Fun with great friends

After our "goose bump" cruise through NY, and up the East River, we put the pointy end toward the Huguenot Yacht Club, where Joe (Sea Pearl) has been a member for many years, to spend some time with our great friends, Joe and Julia. After we got tied up, it was time to cool off in the pool, (it was hot in NY) catch up, and meet some of Joe and Julia's boating friends. What a great and welcoming bunch of friends they have. The next six days were so much fun, with Joe, Julia, and Julia's nephew, Brian (Sea Pearl) Bob and Penny, (Penny Too) Bruce and Linda, (JErica)  and  Mark and Patty. (Pied Piper) During the day, Joe ferried us around for provisions, and marine stores for a few things we needed, and things we didn't know we needed. You cruisers know how it is when you go to a marine store. We call them our "candy stores." We would spend the afternoon in the Yacht Club pool, then fun cocktail hours on our new found friends' boats. Tuesday was Patty's (Pied Piper) Birthday, So we all loaded up on Pied Piper, and cruised  to the Pier Restaurant in Rye, NY, for a fun evening, then cruised back to the Yacht Club late that night. It was lobster #1 for me! Monday night, we were treated to steamed clams, baked clams, well, clams any way you could fix them on Bob and Penny's boat, Penny Too.
The morning of the fourth, September Song, Sea Pearl, Penny Too, and JErica, cruised out to Lloyd Harbor, where Joe has a mooring ball, and the four boats rafted up for the next four days. What a beautiful place Lloyd Harbor is. That evening, we celebrated the fourth on September Song. What a way to celebrate, with lobster, (#2and #3 for me) corn on the cob, clams on the half shell, baked clams, and tons of laughs. Happy Birthday America! After playing on the beach with the girls, (four legged) and exploring each day, we would get together in the evening/night, on another boat for fresh clams, several different ways, mussels, prepared beautifully by chef Stephanie, and more fun than a person should be allowed to have. Each morning, the guys, well, mostly the other guys, would go out and rake clams, and pick mussels for cocktail hour(s) and dinner that night. Thursday night, we loaded up the tenders, and headed into Northport, to the John Engeman Theater, for the opening night of the play I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. What a great performance!
Sunday Morning, it was time for us to say sad goodbyes to Joe, Julia, Brian, and a great new set of cruising friends, and put the pointy end North again. We had such a great time with them all, and we will see them again on our way South.
Thanks for the wonderful time you all showed us. It was great to meet you all, and we will see you all again, soon.
We are on a mooring ball in beautiful Newport Harbor for a few days, but that's for another blog.

September Song (what a fabulous, fun time we had in NY with old and new friends) out
Bob


Time to cool off in the afternoon in the Yacht Club Pool.

Catch up time with Joe and Julia. That's Brian in the back. What a good kid!

The first morning, we found out what happens here at the Yacht Club at 08:00. They ring the bell, shoot a cannon, and raise the colors.

Did I mention, the area they do this is right in front of our slip. They shoot the cannon right over our bow. Cassie and Godiva were not impressed!

The four boats rafted up in Lloyd Harbor.

 

Cassie and Godiva's new friend (Penny Too boat dog) Callie.

The two girls, playing with a boy dog that joined them at the beach. Wheres Cassie? Off hunting fish as usual. Boys are not her thing!

Bob, Penny, and Callie, headed for the beach.

Bruce and Linda, out exploring.

Brian, Julia's nephew. What a fun kid to be around.

Fun afternoon on September Song. 

On our way to the Theater.

A rose between two thorns at the theater cocktail hour.

Bob, back from raking clams and picking mussels.

Bruce, with his full bag. How are we going to prepare them today? "steamed, baked, on the half shell? All those and more!

Stephanie's bag of mussels, compliments of Bob. (Penny Too) (And, "my" Bob worked his fingers to the bone cleaning them.Thanks, Honey!)

Beautiful harbors in this part of the country.

I think this is sailboat country. I've never seen so many sailboats.

OOPS! 

Beautiful homes, tucked back in the hills along the shores.

Patty, Julia, Penny, and Stephanie, on Pied Piper, on Patty's Birthday.

Stephanie, slurping another clam on the half shell. She is loving this!

Mussels, in olive oil, garlic, and wine sauce, prepared by the beautiful, and talented Stephanie.

Clams on the half shell. Bob (Penny Too) had a lot of work to do to keep up with the group's demands

Steamed clams. Keep'em coming Bob!

OMG! # 2 and #3 for me are in there somewhere.

Visitors in the harbor, looking for a handout.

This boating stuff is hard work. Callie, napping, on the deck of Penny Too.

What a perfect end to another perfect day.

New York goose bumps

We are anchored out in the harbor at Watch Hill in Rhode Island, after seven fun days with Joe, Julia, Julia's nephew Brian, and six of their friends, who I can say are our new cruising friends now, but more about that in another blog.
We left our anchorage at Sandy Hook early Sunday Morning, July 1st, and headed into New York Harbor.  What a thrill, and lots of goose bump moments. As we headed into the harbor, we could see the city in the distance, but because it is larger than life, it looked close, but it was still a ways away. The harbor is a busy place, with ferries coming and going, ships, water taxis, Sightseeing boats, people sailing, and a whole lot of pleasure boats. Our first goose bump moment was the Statue of Liberty. What history this lady has. Can you imagine the feelings a lot of our grandparents felt, when they arrived in the US, and she was there, waiting to welcome them. From there we turned to starboard, and headed to Manhattan, with the new World Trade Center towering above all the other buildings. WOW! From there, we headed up the East River, through all the beautiful bridges of New York, past the Empire State Building, the UN, South Street Seaport, Rockefeller University, Staten Island Ferry Terminal, and many others. What a thrill to see New York from the water.

September Song (a goose bump cruise) out
Bob


Cruising by the Highlands, not far from our anchorage, headed for New York Harbor.

The Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the first bridge you go under as you head into New York. Not so narrow! That's a huge container ship passing under it that you see on the right.

Lots of fast ferries in the harbor.

We saw (dodged) many ships as we entered the harbor. 

Our first views of New York City. It looks like we are close, but it is still a good distance away.

 

Me, with the lady in the distance.

Two beautiful ladies!

All I could say was, WOW!

We're getting closer.

The new World Trade Center, towering above all the others.

This is how it looked from the helm chairs.