Liberty Landing Marina

Where we are staying for a week -

Across from the tip of Manhattan

Tides and Currents

The Hudson River is the strangest place to experience – and to try to predict – and react to – tides and currents.  And winds.

Most important - we NEVER want to get stuck at high tide, or we will never get off.  Any other tide and, at worst, the tide will eventually lift the boat if we wait long enough.  We made sure we were in the deep, well-bu0yed channel before peak high tide.

We left Croton-on-Hudson this morning at dawn.  We were (according to the tables) just before high tide there, so we expected slack current (the theory, anyway).  Meanwhile, in New York City, the high tide was supposed to be EARLIER (logical, since it is closer to the ocean).  I expected some sort of linear progression, so we would get our high water and then tail current earlier.  Here's what we got:

First, slight upriver current (bad for us, but only ½ knot or so).  The wind was low – couple of knots – on our nose (of course).  So, we had the current and the wind coming from the same direction. Therefore fairly smooth seas. Beautiful.

We kept waiting for the tide to start ebbing (really, waiting for the current to give us a push, not slow us down), but it just didn't happen!

Until we got to the George Washington Bridge.  Now, suddenly, we got our 1 to 2 knot tail current, with winds of around 8 knots from whatever direction they decided to come from to mess up the river with waves.  But we were really flying – 6 knots through the water (under motor), slowed down with the headwind, but over 7 knots over-the-ground, thanks to the now-favorable tail current.

And, just to add to the fun, we got all sorts of heavy boat traffic – ferries, tugs, sailboats! – from midtown all the way down to lower Manhattan and into the Liberty Landing Marina.

Beautiful trip.  Auto did most of the steering, until he gave up at the G W Bridge and I took over the helm.

Punch line:  Bought a good Tide and Pilot Book, to plan our "Escape from New York".  We will have a couple of knots current as we traverse the lower N.Y. harbor, favorable if we time it right, but also have to factor in that we are going offshore around New Jersey and want to time landfalls for daylight hours.

Learning something every day. So it goes …

New York Pictures

Times Square, New York City

New Jersey Palisades - as seen from the Hudson River

George Washington Bridge

Lower Manhattan & New World Trade Center -
as seen from Liberty Landing Marina

Liberty Landing Marina, New Jersey

Lower Manhattan from Liberty Landing Marina

Tappan Zee Bridge 

Manhattan Skyline - as seen from the Hudson River

Ihana is in New York City

actually, at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, NJ.

We took the train into Manhattan on Monday & Tuesday, Croton-on-Hudson to Grand Central Station, then explored the city.

Today we moved the boat 30 miles down the Hudson River.  It was spectacular, especially below the George Washington Bridge. Great views of Manhattan.  Lots of boat traffic from Midtown, on down to the end of the island.

Now for a week of relatives, visiting, sightseeing, Rosh-HaShanah-ing.

We expect to head out down the Jersey Shore, maybe next Thursday - depends on weather, tides, currents, etc.

Pictures soon ...

and later that same day

What a difference a day makes, continued ...

view from Ihana at sunset

blue skies at night, sailor's have fright

red skies at night, sailor's delight

Half Moon Bay Marina

What a difference a day makes!

Our marina in Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Another video of our day on the Hudson

Taken yesterday - winds gusting to 33 knots; fetch all the way up the Hudson River from New York City (30 miles).  More fun on the boat ...