Jersey City, New Jersey

Early Thursday afternoon, we were preparing to leave Sandy Hook Bay for Coney Island despite a small craft warning and white caps behind the breakwater, but when we turned all the instruments on the wind meter was displaying 30 knots of wind and we reconsidered. This gave Peter a chance to check the alignment of the engine. Unsurprisingly, given the vibrations that occur within a certain range of revs, he found that one of the blocks had moved. He spent hours and hours doing delicate adjustments on one mount and changed the weight distribution aft. The next day, as we left Sandy Hook Bay with favorable winds and calm seas, he assessed the effectiveness of his work. There was some improvement, but he has now determined that the shaft is likely slightly out of alignment. Unfortunately, work on this problem will have to wait until the boat is on the hard again.

Luckily, as a sailboat, Mantra performs beautifully and does not require constant attention as the engine, the generator (which still sputters out at will), the fresh water and sea water systems, and the electrical systems do. Some of the issues exist because repairs have been made and replacements installed throughout the world in her 26-year-lifespan, so the quality of workmanship and parts has been inconsistent and variable, and sometimes the former repairs made no sense at all. Thankfully, Peter is smart, educated, thorough in his research, persistent, hard-working, agile--and he has lots and lots of tools!

Sailing toward New York Harbor

But we have left boat repairs behind us for a few days. We had a beautiful sail into New York Harbor, only having to use the engine for a short time when the wind died under the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge. We sailed passed anchored barges, watching large tug boats link up to some of them in preparation for moving them. Off to port, we viewed the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from the water. We docked at Liberty Landing Marina at the mouth of the Hudson River on the New Jersey side. It is a very calm here and the view of lower Manhattan is stunning. Tying up in the slip beside us at the same time was a six month old Oyster 67 with an English captain and crew. She is a pristine beauty, dwarfing us in size and outclassing us in every way. It's the New York metropolitan area, so there are many expensive and well-maintained boats here, although there are also other boats, live-aboard and transient, that are less classy than the Oyster or the brand-new power boat two slips away which has just been delivered to the owner and is having all the protective coverings removed from her as I type.

Sailing in New York Harbor

Ellis Island

Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal in Liberty State Park

After we got all the lines secured and tidied up topsides, we gathered the trash to offload, grabbed some grocery bags and left for downtown Jersey City. A nice man on a live-aboard gave us helpful advise about where to find stores with fresh produce. We walked along the marina to the road near the end of the waterway and crossed the bridge to reach the city proper. We stopped briefly to enjoy the gardens of Van Vorst Park and explored the public library across the street from it because you never know what you will find in a library. On the large landings at the top of each flight of stairs were exhibits on local history, including items recovered from a redevelopment site that date from the 19th century from households. There were shards and even complete pieces of table and glassware, medicine bottles and supplies, and toys and school slates and pencils.

Peter and Sherri in Van Vorst Park

Bird houses in Van Vorst Park

Van Vorst Park

We walked further on Jersey Avenue past many townhouses with intricate architectural details dating from the 19th century. At Newark Avenue, we turned south to explore the pedestrian shopping area which continued for a few blocks. Until the end of this vibrant commercial neighborhood, the streets are lined with small, local stores, restaurants, daycare centers and other places of business, and we did not encounter any chain establishments until we reached the end of the pedestrian way. Since we needed a USB micro-cable and some two-sided adhesive tape, we shopped at Walgreens, although there was a small mom-and-pop wireless store in the heart of the pedestrian area of the avenue. We would have gone there, as the proprietors of the wonderfully stocked fruit and vegetable store suggested, had not a customer spoke up and told us that we would find what we needed at better prices at Walgreens a couple blocks away. (The proprietors agreed.) We did not find tape there, but we were able to purchase it as the mom-and-pop equivalent of a dollar store which was literally stocked floor to ceiling on its perimeter walls, probably at least 20 feet high, with a wide array of items, and we actually had someone offer assistance in finding it. We found everyone in Jersey City to be welcoming and friendly, from the librarian to people on the street giving us directions to the owners and clerks in the stores. 

A highlight of Newark Avenue is the mural work. Vivid works of art can be found on the sides of many buildings. 

Mural on Newark Avenue

Mural on Newark Avenue

Mural on Newark Avenue

Mural on Newark Avenue

Mural on Newark Avenue

Street venders on Newark Avenue

Items for sale

Example of brilliant architecture in Jersey City

Liberty State Park and Lower Manhattan

By the time we returned to the boat, it was 6 p.m., so I did some Internet searching for restaurants in the area. Many of the restaurants we passed in Jersey City seemed appealing, but we did not feel like walking back to the main streets there so we chose an upscale but not too expensive restaurant at the south end of the marina with great views of lower Manhattan. We could not get a reservations until 10:15 p.m. but we took it, deciding to be very cosmopolitan for the evening. A couple who live aboard their sailboat tied up a few slips away stopped by to visit, our first real guests this season. He is originally from Israel and is a tug boat captain here in the harbor; she grew up in Ukraine in a city which has been razed to the ground recently. Over wine, we discussed many things, but mostly cruising, and Gadi, the male partner, provided us with lots of tips about good anchorages in Maine.

View from the bow of our boat

After they left, we went to the marina's lounge for showers and got dressed in nice clothes for dinner. The food at Liberty House Restaurant was delectable and the service was wonderful. After our meal, we walked out through the garden to the waterfront and walked in Liberty State Park to the Hudson, getting photos of the Manhattan skyscrapers lit up a night just before a park ranger drove up to where we were and told us the park closed at 10 p.m. We deceitfully pleaded ignorance, avoiding a $1000 fine, and returned to our boat quite late.

Peter and Sherri by the gardens of the restaurant

This morning, Peter went to Newark airport to clear in with Customs and Border Patrol, a necessity since we can't obtain a cruising permit until we leave the country and return, and the type of papers we have to obtain are the only thing the CBP has not converted to electronic check-in and check-out. (Grrrr!) Meanwhile, I have been doing laundry using the marina's machines and sitting in the lounge with my laptop. The dryers should be finished, so I will wrap up here. Now we must cast off; we are heading up the Hudson River.