They are calling on all patriotic Americans sailors to bring their boats to New York Harbor on Saturday, September 14, 2002. I am going down with a group of Catalinas (Long Island Sound Catalina Assoc.) I plan on getting into NY harbor that day and I encourage other sailors to try and make it. This is a grassroots event, which will lend to its dignity. I know doing this is a deeply personal decision, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. From a lot of the responses of the victims families they are very supportive of the "Sail For America". It should be quite a site when hundreds (or thousands ?) of Sailboats raise their sails and parade up the Hudson past 'Ground Zero' at noon on Saturday. It should make us being sailors proud. There will be Special Viewing Area at the American Mercantile Exchange for Families of September 11 Victims. Support has been overwhelming and real. They are also planning on flying a flag for each of the 3,026 victims. The flags will be flown in the harbor that day and then given to the families. Also on Sunday, September 15, Around Alone, the round-the-world single-handed race, will start from off Ground Zero. This highly symbolic event will be the final act of Sail for America. The start is expected to occur at 12 noon. This will be the first round-the-world race ever to start from New York City. The symbolism of starting Around Alone from off Ground Zero and sending these sailors around the world as ambassadors of our city and nation, is very special. Hope to see our fellow sailors out there.
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Wish I could be there
I took a chartering course from Offshore Sailing School on NY Harbor over Memorial Day weekend. I love New York (Hey, how's that for a marketing slogan for the city) and it almost hurts that we can't bring "Heron", our 1982 Oday 23, and join you all on this very special day. We will be racing on Brookville Lake, Indiana on Saturday and you can be assured that we will be with you all in spirit and in our thoughts and prayers. Fair winds and following seas. Show the world that New York is a place of hope for us all.
I took a chartering course from Offshore Sailing School on NY Harbor over Memorial Day weekend. I love New York (Hey, how's that for a marketing slogan for the city) and it almost hurts that we can't bring "Heron", our 1982 Oday 23, and join you all on this very special day. We will be racing on Brookville Lake, Indiana on Saturday and you can be assured that we will be with you all in spirit and in our thoughts and prayers. Fair winds and following seas. Show the world that New York is a place of hope for us all.
With you in Spirit...
As a former New Yorker, my thoughts will be with you - all of you in NY - as you raise your sails in defiance against the cowards who took down our towers (but not our spirit)one year ago today. I will be working Saturday, but I'll be thinking about the harbor, and how beautiful it will surely be. Show those terrorists how good we have it, and how good it is to be an American, and a sailor to boot! Rob
As a former New Yorker, my thoughts will be with you - all of you in NY - as you raise your sails in defiance against the cowards who took down our towers (but not our spirit)one year ago today. I will be working Saturday, but I'll be thinking about the harbor, and how beautiful it will surely be. Show those terrorists how good we have it, and how good it is to be an American, and a sailor to boot! Rob
yes-will be there
would not miss this extraordinary event; hopefully, the word is out in all the local and surrounding marinas. a lot of effort has been expended by the organizers - my thanks to them our prayers and sails will be out there this weekend!
would not miss this extraordinary event; hopefully, the word is out in all the local and surrounding marinas. a lot of effort has been expended by the organizers - my thanks to them our prayers and sails will be out there this weekend!
Already here!-Sail for America
Already in NY Harbor! The wind is blowin and this should be one of the largest gatherings of sailboats in NY Harbors history! (Ya Im on the org committee-shoot me) There will also be "windsurf-for-america" the Lady Liberty Regatta/Race on Friday, and on Sunday the Around Alone challenge will start from Battery in NY Harbor. Please come, if you need any local info email me or see the website for sailforamerica.com Ed Michaya-H326
Already in NY Harbor! The wind is blowin and this should be one of the largest gatherings of sailboats in NY Harbors history! (Ya Im on the org committee-shoot me) There will also be "windsurf-for-america" the Lady Liberty Regatta/Race on Friday, and on Sunday the Around Alone challenge will start from Battery in NY Harbor. Please come, if you need any local info email me or see the website for sailforamerica.com Ed Michaya-H326
New York Sailing Club...
has promoted the event to its members and I expect more than a few will attend. I expect we will, but have not checked the tide tables yet. Will Hell Gate and East River cooperate? We will be coming down from Long Island Sound.
has promoted the event to its members and I expect more than a few will attend. I expect we will, but have not checked the tide tables yet. Will Hell Gate and East River cooperate? We will be coming down from Long Island Sound.
