New York City and the Atlantic Ocean

Sunday, Sept. 23

We had a nice morning as we headed off for the Big Apple. We had a favorable wind and current
as we headed down the Hudson and were able to see the skyscrapers of NYC from a long way
off. In fact we were looking straight down the river and saw the Statue of Liberty from 20 miles
away with the binoculars. River traffic was light and we decided to pass by Lady Liberty before
heading into our marina. Near the Statue their was a tremendous amount of boat traffic, from
huge tour boats to a bunch of kayaks paddling around - major bedlam. Seeing the statue gave us
goose bumps, quite touching.
We headed back to our marina, a wonderful facility a mile from the Statue of Liberty and right
across the river from lower Manhatten and the Trade Center area. We had no idea the new tower
construction had progressed as far as it has. The new buildings are already way taller than any surrounding buildings and are lit up at night. We took the ferry to visit Ellis Island and really
enjoyed our visit there. It was more touching than either of us had expected.
Watching the sunset reflected in the skyscrapers of the city was awesome. I kept taking
more pictures as the view progressed, with the lights of the city at night being amazing too.
It was well worth the price of the Liberty Landing Marina to experience the place. The facility
itself was beautiful and people everywhere were friendly and not at all "big cityish." We
felt very safe.

38 miles

                                          Sailing past this gave us goosebumps - Awesome!

                                         From our dock - sunset reflected in the new towers


Monday, Sept. 24

We left later than normal, about 9:00 because we were going to sail all throught the night
and wanted to reach Cape May closer to daylight. NYC harbor was full of huge ships
anchored out waiting to get to the shipping docks on Staten Island so we wound our way through them and others heading in the busy shipping channel as we headed out. The weather was nice
and we had good winds, sailing and motorsailing as we rounded northern New Jersey. It felt a
little intimidating to be out in the Atlantic Ocean. The swells were different from Lake Erie.
Things went well until after dark when the wind swung around on our nose and was quite a
bit  stronger than forcast. We started out with two hour watches after dark but at midnight
we switched to one hour watches because of the tiring conditions. It was impossible to
see the oncoming waves which beat us up and we needed to slow up to time our arrival at
Cape May. Atlantic City was very brightly lit as we passed and we were able to see it for
several hours as we went by. The wind was 18 -22 knots on the nose for most of the time at
night and wasn't much fun. We got into Cape May at 7:30 in the morning and tied up at our
dock at Utsch's Marina at 9:00 after 24 long hours. We were exhausted and after getting
breakfast at the restaurant across the street we crashed  in our bunk for a few hours.
Utsch's Marina is a very welcoming place with nice facilities and friendly helpful staff.
Wayne, the owner welcomed us with a bag of goodies ( a bottle of wine, biscotti, and
handmade soap). He was a big help docking and is a wealth of information.
We bought a Honda 1000 watt portable generator for backup power and charging of
the batteries when anchored. They had a great price here and the guys took care of the
warranty registration and filled the unit with oil and fuel and trained us in its use. What
service!
After resting we walked into town and through the streets with many unique houses, most
of them lovingly restored, some very colorful. Cape May is on the National Registry for
its restoration efforts. We enjoyed the walk and time off the boat, walking about four miles.

140 miles

We're a Sailboat Again!

Thursday, Sept. 20

At 9:00 we started the restepping process and 45 minutes later the mast was securely in
place again. Mike and the guys at Riverview were great to work with and they were very
professional and pleasant. Carol and I took another hour to put the boom and all lines
and wires back together, with it all going very smoothly.
We then headed on down the river, stopping at Saugherties on the Esopaus Creek. It is
a quiet creek with room for two or three boats to anchor in a protected area. A local sailor
directed us to the best spot to drop the anchor. This was better than further up the creek as
suggested by Skipper Bob.

11 miles


Friday, Sept. 21

After a quiet night at anchor we got an early start using a favorable current of 2 mph for most
of the day. Most of the day we were going 9.5 - 10 mph. We passed many beautiful homes
and mansions on the river on the stone bluffs lining the river. It is quite rugged along here.
What was really impressive was West Point Academy, right on the Hudson, with its
castle - like architecture. It was more massive than I expected.
 The last hour of the trip we encountered quite a few other boats on the river, people getting
an early start on one of the last good weekends of the year. After a long day we pulled into Haverstraw Marina which is huge and pretty well protected from wakes and current. We were
tied up next to a Toronto couple on "Ragtop". We met them a couple days ago as they raised
their mast just ahead of us and enjoyed visiting with them. Throughout the next months we
expect to keep meeting up with some of these cruisers as we leapfrog our way south.

64 miles


Saturday, Sept. 22

We spent the first day of Fall staying put at Haverstraw since lousy weather was forcast
for later in the day. This allowed us to connect with Danielle, James and Cassia as they live
about 30 miles away. They were able to meet us here for lunch which was special. Cassia
was a joy and it was a nice visit. It's good to connect with family while being gone.
By the way, we are hoping to be in Annapolis for the boat show. A lot depends on the weather.
We've noticed a need for a clearer windshield as we keep it down on colder days and will
see if we can get some Strataglass installed to replace our old vinyl. I wish I had done it
at home when we could have done it ourselves, but Annapolis should be a good place to get
it done.

