On the first full day of fall Whisper is steaming into New England waters for the first time in 3 years. I am sitting in the cockpit letting the autopilot steer its erratic course down Long Island Sound as the Manhattan skyline receds astern. There is not a breath of wind to disturb the Sound’s glassy surface, only Whisper’s wake.
We are closing with the Connecticut shoreline seeking a more favorable current while wending our way through a fleet of fishing boats. I must keep a lookout both ahead and astern as a tug with barges is closing with Whisper.
Yesterday I enjoyed the hospitality of the Orienta Yacht Club’s rear commodore. Two nights in the quietest of anchorages, hot showers, a friendly launch service and a wealth of NY delis in town. Whisper’s larder is stocked with some real treats.
So.......what has happened in the past week.
Along the Erie Canal I made the friendly acquaintance of Dave and Ellen aboard the vintage sloop Cordelia. She and Whisper are both products of the dawn of fiberglass boat building, massively constructed, heavy and seaworthy. Dave and Ellen darn near convinced me to join them in the Bahamas for the winter.
We arrived in Castleton on Hudson together and spent a day helping each other rig our boats, bend on sails and clean off layers of Erie Canal lock slime. Then we played hopscotch down the Hudson River passing each other several times along the way.
I had anticipated a fairly dull motorboat ride down the Hudson. I was in no way prepared for the beauty, both spectacular and sublime the awaited me. From the quaint, historic town of Athens to being docked across from West Point, from mountains to a slalom through the canyons of the middle Hudson, every turn of the river. Working with currents as strong as 5 kts, Whisper fairly flew the 150 miles from Troy to Manhattan.
My second night on the River was spent in Poughkeepsie where my daughter works. She and her partner took me to ‘the best diner in all New York’. I will vouch that their meatloaf with mashed potatoes and fresh cut veggies was not only a massive portion, but utterly wonderful. The crew of Whsiper (that would be me) finished the entire meal and licked the plate.
The third night on the River Whisper docked in the picturesque town of Garrison, directly opposite West Point Military Academy. WP is an imposing fortress where the best and brightest of America’s future military leaders are being trained. It is awe inspiring to say the least.
Kit and Erika brought me a bounty of fresh produce from their farm share. We fired up Whisper’s grill and ate like royalty while Annabelle, the hairy beast, begged piteously. Kit is nothing if not a stern mother.
During dinner I commented on the number of classic Dutch craft making their way upriver. There were botterjachts, the famed canal barges of Holland. There were reproductions of small ships from the 15th century. There were schooners and rowing craft. Kit informed me that the whole summer has been a celebration of the quadricentennial of Henry Hudson’s voyage of discovery in 1609.
Day 3 had Whisper sluicing further downriver with wild mountain scenery rising on both sides. Kit had asked me to keep a lookout below the Bear Mountain Bridge, perhaps the most scenic bridge in eastern America, for a group of kayakers. Among them was her boss showing potential donors a parcel of wilderness mountainside they ope to preserve.
I sent a text message to Kit that Whisper had narrowly avoided the kayaks. Her reply ‘look behind you Dad, and up. That’s what I do.’ I urge you to visit the website http://www.scenichudson.org/. They are dedicated to preserving the natural beauty and accessibility of the Hudson River Valley. It is incredibly gratifying for a parent to know that your child is doing well by doing good.
As we worked our way downriver, Whisper’s keel tasted salt water for the first time in over 3 years, the salinity gradually increasing as we rode the torrent into New York Harbor.
I was prepared for boat and ship traffic to rival that of the streets of Manhattan, and NY Harbor did not disappoint. We had to do donuts while a Carnival Cruise Line ship embarked from its pier with a load of happy passengers. A speeding tugboats wake sent a wall of vvater over Whsiper’s decks, giving them a much needed cleaning. Ferry boats and water taxis scurried past. And megayachts from around world passed stately by.
Humble little Whisper had joined the fray.
The transition from the wild, scenic river to ultra urbanity took her skipper somewhat aback as did the $4 per foot price for dockage. The fuel dock attendant, perhaps thinking that Whisper looked out of place amongst the multi-million dollar yachts in her dock suggested I sneak around the Statue of Liberty into a hidden, almost secret anchorage. Directly off the harbor, this anchorage was a gem. Whisper found safe refuge in the Lee of Liberty, as did her poor and addled skipper.
