The poor weather we had been anticipating moved in overnight. It rained and the wind picked up significantly and changed direction, creating bigger waves and quite a chop in the harbor. Around 4:00 am, we got up and checked our docklines and fenders to find we were sitting nicely in our narrow slip, even with the condition changes. Luckily, Crossroads is a heavy boat and we were not being bounced around too much. We went back to sleep for a few more hours and woke up to cold temperatures, a wind of 20 gusting to 30, but no rain. The combination of wind and waves had whipped the water in the marina into a frothy foam, all the flags were blown to full extension, and the floating docks were rocking.
Our friends Chris and Gina arrived around 11:30. Barry and Chris are college friends from Penn State. I have known them almost as long as I have known Barry. Not insignificantly, they hold the distinction of being the only folks to visit on all five of the boats we've owned throughout the years. We showed them around Crossroads and caught up for a while -- Gina and I in the flybridge enclosure where it was warm, and Barry and Chris in the pilothouse where two engineers are most comfortable. We bundled up (yes, I had on my Cold Gear), grabbed some lunch at a close-by cafe, and tried to plan the afternoon based on the awful weather here on Staten Island.
We ruled out a tour of the Statue of Liberty because of time and logistic issues, but decided on catching the Staten Island Ferry over to Manahttan which, Number 1 was free, and Number 2 still provided us a view of Ellis Island and Lady Liberty.
We saw another cruise ship, this one on its way to Bermuda, before the Manhattan skyline came into view.
We docked at The Battery and when we exited the station found a totally different weather scene. We were amazed that there was sunshine, blue sky, and a gentle breeze. A short walk took us to the 9/11 Memorial and the North and South Pools. We walked through the impressive Oculus mall and transportation hub (with its distinctive white spines) before making our way back to Wall Street.
We caught the return ferry to Staten Island, the Manhattan skyline glowing in the early evening light as we pulled away. We'll be back in these waters on Tuesday (weather permitting) as we bring Crossroads through New York Harbor and up the Hudson River on the next leg of our Great Loop adventure.
We grabbed a late bite to eat at a diner we just happened to see along the way back to Great Kills Yacht Club. We were torn as we wanted to spend more time together, but also knew that it was getting very late and Chris and Gina still had a long drive back to New Jersey. It was a special day that ended too quickly. Thank you, Chris and Gina, for making the drive. It was so great to see you!
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