Stuyvessant Yacht Club, City Island, the Bronx, NYC

Tuesday, 30 September 2008

40 50.624'N:073 45.794'W

I took Peri ashore before first light for his morning constitutional. You have to be careful about first light here since in the distance there is what appears to be first light every night with the lights from NYC looking like the sun coming up only from the wrong direction. When we got back to the boat, Barb had everything ready to go plus a great breakfast so after a quick nosh we were off. For once we had calculated the tidal currents properly and we got a � to 1 knot assist all the way. In fact had we chosen to do so, when we arrived at City Island, the tide had just changed so we could have ridden the currents through the East River if we had wished.

Gradually the horizon was blotted out by the NYC skyline - pretty amazing sight.

Almost no wind. Again! So it was motoring or at least motor sailing for our last stretch in Long Island Sound. As we were getting close to NYC we were hailed by Glass Slipper. They had decided to head on down with the good weather and were directly behind us. We got to SYC and were ushered to two of their guest moorings on the outside of the mooring field. The cost here is $25/night - wail they only charged us $15!!!!!!. Big change from $45-50 or even $100/night at Martha's Vinyard. In fact, for some reason, we got the benefit of a sale today - $15/night and that includes the launch! In NYC!!

We made our first visit ashore in the tender. City Island is a piece of old NY or what I would have thought old NY would be from the movies and books I have read except for the positive fact that there is a real rainbow nature of the neighbourhood - black, white, Latino, oriental - they are all present here to some extent. Just about everything that you'd want is within walking distance of the clubhouse. We found a bank that didn't charge a fee for ATM withdrawals; we found a marine and hardware store; and IGA; an ice cream parlor; a drug store; a liquor store; and many others. The clubhouse has WiFi and showers too. The only thing missing is fuel and that you can get at a marina on the other side of the island.

As you approach City Island from the east you pass Hart Island which used to contain the prison from which the prisoners left daily to plough Potter's Field. I had often wondered where that saying came from. Now I know.

Tonight we will join Glass Slipper for dinner on their boat and then tomorrow we will head through the East River to Great Kills for a day or two and take the ferry to Manhattan so Barb can get her NYC fix. After that Sandy Hook and onward towards the south.