Through Hell Gate

PM's Perspective

Hell Gate, the most northerly reaches of the East River between Manhattan and Queens, is aptly named.  On the navigation charts, it appears as two words that label the space in the water between the northern tip of Roosevelt Island and the southern tip of Wards Island.  It looks pretty innocuous on the map.  Do not be fooled.  The name is very descriptive.  The East River is relatively short extending approximately eight miles between Long Island Sound and New York Harbor.  When the East River experiences a flooding tide, Long Island Sound experiences a falling tide and Hell Gate is where the two tides meet.  The area is fraught with strong currents, vortexes, and churning waters, not to mention the wrecks of those vessels that didn't quite make it (labeled "obstn" for obstruction on the charts).

High powered boats typically don't have too much of a problem negotiating this channel, but relatively low powered boats such as VELOMER that top out at seven to eight nautical miles an hour need to time the passage carefully to go with the tide of the East River.  The tidal flow can be as strong as 5.7 nautical miles an hour and when added to the currents, even at top speed a boat can find itself moving backward and unable to steer.  Not a good thing!

After a delightful Labor Day afternoon and evening spent with Nancy Shatzkin and her husband John catching up on at least forty years of personal history and world events, we cruised from Half Moon Bay down to Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City in the company of our brave friends Sam Merrell and his very talented artist daughter Lili the following day.  After Sam and Lili disembarked that afternoon, Bob and I studied the 2013 edition of Eldridge Tide Tables.   "We have a choice here.  We can go in the early morning or wait until the late afternoon for the tide," Bob informed me.  My inclination was to wait when he started to suggest a 4:30 AM departure from the marina.  Bob thought otherwise.  Thinking of getting up and going so early and feeling intimidated by the upcoming challenge, I became rather crabby that evening, banging pots and pans, flinging the rice and beans onto the dinner plates.

To obtain some relief from my foul mood, Bob got off the boat and sought the advice of other mariners about Hell Gate.  He discovered that several other boats were planning on going through Hell Gate the next morning and that making the passage any time prior to 9:00 AM before the tide turned was acceptable.  We decided that we would leave the marina by 7:30 AM which would get us to Hell Gate by 8:30 AM and through well before 9:00 AM.  To leave by 7:30 AM meant we had to get up by 6:00 AM to have breakfast, clean up, and get the boat ready to go.  We went to bed early in preparation for the next day.

Manhattan Sunrise

I awoke bright eyed at 4:00 AM and got out of bed by 4:30 AM so Bob could sleep and not deal with my tossing and turning.  I brewed some tea, read a two-day old New York Times, caught up on e-mail and decided to take a shower at the marina bathrooms.  When I returned to VELOMER, Bob had prepared a breakfast of blueberry pancakes waiting for me.  After breakfast, we got VELOMER ready for the voyage.  The water was early morning calm, a condition we wanted to take advantage of.  We were off by 6:45, a full 45 minutes ahead of schedule.  We were greeted by sunrise over Manhattan as we left the marina and pulled into the Hudson River.  One of our concerns was avoiding ferry traffic which we were anticipating to be relatively heavy at that time of day.  Fortunate for VELOMER, water traffic was light and ferry captains very tolerant of our presence.

Freighter passing us at Hell Gate Narrows

The trip up the East River to Hell Gate took just under an hour, making the northerly tip of Roosevelt Island by 7:40 AM.  I looked into the river, and the water below looked as if it was boiling with eddies and up-wellings.  I could feel the hull of VELOMER side slipping this way and then that way under the force of the currents.  Our top speed struck 13.7 nautical miles per hour indicating we were getting a 5.7 knot lift from the tide.  Bob expertly steered VELOMER easterly around the tip of Roosevelt Island and then northerly toward the Triborough Bridge.  That was when we saw the bow of a huge freighter bearing down on us as it passed under the bridge.  "Oh, shit," I thought knowing that the ship was a whole lot bigger than we are, much faster than we are, and could not quickly move out of our way.  If Bob panicked, he never let on.  He smoothly guided VELOMER to starboard, and the two vessels passed each other without incident.  By 7:50 AM we were through Hell Gate much to my relief!  We continued on to Stamford, CT where we will spend the next two nights.


BOB'S VIEW:

Courses:
1) Half Moon Bay Marina at Croton-On-Hudson to Liberty Landing Marina, Jersey City, NJ (its still in New Jersey, PM)
2) Liberty Landing to Brewer Yacht Basin, Stamford, CT
Distance Run:
1) 32 (S), 4.6 hours
2) 32.2 (S), 5.3 hours
Total since leaving South Portland, June 14: 1,375 (S)
Total Engine Hours: 260

We are officially back in salt water.

following a sail boat at dawn into New York Harbor

The air smells more natural and the tides are again something to be aware of.  I think VELOMER likes the return to her native element as much as PM and I.  Leaving Liberty landing at dawn was a magical time as the sun was rising over the New York skyline.  We followed a de-masted sloop out of the marina and noted several other craft aligning  at the Battery for the trip up the East River.  I was reassured by these others that I had chosen our departure time correctly.

