Home at the Poughkeepsie YC - at our dock

We were in the East River and saw this sight!

By Natalie Sherer

Today was our last day on the one and it was a long one. We went through New York City and all the way down the Hudson River. The day started with Sarah and I heading to the V-berth since the engine was turned on at 6:00 in the morning! We chilled there for a while then had breakfast, which for me was a bagel with cream cheese. We went all the way around Manhattan and it was pretty rocky with all of the waves from the ferries and water taxies. Not only was it a long day, but it was also hot! We had to either by up in the cockpit with no wind or down below with no A/C! It was hard and at one point Sarah took an ice cube and rubbed it on Finn and I. Well, it has been fun for the past two weeks sailing with Nana and Grandpa, swimming with Finn, Sarah, and Rowan, and spending time with the family. I will be sad to go (like always) but it’s time for all of us to go home. ‘Till our next adventure, Au Revoir!     

He flew right by our port side. There was a take off about every 10 minutes. A tourist flight I guess over Manhattan. 

It's 90 miles from Manhasset to the Poughkeepsie YC. That is usually too far for our 7.3 kt boat but if the tides are just right and you can catch the flood tide going up the Hudson River, then you can ride it all the way home. This technique does not work in the opposite direction since the tides move northward only. We caught the flood tide around the George Washington bridge and still had a flood tide at PYC. 

We always seem to catch the flood tide at the George Washington Bridge, it's enough to reach PYC, usually.

The big downside was the heat! We had a south wind all day, about 7 kts which was the same speed we were making northward. The net result was no wind at all in the cockpit. The sun was beating down and even though we had a bimini, it was very hot, in the 90's. Finally, I started the genset which allowed us to turn on the A/C down below. We don't usually run the genset when we're motoring but we made an exception this time. It was a good choice. Everyone but the captain disappeared down below but Ann came up every 30 minutes to give me a spell. 

It was all hands on deck as we docked at PYC all by ourselves. By now we have an experienced crew and everybody knew what to do. Ann came in perfectly and we docked without a problem. We went out to the Everyready Diner for dinner to give the cook a break and to enjoy air-conditioned comfort for the meal. Tuesday will be a very busy day to unload Fleetwing and take the crew home to Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Their parents will no longer be "kid free." 

This ends the current interlude for the blog. The adventure with four kids on board has come to an end. The blog will restart 9/15 as we start our 9th trip down the ICW to Key West, tune in then!