Editor's Note: This entry is part of a series of entries chronicling GolfCourseHome and WaterViewHome Publisher David Lott's cruise from Baltimore to Martha's Vineyard. Look for links to the next entry at the end of each post. You can also find links to other posts at the start of each entry. Day 1: 40 Fast Miles Ends with Engine Failure Day 2 & 3 : Fuel polishing and on to the C&D Canal Day 4: Delaware Bay Day 6: Trump Marina Atlantic City Day 6-7: Confused Seas at Manasquan Inlet Day 7-8: Riding Pea Soup Fog into New York City Day 8-9: Cruising thru New York City & Hell's Gate Day 9-10: Beautiful Boats at Milford, CT Day 11: Saybrook & the Schooner Winfield Lash Day 12-13: Martha's Vineyard at Last
_Amelia's Bistro in Jersey City: Great atmosphere, creative menu. _ Jersey City was a pleasant surprise. We walked out of the marina into the nearby streets and saw friendly faces everywhere. Young men and women were out jogging in pairs or alone even though the sun was setting. We could see New York across the river, but this definitely didn't feel like New York. We stopped to talk with two young women sitting on the steps of their brownstone and looking at a computer. "Where can we find a good place to eat?" we asked. The quick answer was Amelia's [Bistro]" on Warren Street a few blocks away.
We found the place easily. It was air-conditioned and offered a warm atmosphere and a very friendly female bartender. I had the steak and noodle salad which was wonderful (Thai Steak and Noodle Salad $18 grilled filet mignon, asian noodles, avocado, fresh mango, peanuts and fresh herbs in a thai chili vinaigrette. For another $2 you could substitute shrimp.)
Around Manhattan & Up the East River to Hell's Gate & Beyond The next dawned bright and clear--gone was the fog and mist. As we motored out, we took a long look at the sad empty space formerly occupied by the Twin Towers. It just didn't look like Manhattan any more.
As we move around the southern edge I caught a glimpse of the Islander, the retired Martha's Vineyard ferry which has been redeployed for ferry service between Governors Island and the Battery Maritime Building at the southern tip of Manhattan. I had first traveled on that ferry between Wood's Hole and Martha's Vineyard in 1954. It sure felt good to see her, as if she was saying, 'You're halfway there, you can make it!'
Islander: Now retired from Cape Cod, she still looks good and serves southern Manhattan.
At Pier 17 on the East River two schooners evoked an earlier era.
The magnificent Brooklyn Bridge soon came into view. Underneath it was a scaffold which we later learned was actually an art display that left a lot of people wondering what it was and why it was even there. It was certainly lost on us.
A bit of trivia: in the early 1900s my grandmother was deeply in love with Washington Roebling, the nephew of the man who designed the Brooklyn Bridge, Washington Roebling. She was heartbroken when she learned that he had gone down with the Titanic.
The Brooklyn Bridge looks to me like a gothic cathedral. It certainly inspires the same kind of awe.
Art Deco brilliance: the Chrysler Building with the gargoyles visible at the corners.
The United Nations building.
In just the few short minutes we spent motoring past the UN Building, storm clouds began to appear.
The Empire State Building looked regal.
Trams to Randall's Island.
The entrance to Hell's Gate, where the East River and Bronx River meet at the Triborough Bridge. The narrow strait can often be a swirl of tidal pools and currents. It was named by the Dutch navigator Adriaen Block, who passed through it into Long Island Sound in 1614. By the late 19th century, hundreds of ships had sunk in the strait.
On September 24, 1876, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used 50,000 pounds of explosives to blast the dangerous rocks, which was followed by further blasting work. One explosion in Hell's Gate was the largest man-made blast in history up until the Atomic Age. Taking no chances John called ahead to the Coast Guard to find out when slack tide was. We timed it perfectly and the waters were placid and friendly and we passed through easily.
As we left Hell Gate behind we saw that the thunderstorm clouds were beginning to get serious. We put on foul weather gear, secured all hatches and port holes and hoped we could outrun it.
The storm continued to build and we could see lightning striking the city and rains sweeping to the west.
But the storm soon started to move east and we turned west toward City Isle and the beginning of Long Island Sound.
Storm clouds behind us, the moorings at City Isle looked welcoming.
In the early evening the lights on the Throg's Neck Bridge winked in the distance. We are at the entrance to Long Island Sound. Tomorrow it is on up the Sound to Connecticut. We are getting closer! Miles traveled: 285. Day-9-10: Beautiful Boats at Milford, CT
