NYC

Yesterday's trip could be divided into three parts: crossing Raritan Bay, New York Harbor, and the East River. If I were to do it again, I'd probably break the legs into multiple days in order to time the tides better.

The current across Raritan Bay and into the Narrows was pretty strong pushing us out into the ocean. We had to motor. If we had timed the tides right, we probably could have sailed. With the price of gas these days, we'd have come out about even paying for a night at a marina.

Amy found NY Harbor disconcerting and asked me to take over steering. There were a lot of barges at anchor and ferries zipping about. I still think Norfolk, VA Harbor is worse. At least in NY you're in a protected harbor with lots of water to maneuver in. Norfolk isn't as protected, and you have to share a skinny channel with lots of big boats.

Entering the East River was a relief. The wind and waves were a lot calmer, and there was a lot less traffic. I fretted about entering the river earlier than the guidebook recommended, but we were fine. At first we were doing 4-5 mph, but by the time we hit Hell Gate the current had caught up to us and we topped out at 8.5 mph.

I was tempted to keep going past the Throgs Neck Bridge. It was a pretty evening with a nice wind and current pushing us along. But it had been a long day, so we anchored.