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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Eaton's Neck..through incredible NYC on the fast flowing East River and up the Hudson to Croton on Hudson

We were the only boat in Eaton's Neck anchorage. Tom Teachman our carpenter from Stratford had recommended Easton's Neck, on the South shore of Long Island Sound, as he and his wife's favorite anchorage. Since they have lived in CT all their lives, we took this as quite a compliment.
Many "picked out" bodies of huge Horsehoe Crabs.

Don't think they meant this sign for Crawdad.....do you?

Doesn't get any prettier than this!

BooBoo was taking the picture, obviously.

Quiet Coast Guard.

Does BooBoo look happy to you?  Buddy leaps out of the stern into the dinghy. Somehow he always (so far) lands in the dinghy. Sometimes he is on Jim's lap.

Love this shot. So very peaceful!

Lighthouse was originally commissioned by none other than George.... Washington, that is!

Tom and Cassie were right on! Not even the Coast Guard stirred during the night. Despite the warnings, nature called and the boys asked to go to shore. Horseshoe Crab bodies line the shore and the shells were picked clean by the birds from the (bird sanctuary?). Horses had left their "trail" and we followed one of the trails in early morning to a field where horses had been practicing jumping...time to go!

Long Island Sound is surprisingly dirty. Balloons and trash were floating in the water at various places. Not like our Great Lakes! OK, the water is a bit warmer!  The weather was perfect and we headed toward NY City. The skyscrapers are visible for miles out, but today was again hazy. We followed the sound as it entered Hell's Gate (yeow....watch the current swells!) and then into the East River.
Never too many lighthouse pictures!

Like I said....never too many lighthouse pictures. Can you imagine living in this house during winter storms? Yuck!

We have been surprised by the number of children we have seen learning to sail in Optimist Prams.

Jets land and take off at LaGuardia with incredible frequency.

Bridges, bridges and more bridges over the East River.


Brooklyn Bridge is being repaired.


The Prison on Riker's Island houses 14,000 inmates on the Island. The web offers an inmate lookup.

There are trailors and tents.......

And if you need more room, a boat to house prisoners. Budget for the prison is almost a billion dollars. Yes, a BILLION dollars!

Some sights are just interesting. Wish this building could talk.....

N. Brother Island. Typhoid Mary was here for over 20 years.  When she died, they closed the hospital.

Current in Hell's Gate. Incredible power in those swirls.

OK, only in New York!

Lots of interesting apartments.

The Chrysler building is my favorite!

Can't remember which bridge and it's midnight so I am not looking it up!

Reminds me of one of my favorite movies...An Affair to Remember. I am still waiting for Cary Grant....

Let's talk New York Harbor here! Staten Island Ferry, helicopter and the Statue of Liberty!

Gloria is not able to pass up a Lightship.

What an incredible sight! No matter how many times you see her, you revel in her presence. The Loop has taught us the importance of the US relationship with France over the years. Without France, we may have lost the Revolutionary War.

Ellis Island - imagine what life was like crossing the ocean with crowds of people and entering New York Harbor....seeing the Statue of Liberty and then off to Ellis Island.

Many modes of transportation.

Guess what! A second lightship on the other side of Manhattan!

Ulysses Grant and his wife are entombed here along the Hudson River.

Tappan Zee Bridge.

The Islands are fascinating and the iphone kept us interested as we investigated the present use and history of the islands on the way to the city. Riker's Island is the main prison of New York.  That's a lot of inmates! LaGuardia is adjacent to the Island to make it easier for the prisoners getaway. There is also an 800 inmate barge across the River from the Prison.

Roosevelt Island, N and S Brother Island and Governor's Island all have interesting histories as well with histories going back to the Civil War. Potter's fields, mental hospitals, quarantine detention...pretty salatious!

Our plan had been to anchor behind the Statue of Liberty, but the anchorage does not allow line of sight, so since it was only noon, we moved on to Croton-on-Hudson. Long day - 80 miles. Takes a long time in a trawler....with the tide on the Hudson behind us.
Half Moon Marina, Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Dogs are not allowed to walk on the pathway. No dogs are allowed at the adjacent condos, so they have decreed that dogs must ride in a cart to do their business. Ridiculous? Even more ridiculous....Half Moon does not take credit cards.  PS. Don't go to Half Moon Marina.

Jim seems to be having a good time. Buddy, on the other hand, doesn't know quite what is happening. "Are they taking me to the dog shelter"!  I'm sorry for all the bad things I have done!

Wait a minute. I'm really a cat! They don't take cats at the dog shelter!

1 comment:

  1. I am not sure, but I think that second lightship you saw is now a private vessel that a couple bought and fixed up.

    I don't remember the name but remember reading about it.

    Bill Kelleher

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