Leaving New York City

Our time in New York City was short.  Wednesday was our only full day here.  It was cloudy and hazy Wednesday morning so I did laundry, and late morning Keith and I walked around the park at the marina for a bit.  After lunch we got motivated and put a coat of Semco Teak Deck Sealer on the outside decks which it was time to do ( the once a month deck conditioning comes around fast).  Not long after finishing with the decks, the sun actually came out and we sat on the back part of the fly bridge and Keith had a cigar and gin & tonic while we enjoyed the view of lower Manhattan.

Our highlight in New York were plans to meet with good friends Jeff and Barbara Harris this evening for dinner in Little Italy.  We left a little early to take the water taxi across to Manhattan and see the 911 Memorial before meeting Jeff and Barbara.

Reflecting Pool

One World Trade Center

After seeing the 911 Memorial area Keith and I walked up into Little Italy to meet Jeff and Barbara.  They had made reservations at La Mela an authentic Italian restaurant.  They serve a family style dinner with multiple courses.  Appetizer was tomato and mozzarella.  The antipasta was asparagus parmigiana, stuffed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and spiedini alla roma ( bread cubes soaked in wine and olive oil then baked with cheese).  3 main pastas came next and they were gnocchi, rigatoni pomodoro, and tortellini (OMG).  The meats were next which consisted of shrimp marinara, veal francaise, and chicken scarpariello.  As if that was not enough food, desert was several Italian favorites.  It was tartufo, cannoli, tiramisu, Italian cheesecake, and zabaglione with strawberries and bananas.  We were in foodie heaven.

The pasta dish

The deserts

The only thing better than the meal was the company.  It was a highlight of our trip to spend the evening with Jeff and Barbara.  What a nice time.  We wish them calm winds and smooth seas as they begin their move onto their boat Lucky Star.

All of us at dinner.  Left to right Captain Keith, Captain Jeff, Barbara, and Me (Gail)

Thursday we are heading up the Hudson River, overnighting in Haverstraw, NY and then going on to Poughkeepsie where we will stay for about a week and rent a car to do some sightseeing.

New York City

Tuesday morning started with fog.  I hate fog.  Captain Keith also hates fog, and we waited until about 7:30 AM before feeling like it was reasonable to leave the dock in Cape May.  We were able to get out of the inlet easily however once offshore for just an hour the fog rolled back across us.

Did I mention how much I hate fog?
The marina Tuesday morning

I really hate fog.

View from the flybridge off the NJ Coast

Our radar and AIS was very helpful and we sounded the horn periodically as one should in the fog.  It only lasted about an hour and then lifted, thank goodness.

We had a great run from Cape May to New York.  Other than a bit of fog early, the water was extremely calm.  A very comfortable ride all the way.  We came into view of the city around 2:00 PM.

Verrazano Bridge

The Verrazano Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge connecting Staten Island and Brooklyn.  There are 13 traffic  lanes, 7 on the upper level and 6 on the lower level.  The upper deck was opened in 1964 and the lower in 1969.  It was the longest suspension bridge in the world at a span of 4,260 feet, until it was surpassed in 1981 by the Humber Bridge in the United Kingdom.  The bridge is the gateway into New York Harbor and the Hudson River.  All ships arriving into the Port of New York and New Jersey pass under the bridge.  It is named after Giovanni da Verrazzano, the Italian explorer who in 1524 became the first documented European explorer to enter New York Harbor.  Due to a mistake in naming, the bridge name is spelled with only one "z" despite the explorer's name having two "z"s.

After passing under the Verrazano Bridge, the Statue of Liberty came into view.

Lady Liberty

This statue was designed by French sculptor, Frederic Augusta Bartholdi, and built by Gustave Eiffel.  It was gifted to the people of the United States by the people of France.  The organizer of the project, Edward Laboulaye, was a French law professor.  He proposed that the French finance the building of the statue and the US provide the pedestal and the site.  She was built in pieces in France and shipped overseas in crates then assembled on the finished pedestal.  She stands 305 feet tall from the pedestal base to the top of her torch.  She holds a torch in her right hand and carries a tablet in her left inscribed with the Roman numerals July IV, MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776).  A broken chain lies at her feet.  The dedication ceremony was held October 28, 1886.

The final treat in coming through New York Harbor was passing Ellis Island

Ellis Island

Ellis Island opened January 1, 1892.  The first immigrant was Annie Moore, a 17 year old girl from Cork, Ireland.  She arrived with her two brothers to meet their parents who had moved to New York 2 years previously.  Upon arriving and passing through immigration she received an official greeting and a $10 gold coin.  It was the largest sum of money she had ever owned.  Over the years of its operation, Ellis Island saw over 12 million immigrants pass through its doors.  The peak year was 1907 with 1,004,756 immigrants processed.  About 40% of the US population can trace their ancestry to an immigrant that came through Ellis Island.  The Island is also known as " The Island of Tears" for the 2% of those who were denied admittance into the US after their long journey.  They could be denied due to things such as chronic contagious disease, criminal background, or insanity.  The last immigrant was Arne Petersson a Norwegian merchant seaman in 1954.  The island and its facilities are now part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.  A museum is now in the main immigration station building.

