Stuck in Port Washington

Well since our last post we have moved about 200 meters - we were at mooring ball 12 now we're at mooring ball 5 - I believe this is what they call "moving on up in the world". We had hoped/planned to be well on our way by now but something always seems to thwart us! First it was all the breakages on the boat, then it was strong wind, then it was Putin, now it's "Tropical Storm 11". How did Putin affect our trip? Well we had a good weather window that would have allowed us to leave yesterday and make it to the Delaware Bay for shelter before the storm hit. However, the East River was closed yesterday for what I assume was Putin's visit to the UN - man that guy can't stop screwing people over!! I guess this is why they say an agenda is one of the most dangerous things to have on a boat - you get so fixated on your plan and wanting to make headway and it's crushing when you can't leave!

So now we're waiting out the bad weather system at our cozy little mooring ball in Port Washington and there are far worse places to be stranded. It's a half an hour train ride to Penn Station, there are lots of restaurants, a movie theatre, three hardware stores (this is key when you have an old boat), a laundromat, a huge grocery store and two liquor stores (this is also key when you have a boat - old or otherwise).  The people here are genuinely friendly and helpful - like go out of your way helpful - I really love New Yorkers.  Being out on the water was also a great place to see the Supermoon Eclipse.

We took advantage of our elongated stay in New York and went into the city again this weekend. We got to hang out with our friend Corey again and she took us to see the Picasso Sculpture exhibit at MoMA - it was beautiful. Hard to imagine one person having so much talent. We also stumbled upon a street festival and had a delicious gyoza lunch! We all wanted to see "Hamilton" on Broadway but it's sold out until January!!! So we lined up for the "lottery" - if you win you get two front row seats for $10 a piece. We didn't win. But we did go to see Les Mis - I have been waiting more than 20 years to see it - it always seemed to be just about to arrive or have just left whatever city I was visiting. The wait was so worth it!! The costumes, the actors, the choreography were fantastic.

We also made friends!! We were working on the boat last week and another 1985 Endeavour 42 pulled in and the guy yells "Nice Boat" and as the stern passes us we see that the boat was from Halifax, NS! So we yell out "we're from Halifax too". We've been over to the Joyce's a couple of nights for drinks (they have a fridge that works) and some much needed boat commiserating and laughs. They also have a little kitten so I got my cat fix ;) Gary and Heather are also headed to the Bahamas so I'm sure we'll be seeing them along the way.

Things I have learned so far being on the boat: There is a reason sailors have enormous biceps - it's hard bloody work and there is a lot of hoisting. The expression "swear like a sailor" is grounded in reality- when everything feels like it's slightly broken, you feel like you're living in what smells like a port-o-potty, the weather just won't cooperate, and you hit your head, your toe, your elbow just one last time - the only thing that makes you feel better is a very colourful, creative, plethora of very bad language.  The above stands true for why sailors drink so much.

 

"In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of...

... there's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York. These streets will make you feel brand new...".  I have seriously had "Empire State of Mind" in my head since I got here!!

Where has the time gone? How have we been living on a boat for 10 days already!?! Well I'll tell you where the time has gone ... into fixing things! So far we have sorted out our water tanks, our wind generator, fixed 2 faucets, a shower, 2 toilets, 1 outboard two-stroke motor, and have trouble shot countless other things on our boat.  The Raymarine Depth Sounder is still winning - why won't you work!?!?! I thought there was going to be more relaxing - when does that part start ;)

I'll be honest, I didn't really know what a two-stroke motor was 11 days ago but I can proudly say I at least vaguely know how it works and know where to look when it stops working! Thank you SO much to my brother for his MANY patient texts and chats talking us through how to fix our little 18hp motor! It works!!

How did we know our engine wasn't working properly? I'd say when it died and left us stranded at sea :( We decided to take the dingy out for a spin to make sure everything was working before we left the marina. We didn't want to leave the marina without an operational dingy because it meant no way of getting ashore. So one evening after dinner we took her out - everything was going great - it started on the first pull and we were having a blast motoring around in some fairly decent swell, then it just stopped and wouldn't start! That fairly decent swell that was so much fun with a motor was now a little rough and started smacking us into moored boats. At least the current was taking us to shore - I suppose the one time leeshore is a good thing! We did have our life jackets but we did not have a radio or a paddle (lesson learned). Thankfully a lovely man out for an evening ride saw our situation and towed us back to our slip- I'm sure just one of many times we'll rely on the kindness of strangers.

It's not all work and no play, we met up with friends and went to a New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays Double Header on Sept 12 - the Jays won both games and we were on TV!! Who knew 9 hours of baseball could be so much fun!

After fixing the outboard motor we left Glen Cove and motored the boat to Port Washington - about 2 hours west. It's much quieter here but still very convenient to get ashore and get supplies.

It's also only a half an hour train ride to Penn Station! We spent the day yesterday taking in the sights of the Big Apple - breakfast in Central Park, a little shopping along 5th Avenue, lunch in Eataly, and some sightseeing along the Brookyln Bridge. In addition to the amazing views of the city skyline, the view from Brooklyn Bridge also gave me some insight into just how busy New York Harbour is and also the strength of the current along the East River we aim be sailing this weekend - I guess they don't call it the "Hell Gate" for nothing!

We're Aboard!

On September 8th we started our journey at the ungodly hour of 3am (note our exhausted faces) - we headed to the airport and after yet another tearful goodbye we left Halifax and landed in New Jersey!

We picked up our rental car and away we went. After trying in vein to obtain a Cruising Permit from the New Jersey Port Authority we arrived at the marina and accepted ownership of our boat! Walking down the slip to our own boat was a pretty awesome feeling :) We hit West Marine for some Coast Guard approved safety equipment and then emptied our storage unit and lugged all our very heavy belongings aboard the boat in the 34 degree heat! 

Since we had a car for the day we were trying to take full advantage and decided to get some groceries to stock the boat. Grocery shopping on no sleep for an empty kitchen is never fun but on a budget in NYC - "forget about it" as the locals say. I spent nearly two hours penny pinching my way through the store, even signing up for a "Super Saver Discount Card".  Tired, hungry and incredibly hot we finally came back to the marina a mere 19 hours after our day began.  We loaded up the marina trollies with our bags of canned everything, fruit, spices, veggies, and coffee and started off to stock the galley. As James walked down the slip towards our boat the wood under his feet broke and he fell through!!! The slip lurched hard to the left under his partially submerged weight and ALL our groceries went "overboard". As I was helping free James leg all I could hear was the sound of tinned beans rolling along the dock and splashing into the water! After James was freed from the broken slip we stood up and saw cucumbers, apples, yogurt, an egg carton, a bunch of bananas, a bag of carrots and other random food items floating just out of arms reach all around the boat. I was able to fish out some wet curry powder and a very soggy cardboard container of oats.  Oddly enough about half an hour later the bag of carrots floated back to us so we snagged them!  

The main thing is thankfully James wasn't badly injured (just some bruises and superficial abrasions) - hard to believe after seeing the incident! The bonus to James' mishap: we get to stay at our swanky marina for free for the week ;)

Mercifully the weather has cooled with all the rain we had overnight - it also alerted us to the fact that some of our hatches leak (I was fast asleep and awoke to drip-drip-drip on my leg, it took me a few seconds to remember I was on a boat and something must be leaking!).

Tonight is attempt number one at a cooked meal made in our galley kitchen... I have the fire extinguisher at the ready. Fingers crossed there is some propane in those tanks...