Greetings From Barefoot'n!
Barefoot'n is now located in Montreal, CA! But we need to catch you up with where we have been since our last update.
After leaving Annapolis, we decided to motor to Delaware City. As we were trying to plan the crossing of Delaware Bay staying ahead of some windy weather, we thought we had better make some tracks.
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| Lighthouse in Delaware Bay |
After motoring south through the Delaware Bay, we pulled into beautiful Cape May, NJ.
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| Cape May beaches and lighthouse |
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Cape May boat harbor
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| Homes along the boardwalk |
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| Lobster feast at the Lobster House |
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| Quaint shopping square |
After going through the Delaware Bay, we pulled into Miss Chris' Marina at Cape May, NJ. What a beautiful place. The homes there were just so quaint and the beaches were pristine with a great view of the Cape May lighthouse. There was a boardwalk that ran along the beach, so riding bicycles or walking was easy.
After spending a night in Cape May, we decided that we would have the best trip in the Atlantic Ocean to NYC if we motored overnight. So we pulled anchor around 5:30 p.m. and made our way north along the coastline.
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| Sunrise on the Atlantic |
It was a beautiful ride and the seas were kind to us. It is kind of cool at night with the freighters and commercial traffic passing slowly by. In the morning, we took this picture just as the sun came up.
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| Store damage from Sandy |
We motored into Staten Island and stayed 2 nights at Great Kills Yacht Club. It was a great place to stop with protection from the weather and boat traffic, and the people were just great. The men had lots of stories to tell, especially about super storm Sandy. The entire bay was heavily damaged and many boats were destroyed. While a lot of work had been done to get the marina back up and running, boats are still there with evidence of a good beating.
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| Damage from super storm Sandy |
On Staten Island, we were able to take a quick walk to the train station that dropped us off at the Staten Island Ferry. The workers told us that they can transport up to 5000 commuters daily. Its hard to imagine that so many people use the ferry as their transportation to work every day. And I thought we had it rough in Tampa Bay! I think that Randy really enjoyed not having to navigate the boat and just relax as the ferry passed by the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and motor right into downtown Manhattan.
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| Great Kills Yacht Club, Staten Island |
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| Taking the train to the ferry |
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| Staten Island Ferry |
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| The captain of the ferry |
Our first day in Manhattan just happened to be the hottest day of the year. The high for the day was 93. They had some fun cool down spots in the city for the little and big kids.
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| Fun cool down time in the city |
The first stop was Wall Street and the financial district.
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| Folks seemed more interested in this end of the bull |
Then we made our way to visit the Ground Zero area and the Freedom Tower. So much has changed since I was there several years ago. Here is a photo of Freedom Tower and the Bradford Pear tree that survived 911. You can see the right side of the tree is pretty bare still. As you can see, the new spire on top of the tower is up and quite impressive.
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| Freedom Tower and the surviving tree |
The 2 pools where the Trade Center buildings once stood have been done in such a beautiful and touching way as a tribute to the many who lost their lives. All around the pools are the names of each individual who died.
We were fortunate to come upon a Marine ceremony right at Ground Zero, where a Marine was being promoted to Major.
The gentleman pictured here continually polished this bronze plaque and quizzed the passers by on various facts of 911. He shared facts and statistics I think as a way to encourage people to never forget.
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| Never forget |
Walking along the financial district, we came upon a group of Turkish protestors. As I have been able to read the news, the situation in Turkey has become much more serious. But this was a peaceful rally.
You can't go to Manhattan and not have a 'dirty dog'. This was just fun to watch Randy try to eat. :o)
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| Anybody have a napkin? |
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| Cathedral in-between tall bldgs |
After staying 2 nights in Staten Island, it was time for the all important PICTURE that we have been waiting for. The day was perfect for a cruise by the Lady. We have been so fortunate to have met and been traveling with Jeff and Grace Bishop, from Asheville, NC, aboard their boat 'Sea Glide'. And they too, were excited about taking a photo of their boat in front of the Statue of Liberty. So off we went, to battle the boat and ferry traffic for our spot in front of the statue. After careful maneuvering, we were both able to get the photos done. Yea!
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| Barefoot'n and the Lady! |
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| Squeezing between two ferries |
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| Ellis Island |
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| Manhattan and us |
After the boat pictures, we motored to Liberty Landing and treated ourselves to a night at this beautiful marina. Liberty Landing is located on the Jersey side of the bay, but the skyline view of Manhattan is breathtaking. There is a restaurant located near the water and we were able to sit outside and watch the sunset and the lights of the city and the Statue of Liberty illuminate the entire view.
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| Cheers to NYC! |
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| Just.....Wow! |
The next morning we headed up the Hudson to a Marina called Half Moon Bay. It was located at Croton-on-the-Water. It was about 38 miles from the city, so we were able to catch a commuter train right into Grand Central Station! The city has totally redone the station and it is very nice. There was a gentleman on the train that we got to talking to and he gave outlined a full day for us and gave us directions. His name was Chris and I cannot tell you how nice he was. After we arrived at the station, he decided to give us a little tour of the important things to see. He showed us the whispering walls, the Oyster Bar restaurant, the renovations that were made and the one tiny strip of wall that was left to let people know just how dirty it was before it was cleaned.
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| Grand Central Station |
And there the adventure continues......
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