 10 apparent. Unfurling the headsail added a knot or so and soon we were scooting along at 7-9 knots. We kept the engine at cruising speed to try to beat the weather to Sandy Hook. As the day wore on the skies began to darken. We had read that our radar could track the heavier rain cells and soon we could see those cells on the radar screen as we they crossed our path. One particularly bad cell caused us to slow and wait for it to cross a mile ahead. This is pretty cool! The VHF was beginning to get very busy. As boaters became stranded or whatever, the calls to the Coast Guard, Sea Tow and TowBoatUS became frequent. We listened as a USCG helicopter came to the assistance of a fishing boat that was dead in the water somewhere way offshore from Atlantic City. Marine warnings were made as new storms would approach. Pretty exciting. The winds stayed at 20 knots or so and the seas were still the same (had we been going the other way it sure would have been rough). As we headed into the channel around Sandy Hook we were warned of another severe storm approaching the bay. We watched as lightning flashed and the dark storm traveled just north of our location. Radar showed little additional activity. We had dodged them all and had our anchorage in sight. I should no better than to breathe a sigh of relief until the hook is dropped.

Click on the link to the right to see where we’ve been. There’s still some glitches but I’m working on it.