06/13/2026
Day 11: Lady Liberty, Hell Gate, and Eight Bridges Before Lunch
Day 11 started with the kind of alarm no sailor wants to hear unless there is coffee, current timing, or mild panic involved.
At 4:00 a.m., before the sun even considered showing up for work, the HSA1 fleet was awake, bundled up, and preparing for one of the most anticipated days of the trip: New York Harbor, the East River, and the infamous Hell Gate.
We had been looking forward to this morning with great excitement and just enough fear to keep everyone humble.
The New York City skyline was still twinkling in the dark, looking beautiful, dramatic, and slightly threatening. It had a real “come closer if you dare” kind of glow.
Anchors came up, engines started, and our little flotilla lined up like a well behaved school field trip. Leading the way was Adventure Bound, crewed by Earl Greene and Jean Young. Behind them was Blue Heron, crewed by Celeste Krameisen Streger and Mark Streger. Next came Dal Riata, crewed by Andy Campbell and Mary Ann Bashaw Campbell. Bringing up the rear was Pinch Me, crewed by Tom Fox and Diana Fox, whose job was apparently to make sure none of us wandered off, stopped for too many photos, or got flattened by a ferry.
And let’s be clear: New York Harbor does not ease you into the day. It throws ferries, freighters, fishing boats, water taxis, and commercial traffic at you before most normal people have finished their first cup of coffee.
As the morning light came up, the skyline grew bigger and bolder. Then, just ahead, there she was: the Statue of Liberty.
There are moments in sailing when everyone gets quiet for a second, and this was one of them. Passing Lady Liberty by sailboat felt powerful, historic, and a little surreal. She has welcomed millions into New York Harbor since 1886, and on this chilly morning, she welcomed four Hunter sailboats full of slightly under-caffeinated sailors.
Of course, that emotional moment lasted right up until everyone turned into tourists.
Cameras came out. Boats slowed down. People were taking pictures from every angle. Somewhere in the background, the ferries were probably thinking, “That’s adorable. Now move.”
Thankfully, Tom and Diana, bringing up the rear on Pinch Me, occasionally reminded the group that while Lady Liberty is beautiful, she is not a valid excuse to drift into traffic.
From there, New York City gave us the full sightseeing package. We passed Ellis Island, the Freedom Tower, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and more skyline than our cameras could handle. It is strange and wonderful to look up at all that history and architecture from the cockpit of a sailboat.
Then came the bridges.
So many bridges.
We passed under the Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883 and still looks like it knows it is famous. Then came the Manhattan Bridge, opened in 1909, followed by the Williamsburg Bridge, which opened in 1903 and was once the longest suspension bridge in the world.
At this point, we were basically running a floating history tour with snacks.
We continued past the old Domino Sugar building, Roosevelt Island, and the Queensboro Bridge. Roosevelt Island has had quite the résumé over the years, from hospitals and asylums to prisons and now parks, apartments, and some very nice waterfront views. New York really knows how to rebrand.
Then we headed deeper into the East River toward the part everyone had been talking about: Hell Gate.
With a name like Hell Gate, nobody is expecting a lazy river.
This stretch is where powerful currents from the East River, Harlem River, and Long Island Sound all get together and act like they were raised with no manners. Historically, it was known for whirlpools, dangerous rocks, strong currents, and shipwrecks. Basically, the kind of place that makes sailors suddenly remember every prayer they have ever heard.
Thanks to excellent timing, careful planning, and guidance from Earl and Tom, the fleet made it through safely.
Was it bouncy? Yes.
Was it dramatic? A little.
Did some of us pretend we were calmer than we actually were? Absolutely.
Do we have video proof? Of course we do.
After Hell Gate, we passed under the Hell Gate Bridge, a massive railroad bridge completed in 1916 that still carries Amtrak and freight trains. Then came the Triborough Bridge, which is not just one bridge but a whole bridge situation connecting Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx.
Because apparently New York does not do anything small.
We cruised past Rikers Island, which started as a dump and became one of the most well-known jail complexes in the country. Let’s just say we admired it from a distance and kept moving.
Next came North and South Brother Islands, sitting between Rikers and the Bronx. South Brother is now mostly nature. North Brother Island has a much darker history and was once home to Riverside Hospital, where patients with contagious diseases were isolated. It is also where Typhoid Mary spent many years until her death.
Nothing says “beautiful boating day” quite like a little maritime history, bridge trivia, and contagious disease facts before lunch.
Finally, we passed under the Whitestone Bridge and then the Throgs Neck Bridge, our eighth bridge of the day. Eight bridges before 12:30 p.m. should earn every crew member a medal, a nap, or at minimum a very generous happy hour.
By early afternoon, the fleet arrived in Port Washington, tired, happy, and grateful to find town mooring balls waiting for all four boats.
Day 11 gave us Lady Liberty, New York Harbor, the East River, Hell Gate, eight bridges, ferry dodging, skyline views, history lessons, and just enough excitement to make us all very proud to be safely tied up for the night.
Another unforgettable day in the HSA1 adventure book. ⚓️
