Ile de Rey

Two French Sailors in New York

After exploring the US East Coast and having already sailed 40,000 kilometers (21,600 nautical miles) aboard their Saona 47, Catherine and Stéphane want to treat themselves to the stopover of a lifetime: New York!

Ile de Rey

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Published 26/09/2025

By Emmanuel van Deth

Issue: 204

Published: nov. / dec. 2025

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Who: Catherine & Stéphane
Where: New York
Multihull: Saona 47
Facebook : Catamaran Ile de Rey

The channel marker buoys clink in the waves, the Stalinist-looking blockhouse structures of Coney Island rise up on the starboard side, and after the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the incredible New York comes into view. I’ll paint the scene for you from the helm: on the port side, Staten Island with its greenery and hidden houses; on the starboard side, the skyscrapers of Brooklyn; and in the background, the gigantic unloading docks of the commercial port. The tip of Manhattan is already visible, dominated by the 1,776-foot (541-meter) tower of One World Trade Center. Just behind it, I recognize the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building - they are imprinted in our collective subconscious! For us French, it’s impossible to miss the iconic Statue of Liberty, erected in 1886. We anchor at the foot of the monument around noon. To our surprise, there are only four of us boaters here, while ferries and jet skis skim past us, all beneath a ballet of helicopters.
We are proud to celebrate the 40,000 km covered by our “modern-day Mayflower” in this legendary place.

In the evening, in absolute calm, we blissfully watch the magical illuminations of the skyscrapers, golden lace sparkling on steel and glass.

In the morning, we weigh anchor for the north coast of Long Island and, after a short trip on the Hudson, helped by a 6-knot current, we race up the almost 20 miles of the East River. Seaplanes take off ahead of our bows, helicopters fly off from the floating docks. We sail past building after building, ducking under majestic bridges, then it’s Rikers Island, La Guardia, and finally Port Washington, where we leave our catamaran on a mooring ball for $35 a night, water taxi included.

From there, a 45-minute direct train ride takes us to downtown Manhattan for a 19-mile (30 km) walk over three days in 104°F (40°C) heat: Little Island, the High Line, Meatpacking District, Chelsea, Hudson Yards, the Edge sky deck, Vessel, Times Square, the MoMA and the Whitney, the 9/11 Museum, the two floors of the M&M’s store, and finally a 7-mile (11 km) cycle ride through Central Park. Public transportation is very reasonably priced: $2.90 for the subway and $9.50 for the train. Stopping over in Port Washington is the ideal solution for visiting the Big Apple!