THE GREAT LOOP
PART 5
NEW YORK TO THE ERIE CANAL
Our four-day stopover in New York proves to be every bit as fabulous as hoped. Our mooring at Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, provides us with an outstanding vista across the Hudson to Manhattan. The ferry is only 5 minutes’ walk away and Jersey Landing has a lively boardwalk with several bars and restaurants to choose from.
A post-Covid New York is much quieter and less hectic than normal. So much so that Alan, Jude and I grab a Lyft rental bicycle each at the Freedom Towers and cycle the six miles to the Empire State building, almost without stopping. A trip up the Art Deco landmark is followed by cocktails overlooking the East River.
With local friends and family keen to join in the fun, we take Privilege for a sightseeing cruise up the East River to take in the Manhattan and Brooklyn shoreline. Unfortunately, a pending storm forces us to turn around before Roosevelt Island but there is so much to see that I wish I’d allowed for a full week here.
LEAVING THE BIG APPLE
With most of the crew now departing, Alan my co-skipper and I prepare the boat for departure, provisioning, cleaning and fixing a few minor things now the boat is clear.
The 170nm trip up the Hudson should be easy with the wide, deep river making navigation simple. We plan to spend the first night in Kingston, some 70 miles north of New York City, where we have booked a berth at the Hudson Maritime Museum.
I pull out of Liberty
