Chesapeake Bay - Part 1

[Kyle]The anchorage at Still Pond makes a good first stop in the Chesapeake. Entry and exit is straightforward, even in the dark, and it's about where the Chesapeake starts getting deep enough, generally, that one no longer has to cling to dredged shipping lanes for fear of running aground.

Back in the day, when we first came to the area, Still Pond was a lot more fun (and popular) due to nearby Churn Creek, which feeds into the bay at Still Pond.

Churn Creek is a large estuary, fed through a narrow entrance. The entrance used to run over a shallow sandbar, which made it a great place to swim and take dinghies through the "rapids" at tidal changes.

Now, the estuary inside has been developed and the entrance had been dredged to allow residents to get their fishing boats up to their properties. The "rapids" are gone. What remains is a channel of slightly fast current, which is nowhere near the amusement park log ride it used to be.

That said, the Churn Creek estuary is still pretty and very pleasant. We spent the whole day, with the kayak, poking along its entire shoreline while Bald Eagles and Ospreys circled overhead. Then we went over to adjacent Still Pond Creek estuary for more of the same, only returning to Begonia well past our limit of comfort for sitting in those seats.

Exploring Still Pond (and the waters of Churn Creek)

After Still Pond, we went to Stoney Creek, just outside Baltimore, for a change of scene. Stoney Creek is more suburban, with almost the entire shoreline taken up by closely-spaced houses, each with their dock and their own version of a waterfront patio with a view. Every one of them seems like it must be a perfect little oasis from what I imagine are the owner's busy Baltimore jobs.

It looked like another great place to spend a few hours poking around in a kayak. That was indeed our plan, until I went out to get it into the water. Then the skies opened up with such abandon that I was hardly able to sprint back to the cockpit without getting soaked through. We thought about it for about five seconds then both decided that, while paddling around a big bathtub might be cleansing, it wouldn't necessarily be fun. Perhaps next time...

Stunning skies in Stoney Creek

From Stoney Creek, we had a fast, full-sail reach down Chesapeake Bay to Kent Island, where we anchored far from shore in a shallow bay, downwind of a couple of very nice-looking estates.

Leaving Stoney Creek, and sailing to Kent Island

We paddled the dinghy ashore and spent the day half in bird-filled wetlands and half gliding along the shores of a bunch of properties we would never be able to afford. None would be a bad place to be invited for a weekend. Since it was a weekday, there was no one around to do the inviting, just the errant gardener, with their ubiquitous rasping leaf blower. Time to go back to Begonia, way out in the bay, for a little peace and quiet.

From Long point at the south end of Kent Island we explored the inlets for hours

After Kent Island, we headed further down the bay into the Patuxent River to the big estuary at Solomons Island. This area of Chesapeake Bay is my favorite part. To be honest, if you pressed me as to why, I would probably have a hard time coming up with specifics. Chesapeake Bay is not dramatic or sublime. There are no fjords or snow-capped mountains looming overhead. For the most part, I would describe the entire 4,500 square mile estuary as being pleasant - placid, tranquil and pleasant. Almost all of it is fetching and its myriad of little inlets and bays offer everything from long views to cuddly solitude. The Solomons area seems to be just a little above average in all this. Perhaps its the relatively sparse population, the lack of heavy industry, or possibly just the slightly higher cliffs on the banks. Whatever it is, I've always looked forward to reaching this part of the bay on our many transits of its length.

The shores of the Chesapeke are littered with lighthouses, and the waters sometimes "boil" with fish activity

We started by anchoring in a quiet side cove, just outside of the town of Solomons Island. From there, it was a twenty-minute dinghy ride to the hustle and bustle of the main town, which is really more of a holiday village where most people get around by strolling.

One of our engines needed an oil change. While I did that, Maryanne went ashore on a provisioning run. When she got back, we headed out for some proper tourism.

First up was a visit to the Calvert Marine Museum. We'd heard a few people recommend it, but had never yet managed to make it ourselves. I must say that it was surprisingly good - well better than I would have expected for even a town ten times this size. They've got traditional boats of various types, good displays on the geology and history of the area, and even their own screwpile lighthouse. They also have otters. How can anybody not love otters?

The Calvert Marine Museum was an unexpected gem

We topped off our day with a meal out and a trip to the local "beach bar", which is really just an across-the-street-from-the-boat-ramp bar. I ordered a Mai Tai, which was disappointing and expensive and came in a plastic cup. I guess one will be enough, then.

