On hazy and hot June 30th we entered New York harbor and made our way, along with a myriad of cargo ships, up the channel leading to New York City. We were a tiny toy boat among giants. Shearwater sailed proudly up to the Statue of Liberty where we dropped anchor for the night.
On July 1 we crossed the battery and around into the East River and under the Brooklyn Bridge up to Roosevelt Island. This former site of a debtors prison and an Insane Asylum lies across from the United Nations. It sits in the middle of the river between Queens and Manhattan. According to the Coast Guard Notice to mariners it is the tip of the safety zone for the New York fireworks on the Fourth of July. We were there early to reserve a prime spot for the biggest fireworks display in the world.
We were really in luck. We were the first to arrive. Stu remembered how incredibly crowded it was the year of the Rededication of the Statue of Liberty.
Later in the day we went exploring. We identified a charter boat marina on the lower east side of that would allow us to come in for a few hours. It put us at 23rd St and FDR Boulevard, a long way from everything. We checked out the maps we picked up during our visit to New York in May and were hoping to find public transportation to and from Roosevelt Island. It was a hot and steamy day and everyone and everything was melting in Manhattan.
We're walkers and there is always a shady side of the street. On our way we stopped in Grand Central Station where we gaped at the awesome restoration of this elegant train station. There is a lovely gourmet food court on a lower level where we stopped for a snack.
Our map showed a tramway just north of the Queensboro Bridge at 59th St. Low and behold, a cable car ride to Roosevelt Island. The tram runs every 15 minutes to and from a great part of Midtown Manhattan. Now all we needed was a way to get on and off the island. We rode the tram across the East River and began exploring. On the way we were able to see Shearwater as she sat at anchor off of the Island. We discovered a spot behind a very low fence under the Queensboro Bridge which had a rock wall we could bring the dingy along side. Kind of the back door to Manhattan but easier than some landings we have maneuvered and only a quick ride to shops, museums, gourmet markets and Central Park.
If you look carefully you can see the cable car crossing in front of the bridge.
Jenny Prue joined us for dinner on Shearwater. We had a great time catching up. The wine flowed, the sun set, and we were treated to an unusual and spectacular view of the skyline of Manhattan. The Chrysler building, all aglow was our special star in the sky.
Our friend Gary Smith with his boat Wind Runner with daughter Natalie and three of his grandchildren aboard arrived on the third of July. We rafted up and planned for a grand holiday. We were the only two boats anchored in the East River.
The remainder of Gary's crew Alison and Audrey came in by train from Connecticut later in the day. We all headed in via tram to Central Park and a New York City Grand Opera performance of Puccini in Central Park followed by a tasty Chinese/Cuban dinner. That's right column A Chinese and column B ...guess what?
The Fireworks were just as incredible as we had hoped they would be. There was music synchronized with the pyrotechnics. A small contingent of powerboats and a few sailboats arrived on the afternoon of the fourth. Security was very tight for the event and we believe it scared a lot of boaters away. It was too bad.
The Coast Guard and New York City police visited us daily and once in the middle of the night. They were always courteous and professional but failed to comprehend how much we wanted to be there for the Holiday.