We had heard several good things about Port Washington from other boaters and we wanted to check it out since we are not in a rush to get anywhere. We left City Island at 11:20 for the fairly well protected bay by Port Washington. Huge homes lined the shoreline as we approached the town.
Port Washington is very welcoming to transient boaters by offering free mooring balls for the first night (with an $8 per person round trip charge for using the launch) and only charging $35 on subsequent nights (with free launch service). We took a mooring among a sea of sail boats.
After eating lunch onboard we took the launch into town to check it out. What a pleasant surprise! This is a very attractive town. It is really a hamlet within the town of North Hempstead on the north shore of Long Island’s western end. The population is 16,753 and was settled in 1644 so it has plenty of history. It was an important sand-mining town and according to Wikipedia much of it was used to build New York skyscrapers including the Empire State and Chrysler buildings as well as the New York City Subway. It’s a very pretty town with lots of appealing shops and restaurants. We walked along Main Street and up a hill to the center of town with its municipal buildings and a small park. We were delighted with what we saw and were quickly convinced that we would return here in the future.
We stopped at a hardware store to buy new smoke alarms. They were very dog friendly and spoiled Archie by giving him treats as we arrived and then again when we were on the second floor. Thankfully, he performed admirably! Jonny asked the sales person for advice on where to get the best ice cream. She recommended a place near the docks so off we went for our “cruiser’s delight.”
After our delicious ice cream, we called the launch to go back to Zendo. The launch first had to make a stop at the north town dock which was just across the street from a Stop and Shop, a Target and a Homegoods store - major shopping opportunities! So we got off to pick up a few more groceries including tonic water (mixers are not sold in NY liquor stores). This was the biggest Stop and Shop we had ever seen - it was great! We restrained from engaging in other shopping expeditions and called the launch again. We are now doubly convinced to return to Port Washington. It is very rare to find a cruising port with as many conveniences as this one while still maintaining its historic charm. Interestingly, our launch operator grew up in the town next to Jonny’s hometown so they reminisced about their favorite childhood haunts.
Back onboard Zendo we ate leftovers for dinner and had a relaxing evening continuing our viewing “pleasure” with The Wire. Our next stop will be Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn.
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