Cheryl's Notes:

We worked on the electrical for a while this morning, and then got ready to head over to Manhattan. I told the boys to wear their walking shoes. The only way to really see New York is to walk through the different neighborhoods. We took a water taxi that dropped us off just south of Tribeca. We walked all the way down the western side to Battery Park. Tom had talked about taking a tour boat over to either Ellis or Liberty Island. When we got to the ferry area, the waiting line was wrapped around the park. It was hot and he changed his mind. We passed the dock for the Staten Island Ferry and bought a hot dog from a street vendor. We continued up the East side to South Street Seaport. John loved seeing the big schooners. Next we headed across Wall Street. John was looking for Jim Kramer, but we never found him. Our next purchase was roasted nuts from another vendor. We turned north and want past the Twin Towers site. It has changed a lot since the last time I was here. The memorial and observation areas have been removed because of the new construction.

The guys were starting to grumble, so we hopped a subway up to Little Italy. This was really different than the last time I was here. In February, this area was a ghost town. In summer, every street was full of outdoor patios and the streets were full of people. We found a place that sold pizza by the slice and settled down for some New York style thin crust. While the boys rested their feet, I haunted some of the street vendors for a red bag. Tom thought that he should visit Greenwich Village and try to spot some old hippies. We headed up, but the area was not real active. Time for another subway ride. We got off in Grand Central Station and toured the different levels. I suggested the subway shuttle to Times Square, but the guys said that they would walk the short distance. The closer we got to Times Square, the more crowded the streets became. We headed up Broadway and showed Tom where they drop the ball on New Years Eve. After a few blocks, John said he had enough. It was too hot and crowded. I walked them back to ESPN Zone and parked them at the bar. While they rested, I resumed my quest for a big red bag. My reasoning was that I could use it as a small carryon bag for my flight home. I found a bag and haggled the price down by $15. I went back to pick up the boys and we made one last subway ride back to the ferry dock. I will have a little more time to explore tomorrow before my flight home. Marne will call me a dork, but I want to see the inside of the New York Public Library. Lexie would completely understand.

I can't believe that it is time for me to head home. I have showed John everything I can about my job duties. I hope that they travel safely without me. I regret missing the next part of the trip, as it will be the most challenging. They will have to do an overnight sail offshore from the New York harbor to around Cape May, New Jersey. From there they will enter the C & D canal and head down the Inter coastal waterway.

John's Notes:

Cheryl's big day. She was in total hog heaven dragging Tommy and I all over New York City. I haven't walked so many miles in years. At least not in one day. We walked Battery Park, down to the South Street Seaport, up to Wall Street, World Trade Center, took the subway to Little Italy, walked over to Greenwich Village, took the subway to Grand Central Station, walked over to Time Square, subway back to the ferry and finally back to the boat. Whew! I need a beer.

Now I've done that and can probably make it the rest of my life without more NYC. Amazing, no hookers in Time Square. I did arm myself with my Leatherman. Cheryl wouldn't let me take my flare gun to town.

Before we left this morning did more work on the phantom electrical problem. We discovered that we had the 3-stage regulator mis-programmed. How this happened is still a mystery. It takes a special tool to change the program (which we had to dig out) and I made the change. Not sure how long it has been incorrect or what damage we might have done to our AGM batteries. The problem is still with us and it looks like we can continue even though it is not corrected. I just have to keep an eye on how much battery we have left.

Cheryl is going home tomorrow and we will be heading south. Not sure how it is going to be without her. She has been great with everything from navigation, docking, cooking, rigging, you name it. Time will tell. I would like to complete the trip within the next two weeks.