Yes , check the web site for Sail For America
For the tides and currents, But if you leave, lets say the Throgs Neck Bridge at about 8 am you will do fine thru the "gate".....There is a whole Armada of boats leaving the Throgs Neck Bridge at that time...come join us
For the tides and currents, But if you leave, lets say the Throgs Neck Bridge at about 8 am you will do fine thru the "gate".....There is a whole Armada of boats leaving the Throgs Neck Bridge at that time...come join us
That sounds about right
time to get underway. Our Eldridge is on the boat, where we will be later this afternoon. It takes about half an hour for us to get from our berth at WFM to the East River just east of Rikers Island so we will meet the flotilla there. Should be fun, though there will not be any sailuig done until we gat past the Battery.
time to get underway. Our Eldridge is on the boat, where we will be later this afternoon. It takes about half an hour for us to get from our berth at WFM to the East River just east of Rikers Island so we will meet the flotilla there. Should be fun, though there will not be any sailuig done until we gat past the Battery.
We wuz there
We came out of Flushing Bay into the East River about 8:30 AM to see this enormous armada of masts advancing toward us. Shore to shore sailboats under the Whitestone Bridge. We slowed to let the crowd catch up, which they did south of the Brother Islands (they went outside, we went inside). Then we just went on down the river, herded along by Merchant Marine Acadamy RIBs. At one point, being out in front, we tried to pour on the coal and get away alone but were called back into line. Wife was embarrased. Mobe went through Buttermil Channel and around Governor's Issland and uo the Hudson. Quite a sight. Most turned back at 42nd Street but we kept going and sailed on the favorable wind and current all the way to Tappan Zee where we spent the night. Next norning in the fog and rain we motored back down against the wind, dropped wife at 79th St. Marina (tricky maneuver) and continued down to watch the start of the Around Alone Race. Not as many boats there as I had expected and things were quire orderly. Never did figure out exactly where the strating line was. Followed the boats as they tacked toward the Narrows. Very impressive. Wondered why they were all reefed. Interesting array of boats and rigs, not like your standard cruiers racer or even serious racer. Thos guys were working hard already and I do not really envy them. Turned then for home. Security zone in East River, must use west passage around Roosevelt Island. There is a bridge there that dismasted one boat on Saturday. Never saw it opened before but they were opening it today so most boats could get through. But the current was fierce and you had to be careful not to get swept into the bridge before it opened. Interesting weekende.
We came out of Flushing Bay into the East River about 8:30 AM to see this enormous armada of masts advancing toward us. Shore to shore sailboats under the Whitestone Bridge. We slowed to let the crowd catch up, which they did south of the Brother Islands (they went outside, we went inside). Then we just went on down the river, herded along by Merchant Marine Acadamy RIBs. At one point, being out in front, we tried to pour on the coal and get away alone but were called back into line. Wife was embarrased. Mobe went through Buttermil Channel and around Governor's Issland and uo the Hudson. Quite a sight. Most turned back at 42nd Street but we kept going and sailed on the favorable wind and current all the way to Tappan Zee where we spent the night. Next norning in the fog and rain we motored back down against the wind, dropped wife at 79th St. Marina (tricky maneuver) and continued down to watch the start of the Around Alone Race. Not as many boats there as I had expected and things were quire orderly. Never did figure out exactly where the strating line was. Followed the boats as they tacked toward the Narrows. Very impressive. Wondered why they were all reefed. Interesting array of boats and rigs, not like your standard cruiers racer or even serious racer. Thos guys were working hard already and I do not really envy them. Turned then for home. Security zone in East River, must use west passage around Roosevelt Island. There is a bridge there that dismasted one boat on Saturday. Never saw it opened before but they were opening it today so most boats could get through. But the current was fierce and you had to be careful not to get swept into the bridge before it opened. Interesting weekende.