The Hudson River

Tuesday, Sept. 18

We stayed at Waterford an extra day to wait out the bad predicted storm which turned out
to be the right decision if for no other reason than to get to know the couples on "Equus"
and "Eagle's Wings".  It was good to be tied up at the dock during the high winds and
heavy rains. Breakfast was at Don and Paul's Restaurant, the local breakfast hangout, very
busy on a rainy day.
While going down the Erie Canal there was twice we watched gray squirrels swimming
across the wide canal. I had no idea they could swim like that.


Wednesday, Sept. 19

We left to start our journey down the mighty Hudson River and our timing was good as
we had a favorable tidal current all day, allowing us to go 9 - 9.7 miles per hour the whole
time. The Hudson River is wide and relatively deep with a lot of commercial traffic. Albany
is beautiful from the river with some interesting old buildings on the waterfront.
We made it to Riverview Marina in Catskill, NY where tomorrow we will have our mast
stepped and we will once again be a sailboat. Mike, the owner here is very pleasant and
accomodating. There are quite a few sailboats traveling this way now and it's interesting
that almost all of them in the two marinas here tonight are Canadian. Apparently this is the
time of year the parents send their kids off to college and then take off to the south in their
boats.

43 miles

Little Falls - Waterford, NY

Saturday, Sept. 15

We enjoyed our extra day in Little Falls, visiting the weekend farmers' market that sets up
 in the parking lot of the bank. We bought peppers, green beans, lettuce, zucchini, apples
and garlic olive oil. It seemed to be a pretty "organic" group of growers marketing here.
The day was cool and cloudy so after watching the OSU game at the dock (way too exciting)
 we walked back into town for three scoops of ice cream at Old Sal's. They had so many
 great flavors we had to have three scoops. Needless to say, we weren't very hungry for
dinner but got invited to a cookout dinner hosted by some of the locals for us and the crew
of  "Lois McClure". The people have been very friendly and gracious.
The "Lois McClure" is a reproducion of a wooden sailing canal boat from the 1800's and
visits towns along the canals on a large loop including the Erie Canal, Lake Champlain and
some Canadian canals. We got a free tour which was interesting. It has to be powered by a
tugboat because it has no engine. It spends the winters in Vermont at their home museum.


Sunday, Sept. 16

We left in the morning with cool fog in the valley which was very picturesque. We traversed
six locks today and they were difficult because of the 10 - 15 mph wind. The lock tenders said
we were the eighth sailboat through the locks that day although we never encountered any of
them until one joined us at our overnight stop at Amsterdam above Lock 11. Due to the recommendation of several of the lock tenders we had dinner at Russo's, near the lock. They
have very good Italian food at reasonable prices and we both had the wonderful leftovers for
lunch on the river the next day. This stretch of the canal is mostly the Mohawk River so it is
wider than the west end but you have to follow the markers carefully to avoid shallow spots.
We encountered a flock of common mergansers today on the river.
Just as it was getting dark we saw headlights from a huge vessel approaching us, a little
intimidating. It turned out to be a cruise ship ("Blount") that tied up near us for the night.
They started in Chicago and are on a 16 day trip that ends in Rhode Island. They are built
to handle the 20' height restricions of the canal and can handle 96 passengers with 21 crew.
Free wall but no electric despite what Skipper Bob's says. The outlets are there but turned off.

40 miles

                                                     Leaving lock 11 on a foggy morning

                                                          Barber day on the boat

                                                    Cruising on the west end of the canal



Monday, Sept. 17

In the morning while waiting for "Blount" to go through the lock first we got a chance to meet
Patricia and Steven on "Equus", the sailboat that had tied up with us. They are a nice couple
who have cruised extensively and live in Stuart, FL. We decided to travel together and do the
locks together today which worked well.
We did ten locks today including the flight of five at the west end, a tiring day but it was nice
traveling behind another boat and not having to watch the markers so closely. We saw lots of
egrets from Schenectady east. The day ended at Waterford, the western end of the Erie Canal.
After all the locks today we were ready for the next stage of the journey, heading down the
Hudson River.
Waterford has a free dock with ten dollars fee for electric and a two - day maximum stay.

