Altanic City to New York and Great Kills Harbor.

What a buzz it was to see the Manhattan Skyline for the first time...wayyyyy off in the distance, and through the camera lens. It was also a buzz to see the tiny statue of Liberty, wayyyy off in the distance:)

Anyway...back to the beginning, per usual, ha!

We rose at 5.30....my eyes didn't want to open, but Waz turned the genset on almost immediately and we were on the move! Dressing and getting everything ready in half an hour is becoming de rigeur for us now. We can do it!! Helps to have a system worked out.

Coffee is a must, and the cups were in the holders on the fly deck before Waz went out to unsnib the anchor line. We had discovered that the snib line broke, the previous night, and we now have to find another something to fix it with...don't ask me what part it is...HE knows:) and that's all that matters!.

There were two other small trawlers in the bay with us that night, and they were making moves like we were. We were in contact with Jacques, on his yacht, who had come up from Cape May on the same day we did, and he was going to travel north with us also.

Upon looking at the skinny entry to the Rum Point, we decided to wait for the water to gain another food, perhaps a half hour, would be good, before making our way out. Jacques needed about 6ft of water to get his yacht out. It would be touch and go for him.'

We finally up-anchored and Howard led the way. He needed 4 ft draft, and as he went he called out the depths for the benefit of the rest of us who were following. At one point (I wasn't looking!!!) we got down to 3.4ft under us! a bit skinny, for me, which was why I was out taking the photos of the transit.


I took photos first thing (could hardly see, but had to take this one!) That is the rising sun reflected in the Golden Nugget Casino...apt?
The two little trawlers came in the previous day.

 6.30am, just as we are preparing to leave Rum Point.

I took this beginning photo just as Waz took the anchor up and we started on our way, after Howard and Jackie, in Magic.

We gave them plenty of space and time, to see that they made it safely...they have less draft than us!The tide was at it's bottom! This photo looks across to Harrahs Casino.

So far so good...Howard is busy calling out the depths as he goes through the channel.

 Now it is our turn!

 so far so good....although there isn't much room on either side, for error.

 There is 10 feet, and the wind had come up.

 going, going....see the finger of sand and dark water coming out into the channel ahead of us?

 and what is on his port side??:) Waz is concentrating hard, right about here...no margin for error!

 and going....

 ..almost there:) now we just have the current to deal with and the wind coming down the channel to the ocean...along with ocean swells coming down the channel.

 Phew! we made it. Jacques didn't make it the first time, but did follow the trawlers out, a few mins later.
Waz handed the wheel over to me and went out to wash the rest of the mud off the anchor. You can just see Howard on the far left of the window, ahead of us!

 and we are almost out there..into the Atlantic Ocean. Just passing the rest of the Atlantic City amusement district.

 Here is it in photo.

 Motoring along the breakwater leading to the ocean

 the last green buoy, just on the edge of our wake, looking back down the channel.

 You can see that we are almost out to the 3 nautical Mile zone off the shore...that solid line in the middle of the screen. The ocean isn't that deep here.

 ..and look at that ocean...almost flat as a pancake!Lovely! Although we had our sweaters on because the wind was cool, the ocean was stunning!

 :) Happy, Happy!!!

 

There isn't really anything else to see ,on the way north. The smog was evident all along the way, which isn't happy making, but a reality of large cities.  The beaches were lines on the horizon that went forever. Beach houses lines the sand and some larger buildings were evident of course. Water towers told us there was another town there, and some more amusement Piers snaking out into the water.

We ate hard boiled eggs from the fridge, for breakfast, and a nectarine each. The slightest ocean swell gently rocked us, and eventually, I had to have a nap...it will do that to you!:)

 

We ate the cold steak and cole slaw for lunch, and felt better after some solid food. The day dragged on, the wind came up and the swell came up and then the white caps. We rocked and rolled and literally surfed around Sandy Hook at the entry to the Shipping Channels. The chatter on the radio

got more frequent and we saw ships and tows out in the main channels. Lots of boats like ours and larger, and we kept in touch with the other boats.

 

We watched Howard and Jackie surfing ahead of us in the Sandy Hook Channel. They sent us on our way towards Great Kills Harbor, and we all said our goodbyes on the radio, as they made their way up the New York Harbor Channel to their home up the East River. They would make docking much later. It took us a while to get across the harbor, not in the channel, but across the varying depths and made a wide swing towards the skinny entrance to Great Kills Harbor. We had instructions to stick to the channel into the harbor, and we did, motoring along the marina to find a suitable anchorage for the night. It had been 12 hours of motoring!! A long day, and we were tired by the time we put down anchor. We were a little worried, in the wind, that we might drag anchor, but we are stuck solid!

 

Dinner was leftovers:) We have never been more pleased to be over a voyage! Open water voyaging isn't my thing, and I think Howard and Jackie, who have done this many times, were also pleased we had such a good passage and the weather and everything else came together.

 

More tomorrow!