When I moved to New York City in 2000, I started a list of things I have wanted to do. Nearly seven years have passed, and the list never stops growing. From only-in-New York stuff to touristy things that I have never had the chance to do, I am taking this moment to make a mid-year resolution: check off the list one item at a time. Number one: Sailing.

Learning to sail has been a goal of mine since I was a child. To make my dream a reality last weekend, I embarked on the Shearwater Sailing yacht, an 82-foot, double-masted schooner built in 1929. Taking advantage of the perfect, sunny 80-degree weather, I grabbed Glamourites Lauren and Tracee and headed for the horizon, with a detour at the Statue of Liberty.

At the dock, we each received a glass of champagne while the crew hoisted the schooner’s sails, and we were off. The breeze picked up as we exited North Cove Marina, and we soaked up the sun during the jaunt toward Lady Liberty and the Verrazano Bridge.

Because the Shearwater is an antique wood yacht, going below deck is like stepping back into time with an old seaman’s military clock and a coal burning stove. The cozy ship is reminiscent of downsized Pirates of the Caribbean.

Back on deck, the sun painted the sky into a multicolored sunset, providing the perfect backdrop for crew members’ spirited stories of past Shearwater travels and the history behind Governor’s and Ellis Islands. For instance, did you know that there are two completely empty islands just off Manhattan? One is Governor’s Island, which is a military island that dates back to colonial times – New Yorkers settled Governor’s Island before they gradually worked their way up Manhattan. The other is an island next to Ellis Island with old hospitals that are boarded up. The hospitals were where immigrants with typhoid were quarantined and weren’t allowed to enter America. It was on this island that Typhoid Mary lived. It’s said to be haunted – it looks like it was taken right out of a Scooby Doo Cartoon.

Several cocktails later, night had fallen, and we sailed back toward Manhattan. The island’s majestic buildings lit up for the evening, creating a breathtaking sparkle in the harbor’s reflective waters.

Though I didn’t learn to sail exactly, the crew did offer to teach me a few knots and taught me some sailing lingo. With an invite to come back sailing anytime, I was helped back onto the dock. It was sheer perfection.

Check back in the future for more coverage of my adventures as I continue checking items off of my summer to-do list. In the meanwhile, read my Top 10 below and e-mail me with your own suggestions.

1.) Get an aerial view of NYC during a helicopter ride
2.) Saddle up and horseback ride through Prospect Park
3.) Skydive out on Long Island
4.) Learn to shoot a rifle
5.) Sit atop a double-decker bus on a tour through Times Square
6.) New York Trapeze School
7.) Visit the Top of the Rock
8.) Take a Wine Course
9.) Visit Museum Mile and the Frick Mansion
10.) Ride the Q out to Coney Island — it may be my last chance before they renovate!

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 30th, 2007 at 3:47 pm and is filed under Glamourites, New York City, Fun, Battery Park. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.