Madrone’s anchorage behind Ellis Island on the western side of the island of Manhattan is where the Hudson River empties into New York Harbor. The eastern side of Manhattan is marked by the East River.
That’s a misnomer, though – the East River is not actually a river. Instead, it’s a strait that connects Long Island Sound with New York Harbor. The current flows strongly through the “river”, but it’s tidal current that reverses every ~6 hours as water flushes into and out of the western end of Long Island Sound.
Whatever you call it, river or strait, the view of Manhattan continues to be spectacular from the other side of the island. We ticked off the famous landmarks as we passed them – “Look, there’s the Empire State Building”, “Look, there’s the Chrysler building”, “Look, there’s the UN Building”.
Madrone rode with the incoming tide, hooked a right at Hell Gate, left the (in)famous Riker’s Island to starboard, and popped out into the completely different world of Long Island Sound.
