A Boat Yard and a Quick Trip North

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

One day late, we are finally on our way!  We delayed leaving DC due to stormy weather on Monday and are thrilled to be moving at last!  We can't get all the way down the Potomac in one day so we stop at a small marina in Kinsale VA for the night.  We awake to a gorgeous sunrise. 

Kinsale VA Sunrise

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Today we have a 6-hour run down the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay to the Rappahannock River and Deltaville VA.  We have chosen a boat yard, Zimmerman Marine, with a good reputation to have some pre-season maintenance done before heading north.  We are trying to find the cause of a subtle vibration, in addition to some routine maintenance.  We expect a week's stay.  After a sea trial with Zimmerman's mechanic on board, we are hauled out of the water.

Zimmerman Marine Haulout, Deltaville VA

One week stretches to 3 1/2 weeks.  Robert is busy waxing the hull, doing lots of backbreaking prep work and "helping" (supervising) the mechanics.  I am looking for something to do away from the boat yard and find a statewide Garden Tour featuring historic home gardens all over the state.  I decide to go to the town of West Point VA, for their tour.

Garden Tour, West Point VA

Garden Tour, West Point VA

We enjoy dinner at a waterfront restaurant in a nearby town with another couple having work done at Zimmerman's.

Dinner on the Waterfront

After 3 1/2 weeks staying in a hotel (40 min. drive), a cabin at a nearby RV park and, finally, "camping" on the boat (which is still on dry ground) with a tall ladder to get on and off, we are relieved to be leaving.  We appear to have resolved most of the vibration and all the other work is done.  We are on our way north!

Friday, May 11, 2018

We have a weather window of relatively calm winds for the next week and decide to push to get as far north as we can before the wind and rain return.  We are repeating our stops from last spring and fall so no need to spend time at each place.

We cover 67 miles in 7 1/2 hours to Solomons MD, having dinner with our DC friends who keep their boat in Solomons.

Saturday, May 12, 2018

The next day we move on to Annapolis, 54 miles in 6 hours.  We tie to a mooring ball for the night in this very busy harbor.  Overnight, strong thunderstorms roll through the area; we are thankful to be safe and secure but worry about other boats breaking loose and hitting us. We chat with a couple of other boats moored next to us, both "loopers" who are heading north, too.

Annapolis Harbor

Sunday, May 13, 2018

The next day we are off again, stopping in the C&D Canal for the night.  A sailboat ties up next to us and we stop by to help them tie lines and visit.  We learn they have a group of 10 on board their 60 foot sailboat!  A family of 5 plus 5 friends of the kids (all teenagers), they have cruised from Denmark to the Caribbean, then up the east coast.  They are heading for New York, then out Long Island Sound and back to Denmark.  Wow!  The wife is a sailing instructor in Denmark, so she is the "captain".  All the kids onboard are taking turns learning to sail the boat.  Her husband built the boat; it is gorgeous!  Beautiful, smooth lines requiring lots of time and patience to perfect the wood hull.  Here's a photo of their boat, Rosalina, under way on the Delaware River the next day.

Rosalina, Aarhus, Denmark

Monday, May 14, 2018

Today we cruise 75 miles down the Delaware River to Cape May NJ.  We are able to time the tide in the river to maximize our speed (the river is tidal, which increases or decreases the normal river flow).  Our weather window is still holding, so we stay one night before beginning our offshore run up the New Jersey shore.

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

We make a short, 44 mile, 5 hour run offshore to Atlantic City.  This is the only New Jersey inlet we can safely enter with our draft (depth).  We have a long run tomorrow so we spend a little time checking out the nearby outlet mall, have an early dinner at a Mexican restaurant (what were we thinking??? - New Jersey???) and prepare to get a very early start tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

We are off bright and early - well, maybe not so bright as rain is forecast for the afternoon and it is cloudy and a little foggy.  As we cruise north in the Atlantic Ocean, we are only about 3 miles offshore.  The wind picks up as the day wears on and the waves get very "confused" with a 3 foot swell from behind us and a 2 - 4 foot wind-driven chop.  Oh, and did I mention it is raining?  Not a pleasant day!  Every couple of hours, Robert goes out the back door to access the engine room for a regular check.  As the rain gets worse, temperature begins to fall, a little warbler decided to hitch a ride with us.  He moved between this perch on our mesh screen to various places on the boat deck.  He looked miserable!  His mate flew around, checking on him at regular intervals.  Both birds stayed with us for most of the day.  Guess we are now officially part of the spring migration!

