Sailing out of New York and across the Atlantic
Rosie Hersch, 68, is a retired pharmacist, whose hobbies include studying, cooking and theatre. Her biggest passion is travel and like the song says, “I've been everywhere man (well almost).”
I felt like I was taking part in a movie. It was 10pm, May 14, 2016. I was standing on the upper deck of a beautiful cruise ship. As the band played all those fabulous songs about New York she departed from Pier 96 on the Hudson, sailing past the magnificent iconic Manhattan skyline, the lights of the buildings reflecting shimmering sparkles in the water. The night sky was clear, the moon and stars were out. I felt like I was in a dream. This experience is imprinted in my memory forever.
One of the reasons we chose this cruise was because of the sail out of this most amazing harbour. We were headed for Boston. This is a wonderful city and our tour took us to many important historic sites, including the Old North Church where Paul Revere had ordered that two lanterns to be hung in the steeple to signal that the British Redcoats were approaching. We visited Cambridge, stopped at Harvard Square, and strolled past the hallowed halls of America’s oldest and most prestigious university. Boston is an elegant city but it was a bitterly cold early spring day.
Next stop was Barr Harbour, Maine in picturesque New England. We took a tour to Acadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain, on Mount Desert Island. Years ago John D. Rockefeller had financed for landscaping, trails and bridges to be constructed throughout the park.
Our last stop before heading across the Atlantic was Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada. Our excursion took us to a picturesque seaside village, Peggy’s Cove. The lighthouse that sits on the coastline at Peggy’s Cove is quite famous. There are many paintings and photographs of this beautiful lighthouse and the surrounding countryside. We were also treated to a lecture by a very experienced lobster fisherman about the lobster fishing industry of the area. He invited anyone who dared to touch a live lobster.
Related link: Rosie Hersch’s guide to New York City
However, our Halifax tour guide was very informative, too much so in fact. As our bus left the harbour the first thing he talked about – and actually showed us on the shoreline – was where Swissair Flight 111, bound for New York from Geneva with 229 passengers on board, crashed, with no survivors some years ago. Then he told us about the fishing trawler, the Andrea Gail, that sailed from Massachusetts in 1991 where the ship and crew were lost, not too far from Halifax in one of the worst storms. This true event was the basis for the film called Perfect Storm starring George Clooney. And just to add fuel to the fire so to speak, he related the story of the worst explosion in the world prior to the two atomic bombs that decimated the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. He said as World War I raged in Europe, Halifax was a bustling harbour with ships carrying troops, relief supplies and munitions across the Atlantic. On December 6, 1917 at 8.45am a Norwegian freighter, the Imo, left Halifax for New York. At the same time a French munitions ship, the Mont Blanc left. They collided close to the shore. More than 1,800 people were killed outright. 9,000 were injured, 200 of whom were blinded. The explosion destroyed the northern part of Halifax including 1600 homes. And if that wasn’t enough bad news, he then proceeded to tell of the Titanic sinking and that the rescue ships left Halifax to retrieve the dead from the water. In fact, most of the bodies retrieved are buried in three Halifax cemeteries and furthermore our ship was about to head out over the Atlantic and pass right over where the Titanic sat at the bottom of the ocean.
After all this commentary he jokingly said, “Some of you will probably need grief counselling when you return to your ship this afternoon.” How sobering this advice, I thought. Some of the people on the tour objected to his tales of woe but I found all this information fascinating.
So now we headed across a rather choppy Atlantic Ocean to our first two destinations, two islands that are part of a small archipelago belonging to Portugal; the Azores. By now the sea had calmed somewhat and the weather was a little warmer. Horta, our first port of call has a long standing link to the sea, especially in the 19th century when it was a favourite stopover for the whaling fishermen. Many yachts stop in Horta, on their way from America, Europe, South Africa and even from down under. It is the halfway mark between America and Europe on this huge ocean, a convenient place for sailors to rest and stock up on further supplies. It is a custom for all yacht owners who stop here to paint their country’s flag or their sailing emblem, some also listing all crew member names in a design on the footpaths next to the pier. There many such murals here from sailors who have passed this way over the years.
Next day we stopped at Ponta Delgado, on the Island of San Miguel, a very lovely place. We took a tour to a charming village called Sete Cidades and from there were taken to view two gorgeous twin crater lakes. The sight was amazing. One lake is green and one lake is blue. So then it was goodbye to the Azores. All aboard me hearties, we were bound for Funchal, the capital of the magnificent Portuguese Island of Madeira.
In 2008, we spent 10 days in this idyllic place. At that time, I never imagined I would ever return as it is so far from Australia. I was thrilled when our cruise itinerary included a day stopover at one of my top five destinations of all times. The scenery in Madeira is breathtaking. There are spectacular cliff views and gorgeously quaint fishing villages. There are exotic flowers in superb colourful displays and such intense greenery in the huge variety of plants. The botanical garden adjacent to the Governor’s residence in Funchal is a horticulturist dream. The food is wonderful and generally restaurants offer complimentary Madeira wine with meals. I am quite partial to their Madeira cake as well. There is beautiful artwork and the people are so warm and friendly. I dream of returning and who knows, maybe one day. Till then I better keep buying those lotto tickets.
All good things must come to an end so it was goodbye to my magical Madeira, for we now had set sail for Lisbon, our disembarkation port.
If you have a travel story to share please get in touch at melody@oversixty.com.au
Related links:
5 reason to stay onboard when your cruise is in port
8 reasons to bring duct tape on your next cruise