It was an epic week in NYC experiencing life anchored at Ellis Island, the July 4th Hudson River fireworks show, and the journey up the East River to the Long Island Sound. It's hard to express how much we literally enjoyed every minute of being in the Big Apple. We were really fortunate to have two beautiful evenings watching the yacht club races on the Hudson River and all around us in the anchorage. Most of the teams were highly strategic, using our boat to fend off their competitors. It was fun to watch and the blast of color with the steel gray backdrop of Manhattan was a sight I will never forget.
July 4th was another day we will never forget. We arrived in NY Harbor almost a week before the fireworks HOPING that we would be allowed to stay, but never knowing if/when the Coast Guard would kick us out. Thankfully, it never happened. I couldn't believe it, but we got to spend part of the day with my childhood friend, Ruth Elise, her husband Kevin, and Ruthie's parents, Joe and Ruth, "Mr and Mrs. Torres to me", on the boat. Mr & Mrs. T are 80 years old and they are such troopers to come out to the boat in our dinghy. We love them. Plus, they are a hoot. We LOVED seeing them on Blown Away, but sadly, the swell in the river was too much for them to overcome. They all, but Kevin, suffered from motion sickness. That left a LOT of food in the fridge for me and Brown! HA! We ate for days. I was relieved to get them back to the dock on the Jersey side without injury and they were off! We returned to the boat and went to the top deck to enjoy the fireworks. It was CHILLY!!! There is nothing like seeing the NYC fireworks from Ellis Island. Magnificent! During the fireworks, we watched the Coast Guard save a boat that was taking on water just in front of us. It was crazy. They towed it to stop the inflow of water.
The next day we picked up my friend Vicky and her daughter, Rocky to join us on the epic journey up the East River to the Long Island Sound. If you time it correctly, it's like a slide, if you time it incorrectly, you are in trouble. We went with the current and enjoyed 9+ knots speed over ground. To pass under 8 bridges, go past where I used to work and live, the bridges I used to walk across, was mind-blowing. I guess we never really thought we would achieve this. But, we did. After 3.5 hours, we arrived in Port Washington and had dinner with Eric and Lizzy who drove out from the city. They all visited the boat before heading back home. It surely was a day to remember!
NEW TO OUR CHANNEL? We are Eileen and Brown Councill. Welcome to our channel and a glimpse into our life adventure! 2020 was a year of uncertainty and change (for all of us, right?), but we overcame the challenges and decided it was time to chase our dream, to sail around the world! Did I mention that we had very NO sailing experience? Before leaving Qingdao, China, our home of 4 years, we sold almost all of our earthly possessions and started our international search to find the right sailboat that we would call "home." After 5 months of unanticipated twists and turns, we found what we were looking for, a used Leopard 44' Catamaran located in St. Lucia.
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Staying in New York Harbor for a week was magical. We got to experience my hometown from a whole new
perspective. We could easily sit and watch the changing skyline all day long, from the metallic
shine during the day to the bright city lights twinkling at night. What a view! Two nights this
week we had perfect weather before sunset and were entertained by the yacht club races on the Hudson
River. It was fun to watch the teamwork and strategy of the sailors. The savviest of racers
used our boat and others in the anchorage to fend off their competitors. Thankfully we never got hit
but there were a few close calls. Our favorite part was seeing the bright colored spinnakers
painting the steel gray Manhattan skyline. I will never forget that view. Happy July 4th everyone!
We're so excited and relieved that we have not been kicked out of New York Harbor out of Ellis
Island. We're loving this anchorage. It is a little bit rocky and rolly but it is still a great place
to be. So excited tonight we're going to watch the fireworks from the top of the boat which is a first.
I've seen it on land many times but never from the sea so this will be a new experience. But today
I'm most excited about going to pick up my childhood girlfriend Ruthie, her husband Kevin,
and her parents Mr. and Mrs. Torres. They are coming to spend the afternoon with us on the boat.
Mr. and Mrs. Torres are easily the most courageous and energetic 80 year olds I've ever met so I
don't think it'll be a problem getting them on and off the boat but hopefully this swell will
cooperate. So time will tell but we're gonna go pick them up right now. The Torreses are here!
Hold on to that phone mom!
