East River to Montauk via Long Island Sound

We had to time our departure from the Hudson River across to the East River correctly in order to make the  passage thru Hell Gate at the appropriate time - on a rising tide/flood tide.  So up anchor at precisely 11:30 and heading out towards the battery.  Bye, Bye, Lady Liberty

The fourteen mile long East River separates the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx from Brooklyn and Queens.  It passes under eight high level bridges which are set against the spectacular Manhattan skyline.  Local lore holds that the East River is one of only two rivers in the world with two mouths and no source.

  Pier 17 on the lower east side of Manhattan.  South Street Seaport is home to several historic sailing ships.

Sailing vessel Peking built in 1911 in Hamburg, Germany.  Tnis girl has been around - Google her.  In 1975 she was purchased by Jack Aron for the South Street Seaport Museum.  She is in need of extensive repairs and then soon will be returned to the city of Hamburg for their museum.

Manhattan skyline form the East River.  The Empire State Building to the UN.  Lucky for us, it was a relatively quiet day on the river.

The Brooklyn Bridge - one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States.  Complete in 1883 it connects the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan.

It's a house on top of a tall apartment building - LOVE IT! - complete with a fenced in yard with trees.

The Queensboro Bridge (recently renamed the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge - pissing off quite a few people from Queens) is a cantileaver bridge built in 1909 and connects Queens with Manhattan.

An Icon of the East River.  The plant is no longer here, but New Yorkers will not give up the sign.

So Rick says to me, well we just passed thru Hell Gate and that wasn't so bad.  Then we both look out ahead of us and say OHHHH SHHITTT!  We are looking at rapids ahead and what appears to be a boiling cauldron of water.  Again, we are lucky, no boat traffic - so sit back and enjoy the ride.
Broulee amping up the speed to 11.6 MPH

I love lighthouses - just a warning.  You will be sick of them, but, I can't help myself.  You will be begging me to stop - somewhat like my sunsets and sunrises in years past.
Stepping Stones lighthouse - Long Island Sound  

A little place on the sound complete with its on lighthouse - my kind of real estate.

This one named Execution Rocks Lighthouse might not be one of my favorites.  It is rumored that the site got its name during the American Revolutionary War when British authorities executed prisoners by chaining them to the rocks at low tide - then the rising tide would drown them.  Although the rumor has been found to be true the actual name is because of the dangerous shipping area created by the rocks' exposure during low tide.

A perfect ending to a great day of travel - sunset at our anchorage in Northport Harbor.

Leaving the anchorage in the morning - spotted this cute house.

We had a nice run up to Sag Harbor, Shelter Island area.  For some reason Izzy is not liking this boating thing - just the sound of a boat engine (for fear of the wake it may cause) will send her down to her kennel.  Today she spent the entire day in her kennel so we figured a break was in order and found a nice quiet, secluded anchorage and decided to spend a couple of days.

Cedar Point Lighthouse at the entrance to Sag Harbor.

Private anchorage in Northwest Harbor - immediately got the dinghy down and rushed Izzy to shore - she decided yesterday that she didn't want to do her business in her tray on the back deck - like I said she wouldn't even come out of her kennel - not even for an offer of a donut hole - now that's serious!

What could be better than our own private beach.

Ok, now this part of boating Izzy can handle.  Everything is back to normal - we just need to remember to take a break now and again.

A video of Izzy afraid of a huge rock - looks like a scary sea monster.

Rick and Izzy got up early one morning (5:30) and were startled by these white swans off our back deck.  Rick came back to bed and said there were swans off the back deck.  After a minute I said - did you get a picture (in other words I am not getting up unless necessary)? The answer was yes - ok, no need to get up.
In the early morning - white swans swimming off the back deck - compliments of Pops - thank you for letting me sleep.

Took a dinghy trip over to the marina to get some gas.  Looks like we found where the big boats go in the summer - excuse me - it is the Hamptons after all.

That evening this young fellow invaded our private space.

Very entertaining - and it was at this point, when my battery in the camera started blinking indicating that it needed to be charged that I realized I left the charger in the glove compartment (or whatever that compartment is called now-a-days) in our car back in Garrison, NY.  The reason it is in the glove compartment in the first place is because when we left our home in Minnesota we got about a mile away when I remembered I had left it plugged into an outlet in the kitchen - whew, that was lucky.  We went back to get it and I tossed it in the compartment - why there and not in the camera bag you might ask- I am asking myself that same question.  I am lost without my camera - it's weird.  Anyway we are now in Montauk waiting for it to be Fed Ex'd here.  Montauk is not a bad place to be stuck - it's just a bad place to be stuck without a camera.  Rick has been doing some varnishing and swam around the boat scraping green scum off the boot stripe and today he got the watermaker going. Charger should be arriving today - will see what tomorrow brings.