Sailing Season Has Arrived!

Sailing season has arrived! Thus far it’s everything I hoped it would be! Michael had been futzing on Gerty all winter here and there, but we really started prepping her for the season around April 7th. We painted the bottom and the prop with anti-fowling paint (special, rather expensive stuff that helps to keep the barnacles off).

We added some zinc spray-paint to the prop blades, a bit of an experiment.  The theory is it will limit marine growth.  At least that is what we read.

We added the name, “Gerty” to the bow port and starboard hull – just because it is fun!

I glued the registration numbers to “Dirty Gerty.” Michael set up the rigging for our “Happy Sail,” a bright orange and yellow asymmetrical spinnaker / gennaker / ‘UPS.’  People have lots of names for this sail but we just call it the Happy Sail. He also put in a new compass (original was defective), installed the impeller, added a bathroom rack, a spice rack, hooks, and storage compartments. Of course, we cleaned her from bow to stern and on April 18th she was gently delivered to her comfort zone – the frigid Hudson River.

Of note is that we met Justin from Captain Lawrence Brewery on this day.  John Walsh Marina, where Gerty rested on the hard has a satellite brewery and Justin was watching her being delivered to her watery home. He rushed outside with a grin on his face. “Is this your boat? Coincidentally, I just brewed a new beer and we named it, ‘Dirty Gerty!'” Needless to say, we can’t wait for the stuff to be canned so we can keep stock and offer it to guests regularly.

After a sampling of Dirty Gerty and a delicious meal with our son Joshua, we lugged our warmest (brand new) sailing gear to the boat and slept. It was a frigid 34°F for our 6am departure on April 21st! On the upside, the sun was shining and the wind was as predicted from the NNW at 8-10 knots and within minutes of casting off the lines we were sailing with a 2 knot ebbing current towards New York City.

The ride was fast and glorious! We had our happy sail up and we kept thinking that it was quite likely that thousands of people on the West Side (and in New Jersey) wouldn’t be able to resist a smile as they saw us gliding solo down the river- a blissful sight for sure!

There was little traffic in the New York City Harbor and the Statue of Liberty, majestic as always, gave us pause and peace.

Departing from our anchorage at 10:30am with the flooding current up the East River was slightly delayed as Michael spent a good 30 minutes washing the sludge from our anchor and chain – yuck!

After two days of soaking in all the sites that make us feel like New Yorkers, we arrived in Long Island Sound, Gerty’s new temporary home.

And, Gerty got to rest in Mamaroneck’s West Basin, where she is comfortably moored and well protected.