Essex, Ct to New Gretna, NJ (our 2012 final destination)

8/28/12
After 2 weeks in New Jersey staying with Ron's mother while his sister and brother in law were away, we returned to Essex, CT.  The warranty work (a new shaft seal) was completed while we were gone.  Last night, (8/29), we stayed in Stratford, CT at a free dock in a condo community where our friends Brad and Alice keep their boat.  Our Nordic tugs were parked side by side, which was quite a sight.  After a great dinner at a local Italian restaurant we returned to our boat and spent time visiting.

8/30/12
The past 2 days have been beautiful.  Full moon at night.  Clear skies.  Very little wind.  Tonight we are in Port Washington, NY on Long Island.  Tomorrow we will time our entry to the East River so that the current is with us as we approach NY Harbor.  The plan is to be in Great Kills tomorrow night.   Then we will wait for a weather window on the Atlantic as we travel to Manasquan Inlet.  If you remember, this is where we had very rough weather several weeks ago.

8/31/12
We timed our departure to take advantage of the current in the East River which can be turbulent, especially in Hell's Gate.  We had a head wind as we approached Hell's Gate, but were fortunate that there were no other ships (just a few pleasure craft) in that section as we headed for NYC Harbor.  The ferry boats can be a challenge, so it takes two sets of eyes to watch for them.  When we neared the Statue of Liberty, there were numerous large, site-seeing boats heading for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Instead of heading directly under the Verrazano Bridge for Great Kills Yacht Club, we decided to completely circumnavigate Staten Island so Ron could see the waterfront at Elizabeth, NJ, his birthplace.  We both concurred that it was a boring few hours and would not do that trip again.

NYC viewed across from Elizabeth NJ

We met several members of the yacht club and were invited to visit with John Calascibette, the harbor host, and his wife and friends on his boat.   He had just purchased a really nice37 foot Carver (1980's) in mint condition for $5,000.00.   Yes, that's five thousand dollars.  Unbelievable!  Apparently the previous owner from Connecticut died and the boat sat for 5 years.  He offered $10,000 for it, but it needed $5,000 worth of work, so he ended up paying $5,000. 

We had paid for a two night stay at the Yacht Club, but after watching the weather, we decided that 9/1 was our best chance for a smooth ride on the Atlantic.  We left at 0630 and did have a really smooth ride the whole way to Manasquan Inlet.  Again, Ron had timed the entry perfectly so that the current was with us both in the inlet and in the Point Pleasant Canal.  Once we entered Barnegat Bay, there were a ton of holiday boaters.  Go fast cigar boats, sail boats, center console boats and  mid -sized cruisers stirred up the water and made it very rough.  After stopping for fuel at Beach Haven Yacht Club, we decided that we could make it all the way to Viking Yachting Center at New Gretna (our final destination).  So after 12 hours on the water, we were grateful to pull in to the marina.  Our tug is now in the same slip that we berthed in during our July stay. 

9/ 8/11
After unloading the boat and spending a few days with family, we bought a new Subaru, loaded it up and headed for Florida.  We arrived 9/10 and have reacquainted ourselves with our new home.  Ron will make a trip back to NJ in the truck in early October to prepare the boat for drydocking.  Then he will load up the remaining stuff and head back to Florida. 

Until spring, our blog will be silent.  We look forward to sharing our travels with you then...