Our goal was to make the noon bridge (the NJ Transit Morgan
Rail Bridge followed by the Morgan Rte. 35 Highway Bridge), and
we were right on schedule. With everyone onboard, everything stowed,
sail covers removed and stowed, engine check completed, we backed
out of our slip and began our trip.
We started out on a tight schedule. I wanted to be at Hell Gate on the East River as close to slack as possible so we needed to be at the Battery by 3:00 p.m. This meant motoring. So we motored straight for Old Orchard Shoal lighthouse and from there right to the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and through the Narrows. We crossed the Hudson River and followed the channels that hug its eastern shore which kept us clear of most of the traffic, especially the ferries. With Governor's Island and the Statue of Liberty behind us, we headed into the East River first passing the ferry terminals, then the museum ships at South Street Seaport and Pier 17, then the Brooklyn Bridge. With Manhattan to port and Brooklyn to starboard, in my opinion, it's the only way to see New York City. We continued along the river taking in the sights of the City as we passed beneath each of New York's famous bridges. We finally passed beneath the Throgs Neck Bridge and into Long Island Sound, turned to port and headed for City Island where we picked up a mooring at the Harlem Yacht Club.
Once settled on our mooring, Bruce decided to check the engine. "Hmm, what's this oil?" he said as he removed the engine cover. Those were words I didn't want to hear. It was strange that there was a narrow stream of oil on the side of the engine bed and no oil in the pan beneath the engine. He checked the dipstick which indicated no oil. Uh oh. Then we lifted the bilge hatch. Yuk! There was several inches of oily water in the bilge. And where did that water come from?
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Last modified: 20 August 2001