The place did have a bit of a vibe to it, though. Very specifically, it reminded us of the bar Jennifer Connelly ran in "Top Gun". Well, Patuxent Naval Air Station is just across the river, and I suppose it's a short motorcycle ride across the bridge to Solomons to get away from the higher-ups and blow off some steam. That probably does give it a pretty high proportion of actual fighter pilots than your average bar.

The next morning, we made the short trip further up the Patuxent and into St. Leonard's Creek, where we pulled into little Rollins Cove, about halfway up.

Anchored in Rollins Cove

Rollins Cove is stunning. It is big enough for just one or two boats, with high green hills wrapping around on all sides. There are two properties there with private docks, with the main houses hidden by trees. A third property high on a hill looks down on the cove and St. Leonard's Creek beyond. Quickly running through my memory, I quickly decided it's the prettiest place we have ever anchored in the Chesapeake. The little cove was always mirror flat. There were also no bugs, so we were able to leave our hatches open wide day and night for plenty of fresh air. It was the perfect place to sit in the cockpit in the evenings reading to each other over a bottle of wine.

While we were there, Maryanne had a birthday. this is always tough for me because she doesn't need anything, she doesn't have room for anything, and if I suddenly say I need "a little private time in town", it's pretty obvious what I'm up to. Also, she is an accomplished investigator who can't bear to wait, so she always ruins her own surprise.

I've figured out a way around all of this: Don't get her anything! (She is getting something. Keep it under your hat.) The same works for me in reverse, although Maryanne spends so much time on the computer, generally, that it's hard to know if she is shopping or not. One thing we both get, though, is full veto power on the day. If she does or doesn't want to do something, all she has to do is say, "But it's my Birthday" and she automatically wins.

Today, she wanted to paddle the kayak a couple of miles to Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum for a long walk through the grounds and to look at some old stuff. I was quite happy to potter around in beautiful Rollins Cove and have a lazy day, but it was her Birthday...

Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum

Jeff-Pat, as we quickly learned the employees call it, sits on the peninsula joining St. Loenard's Creek with the Patuxent River. It has been occupied for hundreds of years by indigenous peoples. More recently, it was a slave plantation, then a farm. Now, it's kind of a museum/farm/park, with areas set aside for each usage.

Our day there started at the public pier. We then skirted the farm to the park/museum part of the property. It was here that we learned the area all of the way back to the pier was closed for renovations. Oops! Well, we're here now. We'll just have to sneak back to the kayak later.

The park/museum section focused heavily on archeological studies of the site's slave era dwellings. We did the park first, with its re-created native village. There was a group of kids there performing yearly upkeep on the shelters. These weren't teenagers, they were maybe six to eight years old. It seems like it was some sort of school project, but the bossy eight-year-old in charge really seemed to know what he was doing.

After the park grounds, we headed to the museum or some air conditioning. There we learned about the archaeology that has been going on at Jeff-Pat for decades. Also, it appears, the cliff faces in the area, all of the way to just outside the mouth of the Patuxent, are a rich source of dinosaur-are fossils, from back when this part of the world was joined with North Africa. Cool.

We then got completely lost trying to follow on of their nature trails through the woods. We musta missed a turn somewhere. By the time we got back, we were weary enough for Maryanne to decide to call it a day and head back to the kayak.

Along the way, I managed to convince her that, for only a couple more miles extra, she wanted to head to the waterfront restaurant at Sunset Creek for drinks or even perhaps a whole meal. The meal didn't happen. Nothing on the menu appealed, but we did at least get to enjoy some time together with a great view.

And fancy drinks at this great deck overlooking the river before heading back to the boat for sunset. Those drinks that look like they must be beers on the table are actually pinepple mimosa (a mimosa is called a Bucks Fizz in the UK - where it was apprently invented), but it doesn't look nearly so fancy in a disposable plasstic beaker!

After lounging for a bit, we agreed that the book-in-the-cockpit thing sounded like a good way to round out the day, so we headed back home to watch the sunset followed by a sky full of stars.

Continuing south, we went a short few miles to a wide open spot on Cuckold Creek, on the other side of the Patuxent. This was a slightly more populated area. Again, there was plenty to explore in the kayak. Plus, we were able to go to Myrtle Point Park, where they have enough trails for us to spend a few hours walking.

