5/26/16 Offshore
Weather wise, this leg along the NJ shore was the nicest we've had
aboard Antares, long overdue and much appreciated. We've had more
than our share of foul weather handed to us, starting with the
initial trip N when we arrived at Sandy Hook simultaneously with a
nor'easter. We've also had thunderstorms, rain, fog, headwinds, big
confused seas, you name it, we've had it, so its long been one of
our least favorite legs (along with Delaware Bay). With a 1-2'
southerly swell and a SW wind, it felt more like sailing on the lake
than the Atlantic. And we sailed whenever there was enough wind to
keep the speed above 3.5kts.
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| Coast Guard helicopter practicing sea rescues off the coast |
During the afternoon, we encountered several vessels heading N, cross
our course about a NM away, then turn around and pass us going S,
sort of in the middle of nowhere. I'd heard on NPR (where else?),
something about ongoing beach erosion and replenishment since Sandy
and subsequent nor'easters, and saw several dredge lines anchored
about 1.5 NM offshore with dredges shuttling between them. With light
wind and calm conditions, we avoided the possibility of running
across more dredge lines by heading further offshore. We wondered
what the ships were doing, and if they were part of the dredging
project. We were relieved not to see any further N than Barnaget
Inlet.
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| Big tug moving a dredge at speed offshore |
The slightly more offshore course we plotted was poplar too, as we
encountered a couple of tugs and tows, passing within 0.5 NM (which
feels really close in the dark). After watching and tracking them,
visually and with radar, both captains hailed us to make sure we
knew they were there and their intentions. Apparently not all small
craft respond to their hails - the one captain thanked me for
responding. Somehow these things seem to happen in the dead of
night, and what would be easy in daylight, is harder in the dark
when it is more difficult to judge distances.
I was surprised when we passed the sea buoy off Barnegat Inlet. It
didn't appear at any range on the Navonics chart on the plotter, but
did on our old paper chart, indicting it's been there for years.
Guess we can't always rely on electronics to keep us out of trouble.
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| Sunset off the New Jersey shore |
3/27/2016 To 41 26.850N, 74 00.229W Cornwall on Hudson
178.5 NM both days
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The sunrise pushing through the clouds and haze, a welcome sight after a night offshore
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| The West Bank light house on Chapel Hill Channel in the lower bay |
We had kept our speed down so as not to fight a ebb tide in New
York Harbor. We turned in to the Sandy Hook Channel at 0630, one
hour before slack water, expecting a 0.7 K current against us as per
our Navonics chart. What we got was 1.5 K which went up to 2.0K by
the time we arrived at the Verranzano Bridge at 0830, when it should
have been very close to slack water. On the bright side, the current change moves up
the Hudson River faster than we can travel and it caught up with us as we got to the George Washington
Bridge. We spent the rest of the day with a flood current pushing
us up stream making up for the delays entering the harbor.
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| Passing under the Verrazano Bridge with Ft. Wadsworth overlooking the Narrows |
The forecast morning showers passed well N of us, so other than a
few clouds and hazy conditions, it had been a good trip. The sun
was attempting to make an appearance as we passed through the Big
Apple, although a fairly heavy haze hung over the area and would
persist as long as the S wind (or lack of it) blew. Air quality
alerts were announced on NOAA, and the haze provided less than ideal
conditions for photography. We didn't let that stop us from taking
pictures, it's our excuse for the 'soft' focus on many of the shots
(the camera doesn't focus as well in hazy conditions), the other is
trying to hold a camera steady while negotiating the chop from all
the boat wakes.
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| Traffic passing the Statue of Liberty |
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| I was looking for a bird when Leonard said he saw an osprey! |
As in the past, the passage through the harbor was interesting.
Between harbor control, the big ships and all the ferries, the VHF
provides a constant commentary. It would be interesting to know the
location of all the various wharves and channels scattered around
the harbor, as most aren't indicated by name on the chart. The
traffic and the wakes don't allow a lot of time sightseeing. One
ferry crossing from NJ to the city appeared to be on a cable, not
deviating from whatever route on his plotter indicated making a close pass in front of us. It wouldn't
have been so irritating if he hadn't then made a wide curve to get into
the slip at the NY terminal. A Staten Island ferry was upset with
another sailor crossing his path in the East River - guess you
shouldn't mess with the ferry schedules.
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A 'stitched' photo of the NYC skyline including the Brooklyn Bridge on the right
(pardon the bow, the boat moved) |
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| New Jersey sky line with a reflection of the new World Trade Center and the iconic Colgate Clock |
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| Beautiful old architecture |
As we passed Pier 88 where the Maritime Museum is located, the tug,
Margaret Moran, got yelled at by the security boats when he did a
close approach to the docks. He obviously wasn't listening to the
VHF when they requested (multiple times) to stay outside the patrol
boats. Perhaps because he was so much bigger, the patrol boats
respectfully requested he not come so close in the future. He said
something about 'just sightseeing...', turned around and headed S.
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| Margaret Moran being pursued by a security boat by Pier 88 |
After arriving early for the flood at the Narrows and through the
harbor, we began to make better time when it turned to our favor,
with the bridges arriving in a timely manner - the George
Washington at 1145 and the Tappanzee at 1355. It was much to early
to consider stopping at Nyack with the current helping us along.
Instead we headed for the anchorage at Cornwall on Hudson, a bit N
of West Point, with an ETA of 1800. A long day, especially since
we'd been underway since 0900 the day before, but it was easy going
and there was amazingly little debris in the water (just enough to
keep a lookout).
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| Hudson River scene near Bear Mountain |
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| It's pouring! |
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| Mist rising after the rain |
We watched the cumulus clouds began to build to the W during the
afternoon, and after passing under the Bear Mountain Bridge,
sprinkles arrived. Radar indicated most of the heavy rain was N of
us, but given the humid, stagnant air, cells were popping up
quickly. At West Point, it didn't just rain, it poured, and while
we didn't see flashes, we heard a number of rumbles nearby. We must
have done something right, as the skies were clearing as we
approached the anchorage. Just before 1800, the anchor was down and
we called it a day.
Lynnea
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