Little Falls, NY Lock 17

It's been a few days and many miles since I posted to this blog. We did in fact leave Catskill on Saturday to travel the rest of our trip up the Hudson to Waterford. It was a calm day with flat waters and the hillsides were with full growth which made for exquisite scenery. We arrived in Waterford mid afternoon thanks to the assist we gained in speed due to the rising tide. When we arrived we didn't think we would get a spot on the dock but they moved a tug down to the concrete wall and we pulled right in. We were tired from all the preparation for the canal so we decide to stay another day. Sunday we planned to visit the museum which was a long walk from the town dock. Unfortunately even though they are open on Sunday they were closed due to the holiday when we arrived. The walk did us good. Guess we will have to see it on the way back in the fall.

Monday, even though it was a holiday, we felt we would chance the canal traffic and start our trip west on the Erie Canal. We actually locked though all nine locks alone. Our first lock was lock two we had locked though one on the Hudson on Saturday. Two though six are known as the flight of five and are close in proximity with the maximum distance being 1/2 mile. You are very busy and don't even have time to go the toilet, so you better make sure you go before you start. It was a breezy day but the wind was on our nose and we did well until lock nine. At that point in time anything that could go wrong went wrong. The winds were approximately 20 knots by now and funneling down in the lock right at us. Unfortunately this lock didn't have pipes or cables just ropes. Larry was on the bow and couldn't hold on to the short rope. After some struggling on both our parts and hitting the furler on the wall we recuperated without doing a 360, like some unfortunate souls do. I'm afraid of what would have happened if I had been on the bow, it probably would have lifted me right off the boat. The next lock wasn't any better and because of all the construction due to the floods from last year we had no choice but to lock though. There was no where to bail out. After two rough lockings we decided not to go any further. We felt things could go from bad to worse so we docked at the Amsterdam River Park to lick our wounds. We now not only have to have the furler fixed at the top the bottom is bent. At least we have all our parts and there was no major damage.

This morning we decided it was calm and we would start the locking process early as soon as they opened at 7 AM. The winds were calm and we felt if it was the same today they wouldn't pick up until afternoon. Yesterday we did nine locks today we did seven without incidence. It was a good day but the wind did pick up in the late afternoon just as we were finishing our last lock. We decided it was a good time to stop so as you can see from the picture we are in Little Falls along with three power boats. We have been together with them at night since Waterford. Tomorrow they will go further than we will so we will part after tonight. Our plan is to go to Sylvan Beach and spend the night tied up on the town wall.

Catskill, NY Stepping the Mast

This is the view from our boat at anchor in Croton on the Hudson. We spent Tuesday at anchor waiting to go to Catskill. Tuesday we went in the dinghy to the Half Moon Marina where we docked and walked to the store for some provisions. It is amazing how much time it takes. It certainly isn't like on shore living where you get in the car and are back in a short while. Patience the essence of life! We also took the opportunity to go to lunch. It's always good to take a walk and stretch your legs.















This beautiful picture was taken at anchor during sunset Monday evening. As I've said many times before this is one of the things that makes this life so appealing to us.














We lifted anchor and were under way by 5:30 AM Wednesday morning. The sun came up and created warmth for a beautiful day. The wind was quite strong 15 to 20 knots and behind us so we put out the main sail for an assist against the 2 knot current with the tide going out. We arrived ahead of time about 4:30 PM and tied up at Catskill Point Restaurant's dock. They unfortunately were not open yet but we got to stay the night.
Thursday morning we walked down to Riverview Marina where we will have our mast stepped for the transit of the canal system. We inquired about getting a dock then but they were full so we stayed another night at the restaurant. We did walk down later to use their laundry and showers. Larry and I spent the rest of the day preparing for the stepping of the mast. Which included taking down the sails. removing the boom and the lines and hardware. When we dropped the jib sail we again had the problem with the furler. It looks like we will be going to RCR in Rochester, NY again to step the mast at the other end.

Patience our daughter arrived yesterday late afternoon with our wood braces used to support the mast across the deck. She spent the night with us and will be leaving for a trip to her sisters for Jonathan's birthday party later today. The three of us enjoyed a meal at the restraunat last evening. Before dinner Patience and I went to the super Wal*Mart for some things I couldn't get in Croton.

This morning Larry and walked down to the marina to see if they were ready for us and of course they weren't. He stayed so he will know when we are to move. He just came back so I guess we are ready to get the show on the road.