We took the kayak ashore to explore Myrtle Point Park

On the way back, I noticed a high-pitched bubbling noise coming from around my right knee. It seems the seam there had developed a slow leak. When we got home, I put a patch over it. On my way back to the cockpit, There was a big BOOM! I wasn't too worried. I had just topped up the other two chambers to their rated pressure and sometimes, if you don't twist the little valve thingy closed properly, the cap can pop off.

Nope, the OTHER, left tube had blown, leaving an eight-inch split at the seam. Great! I peeled them apart and carefully glued it all back together. We'll have to wait a couple of days and see how it does. The inflatable kayak is within its warrenty period still for seams and workmanship - but it seems the company is no longer in buisness... go figure!

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Anchorage location - Still Pond >> On google maps
Anchorage location - Stoney Creek >> On google maps
Anchorage location - Long Point on Kent Island On google maps
Anchorage location - Lusby Cove, St Johns, Solomons >> On google maps
Anchorage location - Rollins Cove >> On google maps
Anchorage location - Cuckold Creek>> On google maps

Passage to the Chesapeake Bay

[Kyle]Our timing for the leg from New York to Chesapeake Bay was a bit strange. We wanted to depart New York Harbor on the ebb, which is quite strong, and then time our arrival at the Delaware Bay entrance to be at the beginning of its own very strong flood. To get between the two, our average speed only needed to be a sedate four-and-a-half knots. With twenty-knot tailwinds and a half-knot boost from the coastal current, our big problem was going to be keeping Begonia slowed down.

Leaving Coney Island Creek (where the abandoned submarine sits in the creek, and locals make use of the sand spit for a bit of fishing), the lighthouse is Nortons Point Light (at the tip of Coney Island, in Brooklyn); farewell New York

It was a beautiful, clear day that would have been perfect for bombing along under the spinnaker. It was tough to resist the instinct to try to get the best performance out of our boat, particularly when a couple of monohulls overtook us. Even though they were cheating (I could see the exhaust water churning out of both, for what reason on such a perfect sailing day, I have no idea), we could have easily left them behind.

Proving that we made a good boat purchasing decision wasn't supposed to be our primary goal. I told my inner teenager to shut up and go sit in the corner - Grandpa's driving!

Sailing off the New Jersey Coast

Through the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal at night to our anchorage in Still Pond, MD

Getting to Delaware Bay early would be bad. Not only would we be fighting the quite considerable ebb, the wind, which was also supposed to shift with us right about then to push us up the bay, would still be against us then. That would leave us getting beat up as we tacked into headwinds and probably losing ground with each one.

So, keeping our speed a little high, as a hedge, we kept the spinnaker stowed and sailed with just the jib, which we gradually reduced as we went along. By the time we were ready to make the turn northwestwards into the bay, I had been under bare poles for the last three hours of my watch.

We were still a bit early for the current change, but the wind had already shifted. Now the strategy was to go as fast as we could. Pushing into the last of the ebb, we were still able to go six or seven knots over the bottom during dinner together.

Then the current reversed. Maryanne woke me an hour early for my night watch, telling me the wind had died, the boat was barely moving, and that she needed to start an engine to maintain steerageway to help her avoid being set into the heavy shipping in the channel. Then she disappeared to go deal with everything.

Barely moving? Aww, that was not good news. We're going to lose the flood! We'll be stuck in this bay all day now! Why didn't she start the engine earlier?

After climbing the steps from our berth, she handed me a cup of coffee. I went outside and saw four big ships, two in each direction, passing by as we hugged the margins of the deep water on the outside edge of the channel. I took a look at the chartplotter to see how bad the damage was to our progress from the lack of wind and did a double take. In the five hours that I had been sleeping, Maryanne had dispensed with the entire fifty-five mile stretch of Delaware Bay between mouth and the entrance to the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal.

Oh... Nevermind.

The last of the flood had just ended. That was perfect, because the ebb flows westwards through the C&D Canal. It pushed us through and then down Chesapeake Bay to our first anchorage at Still Pond. There, I was able to turn the tables on Maryanne and wake her up an hour early so she could drop the anchor. We're here!

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Anchorage location >> On google maps

New York City

[Maryanne]Leaving Newport and our good friends aboard Sotito was a struggle for us, we just don't know when we might next see them. While this lifestyle obviously has some amazing moments, there is definately a cost, and we hope to find the balance (impossible really). Our departure from Newport, though, was under a flyover by the Italian Air Force - so quite impressive. Thanks Newport!

