Sandy Hook and the Statue of Liberty

We sailed into New York City on a cold, blustery, rainy day garbed in great yellow foul weather gear which unfortunatly did not extend to our feet. After about 3 hours of getting progressively more cold, wet and numb we arrived at the Liberty Landing Marina. We recouperated in the down below of the boat by eating hot soup and napping in preparation for the NYC adventure. Our internet connections had been so pitiful we were unable to successfully meet up with any of our friends, but that afternoon braved the remnants of the rain and wind via water taxi to the World Financial Center on the southern tip of Manhattan. We had done a bit of research and had found a chart store called New York Nautical at 158 Duane Street in Tribeca. This is fabulous store with all your chart and reference manual needs, and it is an easy and pleasant walk from the financial district. We passed by the City Hall Park and many other pleasant sites and loved the artsy atmosphere of Tribeca. From there we walked to Canal Street and explored China town, ending up in a long-promised dinner in Little Italy. Nothing like some great pasta and chianti to make up for a cold, wet day. (This was the price of my staying on deck during the horrible morning sail...)The name of the restaurant we selected was La Nonna. I liked it because the atmosphere was intimate and the restauranteur had named it for his grandmother - Annette - same name as my grandmother. We found we had made an excellent selection and enjoyed a lovely dinner. The next morning we took off - now in posession of updated and extensive charts and reference materials, for Sandy Hook, NJ. We are anchored behind a breakwall in Atlantic Highlands and typing away madly at a real computer connected to a real interent connection in the charming little public library. This is a sailor's delight of a town with convenient shopping, dining, snacking, pubbing, movie theatre, library (obviously) and even a waterfront casino and party boat for those who care/dare. We intend to perhaps see a movie for the first time in about 2 months! We will be planted here until the weather report improves as we are about to venture forth into the Atlantic Ocean. Between here and Atlantic City, there is one inlet into the intracoastal waterway that we can probably slip into (Manasquan inlet) but that is the last "safe harbor of refuge" for a boat our size. Figuring about 17+ hours from Sandy Hook to Atlantic City, we prefer to stop on the way if at all possible. For now it is just wonderful to have had a run, a nice shower, a real computer, and the prospect of a day or 2 of just fun!