Arriving in New York City

We wanted to be in New York City for Fourth of July, and we made it! Entering the Manhattan area was pretty exciting. We were all on deck, lifejackets on, camera ready.

After sailing under the Verrazano Bridge, we could make out more and more of the famous skyline. A tiny Statue of Liberty also appeared.

Pulled Over by the Cops

Suddenly a coastguard vessel came out of nowhere and slowed down beside us. They needed to board the boat for a routine check. We did not have to slow down. They just matched our speed and jumped on board. I was impressed. The guys were really nice, just asked some questions and checked our paperwork. We were good to go! Off they went again, leaving us to admire the views again.

Our goal was to anchor behind Lady Liberty. To do that we had to cross a heavy shipping area where the Hudson and East River merge. We nearly got run over by the Staten Island ferry, whose captain made a point by changing his course so he was going straight for us. We did a 180 and tried again… This time we timed it right, took some photos and sailed around Liberty Island. We dropped the anchor, looked around and felt on top of the world! What an amazing spot to be in.

Our friends on Mrs Chippy were right behind us and dropped their anchor shortly after. Together we would explore the city and watch the Fourth of July fireworks.

First Explorations

The first two days we spent figuring out the best places to go ashore, get shopping, et cetera. We were anchored a good distance away from Manhattan, but very close to the New Jersey side of the water.

So we spent those first days going ashore in Jersey city. The dinghy ride there was pretty wild, with lots of traffic and occasional confused waves. Once ashore, we went to a cool park with great views of Manhattan. It also had an amazing playground.

Fourth of July Fireworks

On the Fourth of July, we met up with our Dutch friend Carlijn. She has lived in New York more than ten years now. It was awesome to see her again. The Mrs Chippie crew and Carlijn’s boyfriend also joined us on Spacegrazer, to watch the fireworks from our deck.

We had a beautiful evening. Our view was great. We could see the New York fireworks, from the Brooklyn Bridge. We could also see the Jersey city fireworks. unfortunately, I did not get any good photos. Fireworks are tricky to capture!

Doing Things Our Way

Before coming here, we had sought some advice about the anchorage online on a couple of sailing groups and forums. Many people told us not to go to this anchorage for the Fourth of July. Some told us it was too busy, or the water too rough. It would be dangerous, it would be terrible. There were all sorts of negative comments. Someone told us ‘We are from New York and that is not going to happen.’

We decided to go anyway and see for ourselves. Was it busy? There was one other boat on anchor when we arrived. On the night of the Fourth, there were five. Was it crazy and dangerous? Nope. I am so glad we ignored the naysayers and just did it! It makes you wonder how many people who commented have actually done this.

We did move the boat to the Hudson River on July fifth, because we wanted to be closer to Manhattan. We are now anchored near Central Park, the natural history museum, and off course a subway station.