Jerry and I took the “bus tour” of the United States Military Academy at West Point. This was not the official tour – I presume they have one, but rather what happens when you walk on with Military ID and ask “where is the PX?” It turns out on the other side of the base. So we were directed to the academy bus service stop. We then joined plebes and civilian workers as we drove all around the facility. It was a rainy day so we were not motivated to hop on and off to visit the hot spots on the tour. We picked up a few necessities at the PX (for example I was running out of sun block) and headed back to the gate and the boat.
We set sail (mostly engine) in rain and fog headed for Tarrytown NY. Within the first 5 minutes we had man overboard drill. We knocked the boat hook overboard and had to retrieve it. Fortunately it floats. We arrived at Tarrytown in the evening and Jerry and I had a nice farewell dinner.
I wanted to take advantage of the early morning current flow down the Hudson so we were up early, Jerry headed out to the airport, and I was on my way again in rain and fog under the Tappan Zee Bridge at 0800. It was a pretty miserable trip. A few miles south of the bridge all sorts of contacts started showing up on the AIS and the radar. It turns out that rather than fight the adverse current the tugs pushing barges up the river just anchor the barges and wait for the turn of the tide and the current. I passed about 8 or 9 barges and then continued down the river.
Going under the George Washington Bridge was coming home again. I went to college on the New Jersey side at Stevens Tech, Ace went to Columbia, and I lived in Manhattan for many years. What came as a total shock was the development on the New Jersey side of the river. What had been a hodgepodge of empty piers and abandoned real estate on my last visit was now chock-a-block with condo developments. Knowing they must cost a fortune I laughed to myself because they were ugly as sin. Ask a developer how many units he can put on a plot of land and he will invariably put twice as many up.
I took a slip at the Lincoln Harbor Yacht Club in Weehawken, NJ for the month of September. This will hopefully give me ample time to sort out Reboot and get prepped for the next leg of my journey. Weehawken is almost directly opposite 34th street in NYC, the Empire State Building is directly in front of my bow. There is also a ferry that runs from here over to Manhattan, I am sure I will hop on it a couple of times. I also expect to spend some time with family – my brother’s family all lives in the area – and catch up with some old friends.
Today is another rainy and overcast day. The good news is that my original plan was to go up the St. Lawrence River to Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia has been visited by the past couple of hurricanes and the current one seems on track to go there too!
This afternoon is Ace’s official 65th birthday party. His son Bill lives in Hoboken, about a mile from where I am docked. He is going to pick me up and drive me out and back. Even better news – I can take my laundry and get it done for free! I hope Sally doesn’t read this before I arrive.
I have posted more pictures of my trip on Facebook. I encourage you to become a fan of RebootRacing.
In the 1960s my (first) wife and I spent a week in Queens with her sister and brother-in-law "Tommy". Tommy was born in Queens and loved the city. He drove us to the United States Military Academy at West Point one afternoon just to see the view. We had been there about 15 minutes when the color guard came out to retire the flag. The ceremony included taps, and the loading and firing a cannon toward the Bay. The cannon report echoed all around the Bay. It was a thrilling, once in a lifetime, experience for us.
ReplyDeleteHi. I tried to post a comment before and failed. Will use this as a test. If it succeeds, I will try something more interesting as a comment!
ReplyDeleteHey Diane - it worked. I also heard from Trevor and Spencer that your wedding is this weekend or next. Congratulations and best wishes in advance.
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