We woke up in our rolly but beautiful anchorage, just north of the George Washington Bridge. It was a bright sunny day. After a bit of excitement trying to pull our anchor up while the wind was pulling us in the opposite direction of the current, we were on our way.
We pointed Alaya south, straight into one of the busiest harbors in the world. We passed by Central Park, the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center, along with so many other beautiful skyscrapers that we couldn’t name. River traffic picked up as we approached Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We dodged ferry boats, fishing boats, jet skis, other sailboats, tour boats and tugboats in the harbor.
As we rounded the corner and could see the statue, we were both overcome with awe. First we passed by Ellis Island. It was way different than I had imagined and beautiful. I can’t wait to explore it on our next trip through the city. Then we approached the statue, getting as close as we could in the choppy water while staying out of the buoyed protection zone around her.
She’s simply magnificent.
We both got a little teary thinking about how far we have come to bring Alaya here and how much these places have meant to millions of immigrants over the centuries. 101 years ago, Lucas’ Great-Grandfather came through Ellis island at the age of 14. My relatives had come at different times in the past 100 years as well. We shared the same views they would have had on that day but we couldn’t fathom the thoughts that were going through their heads. The juxtaposition of us coming through on our own boat, on our own adventure compared to our ancestors’ difficult and grueling passage for a better life was not lost on us. Seeing her from the water, it was both easy and impossible to imagine how those “your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”, felt.
Our families back in Michigan were with us as well, they were glued to the river webcams to catch us going by. My sister, Katie, even had it pulled up on the TV so her kids could watch. For weeks, my nephew Jacob, knowing we were in NY, had been asking if we had seen the Statue of Liberty yet. Now, we finally had and Jacob got to witness it. It meant a lot to share this moment with them. Kate even got an awesome picture of us right next to Lady Liberty.
All while having this hugely sentimental moment, we were keeping an active watch. The water was very choppy due to the wind and other boat traffic. We lingered as long as we could near the statue but then had to get moving. Right after the statue was another anchoring zone for freighters, and there were quite a few out there. We dodged these massive ships and turned the bow towards the Hudson Bay, our first official entrance to ocean waters.
Heading out into the Hudson Bay was exciting and a little scary. There was quite a bit of wind leftover from a low front that had passed through the day before, so we stuck close to the Staten Island side of the harbor. We motored for about 15 miles to Great Kills Harbor, a fairly well-protected spot where we could wait for our next weather window. We had to bash through some waves, getting salt spray on Alaya for the first time in 30 years. Being in salt water also meant the start of my official dolphin watch!
We planned to anchor in the harbor but found it to be full, so we found a spot on a dock at a state marina in the bay. After such an emotionally rewarding but exhausting day, we were glad to tie those dock lines.
