Hell Gate and NY harbor
27 June 2008 | Jersey City, NJ
Bill
Under the Brooklyn Bridge on the way to rush hour...
Tensions ran high as we approached Hell Gate, known for 7 knot currents, swirling eddies and huge barges intent on crushing sailboats... There was none of that! A couple barges passed, the current was slack and everything was so peaceful that we put up the Genoa and sailed past mid-town Manhattan looking at buildings and other landmarks. Little did we know as we peacefully made our way through Hell Gate and down the East River what waited for us .... What we hadn't realized is that we would sail into the New York Harbor and the area of the South Street Seaport at Rush Hour! As we approached the sea taxies started to fly out of their little ports. They would go from docked to 30 mph in seconds, zooming toward their destinations. Others started to arrive from Brooklyn, and the Staten Island Ferry, and more and more... Each one throwing up a huge wake. A maelstrom of 5 and 6 foot wave from every angle. Now under motor, Be Here Now rolled and crashed and we hung on, agog at the scene around us. And there were helicopters overhead, many of them...