It Ain't All Palm Trees And Beaches

Well it ain't all palm trees and beaches but we did find this lone palm tree on the beach at Coney Island .Poor ol' Coney it's on its last legs but nevertheless an icon and we had a cheeseburger and washed it down with a Brooklyn Lager.
One of the good things about breaking down somewhere is you see an environment that you didn't plan on and meet new people...new friends....which starts with the guys that work in the yard.Of course when it breaks down again the friendship is forgotten but we think this time our new friends are going to remain that way!
This is Emad and Todd.Todd(on the right) is the main man here and he actually wasn't interested in putting a new damper in and sending us on our way 'til he figured out what was happening.A first for us.Anyway out she came and Todd talked and thought and invented a little tool and found out that the Perkins bell housing that had been stuck on in place of the new Volvo one (??????)in the first place was nearly 1/8 of an inch out of line which is about a mile (1.6km Aussies)in mechanical terms So it looks like our tranny woes are going to be over....except the new Volvo bell housing has gone missing in transit and the new damper that came from Sweden has beaten it here and now we're really running out of time to get back to North Carolina in time to catch our flights to Oz (....breath...)and on top of that Todd has had to leave us to go and get married.!Anyway I'm sure Emad will finish off everything and we'll all live happily ever after.
Won't post any more photos of New York,you;ve all seen the pics of the best bits and all the other bits are great too.All in all a great place to be stranded and there is that palm tree at Coney Island.

A Word On 9/11

Liberty Landing Marina ,where we were towed in for repairs ,is right opposite the WTC site.Above is the night view from Jabiru.

Saturday 9/11 was our first trip into Manhattan and the Path train from New Jersey took us straight to the Twin Towers site.It was a beautiful fall day,as it was 9 years ago,and very sombre and moving.A lot of the site was closed off so that the familys could commemorate in peace .
There was an area along Broadway where the rest of us could just contemplate and listen to family members reading the names of their loved ones and the others who perished on that day.Remembering watching it "live" on the late news in Oz was given a graphic jolt by being there and a reminder that most of the world wants to live in peace.Lets never give the thugs that perpetrate these kind of things any credit for having a cause or belief that gives them the right to take out innocent citizens.

I took a few photos of the religious whackos,conspiracy theorists ,bigots and bikers who used the day to say "look at me - look at me".Don't know what to do with them yet but won't indulge them by posting them here.

The Apple With A Familiar Worm

Got away from Stonington a day before Earl was due to arrive and motored up the Connecticut River to a hurricane hole called Hamburg Cove where we picked up a mooring and got ready for the big blow.Well as everyone over here knows ol' Earl headed East without even blowing the froth off my beer.Next day was a good ol' fashioned windy day which outdid Earl enough to hang around another day before heading out into Long Island Sound but it was hell out there still so we hid behind the Thimbles (little granite outcrops that Captain Kidd himself used to hide behind) for the night and next day had a calm (motoring)run down the Sound ready to make the jump down the East River the next morning.Before you head into the racing currents at Hell Gate and get spat into the East River you pass under one of Manhattans many bridges but this one,a railway bridge,looked familiar.It was actually built after the ol' Coathanger (Sydney Harbour Bridge for you Yanks)but as builders do,they built it a foot(thats about 12cm kids)longer.Good for them.Just after that as we swept into the East River along side Manhattan a couple of young fellers on the bank spotted the flag and started yelling Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie so I yelled back Oy Oy Oy and they cheered and I got a lump in the throat,I think my first patriotic moment since I've been in this marvellous country.Hand me a tissue dear.
Anyway we charged south at about 8 to 9 knots until we swung round a bend and there she was in the distance ,the big green gal we'd been trying to get to for so long.Out with the tissues again,we were buzzin'!

Well it was a lovely sunny day and there she was and Ellis Island and Statten Island ferries and all the other ferries and a tall ship the Manhattan skyline and..................everythang.


And then we thought,even if the currents against us let's get up the Hudson and get to our destination at the municipal mooring balls at 79th street and get into this here city.So we did and nearly got there before our transmission disintigrated for the sixth time in less than 3 years and we got towed back to a marina near Lady Liberty and here we are .Goodnight.
PS Frank Ford good to hear from you.Leave us your email or new phone no.