Today we are moving up north to Manhasset bay.  We need to coordinate this with the tidal currents and where we are, the tidal currents turn just 3 hours after low water at the Battery (= southern tip of Manhattan) (!)  Again we experience this strange phenomenon that the boat is rising despite an outward flow of water.  This must be a case of tremendous momentum built up by the Hudson flowing out, a momentum that is only counteracted has risen to a substantial degree: the tide doesn’t turn until half the time to the next high water has passed.  Anyway, we depart 2 hours after low tide at the Battery and enjoy a smooth ride to the south and at the Battery, the tide duly turns and we enjoy a north-bound current of up to 5 knots.  What a ride it was, boiling water that turn the boat hither and dither especially at Hell Gate.  East River is a much narrower waterway than the Hudson and one gets really close to the neighbourhoods of East Manhattan.  Hospital for Special Surgery, part of skipper’s orthopaedics training is enjoyably revisited.

At 1300 hours we turn into Manhasset Bay, make contact with the dock master at Manhasset Bay Yacht Cub (not Marina, an important distinction). MBYC owns a huge club house, a swimming pool area, restaurant, hotel, etc…a formidable country club by the sea run by only 180 members.  Exclusive stuff!  Claes, Swedish, but having lived in th US since 1973, is a member and he has offered to sponsor our mooring on a buoy until mid-July

Another day in the Big City.  As always, we go to MoMA, Museum of Modern Art.  Unfortunately, today is memorial day when people go to...museums. The place is absolutely crowded.  However, the Impressionists always good to see and a whole floor with Rauschenberg…!  Especially, at the store a new umbrella was purchased.  A small, but sturdy foldable one with an ingenious design:  When you take it out, while raining, you have a blue summer’s sky with small white, good-weather clouds on above you.  Skipper had one and laughed every time he put it up…and lost it.  Now skipper has a new one. 

Builing activities in NYC exceeds expectations.  All over, new high-raises shoot up, way up.  Thin, slender buildings that reach up in the clouds.  One wonders how they manage transportation: A small number of elevators need to cover 60-80 floors.  Is it like booking a cab?  “You will be picked up 27 minutes from now!(?)

Eating, subway and just strolling around takes time and it gets to be a full day.

1-3 juni.

The remaining crew makes a day in Manhattan. A 15 minute walk to the train station and a 45 minute ride and we are at Penn Station by Madison Square Garden.  We stroll along the High Line in its entirety:  This is an old elevated construction for freight trains that used to serve western Manhattan which, in the early 19-hundreds was a busy industrial district.  The elevation was an attempt at doing away with “Death Avenue”.  Freight trains and pedestrians did not go well together.

It was a lovely day, sun shine but not too hot.  We go down to Battery Park, where a soothing wind is blowing, a bit of shopping in Chinatown, dinner in Little Italy.  We get back, by train, in pitch darkness and had a bit of trouble finding the boat in the bay.  The club had moved it to a new and better buoy and made a very sturdy rope attachment.  We are in good hands, indeed!

Next day is cleaning the boat, laundry, emptieng the fridge, sanitary measures on the crew etc.  A relaxed day in beautiful weather

The final day, June 3. Today we are going home, that is skipper is flying out while Ulla and Ingemar take into Manhattan for another couple of days before going back.  The boat will stay for 6 weeks, looked after by dockmaster Pete and his crew of college kids that drive the launches in an out transporting people to their boats.  A wonderful arrangement for us, let alone the members of the MBYC. 

We will return i mid-July for the final stretch up to Halifax.