Hitchhiker, offshore New Jersey

Thursday, May 17 - Saturday, May 19, 2018

We have stopped on Staten Island at Great Kills Yacht Club.  Here we wait for the rain and wind to end.  This is a pleasant stop, protected from wind, with friendly club members who take us to a nearby grocery store.  Carolyn even gets to play Mah Jongg with some of the club members!  We also like the local Italian market with a great butcher counter and deli, conveniently within walking distance.  While at the Yacht Club, we meet another "looper" couple, traveling on their Ranger Tug.  We share "docktails" and boat tours and decide to travel north together on Sunday.

Sunday, May 20, 2018

The rain has finally ended and the sun is forecast to appear, so we gladly head north.  Sunday seems like a good day to transit New York Harbor.  At least the ferries should be operating on a more infrequent schedule.  We encounter several big cargo ships but not too much other boat traffic.  Oh, except for the guy paddling a kayak in the midst of it all.  Really???

New York Harbor

Lady Liberty from New York Harbor

Statue of Liberty

As we pass Lady Liberty and lower Manhattan, we are back to last season's departure point where we turned up the East River to cruise New England and Maine.  This year, we will instead continue north on the Hudson River to cruise the Great Lakes and Canada.

Lower Manhattan

Our route takes us up the Hudson River to Troy NY, just north of Albany.  At Troy we will enter the Erie, then Oswego Canals to Lake Ontario.  The George Washington Bridge looms ahead.  Once past it, we are almost to the north end of Manhattan Island.

George Washington Bridge, Hudson River

The Tappan Zee Bridge in the distance means we are nearing our stop for the night.  The Hudson is flanked by high, tree-covered cliffs and is a gorgeous waterway.  We've seen very little boat traffic so this has been a pleasant cruise.

Tappan Zee Bridge in the distance

Our new friends on Ranger Tug, Mara Beel, pull alongside us as we near our marina.

M/V Mara Beel, Hudson River

We are tied up for two nights in Haverstraw NY.  This is a pleasant setting on the banks of the Hudson, but is not in very good condition.  We are seeing lots of marinas in scruffy condition this spring; seems it's been a tough winter for a lot of areas.  This stop is the beginning of little to no access to Internet, hence my delay in getting this blog posted. (At least that's my excuse!)  Sorry if this is overly long, but I will take advantage to post as much as I can.

Haverstraw Marina, Haverstraw NY

We go for a walk around the marina grounds, enjoying this view of the river.

Hudson River from Haverstraw Marina

Back at the boats, we enjoy "docktails" on Mara Beel.

Docktails at Haverstraw Marina

Monday, May 21, 2018

We have great plans to rent a car here to tour West Point Military Academy and the Rockefeller estate, both within 30 - 45 min drive.  Unfortunately, we learn the Rockefeller estate is only open Thursday - Sunday, so we will miss seeing it.  Mark & Becky from Mara Beel decide to join us for the trip to see West Point.

West Point Visitor's Center

Perched high on the banks of the Hudson, the entire campus offers imposing views of the river.

West Point Visitor's Center

The campus is a mix of old and new architecture.  We were told these older dorm buildings were being renovated to add air conditioning.  Meanwhile the A/C is not being used in any of the newer dorms so everyone suffers equally in the summer!

West Point dorms

The grounds have an impressive array of war memorials and statues.

West Point Memorial to the Civil War

We have a nice lunch at the Thayer Hotel, overlooking the Hudson.  The hotel is on the grounds of West Point but is privately owned.  It is a lovely old building with lots of history due to its proximity to West Point.  Many famous politicians and military officers have stayed here.

Thayer Hotel lunch with Mark & Becky

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Today we are on our way north again.  Rocky cliffs line both sides of the river, making for a very scenic cruise.

Hudson River

This pair of bald eagles watch over the river from a high perch.

Bald eagles, Hudson River

We cruise past West Point and get a better overview of the complex of buildings.  Much of the original architecture has a medieval feel.  A tunnel, with arched opening barely visible to the right of the large group of trees, allows trains to pass underneath the buildings.

