to June 6 - Oyster Bay, Ny

Continuing the trip down the Hudson.

Haverstraw Cove entrance - nice cove but no way to get to shore except to beach the dinghy, and climb the rocks.  There is a nice park with a beautiful dock in the cove.  Said I to the ranger:  May we tie up at the dock?  Said he: No.  Asked I:  Why is there a dock?  Responded he: For fishing.  When we walked into town we understood.  We thought we were in a Central American country, and in fact, many of the townspeople had come from places like Guatemala.  The stores catered to that demographic.  The last thing on the minds of the town was to get boaters into town, but a place to fish was something the residents would enjoy.

What a sight as we entered our anchorage.

 

 

The afternoon was beautiful so we took the time to do some work on the boat.  My job was to polish the stainless steel with "never dull"

 

The next morning, an unoccupied sailboat at the same anchorage dragged and lodged against the wall, scraping its side.  We happened to be on shore and asked a fisherman to retrieve a rope with his fishing pole and hook, and then secured it, before notifying the park police.

We had to wait for a slack current at Hell's Gate in the East River so Rusty spent his time troubleshooting the AIS.

As we began our trip across the New York Harbor, we couldn't help but be moved by the position of the Statue of Liberty and the rebuilding of the beautiful multi-faceted World Trade Center. 

The famous Staten Island Ferry in NY harbor.

 New York skyline in the harbor, approaching the East River on the right.

The UN building on the East River

There is a gondola in the center left at one of the bridges connecting Roosevelt Island and the Mainland. 

 

***

 

The East River passage took about 2.5 hours, we hit the currents just right, and ended up in Port Washington on Long Island Sound, on a mooring ball provided by the town.

 

 

Bringing back the groceries in our dinghy.

 Same groceries, different view.

Port Washington is comprised of a few hamlets within walking steps of each other.  This is a typical street view.  Hispanic, Italian, French & Mediterranean flavors.

Pretty little pond and park with a "no dog" policy.

 

And now for a little walk in the outdoor Art Park:

 

Port Washington - home of the first transatlantic air flight.

 

 Port Washington brought in laborers from Europe to work the sand mines.  Can you recognize the spelling for "sand"

Mosaic of the waterfront.

 Metal art depicting birds (probably Canada geese?)

 

***

 

After three days in Port Washington, it was time to move on to Cold Spring Harbor where we visited the Whaling Museum. Cute little town with $24 pies, $20 dollar skeins of yearn, and great lattes.

Street view

 Harbor view

 

Heading back to the boat in the dinghy the engine stopped.  We looked at each other and burst out laughing. Bet Rusty won't forget the gas next time...

 

***

 

The next day we went around the bend and anchored in Oyster Bay where we will sit until the stormy weather passes.  Cozy in our boat.  Eating the last of the split pea soup.  Watching NCIS episodes.  Sleeping.  Blogging. Reading. Knitting.