Croton On The Hudson, Haverstraw, NY

We left Atlantic City yesterday morning at 5:30 AM. It was a very long day but not monotonous. It seemed like we played with the sails all day long. When we first started out the wind at the dock in Atlantic City was light less than 10 knots but when we got out on the ocean it was a total different story. It was around 20 knots with gusts as high as 28 knots. Fortunately it was on our port stern for a broad reach so were most of the waves even though the seas were a bit confused. We sailed with full sail until the wind started to clock, then we reefed so I didn't have to white knuckle it all the way. The winds would lighten and we would put out full sail, then they would pick up and we would reef. This went on until we were past Barnegat Bay Inlet when the winds clocked at which point we furled in the sails and motored the rest of the way to Lower Bay just before the NYC Harbor. At this point we were met by the clouds you see in the picture. Just imagine them ten times meaner than you see in the picture. Can you visualize it? Wind at about 38 plus knots the last time we looked. A wall of dense rain coming at us which meant we couldn't see the marks in the channel we about to approach. Did I forget to mention the sea water breaking over the bow and coming up over the dodger. Thank heaven for the dodger and enclosure, we would have been wet, very wet. Needless to say this was not mine or Larry's favorite part of the trip. The current was against us and we knew it would take another 2 or 3 hours to reach Liberty Park behind the Statue of Liberty so we opted to go to Atlantic Highlands behind the break wall. We intended to drop the hook but the Coast Guard came on the VHF and put out a warning for the storm we just went through and said the winds were clocked at 50 knots and more was expected with high winds following. We were very tired at this point and it was 7:30 PM. We wanted to sleep so we could get a fresh start today so we took a mooring ball at the Atlantic Highlands Yacht club. We were very glad we did because the wind howled most of the night but we didn't care.














This morning we stared out early but not quite as early as yesterday morning. We were under way by 7:30 AM. It was rough going across Lower Bay because of the wind direction and speed. Once we crossed the channel to the Verrazano Bridge in the picture the water had settled down and it was quite pleasant. The sun was bright and warm and we could actually see the bridge unlike last year coming North. We had dense fog last year and couldn't see the bridge until we were directly under it. It is amazing how the weather can change in a blink of the eye.















This picture is of Manhattan as we were entering the harbor. The picture can't express how exciting it is to see especially from the water. I was sitting there looking at it thinking of all the adjectives I could use to describe it and the list was very long.

It felt good to have the longest part of the trip behind us now.














We ask ourselves where does all the garbage go! Especially in the Big Apple! We'll your looking at it, the garbage scow. I don't know how this lucky tug driver got so lucky.

Atlantic City, NJ

This is Larry playing with the girls next door, Joop and Tula. They along with their parents, Dave and Sandy, were our neighbors next door at Utsch's Marine in Cape May, NJ. They were very good and unless you saw them outside you would not know they were there. They were the quietest pups we met on our trip this year. As you can see they love attention and Larry enjoyed giving them the attention.

We cast our lines off the dock this morning before 7 AM. We wanted to get slack tide out the channel and beat the building wind in the afternoon. We sailed with full sail and motor when we first started out. Then we sailed without the engine for about two hours before the wind slacked off. The wind did start to build again but we left the engine on and reefed the sail to keep the heel to a minimum. The weather prediction was for much more wind than we actually got but it did start to build like they predicted about an hour out from Atlantic City. All in all it was a comfortable sail much better than we expected.















The picture was taken as we entered the channel this afternoon. These were the breakers that greeted us. Fortunately they were off our starboard side at a comfortable distance.

Our plan is to leave here tomorrow morning before 6 AM, as we have a very long trip approximately 70 Knm. The cold and the heavy winds at night have made an overnight out of the question. It's better to be safe than sorry. We are anxious to be at our destination but patience is important.

Still in Cape May, NJ

As you can see our home is still sitting comfortably at a slip at low tide at Utsch's Marine. We decided not to do our overnight Monday, due to the front that would arrive in the NYC Harbor about the same time we would have arrived Tuesday morning. Now our next weather window will be on Thursday, at that time we plan to do an overnight to avoid entering another NJ inlet.














Larry and I spent most of the day after breakfast walking to the historic district here in Cape May. You will see by the picture of someones beautiful garden, the Spring flowers are in full bloom. There are pansies every where. I feel my photo just doesn't do justice to the beauty. The architecture of the homes, the Victorian Gingerbread styling with the many colors on the woodwork, is a treat to the eyes.

