Loela

I dreamed... of New York!

Last summer, the family crew treated themselves to one of the most legendary stopovers of all: New York City. A guided tour of the Big Apple from the water aboard an Outremer 45..

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Published 11/02/2026

By Gilles Ruffet

Issue: 206

Published: apr. / may 2026

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Who: The 3M3A: Antoine & Magali, Arthur, Alice, Martin, Mathilde
Where: New York City
Multihull: Outremer 45
Blog: www.sailingloela.fr

In 2009, we (Magali, Antoine, and Arthur) were in New York. We spent five days there, exploring the city in every direction with Arthur in his stroller. That was 16 years ago to the day. We went to ``see the sea’’ at the tip of Manhattan, facing the Statue of Liberty. Watching the gentle lapping of the brown water, after seeing the sailboats in the neighboring marina and realizing that New York is a port, I had a dream. One day I would love to come back here by sea, on a sailboat. And we did it! With three children and
16 years of added age, here we are again, overlooking the waters of New York Harbor, dominated by the Statue of Liberty, behind which we’ve been anchored since yesterday morning. Although we’re anchored right between
Liberty and Ellis Islands, landing a dinghy there is prohibited, and access to the city is complicated and expensive. We searched for a long time for a place where we could leave the catamaran safely, go ashore easily, fill our water tank, be near a subway station less than an hour from downtown, and not too expensive. We finally found Dyckman Marina, on the Hudson River, at the northern tip of Manhattan Island, past the George Washington Bridge. There are only two moorings for boats over 40 feet, but they are available. It’s $ 35 per night, including access to the dock for the dinghy. You can come alongside the dock with your boat whenever you want to fill the water tank. There’s only one shower, but a self-service washing machine and dryer, and it’s guarded 24/7! Cruising on the Hudson River, west of Manhattan, offers a fascinating view of New York City. Buoy 41 awaits us: we grab both lines without difficulty and shut off the engines. There aren’t many people in the marina. The sun is beating down, so we set up the canopy on the trampoline and relax in the shade. At
4 pm, we head ashore to get our bearings. The marina staff are lovely, and we book for a week. We walk for less than 10 minutes and arrive in the lively Dyckman neighborhood with its restaurants, shops -
including a well-stocked supermarket - and its subway station on the A line, which provides direct access to the heart of Manhattan. Departure is already approaching. We’re preparing to take on the Atlantic, a vast ocean to cross, with a stopover in the Azores, before returning to France.