We left NYC Harbor early, once again postponing breakfast in order to maximize the amount of time we would be riding on a favorable tide. As we left our mooring near Liberty Park, we rounded the Statue of Liberty again and started down the “canyon” of skyscrapers and condo buildings. It was kind of eerie that early in the morning, with absolutely no other boat traffic. We were treated to some marvelous views of the NYC skyline as the sun was rising over the city. We passed by the Empire State Building, the Intrepid, and Grant’s Tomb on our way out, leaving NYC under the George Washington Bridge (our first encounter with this bridge that didn’t cause us to slow down).
The ride up the Hudson was relatively uneventful. We encountered very few recreational boats and spectacular scenery. We are seeing some of the first hills we’ve seen in over 800 miles. For both Captain Mark and Sidekick Sue, who spent their primary years in New York State, the landscape was very familiar and felt like home.
Toward the end of the ride, we passed under the Mario Cuomo Bridge, which will always be known to us as the Tappan Zee Bridge, the name of the bridge that formerly spanned the Hudson River between Nyack and Tarrytown. Occasionally, we just call it Robert’s bridge, a reference to Captain Mark’s cousin Robert who spend many months working on the new bridge as it was been rebuilt between 2013 and 2018. We expect to see Robert at the end of this trip as he also has a boat in the same marina in Plattsburgh. Over the years, we’ve crossed this bridge and its predecessor, many times, travelling from New England to anywhere south, in order to give wide berth to the traffic of NYC. Last February, when we were travelling to take possession of the Wayward Explorer, we stopped in the freezing cold to don our thickest winter coats and walk the pedestrian walkway over the bridge. We had tried before, but could never find parking….. turns out the best time to go is February……. plenty of parking. LOL.
Our anchorage for the night was just past the Tappan Zee bridge in Nyack, NY. We pulled into the anchorage, and we were all alone. We keep expecting the anchorages to be full of other boaters, taking advantage of “free lodging”, but so far, they’ve been easy to find. We aren’t sure if we are early in the season or if this is just par for the course. As we’ve noted before, it seems like most folks look for the comforts of the marinas and don’t mind paying for it.
We rowed the dinghy ashore up to a nearby dock between two boat ramps. It wasn’t clear if we could stay at the dock without being in the way of the boats loading and unloading, so we hauled the dinghy out of the water and chained it to a fence by the adjoining marina. We walked around Memorial Park in Nyack, which, in addition to the boat launch, hosted a skateboard park, a playground, a splash park, and a viewing platform for the bridge. As it was a Saturday morning, the park was brimming with activity, including some sort of wedding or graduation ceremony involving a balloon launch (sadly we found balloons in the water the next day).
Then we walked up the hill into Nyack. Sidekick Sue immediately declared it as eclectic. It was full of interesting shops and restaurants and was clearly decorated in the spirit of Pride Montht; it was clear that the town embraces diversity and the arts. The town hosted multiple, old fashioned barbershops with the traditional poles mounted outside and had no less than three music stores full of guitars and drums. There were people on the streets playing live music and signs in most establishment windows expressing messages of love and inclusion. The Explorers made note of the “Two Villains” Brewery”, the first proclaimed brewery in Nyack, as a possible place to return later in the day.
The Explorers walked out of town to a local grocery store, but it turned out to be a “Trader Joes meets Whole Foods”, kind of store. They had lots of prepared specialty foods, but it wasn’t the best place to stock up on standard provisions. Luckily, we didn’t need too much. We found some normally-priced eggs and some overpriced cauliflower pizza crusts ($9.99 vs $6.99 at Walmart), but we bought them anyway because they are delicious, and we haven’t found them on the last several stops.
Since we had some fresh food, and the day was blistering hot, we decided that we would return to the boat, where it is cooler on the water, and finish our Fitbit steps in the evening. We were hoping to hear back from Brian, a former co-worker of Captain Mark, who lives close to Nyack, so either way, we would be heading out for a second walk later. Back on the boat, Captain Mark considered jumping in the water, but reconsidered after testing the water temperature. So the shower sprayer, sufficed and we just hung out for a couple hours.
Around 3:30, we heard back from Brian. He was done with his job for the day, and would be able to drive into Nyack to see us. He was familiar with the area and we made plans to meet at the Memorial Park and head back to “Two Villains” for some food and beer. At about 4:30, we took the dinghy back over, this time aiming for a small beach near the viewing platform that seemed less intrusive than the boat ramp. It just meant bringing the water shoes to manage entry at the beach. We found Brian, who started telling us about the town, ironically describing it as eclectic, just as Sidekick Sue had proclaimed. We had a beer and a light meal while Brian and Captain Mark caught up on all the news at Solar Turbines, and all the people they had worked with together.
After dinner, Brian walked us back to the beach, offering us a car ride to a bigger grocery store, but we declined, feeling like we were good for several more days. We rowed back to the boat, still early in the evening. Sidekick Sue still has sewing projects to do, but it was too hot to start up the generator, so instead she started sorting pieces for another jigsaw. Her sister, Cathy, was generous enough to bring her a large stack of puzzles for the trip, however, Sidekick Sue has been surprised about how little “downtime” there has actually been.
Captain Mark climbed up the flybridge to enjoy the cool breeze and spent the evening researching for the upcoming days. As we move through NY, we are trying to connect with family and friends along the route, so we expect we might be spending extra time here and there. It’s a balance, because we are also starting to get that feeling that we are ready to be done with this trip and settle in for the summer. Seems like that always happens as we get closer to the end of our trips.
Robert’s bridge! Awesome!