Sailing Mystic Hearts

After looking at marinas in the area, Port Washington became our best option for easy access into New York City that wouldn’t cost a fortune. We timed our departure from Norfolk with our cousin’s upcoming Brooklyn nuptials in mind and arrived about a week early in Long Island. We wouldn’t normally stay in a place like Port Washington for a week and a half, but we took the best weather window that allowed us to go offshore for two straight days and we obviously couldn’t afford to arrive late. Fortunately, we’ve stayed in Port Washington several times before, so we knew what to expect before arriving.

Highlights in Port Washington included catching up with our friends Matt and Lucy from SV Dulcinea. We’ve been Instagram friends for awhile, but first met them last summer while anchored in Little Bay in the southern Chesapeake Bay. We enjoyed happy hour on a local beach and caught up on all things cruising. Our other favorite part about Port Washington? It might be a tie between the amazing Stop & Shop grocery store (easy access to the dinghy dock and full of every food item you could ever need) and Amalfi, our favorite New York pizza shop.

After about a week on anchor, we took a mooring ball for the days we planned to head into the city so we wouldn’t worry about the boat while we were gone. From the time we left the boat until we arrived at our destination in Brooklyn, it took exactly two hours. We took the water taxi from our boat (didn’t want to leave our dinghy unattended overnight), walked to the train station, took the train into the city, took two separate subway rides, and then walked the remaining distance to our cousin’s hotel. We did this twice for the wedding festivities that took place over the course of three days and had a wonderful time visiting with family. Our final day in the city, we checked an item off our bucket list by seeing a live show on Broadway. Aladdin was absolutely incredible and an experience we won’t soon forget.

We used to have family living in Manhattan and were able to visit close to a half dozen times over the past two decades and do all the touristy things. This visit into the city was completely different. It was nice to slow down, walk the neighborhoods, go to some local spots, and feel like we lived there. We’re definitely fans of Brooklyn and hope to spend more time exploring this side of New York City in the visits to come.