about to transit the Throgs Neck Bridge after Hell Gate

 PM has been spending more time at the helm. She smiles more frequently while doing this now.

our first tow sighted going south from Long Island Sound

All systems have been running smoothly (knock on wood) and the Perkins 135 HP English built diesel in particularly has been turning over a consistent 1,400 to 1,600 RPM without a hiccup.  At the times I have needed a bit more speed or power to negotiate a tight turn, reverse out of a slip against the current and wind or just get to a mark by a particular time (little of that) the engine responds while routinely she hums along daily without complaint.  I have made less frequent trips to the engine room while underway over the time afloat this summer but at a minimum, twice a day I check the stuffing box to confirm adequate cooling of the shaft, inspect the engine for leaks of oil or coolant, confirm the alternator is charging, listen for any unexpected hums, squeals or knocks and give a smile when all is well.  PM has learned to grudgingly accept these minutes away from the helm and only once asked me to delay as we were approaching a lock. She is still a bit hesitant to helm VELOMER into tight spaces.  I have resisted asking her to take control of the helm more often as I respect her need for a comfort zone with this operation and know she will acquire the confidence she lacks in time.  We will be away for two or  three more years on our loop trip and all things come to he who waits, patiently as my mother used to tell me and so the Chinese say (but I'm not Oriental).

We have been diligent in maintenance tasks such as oil and filter changes every 100 hours and have had to readjust the alternator belt twice and change it once as she was making an intermittent squeal while underway.  I have tightened hose clamps, particularly for the coolant line and high pressure water system. The light bulbs in the engine room overhead lights have been replaced three times.  I replaced both primary fuel filters at the start of our trip and once switched the 10 mm primary Racor filter from starboard to port filter at 100 hours, not because the vacuum gauge showed any negative pressure but to be proactive and because we have had a few days of rough seas (probably the reason for the light bulb failure) which in theory stirred up any sediment in the tanks.  In reality, the fuel has run clean and free of sediment, as Winn, the former owner of this fine ship, had replaced both tanks and fuel in 2009, the year before we purchased VELOMER. We have purchased fuel twice, adding 175 and 50 gallons as the sight gauge on the tanks showed about a half tank.  Our fuel usage appears to be less than a gallon an hour but I will not know accurately until I top up the tanks at the end of the summer's trip, still two weeks away. I dove on VELOMER's bottom while in Lake Champlain and noted the zincs were still in good condition and the shaft was free of entanglements.  I  had to remove the wheel assembly for the knot meter to clean away sediment and growth, which had gummed up the free movement of the small wheel that indicates speed through the water while underway.  This instrument has been interesting to compare with the GPS.  Our speed differential between this instrument and the GPS through Hell Gate was a striking example.  One maintenance task I dread but need to perform involves replacing rubber gaskets and movable parts in the manual head pump, but I hope to defer this awhile yet until VELOMER is out of the water this Fall, when it will be a task that generates much less liquid.

Engine checks have been made each day before getting underway involving adjusting the stuffing box, checking the oil level, checking the coolant level, checking the alternator belt tension, noting any unusual smells, and cleaning the raw water screen.  Only then do we start the engine and allow it to reach operating temperature of around 140 degrees for the coolant before setting off for the day.  This routine has been inviolate and appears to have resulted thus far in trouble free operations.  Daily, weekly and monthly cleaning has kept the inside and outside looking good. VELOMER is a bit vain that way.

Long Island Sound looking back at the New York skyline

As we cruise north and east along Long Island Sound, I begin to feel the end is in sight now. We have a few days yet before we reach Cape Cod Canal where we can almost see Maine.  Our cruising plan includes a return stop in Branford and Stonington then a jump across the sound to Block Island before turning around again to go to Wickford north of Jamestown, RI to visit a friend recovering from a horrific bike accident, which he was extremely lucky to survive.  We will then make for Kingman Marina in Pocassett on the Cape or perhaps Onset Harbor on the mainland. A transit of the canal on a flooding tide will bring us to Hingham Harbor and then to Constitution Marina in Boston for some social time with Rand and Sally Peabody, PM's friend, Joyce Steverns, some restocking of our chocolate and Pinot Grigio supplies and a few days respite from travelling the sea.

With all that said, we have learned that plans and boat schedules are really only sure for a few hours.

We have many sea miles still to go but the waters seem to be flowing under our keel more quickly as we turn our course to Maine and friends and family.  I daily recall the sounds in my head of Anni and Trig 's laughter and long to be with them again.  We have had Face Time on our I Phones this summer, but this is a poor substitute for the touch of a child's hand.  And we will be able to share with our friends some of the more seedy and embarrassing adventures a modicum of decorum prevents from discussing on this Blog.

This life is so sweet.  The cry of the gulls and the sights only a life afloat at sea affords will be missed this winter.  Spring seems a long way off but time will unfold in the meanwhile with its continuing adventures in its own way.