Juno 423: June 10-11 Light Winds, Jackets, and Getting Clean After a Week Without a Shower

As forecasted, winds were light Friday and Saturday so on Friday, we motor-sailed from Atlantic City to Atlantic Highlands, NJ, about 80 miles. We kept busy swatting flies in the cockpit as well as below in the cabin while our third crew member Otto, the autopilot, kept us on course. When the winds shifted from the west to the southwest, the temperatures dropped to the low 70’s - the coolest weather we’d experienced in many months and it had us both reaching for a jacket and long pants. Atlantic Highlands is just south of NewYork City and is a favorite spot of ours to stop since it has everything we need within walking distance of the harbor. It was about 10:30 pm when we arrived and so we were treated to an impressive view of the Verrazano Bridge and NYC night skyline all lit up.

Our first order of business Saturday morning was to take our first shower in eight days. At most marinas showers are only available to paying customers but in Atlantic Highlands, the showers are open to anyone, even those like us who weren’t paying to anchor. We then restocked our galley with a few food items from the nearby (20 minute walk) grocery store before returning to Juno under threatening skies. As winds were forecast to be light for the next few days, we decided to take the inside route north, up the East River to Long Island Sound rather that to sail on the southern side of Long Island towards Block Island. We got started Saturday around 1 pm. As we passed under the Verranzo Bridge with favorable currents, we noticed s/v Argyle and hailed them on the radio. We had met this couple six months previously in Titusville, Florida! It is a small world out here sometimes. Continuing on, as we approached the tip of Manhattan, it got quite busy with tankers, tug boats, sight seeing boats, city commuter boats, and helicopters overhead. We motored up the East River leaving Manhattan behind to our port side. We would have loved to stop but unfortunately there isn’t a calm, affordable marina where we felt comfortable leaving Juno. However, Harry got in touch with an old college friend ours who lives in Port Washington, Long Island so we made plans to stop in Port Washington and meet up with our friend and his wife on Sunday.