Lower Manhattan

We departed Oyster Bay during the last gasps of the Nor'easter to catch a free ride down the East River. There is an old expression: "Wind and tide wait for no man". And it's true, especially in the East River, where the current can run 5 knots.

The Freedom Tower is now complete and we caught glimpses of it and other skyline icons peeking their spires into the clouds as we rounded lower Manhattan.

After exiting the East River and tacking away from the city we crossed Raritan Bay and anchored behind Sandy Hook, the long sandy tip of New Jersey that forms New York Harbor's southern gatepost. Sandy hook is a popular staging ground for the 100 mile New Jersey coast passage and for the first time we found ourselves in the company of several other cruising boats. We would not be making the passage alone.