We motored from Atlantic City to Atlantic Highlands, NJ, on calm seas with a slight swell. We originally planned to use the Sandy Hook anchorage, but afternoon winds picked up and made it a bit too rough. We dropped the hook outside the Atlantic Highlands municiple marina and mooring field after a long day cruising 79 miles.

We spent a couple nights in Atlantic Highlands and enjoyed walking the Bayshore Trail, having lunch at an excellent Thai restaurant and visiting the local brewery, Carton Brewery. We enjoyed the small town and friendly folks there. We were hoping to watch the July 4th fireworks over New York but fog rolled in and visibility was very limited. The weather was very warm, so we were anxious to get further north.

On July 5th, we left Atlantic Highlands to cruise through New York City harbor. We had to wait until later in the morning to time our arrival with the tides and current. This was a day we’d been waiting for… to cruise past the Statue of Liberty and by NYC! It started out hazy and foggy which we thought was a bummer for photos but it cleared up some as we approached Lady Liberty. Randy had the tough job of navigating the turbulent waters with the ferry and boat traffic. After cruising over 6,500 nautical miles in the last year and a half, this was by far the most awe inspiring view we’ve had. It was incredible to cruise by these famous landmarks and skyscrapers. The massiveness of the city was humbling from the water.

After circling Lady Liberty a couple of times, we headed up the East River under the Brooklyn Bridge and alongside Manhattan while pointing out the famous skyscrapers. We eventually made it to our end destination for the evening, Port Washington, NY, where we grabbed a mooring ball for the night. We only stayed in Port Washington one day because it was hot, like 90° hot. We had to move on to find that New England summer temperatures everyone has told us about.

Atlantic City to Atlantic Highlands, NJ = 79 nm
Atlantic Highlands to Port Washington, NY = 34 nm

TOTAL miles to date: = 6,646 nm