West Point from Hudson River

Lots of debris floating down the river, so we must be on constant alert.  A log this big could cause damage to our props if hit.

Log in Hudson River

As the river narrows upstream, the rocky cliffs are more spectacular.

Hudson River near West Point

We stop for the night in Poughkeepsie NY, tying up at a marina right on the river.  Many tourist attractions are nearby, including Franklin D. Roosevelt's home and museum, the Vanderbilt mansion and the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).  The Vanderbilt mansion is being renovated, so we decide to skip the tour.  We take time to take the tour at CIA, led by one of the students, who is enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

Tour of Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park NY

The CIA campus is in an historic building on very impressive grounds overlooking the Hudson River.

Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park NY

We return to the grounds later in the evening for dinner at one of the student-run restaurants, featuring Italian food.  The meal was very good; the service, not so much.  I suppose the students have more interest in the food prep than in learning good service.  Hope they're not going into restaurant management!

Caterina de Medici Restaurant, CIA

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Today is a very short day, only 17 miles to Kingston NY.  We pass some spectacular buildings along the way.  This large facility was once a Catholic Seminary.

Mount Saint Alphonsus Seminary, Hudson River NY

This lighthouse marks the edge of shallow water in the river.  Built in 1871, it was restored in recent years by a group of volunteers.  Today it is again lighted and is considered a working navigational aid.  Note the Catskill Mountains in the distance.

Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, Hudson River

We are approaching the busy waterfront of Kingston NY.  Several restaurants and a maritime museum line this historic town on Rondout Creek, just off the Hudson.

Kingston NY

We have time for a tour of the museum, which features exhibits on the Erie Canal history, shipping on the Hudson, and various boats commonly used in this area in the past.  Robert especially enjoyed seeing the well-equipped workshop for their boat-building school.

Hudson River Maritime Museum, Kingston NY

Thursday, May 24, 2018

On our way north again, the river here is much narrower.  Scenery is less spectacular but still quite lovely.  Here we are about 5 miles south of Albany.

Hudson River

Our stop for tonight is the Albany Yacht Club in Rensselaer NY, across the Hudson from Albany.  Robert has cousins living here whom he has not seen in many years.  We have alerted them we are passing through and will spend several days here, giving us time to get together and do some sightseeing.

Downtown Albany from the Albany Yacht Club

Friday, May 25 - Saturday, May 26, 2018

We spend quite a bit of time with cousins Rob and Nancy and enjoy catching up on all the years since we last saw both of them in Santa Fe NM.  We drive a short distance north from Albany and cross to the east bank of the Hudson to see Troy NY, home of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. 

The statue in the photo is "Uncle Sam", Samuel Wilson, who was a meat packer in Troy.  He supplied meat to the troops fighting the War of 1812 and is thought to be the model for the iconic image of the US. 

Rob, Nancy, Robert and "Uncle Sam", Troy NY

While in Troy, just north of Albany, we visit the weekly farmers market.  Outstanding!  Huge and very good quality with a great variety of goodies for sale.  This is our first farmers market of the season. (Yes, it's still early spring here, sort of - 80s today, but still some days in 50s and 60s.)

Troy NY Farmers Market

Back on the west side of the Hudson, we stop to see Cohoes Falls, a very impressive waterfall on the Mohawk River.  Our cruising route will take us down the Erie Canal, which fortunately bypasses these falls before joining the Mohawk River a couple of miles upstream.

Cohoes Falls, Mohawk River

For those of you who may be interested in joining us somewhere along our route this year, here is a very rough estimate of locations and timing.

May - June

• Hudson River
• Erie and Oswego Canals
• Lake Ontario
• 1000 Islands (St. Lawrence River)
• Toronto
• Lake Erie

July, early August

• Lake Huron
• Georgian Bay
• North Channel
• Maybe Sault Ste Marie, quick look at Lake Superior

August

• Mackinac Island
• Lake Michigan

September - November

• Chicago
• Inland rivers to Mobile (Illinois, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Mobile Rivers & Tenn-Tom Waterway)
• Possible side trips to Nashville (Cumberland River), Huntsville AL (to visit family), Chattanooga, Knoxville (Tennessee River),

Late November - December

• Back to Houston for a break
• Or maybe Florida ???

2019 (very tentative)

• Bahamas
• Caribbean islands
• Panama Canal