Noo Yoik...... well Joisey

We came this way for the first time 4 years ago...check September 2010 if you can be bothered ...and the ride down East River from Port Washington was just as much a thrill this time. Under the "Coat Hanger" ,11.5 knots through Hell Gate and then the big Green Gal comes into sight....under the Brooklyn Bridge ,round the Battery and across the Hudson ,past Lady Liberty and the giant Colgate clock........and Home.

 Now, by home I mean what's become our home in NY (alright Joisey City ). It's at the service dock at Liberty Landing Marina up the end of a no longer working canal  which is just round behind that big ferry on the right. It's one of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferries and it lives here too. Actually this is an old pic from 2011 and the  Twin Towers used to be to the right of the big building on the far left. sort of between the big piling thingies. The posh end of the marina is where all the boats in the middle of the pic are. You walk off the marina and you're in Liberty Park which runs behind Ellis Island  and Lady Liberty with great views from the Verrazano Bridge to Manhattan.

This is the view from the Hudson end of the Morris Canal which is now the Liberty Landing Marina.  That's the new Tower.

We figured we'd call in here and see our old friends and get a couple of things done which would give us a day or two at the service dock to catch up with Todd and Melody again etc.

It was just after hours but as we pulled in there was Jose to help us tie up with a "welcome back guys" and his trademark smile.As it turned out it was harder to get a photo of Jose smiling than we thought (there's supposed to be a little thing on the e but I don't know how to get it on this computer ) so we ended up with a pic. of the new Jose (known as JoseB ) in the foreground and Jose the original almost smiling.

Then Tyler,the rigger ,lent us his security key so we could shower up etc.

See what I mean about "home"

Checking the standing rigging was the main concern so next morning Louis and Miguel.....

Moved us to the hauling slip.

Tyler came round and organized things.

That's Tyler in the red hat. He'd been in Sydney back in '81 crewing on Nirvana, one of the Maxi's in the Sydney to Hobart .They actually won but got protested into second by Ted Turner on Condor.Tyler reckons it didn't matter to them cos they had a great victory celebration all night in Hobart before TT won his protest the next morning.

So...on with the work

Jacob,the new apprentice , gets sent up to hook up the mast.

And out it comes...Jacob's a good looking lad but that's his butt.

The Verdict............All the standing rigging (that's the stuff that holds the mast up) needs replacing.

Oh dear........we're going to be stuck here for at least a couple of weeks.

So here we are...just over from Jersey City Fire and Rescue, who run their hoses every day to check 'em and that's pretty spectacular and if you look closely you'll see one of their guys on the back playing his bagpipes.

I painted the mast while it's been out and two weeks have flown by and Tyler told us today that the new rigging arrives maybe tomorrow. That means we'll have to spend the holiday (Labour Day ) weekend here before Jabiru can leave with all her new stuff.

As I said before ...Oh dear!

Might have to catch a bit of the US Open or a Broadway show to pass the time.

Geez......retirement's  boring.

Rain and all that Jazz

        It  was supposed to stop raining for our day at the Jazz fest........and it nearly did.

 We took along our little fold up chairs like good little jazz fans.

And sat in the drizzle.

In brief.

The Brubeck Brothers did some kick ass versions of their Dads stuff.

The Mingus Big Band were a credit to the late Charles.

Dr.John (who could of made us forget the rain) was hospitalized in New York.

Dave Sanborn and Joey DeFrancesco played a hell of a lot of notes.

Dave ,I think, might have been ill or just didn't want to be there.

We walked round to see Lee Konitz who played some sweet alto but at almost 90 years old amused rather than impressed.He was funny. Seemed like a sweet ol' guy.

We did get a look at Ron Carters back but was getting sick of the endless solos by this time.

Bobby McFerrin didn't tell us to Don't worry Be Happy but he did end the day on a light note and he and his band seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Jazz...........I dunno.

Anyway that was Sunday and on Wednesday we had tickets for Boz Scaggs.

Great night...cool band...cool Boz.... no photos

More rain the next day then a lovely sunny morning to bid the beautiful Newport farewell with 10 to 15 knots from the North West taking us back west along the Long Island Sound with all sails up.

Life is good and with New York City at the other end of Long Island.

It's gonna get better.

 

Saturday August the Second Two Thousand and Fourteen

The day before we attend the day of our choice at the Newport Jazz Festival I gaze with a heavy heart through patinated portholes as the surly grey clouds roll across the slate gloom of Narragansett Bay and gleefully deposit their watery burden upon us. As I watch the raindrops pock the surface all around us with tiny fountains that desperately reflect what little light that can be gleaned from the invisible sun that is hidden behind the swirling mists of cloud ,I can only ponder the existence of a benevolent God or wonder if  Nature really is a Mother.
Are the promoters of concerts that are to be performed in the open air actually sinners to the point where they must be punished for their presumption that on this or these days they will be blessed with an azure sky and a balmy breeze ? I think not , for they have already reaped their financial harvest before a gate has opened.
On this day the fans of Trombone Shorty and Wynton Marsalis , Randy Brecker and even the Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet will shiver in their ponchos and under their no doubt only partially effective umbrellas while trying to ignore the insidious creeping chill that invades their sodden foot ware . Their hearts and ears will try to absorb the energy and soul that the musicians will attempt to convey through the gloom whilst trying to avoid touching microphone stands that could short and send them to that great Club in the Sky where they will at last get to jam with Sachmo and Bird and the Count and the Duke.
If,for once we can believe the misinterpretations and outright lies that the meteorologists deign to call forecasts , we can expect , on the morrow , some sun. Maybe some cloud and a chance of showers.
Maybe God and Mother N. are also admirers of David Sanborn , Dr John ,Bobby Mc Ferrin, the Mingus Big Band, Lee Konitz et al.
I sincerely hope so.
GOVERNMENT  WARNING : SITTING  IN YOUR BOAT AND READING A LOT CAN LEAD TO CHRONIC VERBOSITY .