If I told you there’s a quiet, protected place you can stay in NYC for free, would you believe me? It’s more or less true since the Port Washington mooring fields are free the first night but technically this harbor is about 1/4 miles from the edge of NYC in Manhasset bay.
Its actually an incredible place with multi-million dollar homes lining the west side of the bay and marinas/shops/condos lining the east side.
If Covid wasn’t a risk, we’d take a train and venture into the city itself. Instead, we hit the town when it’s not busy to pick up food and supplies and walk the dog. Port Washington is a super friendly place with a few great delis, Indian and Mediterranean restaurants, grocery stores, West Marine and even a Target.
Its been a while since I stepped into a department store so I was thankful to find a replacement windbreaker and some shorts. I am SOOOOOOOO ready to get further south and wear shorts 24X7 again.
We’ve got to hang around here a little longer to get the boat hauled out for repairs. Somewhere between Maine and Onset, we developed a leak in the saildrive (Engine transmission) and so a little salt water is mixed with the gear oil. We motored from Massachusetts to New York using only the starboard engine to avoid damaging the gears but we really need to get the seal replaced. Both sides need an oil change but the Port engine need a new seal pronto.
Since the seal is underwater the entire boat has to be removed from the water and placed on blocks to replace a $75 part. The logistics is more complicated since only a select few marinas have a lift wide enough for the haul-out. In fact, we’re still working on a repair date with 2 local shops and we hope they can knock this out next week so we can continue our path south.
Until then, we’ll keep working to improve things on the boat. Kendall’s nearly done with the cockpit cover and it looks fantastic! Its dry up there now and much warmer than before so our passages will be more comfortable and safe.
With any luck, we’ll be able to leave here in a week or so to continue our way south THROUGH New York City. We’re heard that we can anchor right outside the Statue of Liberty and so we’re going to make an attempt to do that and enjoy the scenery for a few hours. Of course we’ll take photos along the way and maybe (finally) test our drone out if the weather’s calm.
Its been a great stop here in New York. We’re not exactly sure where we’ll be next since our travels depend so much on the weather but I hope its this calm and peaceful.
Until next time!
Ocean Stray 