Where is GYPSEA?

Another Day of pretty calm seas as we left Atlantic City and powered to NYC! We could have gone a more direct route passing Long Island on the outside, but the thought of being in the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty and not getting a close up view was not an option. Thankfully Carl agreed, so up the East River we went to get our close up of Lady Liberty and NYC.

I was taken by surprise at how happy and overwhelmed I was seeing the Statue of Liberty so close, and thinking about what our freedom means to me. While King Kong wasn’t to be found, the Empire State Building still commands attention and I am sure fosters so many different thoughts and memories for all…especially for those who remember the movie an Affair to Remember, or more recently Sleepless in Seattle. Other icons included the Chrysler building and the Brooklyn Bridge. I was finally able to figure out how to take a panoramic picture on my phone camera, so I could get the Brooklyn Bridge in its entirety.

As we moved passed the city we came to the Hell Gate Bridge. It is a railroad bridge on which Amtrak trains travel. The bridge and area under it got its name as it relates to the sometimes treacherous water in that portion of the river during changing tides. Thankfully while you could feel some churning in the water, it did not feel treacherous.

The New York skyline and bridges did not disappoint. If it were not for the desire to get back home, and ahead of some changing weather, we would have lingered there longer, but off to the coast of Connecticut we powered. We docked at the Saybrook Point Inn and Marina, and it was a lovely place to dock at the last marina before we reach our home port.

After finishing our boat duties, we both agreed we needed to take a good long walk. There was a map in our marina welcome packet offering suggestions of some street walks in the area with mileage. We thought we were doing the 1.75 mile walking loop, but somehow started following the 5 mile bike loop, which we didn’t realize until we knew had to have walked 2+ miles and then checked the map. Since the weather was great and it was a really scenic walk we were fine with the extra miles. The walk started with streets lined with beautiful and historic homes and then moved towards the ocean with a good portion on a path at the ocean’s edge. It continued along a bridge which crossed marsh in which there were several beautiful white swans with their cygnets (baby swans).

The Saybrook Point Inn is really lovely and has an old fashioned sophisticated charm about it without feeling stuffy. It hosts many weddings and large gatherings, so even for a Thursday afternoon/evening early in the season, there was a fun buzz in the air. Also we were aware that while in Florida you could feel a sense of melancholy as the winter season was ending, in CT it was the opposite vibe of a place getting ready to embark on its summer season. Everyone we came across was animated and wanting to chat. As I was waiting for Carl in the lounge I had a nice conversation with the gentleman at the bar next to me. Shortly after he left Carl arrived. A woman at the end of the bar approached me as she was leaving and had to know if I was doing some kind of speed dating! I almost fell off my stool laughing.

It is too bad we were not staying long enough to take advantage of the pool and spa, but at least we enjoyed a light meal at the bar and a great male vocalist who played a classic list of easy listening lounge favorites. It was a nice way to end the day before tucking in early to rest up before the last leg of our journey.

So here I am typing my next to last blog of this adventure. We will get underway by 6 am tomorrow so we can make it to Boston by early afternoon. The seas are going to be fine for GYPSEA but maybe a little bumpy for us at 2-3 feet. We will continue up the Connecticut coast, then past Rhode Island as we make our way to the Cape Cod Canal and up our last leg of the east coast back to Boston. One more chance to get a dolphin pic…or maybe a whale!

So long Atlantic City!

Another day of beautiful weather and calm seas as we make our way towards the Big Apple!

I was looking in a different directions for buildings and then suddenly turned and there she was!

Just gorgeous! I literally had tears in my eyes!

The Brooklyn Bridge is more beautiful than I expected.

Panoramic view of the Brooklyn Bridge!

The Empire State Building is still such an amazing and iconic building.

The Chrysler Building is still a special fete of architecture.

Old Saybrook here we come!

Old Saybrook Lighthouse up close.

Saybrook Point Inn and Marina

Beautiful lobby of the Saybrook Point Inn. Just off the lobby on the right is the Choo Choo Lounge with a lively atmosphere and regular entertainment. I assume the lounge name is a reference to the Essex Steam train nearby and where my son and daughter-in-law were married last fall!

One of the many beautiful swans we saw on our walk.

A cute little lobster and seafood shack right next to the marina.

Poignant sign, not sure if “Judy” is with us or not, but had a “Stop and smell the roses sentiment to me”…so made me even more mindful of all the beauty of the seashore and its surroundings.