The Italian Air Force's Frecce Tricolori were (we imagine) sent to bid us "arrivederci" as we departed Newport Habour

We spent a night at anchor just around the corner to prepare for an early departure. Our last stop in Rhode Island (Mackeral Cove, on Conanicut Island) was nicely protected while a major lightning storm to passed over us late in the afternoon (the red dots are lightning strikes within the previous two minutes).

[Kyle]We like New York City. The last couple of times we had a chance to pop in and have a look, we skipped it and sailed right by, mostly because we were trying to take the best advantage we could of a weather window at the time. In 2013, for example, after living in the Hudson River for the previous winter, we didn't feel so much of a pull to get right back to where we had just departed and thus skip an AMAZING weather window that would get us all of the way from Block Island to Delaware Bay in one day. That still stands as our fastest through-the-water run in twenty-four hours (226nm).

This time, I was determined to ignore a very similar forecast so that we could take the Long Island Sound route that would take us right through the city, giving us no excuse not to stop.

New York City, on the other hand, was not doing us any favors. Lincoln Harbor Yacht Center, where we rode out Hurricane Sandy, was effectively destroyed by the storm. The owners continued on for a bit, but the damage proved too costly to repair, so now what's left of it sits abandoned and empty. Economics being what it is, when supply falls, demand goes up, along with prices. The going rate for transient dockage near Manhattan is now around eight dollars per foot per day. Add in taxes and that means a three-night stay for Begonia would run us over a thousand bucks, and that's before we even leave the marina grounds. There has to be a better way.

Well, there sort of is, but not really. The city has two facilities run by the park service that have set rates that are way more reasonable. We have visited both in the past. For this visit however 79th Street Basin is undergoing a major renovation AND they no longer let catamarans use their moorings anyway. World's Fair Marina is a bit further out, but it turns out they too have no availability due to extensive renovations as well.

Our friends Ivar and Floris, from Lucipara 2, had just been to New York City earlier this year and they reported having a great time. They're not loaded either. What had they done?

They stayed in Port Washington, on Long Island, and had many nice things to say about it. Port Washington is a whole day away from Manhattan at sailboat speeds, but you can get there in under an hour on the train, other visiting sailors also recommended it. Port Washington, it is!

To get there from Newport, we had a light tailwind day, a light headwind day, and a two-day window of the aforementioned amazing tailwinds. We used the first day to get to Fishers Island, slept in and had a lazy day aboard during the headwinds. Then we planned to do two days in a row - one long one to Port Jefferson and a medium one to Port Washington.

It didn't really work out that way. Anticipating our pre-dawn departure from Fishers Island for our long leg to Port Jefferson and dreading the coming alarm, I had a terrible time sleeping. Eventually, I decided that since I was up, we might as well just go now. While Maryanne was still in bed, and probably unaware of the hour, I started the engines and weighed anchor at 0136. Oof!

That actually turned out for the best. Instead of lazily sleeping through the first four hours of good tailwinds, we used it to get so far away that we couldn't even see Fishers Island anymore by the time the sun came up. Also good was that the new timing had us taking the best advantage of the strong tidal currents on the Eastern end of the Sound. For the first time in a long time, we had whole long stretches with through-the-water speeds in the low teens, plus another three knots of current helping further. We decided to skip Port Jefferson altogether and head straight to Port Washington.

We started early for the sail along the Connecticut Coast and into Long Island Sound

Port Washington is capacious, with more than enough room for any boat that wants to come. The city has several sturdy visitor moorings for thirty-five dollars each per day, with the first day thrown in for free. Included on the paid days is unlimited use of their launch service, which is great if you are doing a lot of back-and-forth errands.

We had taken care of all of the likely chores in Newport, but it was nice to not have to worry about deploying the dinghy or how far the row to shore would be.

After a short walk, we boarded the Long Island Railroad for the trip into the city.

Now, I realize that even people who live in New York City will never have time to see everything there is to do there. That being said, Maryanne and I have been lucky enough to spend a good deal of time in this vibrant city, so neither of us felt like we just had to try to do everything we could while we were there. In fact, our list was surprisingly unambitious by our normal standard. Maryanne wanted to do just a couple of things we had never managed to get around to while we were living there. My requirements were even less specific. I just wanted to be in the city, walking in it's frenetic bustle, and letting our whims fill the day.

