Cheryl's Notes:

We spent the morning trying to decide what we should do. Do the guys take the boat back up to Haverstraw and have the electrical system checked there? Do we stay one more night and have it checked here at Liberty Landing? Should they forge ahead to see what happens, maybe stopping somewhere on Long Island? The batteries are fully charged and everything looks fine, so they decide to forge ahead.

At 10:20 a.m. I am left on the dock with my big red bag and purse as they shove off to continue the journey. I race to the water taxi landing and catch the 10:30 shuttle to Manhattan. As I am crossing the Hudson, I can just make out Leprechaun passing the Statue of Liberty. I hope they got some great pictures because I am no longer in charge of the camera.

I take a stroll through the Tribeca area and then catch a subway up to Midtown. I have no real plan for the day. I found out online last night that the New York Public Library is closed on Sunday. I decided to head to Bryant Park and enjoy the beautiful day. I head west on 42nd Street and find a giant street fair going up Madison Avenue. It is blocked off all the way up to 58th Street. I am in heaven! There are food vendors, street performers and all varieties of wares for sale. Okay, so about six blocks up the street I realize that my bag is heavier than I thought and it is getting really hot. I buy an ice cold lemonade and a mozzarella cheese/corn tortilla concoction and plunk myself down on the curb. Have I mentioned that people watching in Manhattan is the best in the world?

I eventually work my way to the end of the street fair and wander over to Rockefeller Plaza for another rest. Last time I was here, the ice rink was full of skaters. During the summer, the rink area is turned into an outdoor dining patio and it is full of people. Where to next? I decide that I have time and money left on my subway card, so I hop a subway to the Upper East Side. After exploring, I find a shop selling pizza by the slice and go for one last taste of New York. I grab a window seat and watch the world go by as I chew. There is a fabulous bakery right next door, but I am full and decide that the decadent piece of chocolate cake will probably melt in my bag anyway.

I had arranged for a shuttle service to take me to the airport, and it is time to head for the pickup spot. I chose to be picked up by Grand Central Station because I was very familiar with the area. I had a short wait and was picked up as the last passenger to fill the van. I thought that the taxi drivers were crazy, but this driver was a maniac. The woman behind me had her rosary out and the beads just kept in clicking. We almost took out four other cars on the ride to JFK. I arrived at my terminal with shaking knees and a new appreciation for the slower pace of traveling by water.

I checked in for the flight and was directed to the gate area. We have been told that the grid over New York is so full of planes that they have to delay some flights. The 8:45 pm flight is now 9:30. Not too bad, but that's why I bought a book. I decide to try to check in with John and Tom, and the news isn't good. The weather has taken a turn and they are offshore with a failing electrical grid. It is too far to turn back, and there is no place along the shore that they can safely tuck into. They have sails up to help with forward progress, but the winds are from the south and not helping. To top it off, the engine is starting to act up. This is not what I want to hear as I sit stranded and can't help them. I told him to call me when he can and give me a progress report.

Our plane finally loads at midnight. By the time we land in Minneapolis, it is 2:30 am (3:30 New York time) and I am exhausted and stressed. I take a cab home and prepare to wait for news on the boat and her crew.