Immigration Station Building

Lower Manhattan

One World Trade Center or Freedom Tower also can be seen from the harbor.  This is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan.  Designed by David Childs, it is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and 6th tallest in the world.  On May 10, 2013 the final component of the spire was installed making the building 1,776 feet tall.  This height is a deliberate reference to the year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

One World Trade Center

Now it was time for me to stop taking pictures and get some lines and fenders out on Southern Style as we had our reservation at Liberty Landing just up from Ellis Island.  We pulled into our slip about 2:30 PM and this is our view.

View from the back of Southern Style

This was Tuesday evening

Cape May, NJ

Southern Style pulled out of Delaware City Sunday morning around 7:30 AM and cruised down the Delaware River and into the Delaware Bay.  The morning was very cloudy with calm winds and the water was flat.

Ship John Shoals Beacon 

This is the demarcation between the Delaware River and Delaware Bay

Bald eagle on Marker

Miah Maull Shoal Lighthouse in the Delaware Bay

We got into Cape May, NJ around noon and by early afternoon the sun appeared.  Keith and I got on our bikes and rode around town.  The homes and hotels are really cool with many retaining their victorian style.

Example of Victorian Style House

By the time we got back to the boat the weather began to change and storms and rain moved in for the remainder of the afternoon and night.  We did walk to the Lobster House for dinner and Captain Keith had a 3 pound lobster.

Monday, Memorial Day, was a big day for us.  The NJ Mackeys; Scot, Suzanne, Abigail, and Courtenay all came to Cape May to visit.  They took us all over town.  We first went downtown to the Congress Hotel.  This is a historic hotel built in 1816 as a wooden boarding house.  It burned to the ground in the Great Cape May Fire of 1878 but was rebuilt within the year, this time in brick.  It is a beautiful building overlooking the beach and ocean.  Presidents Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Ulysses S. Grant, and Benjamin Harrison all vacationed at the hotel.  Although it suffered some deterioration in the early 20th century, the hotel was renovated and restored in the 1960s and is again a high end resort hotel.

The Congress Hotel and lawn

Back porch area of the hotel

Inside the hotel along one hallway

Keith and Scot having a bloody mary at the outdoor bar of the Congress Hotel

After visiting the Congress Hotel and walking through some of the shopping in downtown Cape May, we drove to the Cape May Lighthouse.  The Cape May Lighthouse is the third lighthouse to be built at Cape May Point.  The first was built in 1823 and the second in 1847.  The current lighthouse was built in 1859.  It stands 157 feet tall and there are 199 steps in the tower's spiral staircase.  The Coast Guard continues to operate the light as an active aid to navigation and it can be seen 22 miles out to see.

Cape May Lighthouse

Here we are at the top

Left to right (Keith, Abigail, Courtenay, Scot and Suzanne)

View from the lighthouse

Old WWII bunker on the beach as viewed from the lighthouse

Once we had climbed the lighthouse, some of the group also walked out on the beach to view the old WW II bunker.  Later, we drove over to the bay where the remains of an old wreck, the SS Atlantus is located.  The SS Atlantus is the most famous of the 12 concrete ships built by the Liberty Ship Building Company in Brunswhich, GA during WW I.  The ship was used to transport American troops back home from Europe and to transport coal to New England.  She was purchased for nonmilitary use in 1926 along with 2 of her sister ships.  The intent was to use the ships to create a ferry dock in Cape May.  She was towed to the area in preparation but a storm in June of that year broke her loose from her moorings and she ran aground 150 feet off the beach.  Several attempts to free her were unsuccessful and she was left where she ran aground.  Today she is almost completely submerged in the sand and water.

SS Atlantus Wreck (one of only 12 concrete ships built during WW I)

Back on Southern Style,  Keith's brother Scot Mackey brought a cooler with fresh oysters, called Cape May Salts.  He and Captain Keith commenced with shucking and eating them.  Keith used his new oyster knife, a birthday gift from his brother and family.  Our oyster shucking friends from NC will now have "oyster knife envy" when they see this one.

Keith and Scot shucking oysters

We had a great day exploring and visiting with everyone.  The weather was somewhat cloudy and cool, but at least it did not rain on us, so we think it was a win.  Wonderful to see Scot and family again.  We thank them for making the trip to Cape May to see us and take us around town.

Delaware City, Delaware

Saturday morning around 8:00 AM we left Havre de Grace and cruised back out into the Chesapeake Bay heading toward the C & D Canal.  On the tip of Elk Neck is the Turkey Point Lighthouse.