Maryanne's first thing was a visit to Roosevelt Island. It's right there, but we had never been. We didn't need to do everything on the island, so we contented ourselves with a walking semi-lap and a visit to Four Freedoms Park. Then we took the tramway to Manhattan because, scenery! That is definitely the way to go if you are a commuter - Gliiiiide into Manhattan...

Roosevelt Island (in the East River) is a surprisingly peaceful part of NY City, and some beautiful riverfront paths

We took the Tramway across the river and on to Manhattan Island itself

Then it was time for my thing. Like I said, I didn't want much, just a chance to walk around for a while and take it in. High Line Park fit the bill perfectly for that. Since we were last here, it's been extended further and now goes all of the way from 11th Street to 34th Street, allowing us to walk halfway between downtown and Central Park without having to cross any streets. Along the way, we exited and re-entered for a nice meal, drinks at a rooftop bar, or for anything else that took our fancy.

We also went to Central Park and Rockefeller Center, which felt kind of like going back to the old neighborhood, because we have spent so much time in both areas. We also popped into Times Square and Bryant Park, stopping in between for a slice.

We walked through Central Park

... and Bryant Park (which, when the weather allowed, was a favourte Lunch spot of Maryanne when she worked in Manhattan)

... and the High Line Park (once an elevated rail track) now provides an oasis of art and flowers (and a chance to peer into some of the homes along the way)

We broke off the High Line briefly to explore the Hudson River's "Little Island" park (opened in 2021), at Pier 55

We ate at multiple different places, but stopped for a cocktail at this quirky place: The Magic Hour (Surf Club) roof top bar and lounge

And generally walking the streets along the way - NY always keeps us wide-eyed with wonder

As we were taking the launch back to Begonia at the end of the day, we noted (despite taking several subway rides) that our phones were saying we had each walked about twelve miles during the day. That really feels like nothing in New York City. There is so much to do and see, even without an itinerary. We really do love it. I think we could happily live there if we were bo-zillionaires who had one of those big penthouses with a rooftop garden. I guess you could say that about anywhere, really, but New York City is especially special.

One of the other things we had just never managed to get around to while we were based there was to anchor out for the night by the Statue of Liberty. To be honest, the heavy traffic and constant wakes put us off. The anchorage is not really convenient to anything, but it is free and thus a good stop after the day's sail/motor from Port Washington.

Sailing the last of Long Island sound and past Manhattan to the Statue of Liberty

I must say, the spot we chose to the south of Lady Liberty was actually pretty good. There was lots of tour boat traffic, but by the time they got to where we were, they were already well slowed down to land at Liberty Island's docks. Even the boy racers who wanted to blast through on their fast boats had to slow down to go around the big ferries in their way. For the rest of the day we were there, we only saw maybe one or two big wakes that made it to us.

There is a lot of low-flying helicopter traffic. Most of that seemed to come in waves, so we would have five minutes of having to pause our conversation and wait, followed by ten minutes of surprisingly peaceful quiet. Then it would be another five and ten, or maybe ten and twenty. Considering the general bustle, it didn't seem annoying. They did finally stop about an hour after sunset. I guess not that many people want to book 2:00 a.m. tours.

2:00 a.m. was the best! With the skies clear and the harbor empty of everyone but a slow-moving, distant tug, the mirror-flat water reflected the floodlit statue, which towered above us, and the sparkling city beyond. What a view! We should have done this a long time ago!

Hanging out by Lady Liberty herself... and then bidding farwell the following day

Next on Maryanne's list of New York stuff that we never to around to is a visit to Coney Island. It was Winter when we were here and Coney Island is more of a Summer place.

Now I can already hear people familiar with Coney Island chuckling under their breaths. It's iconic, though. She really wanted to see it. I was a little bit curious myself.

It did not start off too well. Arriving at Gravesend Bay from Liberty Island, we couldn't help but notice that the scenery wasn't up to the same standard. To put it more directly, if a filmmaker wanted to make a movie about a bunch of sailors trying to eke out a brutal existence in a post-apocalyptic world, they could set it in Gravesend Bay without having to make any modifications whatsoever. I would say that “Waterworld”, which was at the time the most expensive movie ever made, could have been brought in waaay under budget here, but that would presuppose that the crew wasn't constantly having all of their equipment nicked and having to replace it over and over.

