Nor'easter

True North

Sep 24

3 min read

Nor'easter rolling through affecting all of the upper east coast

We've made quick time getting south to New York City - well, at least to within 30 miles or so. The days have been getting shorter and things are cooling off. We traveled from Maine, through New Hampshire, and on to Massachusetts with a few long days. From there we crossed over to Long Island and moved west toward NYC, where now we wait...

We are in Port Washington for a few days waiting for the big "Nor'easter" to roll through. We had been watching this in the forecasts for some time. Reviewing the forecasts is part of our daily routine as we plan when, where, and how we'll get to the next stop. This is a good place to hunker down - close enough to the city to take the train in for some sightseeing, and being close with the boat when things clear up. We also learned that the United Nations is in session, so they close the east river to recreational boat traffic - we couldn't get through NYC even if the storm wasn't here. So, all the hundreds of boats waiting will be leaving at the same time - should be interesting.

So, here are couple of fun stops we've made over the last few weeks...

Portsmouth NH: Portsmouth has a great downtown and waterfront. We did struggle a bit to get the dingy across the river - the current really rips through there!

The Buoy Shack restaurant
Waterfront marina and park
Downtown shopping & restaurants
"Love Wall" - we didn't have a lock to spare, but still love each other!

Gloucester, MA: We had had been looking forward to Gloucester for a while and had heard great things about the town. We even watched "The Perfect Storm" to prep for our visit. It definitely is a working port - we were surrounded by lobster boats, docks, warehouses, etc. I'm not sure why, but most of the shops & restaurants were closed when we were there.

Typical Gloucester scene
Tern stowaways - cute until you see the mess they make
Cooling down - had to break out the sweatshirts and slippers (but still shorts)

Provincetown, MA: We had planned on a stop at P-Town, but the weather would have limited us to just one afternoon there to explore the town & area. We unfortunately opted to visit for another time.

Nantucket, MA: We had missed this on the way north, so it was high on our list. The weather kept us from exploring the entire island, but we had a few beautiful afternoons to visit the town of Nantucket. It is a fun town with a lot of character. It also is super expensive and ritzy. We did it about as cheap as possible - anchor for free, eat all meals on the boat, and do mostly window shopping. Of course - we did have to find a brewery and pub to have a few beers while we were there. For sure Nantucket will be on the list for places to revisit and spend more time exploring.

Nantucket scene
Brotherhood of Thieves bar
Sunbreak in Nantucket Bay
Downtown Nantucket
Downtown Nantucket
Brick and stone streets

Block Island, NY: Block island is another place we missed on the trip north. Now that it is late in the season, the anchorages open up, mooring balls are available, and there is room to "drop the hook" in the bays. Block Island is one of these places that is packed during the warm summer weekends. We found plenty of room and a great afternoon visit to town. Another place to come back to for more exploring!

Block Island bay view
Sailing with another Antares boat!
Days at the helm
Mmmmm, tater-tot casserole

New York City: Yes, back to NYC. Our daughter Liz has joined us for a few weeks and we have the opportunity to see the city again. We probably will be back in for another day that will include a little less walking and more museums.