Everything is Ship Shape

Day 13  |  Staten Island  

Our plan was take advantage of this off day and give our home a good cleaning. We started by getting our first load of laundry going. A pretty good rain fell overnight, softening the layers of pollen, dirt, and salt spray that have accumulated on Crossroads this spring. Out came the hose, bucket, brushes, sponges, soap and chamois cloths. Barry started on the flybridge, as the best plan of attack is to work from top down. As he scrubbed and rinsed the decks, I came inside and began dusting and vacuuming. As he finished a section, I gladly went outside to wipe down the water droplets and touch up the places he missed. (I really hate to dust.) We cycled through two more loads of laundry and had clothes being folded on the table and shirts hanging in the salon, the handrails in the ceiling serving a secondary purpose.

We are docked at the Great Kills Yacht Club for the next couple of days. It is a favorite spot among Loopers and many of the boats we met in Cape May were also here for the night. Most all departed this morning for New York Harbor and the Hudson River, leaving us with a unobstructed view of the massive mooring field in this protected harbor. I have never seen so many mooring balls in one place. We look forward to seeing some of these folks in our traveling caravan again next week at Half Moon Bay marina.
 

A small thunderstorm rolled through around 3:00, but only made it more humid. It didn't phase us Virginians though, so we set off anyway on a walk around our little corner of Great Kills to get the rust out of my knees. We returned to Crossroads for a beverage and some birdwatching from Fiberglass Beach. There is a nice section of wetlands in front of us that is home to a couple of mute swans and their four fluffy cygnets. There is also an osprey nest close by and three egrets that visit regularly. I had to pull out the camera and do some more practicing.

We ate dinner onboard tonight, having orange chicken and salad. It was just as good, if not better than any restaurant fare. We'll call it a day fairly early and look forward to Chris and Gina's visit tomorrow. The weather forecast says tomorrow's high will be 20 degrees colder than today. Ugghh, I may have to break out the Cold Gear for our planned visit to the Statue of Liberty. Goodnight from New York.