Despite making great time down the coast we still had a few miles to go before this leg of the journey was over. So, once again we were off fairly early once I got all the slimy muck off the anchor, good thing the new anchor wash down pump is working well. The plan was to do a touch and go in Annapolis for fuel and to pick up some parts I had ordered, then proceed on to Herrington Harbour. By now you know our plans frequently change and today was no exception. Once we met up with our friends from Sandbox we elected to relax and treat ourselves to dinner out in Annapolis, after all we were only 20 miles from our destination.

After a short 3 hour trip on Saturday morning Dagny eased into her slip at Herrington Harbour and we set about preparing for our haulout. We will be heading home until late October and it's better to have the boat out of the water during hurricane season. By the time we left on Tuesday afternoon, the sails had been removed, all equipment secured and the Bimini and dodger removed and stored. Once Dagny was hauled on Monday afternoon it was time to wash the hull, first with vinegar to remove the baked on salt, then with boat soap to get everything else off. While I sanded the bottom in preparation for a fresh coat of anti fouling upon our return Bev did the final loads of laundry. After a very busy couple of days we bid Dagny farewell and headed home. We'll be back in late October to splash the boat and continue south for the winter.

Stay tuned.

Today's picture is of the Sunset on the Sassafras River.

After our thrilling ride through Hell's Gate we were glad to find a nice spot to anchor in Great Kills Harbour where we planned on staying 2 nights before continuing down the coast. Atlantic highlands, our usual stop, lay 6 miles to the south east but offers little protection from the predicted north west winds. The east side of Great Kills harbour is bordered by a beautiful 523 acre public park with numerous hiking trails to provide easy access to a couple of miles of nice sandy beach. It was refreshing to see how much the local residents use and respect the facilities, as dinner time approached we watched a large waterfront parking lot rapidly fill with cars as people came down for a picnic supper and to watch the sun set over the harbour. Turns out this is an evening ritual for many, but we were a little surprised that they left before the super moon peeked out from behind the clouds.

Friends at home frequently asked how we get our weather info and apply it to our decision making. Basically we use two very popular weather apps, Windy.com and Predict Wind. They are both geared towards sailors and are loaded with wind, waves and tide information. Also NOAA has a very good website as well as VHF radio forecasts that are updated a couple of times a day. With updated info in hand we set about working out our plan. Our goal was to run the Jersey coast (120 mile) and hit low tide at Cape May so we could run right up Delaware Bay in one shot and through the C&D canal. Although tide would affect us leaving Great Kills the focus was to be off Cape May at 5 a.m. the following morning. Previously we have taken 19 hours to get down the coast, hence we set our departure time for 10 a.m. hoping the forecasted 15 knot breeze from the north west would last the day.

This is our 4th trip south with Dagny and boy it will be hard to beat this passage. We rounded Sandy Hook in an unexpected 2 knot tidal push with slightly confused seas. However, once clear of the shore the wind steadied out and we set course for Cape May in a beautiful 15 knot breeze. The champagne conditions rapidly carried us down the coast, the only problem was we were 3 hours early on ETA; however, we knew at some point things would change. As darkness fell we were still carrying a full main with a partially reefed genny but as the wind started coming around on the nose it made it harder to hold our course. Finally, as we passed Atlantic City the genny was rolled, the main trimmed in as we motor sailed into a short steep chop for a couple of hours. Although the ride was uncomfortable at times, Dagny soldiered on as we reduced our speed. We were still early! As I came on deck after a nap Bev said the wind has come around again and we can sail and sail we did. The reefed genny was set in 17 knots of nw breeze and we were off and running and with the adverse current our ETA was bang on. The rest of the run was uneventful until we approached the Cape May inlet at 4:30 in the morning. The AIS lit up with targets coming out of the channel and as I was trying to figure what was going on the first 50' sport fishing boat roared by at 20+ knots. Turns out it was the start of a fishing derby, and ad soon as the boats cleared the channel they turned off their AIS in order to hide from the competition. All the action certainly woke me up in a hurry as more than once I was hit by a spotlight as yet another boat roared by. As the skies brightened the action died off as well as the wind but we had arrived on time. The iron spinnaker was fired up as we settled in for the motor sail up Delaware Bay and morning coffe was enjoyed as we marveled at the beautiful sunrise.

