Post #7: Feeling Welcome

Friday and Saturday, September 18 &19, 2020

Today is the day we head down the East River along the shore of Manhattan!

Yesterday we sailed from Northport to Port Washington in Manhasset Bay.  I remember meeting folks those first few weeks at Cornell and during introductions, asking them where they were from.  “Westchester,” “Little Neck,” “Huntington,” “Great Neck,” “Nassau,” “Manhasset.”  I had no idea where any of those towns (or counties) were so I’d just dumbly nod and smile.  Now, 40+ years later, I finally do! (Full disclosure: I came by my parochialism quite naturally.  At my high school graduation party in 1973, someone asked my father where I was going to college.  “Out west, “ he replied.)  Here are some of the houses lining Manhasset Bay.  I wonder if any of those kids I met freshman year lived in one of these little “cottages”?  (I actually thought one of them was a hotel at first glance!)

Port Washington should be held up as the gold standard for welcoming transient boaters.  What a friendly town!  They provide 20 free moorings (for one night) and there is a launch service that for $4 will take you (stop #1) to the town dock, a short walk to over 50 restaurants and cafes or (stop #2) the local shopping area with a Stop & Shop, Homegoods, CVS and, most importantly, a West Marine chandlery!  When your car is a 10’ dinghy, having a launch service take you near stores for supplies is very much appreciated.

The town (and everywhere we have been in NY) takes Covid-19 protocols very seriously, not surprisingly given their horrific experience this spring.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, was wearing masks so there were kids at soccer practice, the library was open, posters advertised outdoor concerts and the local government has partnered with the Chamber of Commerce to actively promote support for the local restaurants.  In other words, the folks in Port Washington are living their lives because they’re being cautious.

We spent Friday night pouring over charts, tide and current tables, wind prediction apps, and National Hurricane Center reports in order to plan today’s voyage down the East River along Manhattan.  We also asked the launch driver who carefully said, “Well, the prevailing wisdom is to leave from here one hour before high tide at King’s Point (one of the arms of Manhasset Bay)”.  All our calculations and simulations led us to the same conclusion. Proving once again that there is nothing like local knowledge.

We left at 12 noon to begin the adventure.  It’s now 9:30 p.m. and I’m exhausted.  I promise I’ll describe the journey tomorrow....It was AMAZING!