October 2 We ended up staying 4 nights at 79th St Boat Basin as we found it to be a great location in the city and the weather was cooperative so it wasn't too rocky to be there. We enjoyed the view of George Washington Bridge and the lights of the Manhattan cityline from each end of the boat as it continually turned with the current and tides on the Hudson. The weather was perfect with summery temperatures and sunshine - such an unexpected bonus!! There's a free washer/dryer and pump out included in the $30 mooring fee, but only one shower and restroom and the pump out wasn't working!

We didn't do too much NYC tourist stuff beyond walking through Central Park and having dinner in Little Chinatown; spent most of the time on the boats and exploring Upper West Side shops and cafes with WiFi access.

Traveling back and forth in the dinghy has become routine for us ...and with the strong currents in the Hudson, the extra hp in the motor is appreciated!

We left with the tide on Wednesday and after tourist photos of the NYC cityline and each of our boats passing the Statue of Liberty headed on 25 mile (4 hr) trip to Sandy Hook, NJ. Not unexpectedly, there was lots of boat traffic - commercial, garbage tug and ferries.

Nice clubhouse, town, docks and facilities in Sandy Hook - good thing as the mooring balls are $50.00. But there's also the added bonus of a free pump out (not working!) and a tender from the boats to land. There is an anchorage nearby, but with the strong NE winds and the nearby ferry terminal, we prefer the more secure mooring balls.

Our original plan was to leave at 4:00 on Thursday for 14 hour overnight sail/motor to Atlantic City, which will definitely be a new step for us. But 'patience is a virtue' as Gwenyth (3) and others say. The winds and seas are not being very cooperative and there's now a small craft wind warning with 6-9ft waves. So we (and a few other boats) may be spending another couple of days in 'Jersey Shore' before heading down the coast for either a 14 hr trip to Atlantic City or a 24 hr run to Cape May.

We likely won't get to the boat show now for opening day or maybe at all - but we all agree it's better to stay here until the weather is better than to head down the Atlantic for a leg of the journey where there are very few options for stopping. Hmmm - wonder how far it is to the spiced rum factory here?