On September 20th, after spending ten days on a mooring at Larchmont, we moved over to the better sheltered anchorage of Port Washington while awaiting a good weather window to begin our passage south to Annapolis.  We were excited as our passage would start with an iconic sail through New York City, leading us through the Bronx (where my mother grew up), down the East River separating Manhattan from Queens and Brooklyn (where my father grew up) and then across New York Harbor, all in the shadows of the iconic skyline of Manhattan.

The cruising complication of the week (perhaps we should copywrite that phrase "CCW" as there always seems to be one!) came from the fact that the United Nations General Assembly was in session, meaning that for security purposes the East River would be closed each day from 7:00am to 5:00pm.  That was fine, we thought, as there was an alternative route passing under the draw bridge on the far side of Roosevelt Island.  But we learned on the day of our departure that our air draft of 97', while lower than the "charted" air gap of the bridge, was too high for the then-current bridge configuration.  So we rolled with it and delayed our departure to time our arrival at the security zone just as it was scheduled to break down. 

We made the two hour passage from Port Washington to the north end of the security zone exactly on schedule, despite passing through up to 5 knots of favorable current in Hell Gate along the way.  But the CCW had more in store for us...  At 5:00pm, just as we were approaching at the northern edge of the security zone, the USCG announced an extension of the security zone until 10:00pm that night!  So now we were two hours down-current from our origin with five hours to kill and few options available. 

We knew about a small, legal anchorage on the Queens side of the East River just near the northern tip of Roosevelt Island but our friends on family boat Aquavita were already occupying it and it didn't seem like the anchorage would support a second boat.  In chatting with them, we learned that they were also waiting for the breakup of the security zone but they hadn't realized that they could ask for an opening of the Roosevelt Island Bridge, which they could easily fit under.  Once we suggested that, they left the anchorage for their next stop in Coney Island, leaving Saltair their spot to spend the night.  

So we spent an exciting night at anchor in the East River, 150' feet off the Queens shore watching the skyline change colors as the sun set over Manhattan!   We contemplated ordering Chinese in from a local restaurant but opted for a simple meal onboard instead.  

The next morning we were up and underway at 5:30 am (before the security zone was established) for a spectacular dawn passage down the East River, past lower Manhattan and Liberty Island, and through New York Harbor to Sandy Hook.  We were safely at anchor by 10:00 am, giving Seth and me the rest of the day to explore the historic Sandy Hook National Seashore, home of a massive US Army base during WWII and various forts and other defense installations prior to that. 

Leaving Sandy Hook, our next passage was ~80nm to Atlantic City, one of the few safe harbors for a boat of our size along the New Jersey coast.  We passed on the casinos and boardwalk instead choosing to stay onboard in order to make an early departure the next morning. 

From Atlantic City, we sailed 50nm to an anchorage at Cape Henlopen at the mouth of the Delaware Bay.  The next day we rode favorable current and a nice southerly breeze the 50nm up the Delaware River and spent the night at anchor at Reedy Island, just south of the entrance to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. 

We woke to a foggy morning and a canal closed due to poor visibility but by 9 am the fog was lifting and the canal had reopened.  It took us under two hours to transit the 14.5 nm long canal with little other traffic on the water that morning.  We enjoyed studying the architecture of the various bridges crossing the canal. 

We spent the final night of our passage at Worton Creek, where we were fortunate to catch up with our friends on Aquavita for a fun pot-luck dinner and game of Spymaster.  Our final segment to Annapolis was 25 nm, which brought us under the Bay Bridge and into waters that I had last sailed 22 years ago during my summer as a sailing instructor at J/World Annapolis.  

Execution Rocks Lighthouse, on the western end of Long Island Sound

The Throgs Neck Bridge, connecting the Bronx to Queens.

Excitement was building on Saltair as the NYC skyline grew bigger as we approached!

And then, a detour to our unexpected and cozy East River anchorage.

Queens, just 150 yards to our east.  We were tempted by the small beach but decided to stay put.

The view of Roosevelt Island to our south.  

Sunset over Manhattan from our anchorage in the East River.

The view at night.

We often prefer a home cooked meal to other options, especially when it means beaching the dinghy along a road in Queens!

Lots of excitement (despite the early hour!) for our dawn passage the next morning!

Guillemette at the helm navigating us around the northern tip of Roosevelt Island.

And down the East River we went.  Manhattan on the right.  

Roosevelt Island to our left.

Passing under the 59th Street Bridge.

The UN, the cause of our unexpected overnight stay in the East River.

One of the many commuter ferries plying the waters around Manhattan.

Anyone want to buy a bridge?

On the right, my office for some of the ten years that I worked in Manhattan!

Ellis Island

No label necessary!

The Verrazzano Narrows Bridge, connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn.  

Manhattan fading into the distance as we crossed NY Harbor towards Sandy Hook.

Once anchored off of Sandy Hook, Seth and I went exploring the historic Sandy Hook National Seashore!  Sandy Hook Light.

Fort Hancock was the home to more than 7000 solders during WWII.  Here we wander some well-preserved base houses.   One of our highlights was a preserved officer's quarters, complete with magazines from the 1940s that we could page through.  

Atlantic City was a quick overnight stopover on the trip south to the Deleware Bay.  We anchored in the river a stone's throw from Harrah's and other casinos.  

Harbor of Refuge Light at the entrance to Delaware Bay

Breakwater Light at Cape Henlopen at the mouth of the Delaware

Some of the many bridges on the C&D Canal.

A great morning for our Blue Water Runner as we exited the canal and entered the top of Chesapeake Bay. 

Guillemette at the helm as we passed under the Bay Bridge, finally nearing Annapolis.