You're gonna end up on YouTube. I can't believe we're here.
Nice! Well done!
Oh hello!
It's time for a nap. Joe meant to do that. He meant to do that.
Yeah you got it. Just one step at a time. Good job! Nice!
All right!
All right! Sit and relax. Make yourself at home. Cannot believe you're 81. Honestly amazing.
No you didn't. Yes she did. Yesterday and to this morning. Thursday. I couldn't walk.
And dance the whole night away. No. So yesterday she started to loosen me up and I was loose as a
goose. This is wonderful. You gotta give me tour from A to Z. We got cheese, we got crackers.
Mrs. Torres. What's going on here? You're going on. That's what's going on and look at that salad.
I cannot believe that we're doing this and I have my apple looking right at me over there
and we're gonna pig out now. Mrs. Torres has signed up for everything on the list
and she wants the extra package which we are happy to accommodate. Thank you!
She's a trooper. It was a wonderful visit but as always way too short. We love you guys.
It is about an hour out of the fireworks and we are just chilling here on top of the boat.
Fireworks in a minute. Boat sinking in the harbor right now but back to the fireworks.
It's our last trip to Manhattan before we head off to Port Washington. We're going to pick up
some friends who are going to go with us which will be really fun to have them on board. So
we're going to get them now. Since we made the decision to head north for hurricane season,
I think the two passages that have kept me up at night are sailing into New York Harbor
and then going up the East River to Long Island Sound. If you time it correctly,
everyone says the trip up the East River is super fun but I'm still a bit nervous. I lived
on the East River for almost 10 years and the currents are really strong often reaching five
plus knots. We have done our homework and know the tides are in our favor this afternoon but there
are a few things to be mindful of like staying to the west of Roosevelt Island and being vigilant
at Hell's Gate where we traverse the part of the river where the amount of water flowing through
is more than twice that of Niagara Falls. It's called Hell's Gate for a reason because sailors
had to navigate the shallow channel dealing with strong currents and rocky reef. The East River
has eight bridges that we're going to pass under. The first three are known as BMW, Brooklyn,
Manhattan, and Williamsburg. Then it's on to the 59th street, Triborough, Hell's Gate,
Whitestone, and finally the Throgs Neck Bridge. Then we are technically in the Long Island Sound.
Did you know that the towers of the Williamsburg Bridge may have been inspired by the Eiffel Tower
and you can find four public restrooms on the pedestrian and bike lanes.
Oh this is so amazing. The United Nations right in front of us,
United Nations International School with the tennis bubble on top. That's where I used to
work for a few years back in the 2000s. My apartment was just beyond it on 37th Street.
This is amazing. That's the street I lived on right there. Did you know that the 59th Street
Bridge has always been referred to by New Yorkers as just that, the 59th Street Bridge. However,
the official name of the bridge was actually the Queensborough Bridge and in 2010 it was actually
renamed for one of our previous mayors. But like a good New Yorker, it's still the 59th Street Bridge.
Three times and she's doing great. She didn't wake up. I love it. We're doing nine knots which
we're not going to be doing for 9.2 knots. Built in 1936, the Triborough Bridge gets
its name because it connects three boroughs, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens.
When it was completed in 1917, the Hell's Gate Bridge was part of the New York Connecting Railroad
and Pennsylvania Railroad. The Pennsylvania Railroad, which entirely funded the project,
originally owned the bridge, but now it's owned and maintained by Amtrak.
Rikers Island, infamous for being one of the largest correctional institutions in the world,
is comprised of 10 jails that have the capacity of nearly 17,000 inmates.
Hey Rock, you want to say hey? You're a rock star. The Whitestone Bridge was built in just 23 months
and its purpose was to reduce traffic congestion on the Triborough Bridge. The Throgs Neck Bridge
was built to relieve traffic on the Whitestone Bridge. I'm beginning to see a pattern, are you?
This bridge also marks the end of the East River and the beginning of the Long Island Sound.
It felt great to safely arrive in Port Washington and see Eric and Lizzie's smiling faces greeting
us. We had a wonderful dinner and then a final visit to the boat before we had to say goodbye.
We're all going to three hours. That's how long it took you to get to Port Washington.
Exactly.
