Day 348 – Manasquan, NJ to Liberty Landing Marina, Jersey City, NJ (across the Hudson River from New York City) - June 18, 2012

There is no intercoastal waterway from the Manasquan River to the Hudson River so this stretch of the trip must be done in the Atlantic Ocean.  Our patience has paid off and although conditions are not perfect, today is not too bad for ocean travel.  As we left the Manasquan Inlet we had swells in the two to three foot range (with perhaps an occasional four footer).  Ocean swells are very different than the waves we experience in the Great Lakes.  The swells have a much longer period (the distance between two waves) and they don’t tend to break.  They certainly feel different than any waves we are use to.  We would avoid traveling anywhere on the Great Lakes in three to four foot waves, but that size ocean swells with a long period aren’t too bad.  We had some side to side motion, but mostly the boat just slides gently up and down the waves with no harsh movements.

We had to fight a bit of current as we got into the mouth of the Hudson River – around one to two knots.  The bigger concern however was the number of ocean going cargo vessels and the incredible number of ferry boats.  We didn’t have any issues with anyone, but we were definitely on the lookout.  It was pretty cool coming up the Hudson River and seeing the Statue of Liberty from Boreas.  Our visit two days ago was nice, but doing this in our own boat was unbelievable.  There have been a few places along the Loop where Fred and I have just looked at each other and said, “I can’t believe we are here in our boat”.  Along with the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys – New York harbor (and seeing the Statue of Liberty) is definitely one of those moments.

Once we were safely tied up at Liberty Landing Marina (right across the river from Manhattan) we grabbed a ferry boat, crossed the Hudson and got tickets for a double-decker bus tour.  This gave us a great overview of the Downtown area and helped us make plans for what to do tomorrow (I’ll include all the pictures from the bus tour in tomorrow’s blog).
 
            Miles: 41.6      Bridges: 1        Locks: 0

Navesink Twin Lighthouse is the brown building halfway up the hill with
the lighthouse on each end

one of the container ships that was headed out the Hudson River - the ship
was not yet five miles away from the mouth of the river and already
moving at 20 knots

Romer Shoal Lighthouse

another container ship heading out into the ocean

Ambrose Channel West Bank Light

Verrazano Bridge at the mouth of the Hudson River

the iconic Staten Island Ferry

approaching the Statue of Liberty

the Statue of Liberty - picture taken out the front window of Boreas

Boreas passing the Statue of Liberty

looking up the East River at the Brooklyn Bridge

the main building on Ellis Island - this is where the Registery Room is located

the Empire State Building

the old train station where the ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island
departs (from Jersey City, NJ)