New York, New York

Friday September 19 Mission Accomplished! Yesterday we celebrated Mom’s 81st birthday together at Long Beach Island New Jersey. It has been an emotional rollercoaster since we sailed by the Statue of Liberty and I found myself postponing the update while trying to get back on an even keel. I now truly understand the meaning of that saying! Not sure about the guys, but I was overwhelmed with emotion as we entered the New York Harbor last Sunday afternoon. I’ve never felt such a feeling of accomplishment, and was so proud of my Captain, Tessa, and her crew. We raised celebratory signal flags that said “PROUD TO BE AMERICAN” and “HELLO FROM PIB OH”. It got very quiet on board as we passed Ground Zero and the Statue of Liberty came into view ahead in the haze. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. Then you could almost hear symbols crashing and the Star Spangled Banner playing as she came into view! It was SPECTACULAR!! Helmsman Tom Carroll navigated through the crazy boat traffic like a trained professional, but I got major a stink eye when I asked if we could turn around and go by her again. After all the anticipation, it happened so fast and was over too soon, but ahead loomed the Atlantic Ocean and the last leg of the voyage for our crew. Time to get back to business. Without forecast or warning, it seems the hurricane force winds that were pounding everyone at home in Ohio reached us out in the Atlantic. The predicted 10-15 knot winds with gusts to 20 knots, instead blew a constant 30 knots with gusts to 40, waves 6 to 8 feet with an occasional 10 footer. Tessa was challenged beyond any expectation. Every single item down below, including anybody that dared venture below, was tossed around with such force that I feared even bones could be broken. Oh, and did I mention the course planned to Long Beach Island was expected to take us from 4:00 p.m. Sunday until just after dawn Monday morning? Fourteen hours of this?? Not possible. No way. A few years ago, Tessa was knocked down during an unexpected storm reporting 60 mph winds while Westside Steve, Suzie, Nick and Lynne were on board. It could easily have been a life threatening situation. Westside Steve dedicated a song to Gary on his birthday this year. During the intro, he said “I always told people it was Captain Gary that saved our lives that day. I wonder if it was just The Tessa that did it. She said “You just hang onto the wheel, Son, and I’ll get you through this.” Little did Steve know that Captain Gary would take comfort in those words on this long arduous night. And Tessa came through for us all, just as Steve predicted. I’m not sure how each crew member felt about this experience through the night. We didn’t really have much chance to rehash it. Honestly, I never thought we were in danger of dying. I just couldn’t fathom being beat up like that for 14 hours, which turned into about 20 once we reached the Little Egg Harbor Inlet. I tried the red wine/sleep-aid trick, but a wave hit and the entire glass spilled on our bunk. After that I just prayed for sleep to make the time go by. I had it easy! Our brave crew had the tough job of navigating through the night. When I peeked up through the cockpit at dawn Monday morning, George gave me a great big smile, like he was actually enjoying himself. What troopers these guys were. Since Gary worked for Rescue Marine Tow Boat U.S. this summer, he decided to contact the local Tow Boat Captain for advise on getting to safe harbor at LBI. What a pleasant surprise to have a Boat U.S. escort by Captain Rick through the tricky channel, which no one else thought we could get through. Low tide and a few Tessa problems caused us to anchor for the night about a mile prior to the Beach Haven Yacht Club. Gary and I went for a dinghy ride to scope things out and snapped some beautiful sunset and moon shots before mosquitoes attacked. While we were gone, Tom Carroll and George began making their departure arrangements on Amtrak out of Atlantic City Tuesday morning. Tom Kelleher wanted to hook up with an old Army buddy, so he postponed his departure until Wednesday. Tessa sure seems empty without our crew, but it was certainly time for them to return to their women and their lives. We can’t thank the guys enough for all of their help and valued friendships these last two weeks. What a journey we shared! Now Gary and I are regrouping and organizing ourselves for the next leg of the voyage to Cape May New Jersey. The winds have blown mean and steady since we arrived at LBI and the forecast doesn’t show it calming down until first part of next week. Keep your fingers crossed for us. We paid for this dock until Tuesday and aren’t anxious to shell out any more dough here at LBI! Let’s get this party started down the East coast!!