ep45 - Sailing New York - Huntington to Cape May - Hallberg-Rassy 54 Cloudy Bay - Sep 2018

After a long time weather bound in Huntington NY (Long Island), s/v Cloudy Bay (Hallberg-Rassy 54), is on the move again. This sailing trip takes us down the East River alongside Manhattan. But this time, as opposed to July when we came up the river, we have to be passing on the east side of Roosevelt Island, not the normal west side. As a result, we have to go under the lifting bridge at the Roosevelt Island. UN Security Council was in session that week, and maritime traffic restrictions were firmly in place on the west side.
These restrictions made our journey a bit twitchy, as even when the lifting bridge is fully open, Cloudy Bay’s mast only just fits under the bridge. There are lots of big motor boats speeding by in that area, creating lots of wake. And if one of these boats would have gone passed us just as we were crossing under the bridge, our mast would have touched for sure and we would have been in big trouble. To add to the drama, the current was very strong pushing us towards the bridge when it was still closed and we had to motor hard against the tide to keep at a safe distance. It all went well in the end.
Manhattan skyline was as impressive as usual, although the sky was not clear to allow us the perfect photo opportunity. And as expected, we circled the New York Harbor yet again, for a proper farewell from the big city.
From New York we were planning to have a night sailing trip to Cape May, but the weather turned bad and strong head winds changed our plans. We anchored in the shelter behind Sandy Hook. The next morning, we continued the sailing journey to Cape May NJ, during which Oana got sea sick. We spent one day in Cape May, visiting the beautiful town and the nice popular beaches. 27-30 Sep 2018