East River Run

Thursday, 4 September

The light at Stepping Stones can’t compete with the morning sun.

At 0648, there’s not much moving on Manhasset Bay. Mostly the flotsam bobbing on the surface; bottles, cans and cups pulled into the Bay by the receding tide. But incredibly, the only other vessel under way in these waters is a wake boat pulling a young (it is assumed) man on a board. The early hour was chosen (it is assumed) for the very reason that few if any boats would be visible in the background while a videographer captured the action in the early morning light.

Aboard Steadfast, the focus is on the action to come. The ebb began a little over an hour ago and she’s underway early, not for the light, but to catch a ride down the East River through “The City.” This marks her fourth such trip. She and Little Red have handled it well each time but each time is a thrill for those aboard.

Waters boil where the Harlem dumps into the East River.

As before, speeds pick up a bit around College Point. The big jump comes around Rikers Island (yes, that one, the NYC prison) where—while boat speed stays in the 4s, speed over the bottom bumps up to the 7s. Top speeds come as expected as she bends to port over Hell Gate, where the East is joined by the Harlem River and the surface swirls and eddies and boils all through the day. Forget holding a straight course. Manning the helm is more like shooting-the-curl than steering a boat, the current taking the stern first one way, then the other.

The Roosevelt Island tram runs alongside the 59th Street Bridge. Feeling Groovy?

Without able crew, there’d be no time for photos. The wheel demands full attention the rest of the way from here, past Roosevelt Island, past the copter and ferry docks near The Battery and across the harbor to Governor’s Island where a sense of normalcy returns to the excursion.

The Chrysler Building is framed by the glass monolith of the United Nations.

The pulse continues to beat a bit faster than usual, though, even through The Narrows until the cargo ships and tugs are astern and only the occasional runabout or center console crosses the bow. The Seastreak high speed ferry comes across Sandy Hook Bay but by then, Steadfast is nearly home. A little over six hours after casting off in Port Washington, she clears the breakwater at Atlantic Highlands.

Look to the west under the Brooklyn Bridge for a view of the Freedom Tower.

The Staten and Governor’s Island ferries keep the harbor waters stirred up around The Battery.

Ships pass at The Narrows, in and out of one of the busiest ports in the world.

Heading south, West Bank Light signals a return to a more normal pace.

Breathing gradually returns to normal. For the day, nautical miles total 36.9.

The memories, however, are immeasurable.

Steadfast out.