Well actually, we're at The Hampton Inn off the New Jersey Turnpike.Yesterday was the most intense day on the boat yet. After two whole days off in Yonkers at the Beczak Environmental Center (thank you to Bob and the Center for our great stay!), we broke anchors and headed into Manhattan. The steamboat had to stop to fill up her water tanks, so we met up with the rest of the fleet later and tied up together just past the George Washington bridge; A perfect swimming opportunity. It was a really beautiful sight, all the boats together, all the crews together celebrating our journey. After 20 minutes of fun someone noticed that we were getting dangerously close to the barge on the eastern bank of the river. The tide had grown stronger and we were actually floating down river -- the barge was anchored. The boiler was still hot and full of pressure but a steam engine doesn't start with the push of a button like those fancy new cars with $600 electric keys. And we had to untie from the other boats. KSW is a well oiled machine, let me tell you. We broke loose, warmed the engines, put her in reverse, opened up the throttle and we were out of danger. The other boats started up their engines and watched the massive barge go by at close distance. What a sight.
The currents are unbelievable here - 6 knots. Facing up river, working against the current, the steam engine could just keep up. We weren't making any progress and even though we were docking just a few hundred feet away, there was no way we could safely do that in the conditions we were facing. The lubricator for the engines had broken a few days before and were only temporarily fixed, so we had been running at low pressure to minimize the strain on the engines. At this point we needed all the pressure we could get so we could hitch up to a mooring we were near. The other boats continued drifting away from us. And, it wasn't helping that Andrew had bad boating nightmares the night before.
A long story short, after one failed attempt, we tied up to the mooring and waited it out a couple hours while the current subsided. When we got to Pier I (where we're doing a performance tonight at 7:30PM), the work boat Maria was there, but the other boats were tied up to an abandoned dock on the other shore in New Jersey. They later got an escort in from the Coast Guard, Megan and Greg got us a hotel room across the George Washington Bridge and everyone is fine. Moms, don't worry. We are a great, safe, reliable, prepared team -- everyone is impressed with our cohesion as a group when it comes to running the steam boat. Time and time again we are "Team KSW to the rescue" with a spare jerry can or dingy shuttle or cold beers. We've worked together for years and we work together as a group every week and more when we have big gigs.
So, tonight will be my last performance -- Megan and Greg too. It was a great show and I think we're really going to shine tonight, after all we've been through together. I believe we leave tomorrow morning for the Deitch Project Gallery in Queens, weather permitting. We've had two weeks on the Hudson River to gain knowledge and experience and we work very well together as a crew, so I am confident that our journey will be a safe one, albeit an exciting one. I can't wait to see Lady Liberty up close and personal. Also, the Olafur Eliasson waterfall under the Brooklyn Bridge. Hope to see many of you on the 7th at the opening.
Love from the Hamptons,
RayRay
