We had no idea that the pull of the outgoing tide on the Hudson was so strong. By the time we had the George Washington Bridge in our sights for three hours, we were barely making headway… 2.5 mph! The tide did finally turn about noon; we went under the new Tappan Zee Bridge at a speedy 6.5 mph. Keeping us company all day were the trains. Due to the steep cliffs on either side of the river, the train tracks run on the level ground right at the water’s edge. The passenger trains… lots of 7-car commuter trains headed for The City and longer Amtrak trains headed across the country… roll on the NY side; the freight trains, carrying containers and automobiles, roll on the NJ side. Our arrival at Half Moon Bay Marina, 50 miles from Great Kills Yacht Club, had taken us 11.5 hours. It had been a pleasant trip with the Palisades of New Jersey to our left and small New York villages to our right, but what a long day!
We were about to drive to Maine to attend Wally’s mother’s Memorial Service on May 23. While we were there we would touch base with our daughter’s family and open up our cabin on Bottle Lake and settle in for a week or so. Summertime would be safe in this marina for the two weeks that we would be gone. Since we had a rental car and extra time before we needed to head out, we decided to pay a visit to nearby West Point.
We had visited The Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD while cruising the Chesapeake three years ago. Now was the perfect time to see what The United States Military Academy was all about. It was obvious right away that the rivalry between the Army and the other branches of the service is strong. In huge letters on the roof of the athletic department’s gym complex are the directives “SINK NAVY” and “BEAT AIR FORCE”.
The bus tour we took was led by an Academy Professor’s wife. She seemed much too young to have a son joining the Academy in the fall. ( But now-a-days, everyone seems so young to us! ) She named a lot of house-hold names that were graduates of West Point. She also made it very clear that “giving back” was instilled in the upbringing of each and every cadet. Giving back to society… and giving back to The Academy in large gifts of money… as circumstances allowed. Each of the many expansive buildings surrounding us had been made possible by a single individuals’s hefty endowment. This practice could be traced back to the 1700’s.
The Cadet’s Chapel was open for our inspection. Even though it could accommodate the entire Academy population, 4,500, in one seating, there were many other churches on the property specific to denominations. Married men or women are not permitted within the cadet ranks. Marriages can be carried out in the six weeks between graduation in May and the four years of active duty requirement that begins at the end of summer. Interestingly enough, there is an escape route half-way down the chapel aisle that either the bride or groom may take if the pressure of the wedding commitment gets to be too much!
We were escorted to a bluff overlooking the Hudson River as it flowed from the North. West Point holds the distinction of being at the tightest bend of the river. During the War of 1812, a chain forged in huge links was stretched across this narrow juncture to prevent the British from navigating any further up the Hudson. It worked.
All the other tourists on our bus were Asians speaking their language amongst each other. Our tour director spoke English. To our surprise, these visitors laughed at her jokes and responded to her directions appropriately. Their fluency of English was way ahead of our ability to understand or converse in their language.
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