Video: Leaving New York

Position: 40°46’45.3″N 73°55’37.9″W

We left New York via the East River with some of the best views in the world. Proving once again that life on the water is worth a billion bucks! Aleta sailed through Hell Gate and encountered very little commercial or other traffic. For those of you more technically minded, there is good advice available online about how to make this trip. Basically, it boils down to this:

1. Go with the current – it sets northeast on the flood tide (i.e. rising tide) at up to 5 knots.
2. Start your trip up the East River at Battery (the tip of Manhattan) as the flood starts at Hell Gate (i.e. slack water). Times change daily, so check your (up to date) Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book, or NOAA for the latest information.
3. Sail a beautiful boat, but avoid the east side of Roosevelt Island and possible dismasting. Don’t go south of South Brother Island, and note that the channel between North and South Brother Islands is narrower than it looks on the chart.
4. Don’t do this at night! Check the most recent US Coast Guard local notice to mariners for possible UN restrictions along the East River.
5. Chat on the radio with nice people from Oregon who are undertaking a sailing adventure of their own.*

* Please note: I take no responsibility for your inability to sail or interpret the information provided here.