Sail for America - Some Pictures
There was a largew contingent of Catalina Sailboats that went down all over, NY Hudson River, NJ and Long Island Sound.....here are some pictures http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291356207 You should be able to click on the individual photos and it will show the full resolution picture, ....(Gosh I wish I had pictures of MY boat ....I had a huge red, white and blue spinnaker flying that day...;-) There are more photo's but these are the only digital ones I have, I'm sure the other boats that went down with me have alot more. I thought the Sail for America was an incredible event to be part of. It was very special. Many of the boats were flying memorial flags of the Victims of Sept. 11. It was an honor to be doing so, knowing that the families of the victims will be receiving the flags of their loved ones and being told it was flown over NY Harbor in their memory. I felt proud and honored to be part of this historic event. I was humbled to hold the flags of people that I never knew............ As I carefully raised the names of the people, I thought to myself "who was this person?, what was their family like?, what was their passions, hobbies, etc"...... I came down from East River and as far forward as I could see and as far as I could back there were sailboats. I remember thinking "Wow". It was an awe inspiring vision to see so many boats weaving in and around the small islands and through Hells gate and then to make their way down the east river. People stopped and stared and waived along the East river, and I'm sure many were wondering what was going on, but they all knew a beautiful statement was being made. I doubt they have ever seen so many sailboats in a row making their way down the East River all at once. As we made our way down, Flags of all sizes waving proudly, you could here the cars and trucks honking their horns in support as they made their way down the FDR drive . When we made our way down around Governors Island and into the Lower Bay we were met with the view of The boats coming from the South and The Verrazanno Narrows Bridge. The amount of boats were now really starting to build. Now the 2 flotillas were heading north towards lower Manhattan and right on time we saw the 3rd flotilla heading south from the George Washington Bridge. Wow....now there were alot of boats. It was something, the winds were 10-15 from the south and everybody headed past Ground Zero and the American Mercantile Exchange (were many victims families were viewing the event). People were lined up all along the Hudson River on the Sunny Sept. afternoon watching the sailboats of all sizes all flying the American Flag proudly.. It was great to be in the Parade of Sail in memory of the Sept 11th victims and to show rebirth, independence, liberty and defiance. If there was any one place I would have possibly rather been, that would have been somewhere in one of those buildings absorbing the view of the sailboats down below sailing in memory of what happened. I would have a wide-angle lens and the best Camera I could get my hands on. We really wanted to stay over in NY harbor and watch the rest of the boats and the Start of the Around Alone the next day, but with forecasts of 20-25 knots of wind with rain and thunderstorms and the tides already turning on the East River, we Sadly had to go. We had an awesome sail home on Saturday, winds peaked up above 30 knots and we consistently reached high 7 knots and topped 8 knots, but thankfully it was on our starboard quarter and we didn't have to beat into it all the way home. Tom
There was a largew contingent of Catalina Sailboats that went down all over, NY Hudson River, NJ and Long Island Sound.....here are some pictures http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291356207 You should be able to click on the individual photos and it will show the full resolution picture, ....(Gosh I wish I had pictures of MY boat ....I had a huge red, white and blue spinnaker flying that day...;-) There are more photo's but these are the only digital ones I have, I'm sure the other boats that went down with me have alot more. I thought the Sail for America was an incredible event to be part of. It was very special. Many of the boats were flying memorial flags of the Victims of Sept. 11. It was an honor to be doing so, knowing that the families of the victims will be receiving the flags of their loved ones and being told it was flown over NY Harbor in their memory. I felt proud and honored to be part of this historic event. I was humbled to hold the flags of people that I never knew............ As I carefully raised the names of the people, I thought to myself "who was this person?, what was their family like?, what was their passions, hobbies, etc"...... I came down from East River and as far forward as I could see and as far as I could back there were sailboats. I remember thinking "Wow". It was an awe inspiring vision to see so many boats weaving in and around the small islands and through Hells gate and then to make their way down the east river. People stopped and stared and waived along the East river, and I'm sure many were wondering what was going on, but they all knew a beautiful statement was being made. I doubt they have ever seen so many sailboats in a row making their way down the East River all at once. As we made our way down, Flags of all sizes waving proudly, you could here the cars and trucks honking their horns in support as they made their way down the FDR drive . When we made our way down around Governors Island and into the Lower Bay we were met with the view of The boats coming from the South and The Verrazanno Narrows Bridge. The amount of boats were now really starting to build. Now the 2 flotillas were heading north towards lower Manhattan and right on time we saw the 3rd flotilla heading south from the George Washington Bridge. Wow....now there were alot of boats. It was something, the winds were 10-15 from the south and everybody headed past Ground Zero and the American Mercantile Exchange (were many victims families were viewing the event). People were lined up all along the Hudson River on the Sunny Sept. afternoon watching the sailboats of all sizes all flying the American Flag proudly.. It was great to be in the Parade of Sail in memory of the Sept 11th victims and to show rebirth, independence, liberty and defiance. If there was any one place I would have possibly rather been, that would have been somewhere in one of those buildings absorbing the view of the sailboats down below sailing in memory of what happened. I would have a wide-angle lens and the best Camera I could get my hands on. We really wanted to stay over in NY harbor and watch the rest of the boats and the Start of the Around Alone the next day, but with forecasts of 20-25 knots of wind with rain and thunderstorms and the tides already turning on the East River, we Sadly had to go. We had an awesome sail home on Saturday, winds peaked up above 30 knots and we consistently reached high 7 knots and topped 8 knots, but thankfully it was on our starboard quarter and we didn't have to beat into it all the way home. Tom
Here's another
photo. Shows the Long Island Sound aramda going under the Whitestone Bridge in the East River en route to New York Harbor.
photo. Shows the Long Island Sound aramda going under the Whitestone Bridge in the East River en route to New York Harbor.
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