Wednesday 29th Manhasset Bay Long Island Sound

Having got up and listened to the forecast and stuck my nose out into the wind (NE 4-5) I decided to go for it (I had hoped to leave on Tuesday, but with bad visibility and thunderstorms decided against it) The trip through the East River to the Long Island Sound is dependent on tidal current, as it flows up to 5knots in either direction, if I didn’t go today I would have to wait at least a week to pass in daylight. I raised the anchor at 7.45am and the sails to help the run up to The Narrows which would of necessity be against the current, where I doused the sails as they would be of no use and possibly dangerous in the close quarter manoeuvring here on in, to continue under engine, pushing it at times to get to The Battery at one hour after low water, and the outgoing current to the Long Island Sound, under eight high level fixed bridges, we only impeded one ferry very briefly and got swirled around a bit at the Hells Gate, otherwise was easy enough, though a blessed relief to kill the engine at the end of the day. 

entering the Narrows

The Verrazano Bridge at the Narrows

The Battery

Liberty

Brooklin and Manhattan Bridges

Manhattan Bridge

Brooklin Shore

Tug

Williamsburg Bridge

Queensborough Bridge

Triborough and railway Bridges at Hells Gate

Bronx-Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges

We emerged through the Throgs Neck into Long Island Sound at about 5pm and anchored in Manhasset Bay at 6.30pm, with sunset at 7.30pm

sunset in Manhasset Bay

My impressions of the city? The East side of the East River seemed to be industrialised, neglected and rough. On the West side, the tightly packed high rise buildings around the Battery seemed to be oppressive, improving towards Manhattan and Queens where they are not so high and allot more open, other than that my aversion to big cities still stands!

Here at Manhasset Bay the West shore (the bay runs NW-SE) is all seaside mansions, while the East and South have marinas then mooring fields, leaving anchoring to the furthest margins. On Thursday I learned that they are holding four day international match-play racing and I have a grandstand seat, they are coming within feet of my rig!