Great Kills Harbour, renamed by us as 'Great Black Cream Cheese Harbour', is on the east side of Staten Island. We were getting low on groceries so we decided to go shopping. To do this we must collect the backpacks, lower the dingy, put on lifejackets, remember the portable VHF radio and flashlight (in case of emergency or after dark return), climb down the back of the boat into the dingy and then the biggest challenge: start the engine in the dingy! Our gem of an engine is a 1988 British 'Seagull', 2hp, wrap-the-cord-pull-start model. It is reputed to be very reliable but unfortunately not environmentally friendly - it spills gas when it is started. And the noise! Heads turn when we approach.
So, all snug in our dingy, we were on our way to shore and we dropped over to say hello to another Canadian boat which was also anchored. After our little visit, Michael couldn't get the motor going again - he figured some water got in it from the rain - so we paddled back to the boat. No shopping for us. The Canadian couple kindly came by later to see if we needed anything and a few hours later they delivered milk and bread to us.

We had hoped to leave New York within a day or two and begin the first leg of our ocean journey which would take us to Atlantic City. With the weather worsening, we had to delay, so we decided to take another trip into Manhattan. I called Corey and we were thrilled when he agreed to be our guide again.
The following day, still without an outboard motor we paddled into shore. We had to laugh when the passengers on a passing boat looked as us like we were from the moon. They probably had never seen anything like us. Five people dressed in their raincoats, backpacks tucked in around them, wedged into an old-looking dingy paddling to shore.

The trip to Manhattan from Staten Island took about 2 hours. One hour for the bus and just under an hour for the trip on the Staten Island Ferry. The ferry trip is free and it arrives at the southern most point of Manhattan.
Our first stop was Ground Zero. We couldn't see anything because there is now a wall surrounding the site.
Next was a walk half way across the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge was, at the time of its construction, the longest suspension bridge in the world.
A monument to man's ingenuity and creativity, this world famous steel suspension bridge was designed by architect John Roebling between 1867 and 1883. Many lives were lost constructing the first "hotlink" between Brooklyn and Manhattan.



The last place we went, after a pizza dinner, was back to Times Square. The kids lobbied hard to go back, so we did.

Times Square is a major intersection in New York City in the borough of Manhattan and was named after the Times Building (now "One Time Square") which was the former offices of The New York Times. It is located at Broadway and Seventh Avenue and extends from West 42nd to West 47th Streets (view map of Times Square). Like city squares in many other famous cities around the world, Times Square has become a symbol and primary landmark in its home city. Its animated, digital advertisements help create an incredibly exciting vibe contributing to Times Square popularity to both tourists, locals and the Manhattan business community (it is the only neighborhood that actually requires building owners to display illuminated signs!!). Times Square is also home or adjacent to many of the Broadway theatres that feature some of the most popular award winning productions ever produced (such as "Wicked and Jersey Boys".

Subway, bus, Staten Island Ferry, the bus on Staten Island back to the bay and then the final paddle back to the boat had us arrive at 2am. As much as we wanted to leave the next day, we knew it wasn't going to be. Our departure was delayed one more day until Monday morning.