Manhasset at a free mooring

George Washington Bridge - a familiar sight heading south

Hell Gate did not cooperate today. The favorable tide ended at 11:15 am and didn't turn again in our favor until after 5:00 pm. Since we spent the night in Haverstraw, we were a good five hours away from Hell Gate at our cruising speed of 7.3 kts. So after some hemming and hawing with consideration for thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon, we steeled ourselves for an early departure, 5:30 am to be exact.

As we rounded the corner from Croton Point we were greeted with 20 kts of wind on the nose and 2 to 3 ft waves. Since the current was sound bound, the waves were shortened (wind and tide opposed) and we took water over the bow and the boat pounded every few minutes, not a good ride. Still, we made good time averaging 9 kts until the tide changed by the George Washington Bridge.

Golf anyone?

As we approached the Battery, the weather threw in some rain for our further enjoyment to complement the numerous barges and water taxis, lots of fun trying to see all the water traffic. AIS was a godsend in figuring out what all the nearby ships were doing. We have AIS for our boat and we received two calls by name to ensure we weren't getting in their way (so we know they see our AIS signal!)

Finally we made it through Hell Gate with a favorable tide and then the wind really piped up. We turned into Manhasset and took one of the twenty yellow mooring balls provided for free by the town of North Hempstead. They now have two free docks for dinghies with the newer one located right across from a Super Stop and Shop. They know how to attract the boaters and make them feel welcomed!

A great add to Manhasset - a dinghy dock across from Stop and Shop

We had planned on sailing to Northport on Monday but Tuesday is not a good day, lots of thunderstorms, so we're now looking at making the trip all the way to Port Jefferson and have a layover day during the storms. We still plan on being in Branford Wednesday and Thursday before heading further east.