Landfall in New York!

[carstenb]

Some of you seem to like reading about our passages - here is a short description of our landfall in NYC and the video my wife, Vinni made. The first couple of minutes are in two languages first english then repeated in Danish, but worth listening to - Vinni's comments start at about the 3 minute mark

This was probably the most emotional landfall we have made...........


We came through the outer harbour in heavy fog. Ahead of us, we could just see the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and as we came closer, it loomed out of the fog. We still couldn’t see New York, just whiteness ahead of us.
There was a lot of traffic here – many giant prams were anchored up waiting their turn to be taken in to (un)load. The same for a number of ships. A lot of leisure activity also – a ton of motorboats and very few of them had AIS, so it was radar and eyeball.
Finally, we began to see skyscrapers. What skyscrapers! They appeared slowly, materializing out of the mists like ghostly figures. As the financial districts mastodons marched out of the mists to meet us, a lonely figure in green flashed and made her appearance – the Statue of Liberty.
There is something special about sailing into New York Harbour. It has been high on our list of places to come to on our own keel, but somehow you don’t really think you’ll ever make it. It becomes a surreal experience and I’m not at all ashamed to admit that I was choked up.
We’ve sailed almost 10,000 nautical miles since we left Copenhagen over a year ago, visited more than 12 countries and here we are. Vinni and I, alone on our Capri (thank you Capri for keeping us safe), coming up on the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline.
I simply can’t describe our feelings.
Vinni and I enjoyed the time to the fullest and exchanged a long kiss in front of the Statue. A mile or so further on, fight in front of Freedom Tower, we turned to port and into Liberty Landing Marina. Liberty Landing has a terrible view – just look. Imagine having to see that every time you look up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VTegvbUeNs&t=3s

[skipmac]

Nice video. Brings back memories of my trip through the city though the opposite direction.

We made the trip from New England to Florida a few years ago and got lots of advise to go south of Long Island on the outside and skip NY. I insisted on going through LI Sound and NYC and am very glad we did. It's an amazing sight and worth dealing with the traffic which wasn't all that bad. I hear traffic in Rotterdam and the English channel is much worse.

[Suijin]

Congratulations.

New York is always emotional to sail to/past if only because of the drama of the setting and the just overwhelming amount of activity.

I came down the East River a few weeks ago and it was the most crowded I’ve ever seen. Even had a seaplane take off next to me and helicopters coming and going from the heliport. And then there were the fast ferries that seem to come out of nowhere, crossing back and forth at 30 knots turning your trip into a game of Frogger...

[Peregrine1983]

Congrats and welcome to New York! Feel free to PM me if you have questions about cheap places to tie up the boat. NYC can be a pricey place as I'm sure you've found at Liberty Landing .

[WanderingStar39]

Very nice!
Sailing into NY Harbor is amazing. I've done it a couple of times after a bad night or a tough trip. I berth my boat on LI Sound, so NYC is kind of homecoming for me.

Where are you bound?

[Peregrine1983]

Originally Posted by Suijin

Congratulations.

New York is always emotional to sail to/past if only because of the drama of the setting and the just overwhelming amount of activity.

I came down the East River a few weeks ago and it was the most crowded I’ve ever seen. Even had a seaplane take off next to me and helicopters coming and going from the heliport. And then there were the fast ferries that seem to come out of nowhere, crossing back and forth at 30 knots turning your trip into a game of Frogger...

Frogger... in a washing machine . Now that I've done it a few dozen times, I actually love transiting the East River. The views are amazing. Watching the seaplanes take off and land right next to you is awesome. Sure, you have to pay attention, monitor 13, and know what the tide is doing, but most boats do what they're supposed to and obey the Colregs.

Don't get stuck in front of a fuel barge between Roosevelt Island and Hell Gate - they move faster than you think. If you see one coming up behind you, get to the side and let them by before getting in where it gets tight. AIS is invaluable in spotting the ones about to transit the Gate.

The Staten Island ferry is the one boat that scares me, which is why I go east of Governor's island when I transit from points south to the Sound or vice versa.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Peregrine1983

The Staten Island ferry is the one boat that scares me, which is why I go east of Governor's island when I transit from points south to the Sound or vice versa.

I always hug the Battery and go straight down along just east of the main channel, cutting across the river if I’m going south right as I approach the bridge. Less traffic down there.

Never been afraid of the SIF. It’s so huge you can see it coming miles away. And it’s so old school that it’s cool.

[Peregrine1983]

Originally Posted by Suijin

I always hug the Battery and go straight down along just east of the main channel, cutting across the river if I’m going south right as I approach the bridge. Less traffic down there.

Never been afraid of the SIF. It’s so huge you can see it coming miles away. And it’s so old school that it’s cool.

It is very cool... but it's definitely one of the fastest moving boats you'll encounter in the harbor. Don't ask me how I know...

[Clamdigger]

You guys make me laugh! The SIF is like a giant orange whale that is easy to avoid. Sine the Seaplane base and Heliport are close by to one another on the East River, they provide lots of entertainment/ distractions during a transit. The Seastreak ferry a d the more local city ferries are much of the high speed traffic one has to avoid, as well as the occassional fuel barge.

Sujin sorry to have missed you, I was probably dropping off a Mason's lobster grilled cheese to Rich at RO water in Naptown about then🙊 Carsten and Vinnie welcome to the neighborhood! Pm me when you get a chance. Maybe we can get together if you have time. Peregrine where are you at?

[tweitz]

Thanks for sharing the video. Having homeported in Staten Island years ago with our first boat, we would see this view every sail. It was still a thrill.

[FlyTheCoop]

Interested to know where you dock in NYC? Is there a marina?

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by FlyTheCoop

Interested to know where you dock in NYC? Is there a marina?

Liberty Landing Marian on the Jersey side. cost $125 per night but the view of the NYC skyline is beyond price. the ferries to the financial district leave from the marina and cost $10.

Alternative is some buoys on the NYC side at 78th street, but they were closed down when we were there.

[carstenb]

hi guys (and gals)

I've been posting some passage write-ups from our blog and I thought I would post his from our landfall in NYC. We were there 1 1/2 years ago - we are currently in the Marquesas in the south pacific and will spend another 2 years out here before heading back towards Europe

But the landfall in NYC (as you can hear on the video) has been our most emotional landfall so far. For me, personally, it was the second time I made landfall in NYC - the first time was October 24, 1958 when I came over on the SS Stockholm as an immigrant..............................

To make landfall again after almost 60 years was something I never thought I would experience.........................

[lfalco]

Welcome to NY!
It’s always a major thrill in and out of NY Harbor. Even for a NY native like me (Brooklyn) now living in CT.
Something about moving past the Statue of Liberty. Makes all teary-eyed..

[Clamdigger]

The 78th ST moorings suck for long term stays because of the wicked current and constant wakes from traffic. You need a stout dinghy and motor combo to use them safely. MarkJ stayed there while here.

Liberty Landing is MUCH classier and like Carsten says the view is worth the dockage costs. Plus you have a really nice park, Liberty State Park, with nice views of everything going on around Lady Liberty. Plus easy access to NYC by ferry, train, buses.

Atlantic Highlands or Highlands has nice marinas here in NJ and the locals are ok too LOL!