We fought an adverse current for a little longer then expected however, once it turned we were off to the races. By days end we carried a fair current right into the upper Chesapeake and by the time we dropped the hook in the Sassafras river we had covered 210 miles in 32 hours.

Today's picture is of the super blue moon over Great Kills Harbour.

We had never been down the East River or transited the famous Hell's Gate so I was keen to get some local knowledge before departing Port Washington. As it turns out we met a couple on the harbour shuttle who have done the trip in both directions for several years. The advice was to leave our anchorage one hour before high tide, this would put us at the entrance to the river at high tide. Long Island Sound is about 100 miles long and when the tide ebbs the East River is the only exit point for the west end of the sound, causing extremely strong and at times dangerous currents. Needless to say it commands a lot of respect.

The entrance to the East River is spanned by the Throgs Neck bridge, the first of 12 or 13 bridges; as we approached it our ground speed increased from 6 knots to about 8.5. At this point the river is close to a mile wide making for a stable ride. We had a chance to take in the sights as we motored by LaGuardia airport and Riker's Island prison, but when we made the 90 degree turn to run parallel to Manhattan things changed dramatically. The entrance to the Hell's Gate section is marked appropriately by Hell's Gate Island as the river narrows to a few hundred yards. In no time our ground speed increased to 12.5 knots and would remain there until we crossed under the Brooklyn Bridge. Obviously Otto was given the day off as I constantly worked the wheel to keep Dagny on course, it was amazing to see small standing waves in some sections as well as rapids along the edges. Unfortunately, I never had much of a chance to take in the sights as small water taxis crisscrossed the river and crowded tour boats steamed by keeping me on my toes. As we steamed by the UN building a helicopter was landing adding to the already deafening noise of the city. It was very impressive to see him land on a floating pier at the edge of the river while he couldn't have been more then 100 feet from the concrete wall! Sometimes you wonder what people are thinking, when we were in one of the strongest sections of current we met a guy in a 30 sailboat motoring against the tide, actually at that point he wasn't making any headway. Before we knew it we were spit out the bottom of the river at The Battery and had a relaxing ride as we rode the ebb tide the rest of the way to Great Kills Harbour.

Today's picture is a sight that never fails to impress.

Today’s bonus picture is of the Block Island Express as he blew by us at 35 knots!

Even though it looked like our weekend weather window wouldn't materialize, thanks to Ernesto, we still wanted to get to the west end of Long Island sooner than later. With that in mind and coffee in hand we were away early from the anchorage for the 55 mile run to Port Jefferson. Once again stronger than forecast winds pushed us along at a good speed before petering out early in the afternoon forcing us to motor the rest of the way. Port Jefferson is a fairly large harbour, the northern corner of the anchorage is protected by a high sand dune that is a popular spot for day trippers. As a point if interest the sand used in the concrete to build the Empire State Building came from this harbour.

Port Washington, our final stop on Long Island lay only 30 miles away allowing us to enjoy a leisurely breakfast before heading out. Unfortunately, the morning breeze never materialized leaving us no choice but to motor. We had heard great reports about the service offered by the harbour master. The bay is surrounded by 3 or 4 marinas as well as a couple of yacht clubs who all use 2 big moooring fields. However, there a 20 guest moorings, 1st night is free, after that it's $35 dollars but that includes unlimited launch service to the public docks on shore. As it turns out Port Washington was the initial base for Pan Am airways Clipper flying boats in the 1930s and Curtis aircraft had a factory here. There's a beautiful Bay Walk park that skirts the harbour as well as a great band shell. The free Saturday evening concert featured a group singing early hits from the 1950s all the while attempting to dance like the Temptations!

Initially we thought we'd stay here 2 nights then push on to Sandy Hook, however, after studying the weather for the umpteenth time we decided to stay put. Turns out to have been the right call, even though we had heavy rain and a couple of thunderstorms roll through we made out much better then NYC and the Jersey shore.
So for now it's back to the drawing board as we try and work out our next step. In the mean time Dagny's deck is nice and clean after the torrential downpours and life is good.

Today's picture is of the lighthouse at Watch Hill Rode Island, home of the historic Watch Hill Inn where you too can stay for $1250 a night!

Today’s bonus picture is of one of the many classic beauties moored in the harbour.