On Sunday we were to transit the East River through the infamous Hell’s Gate, known for its giant eddies and whirlpools, standing wave and overfalls. Being armed only with current tables, I put a call out to my nephew, Andy, chief mate aboard a New York based tugboat and veteran of many trips ferrying petroleum laden barges through this awe inspring spot. He advised me to have Whisper at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan by 0630. According to Andy, there is no such thing as slack water at Hell’s Gate. The current is either flowing one way or the other and you had best be flowing with it.
Andy’s advice caused me to have the anchor up and Whisper under weigh before the sun had made itself known. My reward was to see the Statue of Liberty in the first pink light of pre-dawn. That was an experience few ever have, and it was followed by the spectacle of seeing NYC shaking off the dark of night, emerging into a gleaming new day.
Riding the current up the East River, achieving > 10 kts over the bottom, I was treated to the sights of my old haunts, Rockefeller University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell Medical College. I have spent many days plying my trade in these institutions and count them as happy.
Whisper was also treated to a Homeland Security escort past the United Nations. Not only was there heightened security for the UN General Assembly being in session, but President Obama was due to arrive and the previous night 3 terror suspects had been arrested.
The heavily armed gunboat shadowed Whisper while I chatted amiably with their crew. They allowed me to take their picture and wished me a good day when they broke chase. Homeland Security in the form of the US Coast Guard is very much in evidence all over New York Harbor. I find this oddly reassuring.
After all that anxiety, we found ourselves in Hell’s Gate at 0730, a quick trip upriver by any estimate. I supporse there are times when the Gate is much more ferocious, but Whisper made it through with almost no fuss. It might have been a very different story had we shared the narrows with ship traffic. As it was, Whisper had that stretch of early morning river all to herself.
So what did I learn in the past week? I will be years answering that question. Suffice to say that a week I had expected to be somewhat tedious was in fact most advernturesome. Perhaps the greatest adventure of all was having wonderful visits with a daughter who has grown into a happy, productive young woman already making her mark on the world. I am inspired.
We are closing with the Connecticut shoreline seeking a more favorable current while wending our way through a fleet of fishing boats. I must keep a lookout both ahead and astern as a tug with barges is closing with Whisper.
Yesterday I enjoyed the hospitality of the Orienta Yacht Club’s rear commodore. Two nights in the quietest of anchorages, hot showers, a friendly launch service and a wealth of NY delis in town. Whisper’s larder is stocked with some real treats.
So.......what has happened in the past week.
Along the Erie Canal I made the friendly acquaintance of Dave and Ellen aboard the vintage sloop Cordelia. She and Whisper are both products of the dawn of fiberglass boat building, massively constructed, heavy and seaworthy. Dave and Ellen darn near convinced me to join them in the Bahamas for the winter.
We arrived in Castleton on Hudson together and spent a day helping each other rig our boats, bend on sails and clean off layers of Erie Canal lock slime. Then we played hopscotch down the Hudson River passing each other several times along the way.
I had anticipated a fairly dull motorboat ride down the Hudson. I was in no way prepared for the beauty, both spectacular and sublime the awaited me. From the quaint, historic town of Athens to being docked across from West Point, from mountains to a slalom through the canyons of the middle Hudson, every turn of the river. Working with currents as strong as 5 kts, Whisper fairly flew the 150 miles from Troy to Manhattan.
My second night on the River was spent in Poughkeepsie where my daughter works. She and her partner took me to ‘the best diner in all New York’. I will vouch that their meatloaf with mashed potatoes and fresh cut veggies was not only a massive portion, but utterly wonderful. The crew of Whsiper (that would be me) finished the entire meal and licked the plate.
The third night on the River Whisper docked in the picturesque town of Garrison, directly opposite West Point Military Academy. WP is an imposing fortress where the best and brightest of America’s future military leaders are being trained. It is awe inspiring to say the least.
Kit and Erika brought me a bounty of fresh produce from their farm share. We fired up Whisper’s grill and ate like royalty while Annabelle, the hairy beast, begged piteously. Kit is nothing if not a stern mother.
