We're up
at 6:30. Actually, we're up earlier, as in the calm, the mooring ball taps none
too gently at the hull before the sun is up, the alarm rings, or the gulls start
their morning chatter. Another cruise ends. This one a short one, with weather as strange as any. We've managed to see two sets of cruising friends, so the trip has been a great one one for that alone.
We're up
at 6:30. Actually, we're up earlier, as in the calm, the mooring ball taps none
too gently at the hull before the sun is up, the alarm rings, or the gulls start
their morning chatter.
It's chilly.
That's the only way to describe it. In January, we'll wish for this weather,
but for early September, it just isn't right. Coffee in hand, I'm out to start
the engine, and head for the East River. Heading down the east river (or that
part of it that extends to meet the sound), we are passed by two large yachts.
The first, named Excellence, is a large motor yacht headed east. 
The
second, a large sailing yacht named Freedom is traveling south, along
with us. We note that it's odd to be reminded that even freedom and excellence
sometimes take different directions. In any case, we're headed south towards
New Jersey and home.
Passing through Hell Gate, we see both Coast Guard and Police boats blocking the river. We slow, and what Marion describes as "three cute boys in a boat" speed up to us and inform us that the channel is closed because of the UN Millennium Conference. The west channel, we recall, has a draw bridge which rarely opens, with only a 40 foot clearance. This bridge is what earned W.F. Buckly the nickname of "Captain Crunch" from an incident recounted in Airborne, where he chose the wrong turn, and was swept down on the bridge by the typically strong currents in the river. As we have chosen this time because of the strong currents, we are a little worried about this turn of events.
No problem.
As we move towards the west channel, we see that the bridge is up. This is the
first time we've seen it this way. This is the only way onto Roosevelt Island
by car, so it is a very heavily traveled bridge. Freedom hangs back,
and we go through just before the bridge closes. We're unsure whether there
was a problem. The Coast Guard said there was a 137 foot clearance, while our
chart said 99. All of this is no problem for us, with only a 50 foot mast, but
perhaps this was an issue for the other boat.
In any case, we continue our trip down river, noting the extreme police presence on the water, on the Island, and on the surrounding rooftops.
The rest of
the trip is uneventful. The water is calm, the traffic on the water light, likely
because of the security on the East River, and the weather seems to shout that
the end of the summer has arrived. This will probably be our list trip up to
the Sound for the season, although we hope for at least another couple of months
of good sailing.
As we return to the Pond, Marion is still chilly. The sky is blue, and it is one of the better days on the water we've seen this summer. This, unfortunately, is not saying that much.
We tie up, clean up, unload and prepare for reentry into non-vacation life. We are faced with another one day work week, and are happy with the short time to the weekend. We do, after all, need our rest.