Underway on Our Maiden Voyage-Days 1&2

We are underway on our maiden voyage! At around 8:15 AM on June 11th, we left the dock in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Leslie and Don, whose dock we were at for the previous 3 days, and Ben's dad and step-mom helped us cast off and wished us well. The kids, dog, and I were on the starboard deck, waving and saying our goodbyes, Titanic-style, while Ben was at the helm. I was looking forward to christening our boat with champagne (yes, I brought a bottle just for that), but some research I'd done said we had to actually rename the boat first. With so many moving pieces right now, we haven't renamed her, so we will save the champagne for our first cast off with Cartermaran adorned on her sides and stern, and as the AIS (automatic identification system- which is what other boaters use to identify who and what the vessels around them are and their coordinates, but not every boat has an AIS).

naptime - day 1

The first few miles brought us out to the open ocean. We had 20 miles of open water before our boat was guarded by land on both sides. Even though the waves didn't look big, my stomach thought they were. After 11 miles, I was the first to succumb to seasickness. The rest of the ride included some naps and time up in the cockpit listening to some tunes, but it didn't bother any more stomachs.

Our first anchorage occurred at the Sheffield Island Lighthouse in Connecticut. When we pulled in, there were a few other boats and the sun was getting ready to set. Miraculously, there was no yelling or fighting from either Ben or me as we learned how to do this together. I was expecting it to be more like hooking the truck up to the trailer, but it was very peaceful and only took one try!

Sheffield Island Lighthouse

As we lifted the anchor the next day, Ben said a light started flashing near the toilet, which indicated the waste tank was 75% full. He called several places around where we were headed and found a pump-out boat in Manhasset Bay, NY. Fun fact: It is illegal (and unsanitary) to dispose of waste within 3 miles of the US shore, so pump-outs are free ensuring that people don't break the law and dump it too close to shore. A man on a small boat (with a tank that holds ~300 gallons of waste) met us in the bay and tied up to us, then he hooked a vacuum-style hose pump onto our black tank and it started emptying our waste. This is actually a pretty crappy job... pun intended. ;o) It didn't take very long and then we were on our way, about 75 gallons lighter.

NYC has always been a place that I have loved (that's why there are so many pics for you all to enjoy on this post). The kids had never been there. Ben hates it. All five of us thoroughly enjoyed our cruise from the Long Island Sound into the East River and down to the Hudson Bay. My favorite comment from this day was from Bear as we were riding the waves from other boats in a no-wake zone, "This is why I don't like rollercoasters!" 

Traveling by boat was the best way to see a lot of sights because took out all of the crazy people and interactions (although that does contribute to my overall enjoyment of the city). We saw so many things! Riker's Island Prison and Vernon C. Bain Center, a floating prison on a very prison-looking barge, were on opposite sides of the river from each other. Moose loved watching the airplanes take off from Laguardia and fly low, right over us, one right after another. FDNY and NYPD boats kept cruising by us, so that was exciting too. We spotted one of the FDNY stations, saw a bunch of parks, and even a wedding!

Riker's Island Prison

Vernon C. Bain Center (Prison Barge)

FDNY Boat

FDNY Station

It wasn't a very warm or sunny day, but the kids and I (with my perma-smile) sat out on the foredeck, bundled up in blankets while listening to music and sightseeing. The Chrysler and Empire State Buildings, and the Freedom Tower (which, very intentionally, stands at 1,776 feet tall) all could be seen and identified by boat, peeking between various buildings from time to time. At an earlier time in our trip, Ben mentioned that he wanted to take the tender to go to the 9/11 Memorial, but after our rendezvous in the city with the truck, camper, and trailer, he decided it would be best left for another visit. 

Chrysler Building

Empire State Building

I really liked the unique design of this building on the East River.

We cruised under all of the bridges (Bear's favorite part of the day) that cross the East River, including the Brooklyn Bridge. Winding in and out around curves, Bear was the first one to spot Lady Liberty off in the distance, while I was trying to get a good picture of the Freedom Tower. She squealed, "Statue of Liberty!" I started to tell her it was too soon to see it still, but then I saw it too. It took a while to get into the bay and we watched as the statue got bigger and bigger. She stood there in the Hudson Bay coming into closer proximity, along with about 500 huge boats, ferries, barges, and jetskis all zooming around. Initially, the plan was to anchor behind Ellis Island for the first night, but we had been averaging 9 or 10 knots per hour, so that was not a possibility. Approaching the bay, I was glad we didn't anchor there because it was super windy and the waves and wake were so big. I had forgotten just how busy that place was! 

Freedom Tower standing at 1,776 feet tall (needle adds extra height).

Our first peek at the Statue of Liberty on the left with the Freedom Tower on the right. The Manhattan Bridge is in the foreground with the Brooklyn Bridge behind it.

We stopped for a few minutes over by Ellis Island, out of the way, and taught the kids about what happened there a while ago, letting Bear know that she will learn more about it next year in school. Circling to the front of the statue was Roo's favorite part of the day. I was amazed to see just how many people were still out about sightseeing in NYC and at the statue. It looked like the city was back to the normal hustle and bustle of years past.

Statue of Liberty, Freedom Tower, & Thin Red Line USA Flag

Our amazing day ended with another successful anchorage in Sandy Hook, NJ right off the Coast Guard Station. Two other boats joined us for the night and we heard the bugle call from our boat as the sun went down on day two of our journey.

Porthole view of Sandy Hook Coast Guard Station