City Island, NY

We left our Nyack anchorage on Sunday, August 6 at 8:05 because we wanted to catch the current on the Harlem River.  Jonny was very excited because he has been wanting to take the Harlem River from the Hudson to the East River for a couple of years now. We had never completed the circumnavigation of Manhattan Island and today due to the timing of the tides was our big opportunity.

It was a beautiful sunny day as we cruised south on the Hudson first going under the Tappan Zee bridge and then passing the beautiful Palisades.

Jonny confirmed by radio the opening of the Spuyten Duyvil Railroad Bridge, the only one out of almost ten that we had to pass under on this leg of our journey.  None of them are as dramatic as the Brooklyn or George Washington Bridges but this route saves us three hours so it’s definitely worth it. 

We followed the Hudson River with the current which had us “speeding” along for awhile at up to 12 knots (our normal cruising speed is 7 knots).  Jonny had timed it perfectly!

Our original plan was to stay at the Harlem Yacht Club on City Island, one of our favorites. However, they never responded to our calls and the weather was predicted to be rainy and windy with the wind coming from the south.  We would be better off staying at the South Middeford Yacht Club on the other side of City Island where we could get a slip and be on the east side of the island which would be more protected from the approaching storm. 

So by 11:45 we had settled into our slip at South Middeford. Some may recall that this was the place where we rode out the hurricane that hit eastern Connecticut and Long Island last year. After taking Archie for a walk and doing homework and other chores, we had leftovers for dinner and a relaxing evening. Later that night we were hit by a pretty big storm with lots of wind and rain. We were a little rolly in our slip but we were safe and snug and glad to not be on an exposed mooring. 

The next day was Monday and we were looking forward to a visit from Jonny’s cousin Steven and his wife Ann who live in Stratford, CT. A few days ago we had talked with them about going into either Manhattan or the Bronx for the day but rain was predicted so we changed the plan. Instead, they drove in to City Island. They had never been here before and we knew they would enjoy its funky ambiance. They arrived by 1:00 in the afternoon. We chatted for awhile and walked down the main drag to have lunch at Artie’s Steak and Seafood Restaurant.  It turned out to be an all afternoon affair.  We had a delicious lunch with all things seafood - lobster rolls, soft shell crabs, clams casino. The only slight disappointment was the somewhat tough grilled octopus.  But the laughs and the company certainly made up for it.

Afterward we walked some more through this tiny island enclave and returned to Zendo where we received an enthusiastic greeting from Archie. He always loves company! We chatted some more and enjoyed hearing about all their travels and stories until it was time for them to drive home. Fortunately they only had a sixty minute drive.

We definitely didn’t need dinner so we settled in once again after a very fun day. We took Archie for a walk to a nearby park where he got to run with some other dogs and practice his retrieval skills! Tomorrow we plan a short cruise across Long Island Sound to a new stop for us - Port Washington, NY.