(LCH) Gail has shared how pleasant the last few stops have been but things do happen to make you understand why you have to have some caution living this life. As recent as yesterday the Chesapeake Delaware Canal was closed due to a sailboat sinking after being struck by a barge and tug. It appears the sailboat turned in front of the barge and was struck and sunk. The crew of the barge jumped into the water and got the sailors off the sailboat. Easy to second guess what happened but it makes one think. On Sunday the Coast Guard called off a search for a missing 50' sailboat of the Carolinas. The sailboat had a crew of 4 and was last heard from when their EPIRB went off for a few minutes. It is assumed the boat sunk. They had left off shore during the northeaster we waited out in St Michaels. Why did they feel they had to leave then? It seems that the Coast Guard rescued 3 other boats during that storm. A bit off caution goes a long way but sometimes things just happen. We are planning to do an overnight to NYC on Thursday, a trip of 100 nm. We have waited since Saturday to go but the weather has not cooperated. It is better to be safe than rush and have problems. Cheers!

Cape May, NJ

The vessel under sail in the back ground is a skip jack, taken in St. Michales the night before we left. There were many of these sailing/fishing boats used on the Chesapeake for oystering. Many rules surrounded the regulation of oystering and one was it had to be done under sail not motor. The main boat didn't have an engine but the small dinghy type boat you can see behind it was about the size of a dinghy but was all engine and used for pushing the main boat in and out of it's slip and to the oyster bar. The one you see in the picture is a restored skip jack used for sightseeing.















This picture was taken as we were leaving Annapolis. The two boats you see the tall ship is the Santana and the river boat is the Harbor Queen. Both are used for sight seeing. I guess I forgot to tell you we arrived in Annapolis on Thursday. We anchored and dinghyed to town, then back to the boat for dinner and a good nights sleep. The good sleep didn't happen because of the wake from the boat traffic during the night. We were awake early in the morning, 6:30 so we decided to pull anchor and get an early start. What we hadn't planned on was the dense fog that hit us as we entered the bay. We had to go under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge but we could not see it for the fog so we turned around and we arrived back to the anchorage at 8:30 to wait out the fog. We tried to take a nap but the wakes were still noisy so we ate some breakfast and took up anchor and were under way again at 11:30 AM.















This picture is of the bridge the second time we went out. At least we could see what we were getting into. Better than the first try.
















After a very long late day we arrived in Chesapeake City on the C &D Canal and this was the sunset we were treated to from the cockpit of our home. This is some of what makes it all worth while.
















This picture is of the Cape May Light House as we rounded the Cape onto the Atlantic Ocean. We left our anchorage in Chesapeake City before 6 AM because it was going to be a long journey to Cape May. All was very well until around 2 PM in the afternoon when the front moved in and brought with it 20 to 30 knot winds. Needless to say this is not what makes this life enjoyable. We broached in the channel coming in and dishes flew off the shelves and some broke and so did a lamp. The NJ coast is certainly not my favorite or Larry's nor any other cruisers that we have met. It looks like we are going to have a good window of weather tomorrow and will do an overnight to get to NYC. I don't particularly like over nights but if it means we don't have to do another NJ inlet I'm for it.

View from Our Boat at Anchor in St. Michaels Harbor

This picture is of The Inn At Perry Cabin. We were told that there was quite a stir here in St. Michaels when the movie the Wedding Crashers was filmed at this location. It certainly is a beautiful inn, with an incredible view of the bay.
















This picture was also taken from our boat. It is a view of the many buildings here at the St Michaels Maritime Museum. We have been here a week now and still haven't view all the buildings.

We have been waiting for a new cell phone that we ordered one week ago Friday. It has been a nightmare getting this phone. If the charger and battery weren't having an issue on our old phone we wouldn't have ordered a new one. While we have been waiting for the phone the weather has taken a turn for the worse and we have had 35 knot winds and a drop in the temperature. I surly hope this isn't and indication of what Summer will bring this year.

We have yet to get together with our fellow cruisers, Cindy and Charlie. They are waiting for our phone to come in the mail so they can bring it to us but the longer it takes the more difficult it will be for them to come to see us. Hopefully all will work out for us to get together.

When we first came we decided to take a membership in the Museum which gave us many benefits that have made our stay here more comfortable. We will definitely return on our trip down this Fall. While here we have met another cruising couple that are spending their Summer here working at the Museum. This looks like a great place to spend the Summer.