During dinner I commented on the number of classic Dutch craft making their way upriver. There were botterjachts, the famed canal barges of Holland. There were reproductions of small ships from the 15th century. There were schooners and rowing craft. Kit informed me that the whole summer has been a celebration of the quadricentennial of Henry Hudson’s voyage of discovery in 1609.
Day 3 had Whisper sluicing further downriver with wild mountain scenery rising on both sides. Kit had asked me to keep a lookout below the Bear Mountain Bridge, perhaps the most scenic bridge in eastern America, for a group of kayakers. Among them was her boss showing potential donors a parcel of wilderness mountainside they ope to preserve.
I sent a text message to Kit that Whisper had narrowly avoided the kayaks. Her reply ‘look behind you Dad, and up. That’s what I do.’ I urge you to visit the website http://www.scenichudson.org/. They are dedicated to preserving the natural beauty and accessibility of the Hudson River Valley. It is incredibly gratifying for a parent to know that your child is doing well by doing good.
As we worked our way downriver, Whisper’s keel tasted salt water for the first time in over 3 years, the salinity gradually increasing as we rode the torrent into New York Harbor.
I was prepared for boat and ship traffic to rival that of the streets of Manhattan, and NY Harbor did not disappoint. We had to do donuts while a Carnival Cruise Line ship embarked from its pier with a load of happy passengers. A speeding tugboats wake sent a wall of vvater over Whsiper’s decks, giving them a much needed cleaning. Ferry boats and water taxis scurried past. And megayachts from around world passed stately by.
Humble little Whisper had joined the fray.
The transition from the wild, scenic river to ultra urbanity took her skipper somewhat aback as did the $4 per foot price for dockage. The fuel dock attendant, perhaps thinking that Whisper looked out of place amongst the multi-million dollar yachts in her dock suggested I sneak around the Statue of Liberty into a hidden, almost secret anchorage. Directly off the harbor, this anchorage was a gem. Whisper found safe refuge in the Lee of Liberty, as did her poor and addled skipper.
On Sunday we were to transit the East River through the infamous Hell’s Gate, known for its giant eddies and whirlpools, standing wave and overfalls. Being armed only with current tables, I put a call out to my nephew, Andy, chief mate aboard a New York based tugboat and veteran of many trips ferrying petroleum laden barges through this awe inspring spot. He advised me to have Whisper at the Battery, the southern tip of Manhattan by 0630. According to Andy, there is no such thing as slack water at Hell’s Gate. The current is either flowing one way or the other and you had best be flowing with it.
Andy’s advice caused me to have the anchor up and Whisper under weigh before the sun had made itself known. My reward was to see the Statue of Liberty in the first pink light of pre-dawn. That was an experience few ever have, and it was followed by the spectacle of seeing NYC shaking off the dark of night, emerging into a gleaming new day.
Riding the current up the East River, achieving > 10 kts over the bottom, I was treated to the sights of my old haunts, Rockefeller University, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell Medical College. I have spent many days plying my trade in these institutions and count them as happy.
Whisper was also treated to a Homeland Security escort past the United Nations. Not only was there heightened security for the UN General Assembly being in session, but President Obama was due to arrive and the previous night 3 terror suspects had been arrested.
The heavily armed gunboat shadowed Whisper while I chatted amiably with their crew. They allowed me to take their picture and wished me a good day when they broke chase. Homeland Security in the form of the US Coast Guard is very much in evidence all over New York Harbor. I find this oddly reassuring.
After all that anxiety, we found ourselves in Hell’s Gate at 0730, a quick trip upriver by any estimate. I supporse there are times when the Gate is much more ferocious, but Whisper made it through with almost no fuss. It might have been a very different story had we shared the narrows with ship traffic. As it was, Whisper had that stretch of early morning river all to herself.
So what did I learn in the past week? I will be years answering that question. Suffice to say that a week I had expected to be somewhat tedious was in fact most advernturesome. Perhaps the greatest adventure of all was having wonderful visits with a daughter who has grown into a happy, productive young woman already making her mark on the world. I am inspired.
Hey, don't know why the 1st comment did not go through - but here it is again hopefully.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for keeping us up to date on your adventures - look forward to it each day and a little disappointed when you don't have anything posted.
Guess i'm a little jealous, but glad somebody has the time to make this glorius trip - keep on keepin on.
Thanks and happy sailing Pam