Turkey Point Lighthouse

This area is where relatives of mine used to live.  They had a home on the water on the eastern shore of Elk Neck almost directly across from the Bohemia River.  Ginny and Bob Pike were like grandparents to me, and it was bitter sweat to go past their former property.  It does not look the same as when they were there, but it certainly brought back many fond memories of visiting them on the "Bay"

Childhood memories

After passing the Bohemia River we soon entered the C & D Canal.  This is a 14 mile long ship canal connecting the Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware River.  The canal is about 450 feet across and 35 feet deep.  Approximately 40% of the ship traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore comes through the C & D Canal.

C & D Canal

Horseback riders along the canal

We arrived into Delaware City about 2:30 PM.  It was VERY HOT, but Captain Keith and I rode our bikes around the downtown area for a bit.  

Delaware City Marina

The downtown park  in Delaware City is called the Battery and it has Eastern Lock #1 from the original C & D Canal preserved in the park.  This is listed in the National Historic Register.  The first canal was completed about 1829 and it took over 2,600 men to build it.  It was only about 10 feet deep and 66 feet wide.  Horses and mules were used to pull the barges and sloops along the 14 mile canal route.  The original canal was replaced in 1927 with the modern canal which can accomodate large ocean going ships.

Original Eastern Lock #1

From the east end of the park we looked out over the Delaware River.  In the river is Pea Patch Island and Fort Delaware.  Built in 1859, the fort was used primarily as a prisoner of war barracks during the Civil War.  Confederate soldiers were housed here after the war broke out between the states.  By the end of the war there were approximately 33,000 men there.  Today the fort is owned by the state of Delaware and is a state park.  It is open to the public for visiting and they have historical as well as other events there.  In addition to the history the fort hosts things such as the "Escape from Fort Delaware Triathlon" each summer and several summer baseball games of vintage leages.

Fort Delaware

I took another picture of Fort Delaware when we started down the Delaware River on Sunday morning but it was very hazy out and the boat was also moving a bit but it is a closer picture.

Fort Delaware in the haze

Havre de Grace

Southern Style pulled into Havre de Grace on Thursday afternoon about 2:30 PM.  We just barely squeezed into the marina.

Yes we just made it through this entrance

We road our bikes into town to the Tidewater Grill for dinner.  They have a very pretty spot along the river.  Captain Keith and I sat inside their glassed in porch that looked out over the patio and river.

View from the enclosed porch at Tidewater

Sailboat races on the Susquehanna River

Friday morning we road our bikes all around Havre de Grace, taking in the sites and history.  In 1608, Captain John Smith became the first European to see the Susquehanna River.  He was followed sporadically by trappers and traders.  It was 1795 when a ferry was established between what is now Havre de Grace and Perryville, MD.  The Susquehanna and Tidewater canal opened in 1840 at the present day lockhouse.  This created a navigable waterway from the Chesapeake Bay into central Pennsylvania, linking Havre de Grace with canals that went all the way to the Mississippi.

LockHouse and remains of the canal preserved at the Susquehanna Museum of Havre de Grace

The Old Lock

That same year the Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington Railroad reached town.  Havre de Grace became a center of local trade with fish packing houses, canaries, ice houses and light manufacturing.  The town was also gaining some fame as a hunting and fishing area.  Duck hunting in particular was big with local hunters making their living hunting ducks in sinkboxes and loading them on the trains to be sent to restaurants and hotels in Philadelphia.  Havre de Grace has done a very nice job of preserving its history.

This building was once the inn used by wealthy hunters coming to the area for duck hunting.  It is now privately owned and has been turned into apartments.

The Concord Point Lighthouse and Keeper's House were built in 1827.  It is the oldest publicly accessible lighthouse on the "Bay"  It is 36 feet high and originally was lit with 9 whale oil lamps.  A Fresnel lens was installed in 1854 and the light was automated in 1920.  Decommissioned in 1975, the town did extensive restoration on the light and it is now a museum and private aid to navigation.

Concord Point Lighthouse

The Havre de Grace Decoy Museum exhibits the long waterfowl traditions of the region.  Havre de Grace is the "Decoy Capital of the World".  Decoys have been a central element of Chesapeake culture for centuries. In the beginning, they were made for one purpose — to lure waterfowl within range of the hunter’s shotgun. Decoys were simple, utilitarian representations of ducks and geese rough-hewn from wood. No one considered them art. Today, decoys lure far more people than waterfowl. One is perhaps more likely to find a decoy adorning a collector’s mantelpiece than floating in a hunter’s rig. Contemporary carvers produce sophisticated works of art with century-old skills that have been passed down from master to apprentice for generations.

Inside the Decoy Museum

Stained glass window at the museum

Example of a sinkbox

These contraptions were floated in the river with decoys attached to them and the hunter in the center.  They floated at water level to better conceal the hunter.  Their use was outlawed in 1918

After all the biking and exploring, Keith and I stopped at Bomboy's Ice Cream.  They have been making homemade ice cream here for years.  Pengi wanted his picture with their cow.

Pengi at Bomboy's Icecream