New York City from the Water

Look what we found next our boat as we were leaving our slip at Great Kills Yacht Club…and we thought we had left these guys in the Chesapeake!



We are not going all that far as a crow flies but by traveling via the water it will take us a while to get to Weehawken, NJ. As we will go back out and around Staten Island and then into New York Harbor proper we pass the Great Kills lighthouse.


Both of us really wanted to visit Coney Island and were immensely disappointed when we learned that the bulk of the amusement park would be closed effective last September. So instead of journeying to Coney Island by land we decided that on our way to Weehawken we would do a boat drive by of the Island to see what we could see. We were not disappointed in the least and in fact, I think we were able to see more of the activities from the water than we would have from the land. Overall, we got a wonderful feel for the area and rumor has it that the park will continue to be an area of amusement, but just updated and more modern. The roller coaster, Ferris Wheel and Tower are all land marked so any new additions will be required to compliment them so as to retain the original flavor of the area.


This is the Coney Island Light that sits right in the middle of a residential area.


This is the Verrazano Narrows Bridge that connects Staten Island to the rest of NYC. Since when traveling into the city we did not go over the bridge we will just go under it instead.



The amount of commercial traffic is very impressive and makes for very rough waters. Not only are there ferries coming and going from every conceivable direction but there are plenty of ocean going vessels as well. I find it very “New York” that the tugs and barges are fashion coordinated. We also saw some of the largest commercial/ocean going vessels that we have seen thus far that require four tugs (two on each side) to guide them in/out of the harbor.

Heading north on the Hudson the Manhattan skyline as well as the East River with the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges are on our starboard side while New Jersey was on our port.



We had planned to anchor near the Statue of Liberty, which would have been wonderful in theory but in reality was not such a great idea – first, it is way too hot for me to be without air-conditioning and still allow Captain Mark to live. Secondly, the water is so rough due to all of the ferry traffic that we would have been literally beat up within the first hour. SO… our destination for today and the next couple of days is the Lincoln Harbor Yacht Club in Weehawken, NJ, which is located almost immediately across from 34th street in Manhattan. This is a wonderful place to enjoy the city lights at night and still be somewhat protected from the rough water of the Hudson in this area.


Hours on the water: 3.5
Nautical miles traveled: 27.5
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Next Destination: Tarrytown, NY
What we are listening to: Nothing - just took in all there was to see!
Lesson for the day: New York is just as spectacular from the water.
Obligatory knitting report: Nothing - just took in all there was to see!