Well, we're here already. Let's make the best of it.

Rumor had it that the nearby gas station, which has a long hose down to a rickety dock, would let you tie up for a few hours if you buy some fuel. I asked the very grumpy man in the dimly-lit, bulletproof box if this was indeed true, while waving my empty jerrycan in the direction of the pumps and the dock beyond. He agreed, but was very clear that he didn't like my request one tiny bit and that every minute our unattended dinghy was tied up would only stoke his ire further.

I filled the can and returned to Begonia to drop it off in exchange for Maryanne. Then we returned, tied to the dock in the worst space possible, which was the only space allowed, and then slunk away to the boardwalk.

The Coney Island boardwalk pretty much looks like we had expected it to look. It's long and wide, with a beach on one side and an assortment of carnival rides and greasy eateries on the other. What was strange was that, even though it was a beautiful Memorial Day weekend, it was very sparsely populated. The carnival rides, which are operated by several different companies who each control a small section, were almost completely deserted.

After Maryanne and I bellied up to one of the counters to buy tickets for a roller coaster, we saw why. The price structure here pretty much guarantees that for anybody buying a ticket, it's going to be a one-time thing. Families can forget it. That's why we saw so many parents trying to convince their kids that a fast stroller ride was just as much fun. Our roller coaster was fun, but a stroller ride would have lasted longer. The staff acted like operating the big machine for us was the absolute low point of their already miserable day.

Coney Island: we braved the Thunderbolt ride at Luna Park, and walked the boadwalk to soak up the general atmosphere

{Maryanne:I had really wanted to see the famed Coney Island sideshows, the strong men, and more "the unusual, the hideous, and the bizarre", but Coney Island didn't seem to offer this any longer. I later discovered there is a small museum and a show (The Coney Island Sideshow) off the boardwalk that in season and on weekends offers this still. I'm kicking myself that we missed it - but maybe that allows for a future visit?}

Our walk home took us past a Caribbean Festival. That sounded like great fun! At the parking lot outside the arena, we encountered a lot of participants eagerly getting ready to go in. We noticed there was a definite theme going on with the outfits. They were all different, but the idea seemed to be to use as little spandex as possible and then stretch it as far as one could over as large an area of skin as possible. Well, I would never have their confidence in wearing such a thing. I've got to hand it to them. We decided the Caribbean Festival probably wasn't meant for us and moved on.

Well, now we've seen Coney Island. We were pleased to find our dinghy still floating where we left it and beat a hasty retreat to the familiar comfort of our floating home, Kevin Costner-style. We decided that it seems unlikely we will ever get nostalgic and revisit this anchorage again.

And home to Begonia in Coney Island Creek

[Maryanne]Kyle started this blog with "We like New York", well we really LOVE it. If I had the $bucks to retire and settle there, maybe with a nice appartment overlooking central park, I'd be there in a jiffy (a girl can dream!). We felt like New York was "home" when we spent that winter in Weehawken, and I worked at the NY Times (just off Times Square) with an easy 10 minute (max) bus ride into work every day (winter of 2012/2013). We arrived shortly before Hurricane Sandy hit and devistated so much, and aside from that drama just loved our time here. That winter wasn't easy; the water was mostly turned off at the docks, and with the busy river traffic we experienced regular heavy wakes requiring extra strong (metal) springs to (help) keep the jolting down . But I was able to work, Kyle had a reliable commute to his work, we made great friends, and we were able to experience so much of what NY had to offer (shows, parks, sights, restaurants, and more). Returning was an absolute joy. I'd go back in a New York minute. This return to the city truely filled our hearts, and we hope to repeat that someday.

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Conanicut Island (RI) anchorage location >> On google maps
West Harbor/Fishers Island, Long Island Sound (NY) anchorage location >> On google maps
Port Washington Town Moorings (NY) location >> On google maps (note anchoring is also an option). Not ideal, but given the budget, just perfect. It is a 30 minute walk, then an hour train ride into Central Manhattan. Trains aren't THAT regular, but regular enough - so if you are prepared for a 3 hour out and back commute, it works. For us our total costs for the mooring, transport, AND eating out and sightseeing in NY were less than a single night in a marina in NJ, let alone a marina in NY city.
Liberty Island anchorage location >> On google maps
Coney Island Creek anchorage location >> On google maps