A Great Sight

Magic has returned to CT from FL. Thought I would share a trip photo or two. Don't know the order they upload in so you can figure it out. One is the UN building on the East River, NY, and the other was take nfrom The Battery in upper NY harbor and features the Freedom Tower, the NY skyline and the Staten Island Ferry.

Howard

The UN

San Francisco!:

That's a really great shot of the UN!

The Golden Gate!:

Calm down Mark. Frisco is OK, but The Big Apple? Now that's something else entirely!

hmason said:

Calm down Mark. Frisco is OK, but The Big Apple? Now that's something else entirely!

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Greetings,
Mr. hm. Good shots indeed. Must be a new record. Two posts and thread high jack...



No interest in San Fran what-so-ever. There's only 1 New York

I never tire of that route through NYC.

FYI, those photos were taken by my iPad. I can't believe how good they come out.

I just took some pics on my i-pad and have only been able to post one .. that was kinda by accident. I get all the yay up to post reply and nothing to click on.

I've been to a lot of harbors all over the US and Europe. New York Harbor really is an event. It slaps you right in the face.

Coincidentally we just took delivery of Xanadu, a Mainship 37 (cabin cruiser, not the newer trawler) and motored it from Somerset, Mass to near Albany on the upper Hudson. Spent two nights at Liberty Landing Marina across from Manhattan.

Fantastic trip.

Great sights

Went through NY on the why to the Bahamas from CT. I agree, there were many great sights!

New York New York.... I think Sydney Australia has a Harbour to make your hair stand on end.

The only downside of that run around New York was Lower Manhattan -- ferries to the left of me, ferries to the right, barges roaring behind me, Circle Line cruisers roaring toward me, engines roaring at 3600 rpm to get me out of there -- but we got to the Jersey side and survived. And of course now I understand why they call it "Hells Gate." Some very weird and powerful currents there, like boating in a washing machine. Now we'll have the boat pulled here on the upper Hudson and trucked home to South Dakota on the Missouri River. It'll be a long time before this boat sees anything that exciting again. Good solid boat though, got us safely all the way, including some very rough water off Pt. Judith. We had one unsettling few minutes when all the electronics went dark on the lower Hudson, but turned out it was just a loose accessory switch on the helm. Wiggled it and everything came back on.

Those are all great views but my favorite is where I live.

My original posting photo is quite rare. It looks like a placid, empty harbor. As kthoennes pointed out, NY Harbor is extremely busy. The volume of commercial boating traffic is unbelievable and also includes ships both underway and at anchor. You would be stunned at the volume of helicopter traffic roaring in and out of heliports along the harbor and the East and Hudson rivers. The noise at times is astounding.

For those who have no idea what Hells Gate is, it's the confluence of the East River and the Long Island Sound. Billions of gallons of water race through the "Gate" at each tide change. Currents up and down the East River follow the changes at the Gate. They are fast and can make slower boats such as sailboats practically stand still.

It's actually quite easy to time the currents for a trawler. You simply leave NY Harbor from the "Battery" when the Gate is at "slack tide, flood begins," and you will have a fair current up the East River and through the Gate...going in the other direction, leave the Long Island Sound, from the Throgs Neck Bridge when the Gate is at "slack tide, ebb begins." It's that easy.

Wifey B: You can fly in or drive in or use telepathy to get there but there's nothing like going into a city by water. NYC is just amazing to approach. You don't get the impact flying in where everything looks like miniatures. Statue of Liberty was meant to be seen from the water. The Golden Gate Bridge is meant to be seen from water and passed under. The Bahamas. You don't experience them from land. Panama Canal has to be passed through. Yes, since San Diego was slipped in, it is beautiful from the water. Maybe it's that we don't see the flaws of cities approaching from water. Life is meant to be experienced from the water...

We have great affection for Sydney Harbor, but enjoyed New York too. Last time we took 7 day cruise from/returning to New York, very interesting. We`d already done the long Circle Line tour trip, and enjoyed it immensely. There is so much to see, so much history, and someone else was doing the hard work getting us around.
Previously we have arrived in NYC by train from Boston, now there`s a great view from on high.

BruceK said:

We have great affection for Sydney Harbor, but enjoyed New York too. Last time we took 7 day cruise from/returning to New York, very interesting. We`d already done the long Circle Line tour trip, and enjoyed it immensely. There is so much to see, so much history, and someone else was doing the hard work getting us around.
Previously we have arrived in NYC by train from Boston, now there`s a great view from on high.

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I was disappointed in Sydney Harbor after seeing the photos and looking forward to it.....until

Until I was on a tour boat of some sort (I think went to the zoo or something) and approaching it from the water. Then it was everything I imagined plus some.

The photographs you see of the Opera House are generally from the water and that's when it just appears so incredible and uniquely special. My wife hasn't had the pleasure of seeing it, but one day we'll make it there together.

BandB said:

Wifey B: You can fly in or drive in or use telepathy to get there but there's nothing like going into a city by water. NYC is just amazing to approach. You don't get the impact flying in where everything looks like miniatures. Statue of Liberty was meant to be seen from the water. The Golden Gate Bridge is meant to be seen from water and passed under. The Bahamas. You don't experience them from land. Panama Canal has to be passed through. Yes, since San Diego was slipped in, it is beautiful from the water. Maybe it's that we don't see the flaws of cities approaching from water. Life is meant to be experienced from the water...

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Well put WB - "In the beginning..."

BandB,here a couple of shots from Taronga Zoo of Sydney Harbour.
This is what happens when you say "Free beer" too loud in Australia.
I'm in the middle somewhere.
(I like beer)

stornoway7 said:

BandB,here a couple of shots from Taronga Zoo of Sydney Harbour.
This is what happens when you say "Free beer" too loud in Australia.
I'm in the middle somewhere.
(I like beer)

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That's where I went. The Package Ferry/Zoo deal which I found quite unique, but I love zoos and then the views from the ferry were incredible. I didn't see quite that many boats. Perhaps weekday and late November to early December saved me.

I`d guess Craig/Storoway7`s pic of Athol Bight, adjacent to the Taronga Zoo, was taken the afternoon of an NYE. No lack of beer, wine, champagne on boats that night!
For anyone visiting Sydney I recommend the regular 7 mile ferry service from the ferry terminal at Circular Quay in the CBD, to Manly. Manly has both a harbor beach and an easily a surf beach, plus plenty of cafes and restaurants.The ferry ride gives a great view of much of the main harbor, and crosses the Sydney Heads, which are open to the Pacific Ocean. Apart from the "fast ferries" also servicing the route, the traditional large ferries are seaworthy and designed after earlier ferries, many of which were built in the UK and made the long voyage to Australia 'on their own bottom".

Egad...too many people!

Spent yesterday on the water and saw maybe 10 boats all day long. Here's looking at our home port (Kitamaat Village and MK Bay Marina side, not the aluminum smelter side);