39 miles (total Erie Canal 342 miles)



 

Newark - Little Falls, NY

Wednesday, Sept. 12

Another beautiful day, sunny and low 80's. The lock operators are stressed because over the
next few days each of their locks is getting their annual inspection. At each lock we find the
operators are busily painting and vacuuming in preparation. We are staying just ahead of
the inspectors so they don't slow us down with their inspection, but it is interesting to see
how each operator handles the expected visit. Those who, like the biblical women who had
their lamps full of oil and wicks trimmed, don't seem stressed by the idea. On the other
hand .........
Three boats passed us, the most we have seen yet. I had no idea there would be such a small
amount of traffic on the canal, especially as we get further east.
One thing we learned while in the west end of the canal was that in the winter the guard gates
there are closed and the canal emptied to just a couple feet of water and the towns dump all
their snow into the canal.
Tied up overnight at Baldwinsville and got the last spot with electicity. A sailboat came in after
us that is from Detroit, on their fourth trip down to the Bahamas. We got some tips from them
for the future and it was good to visit with them. Five dollar dock fee.

54 miles



Thursday, Sept. 13

After starting the day on the canal and doing two locks we went out across Oneida Lake,
which can be nasty in bad weather. The lake is 23 miles long and 5 or 6 miles wide. We were
blessed with great weather and calm seas, reaching Sylvan Beach on the east side and back into
the canal. There was a great "Cruise - In" at Sylvan Beach including eight Cobras, one having
raced at Watkins Glen. They were awsome. Dinner was at Harpoon Eddie's on the water,
watching a great sunset.
We stayed at the wall with no electric but it was a free, quiet place. Talked to a guy from
California that bought a trawler in Detroit in April for $13,000 on Craig's list ( a fantastic deal)
and will cruise down to Florida and just give the boat away or sell it cheap. He was a "free
spirit" and was having a great time. He is our age and very outgoing, taking his time wandering
along having an adventure. Some of his family has joined him for parts of the trip.
We had stopped for fuel at Winter Harbor in Brewerton before crossing Oneida Lake. Diesel
was only $3.99 and self serice, the first time we've seen that. At the docks they were growing
tomatoes, peppers, and herbs to give to cruisers stopping there - Carol picked a tomato and
some fresh basil (wonderful). While there I checked the intake strainer as advised by Mike
Link and it was wise counsel as it needed cleared. The mesh strainer had split at the seam and
Winter Harbor gave me a length of stainless steel wire to stitch it back together, so we are as
good as new. All in all we were very impressed with Winter Harbor.

43 miles


Friday, Sept. 14

Another beautiful day on the canal - we have sure been blessed. Only encountered a couple boats
today on the canal. Did five locks today, two up and three down. The up locks are a lot more
physical due to the increased turbulence. We went by Utica (but didn't stop at Saranac Brewery),
Ilion and Herkimer, the old stomping grounds of Wendell and Jeanie during the early years of
their marriage.
We have stopped at Little Falls because it has received great reviews from other cruisers. It has
a nice lounge area with TV, pay laundry ($2/load) and great bathrooms and showers. We will stay
an extra day here to watch the OSU game, visit the local farmer's market on Saturday and
relax. We are doing lots of walking here and have been getting lots of exercise while traveling.
We have made very good progress so far due to the great weather and only have two more days
of traveling until we exit the canal and head down the Hudson River.

50 miles

Newark, NY

Tuesday, Sept. 11

This morning was brisk. We awoke to 46 degrees but it was another beautiful day, sunny and 78.
Today we went through four locks and we have our system down for going through. While
traveling through the Rochester area we went under lots of bridges and along the freeway for
portions of the canal. The stretch between Pittsford and Fairport had a lot of nice homes and
landscaping. Both towns were fixed up nicely and they take great pride in them. We stopped
to walk around Fairport and ate lunch while there. I was able to find a plunger at Dollar Tree
to clear my sink drain so I'm a happy camper. Carol and I are able to each have our own bathroom
on board which is nice.
While traveling today we saw lots of blue herons, green herons, kingfishers, mallards, geese,
and an osprey. We are staying at Newark and we are quickly getting spoiled by these nice
facilities along the way. Here there are beautiful bathrooms, free laundry, wifi, and air
conditioning in the dockmaster office. Plus a good ice cream shop real close.

I haven't yet figured out how to put pictures in my blogs but I hope to in the future.

44 miles

Settling in to the Cruising Lifestyle

Monday, Sept. 10

Saturday was a windy rainy day so we stayed at N. Tonawanda and found a place to watch the
OSU football game and experience the local scene. Nice day.

Sunday was a cool and wonderful day as we headed down the canal. Most of the time we were
traveling through wilderness and farm country. They say this western end is most like the original
canal scene. The Erie Canal played a significant role in the development of  NY back in the 1800's.
We only encountered three boats all day so we haven't put up the rearview mirror I brought
along. Our first locks were a breeze and we didn't even dirty our gloves or fenders. A ten day
lock pass was $50, not bad for all the lock tenders and liftbridge operators needed to operate
the canal. This western end has many liftbridges and all the operators were very friendly and
kept us moving along even though each person had to operate several bridges, driving between
them to arrive ahead of us. We stayed overnight at Medina, a nice clean town with free docks
and beautiful bathrooms/showers.

34 miles


Monday morning was cool, 52 degrees, but beautiful,with mist rising off the water as we started
out for the day. This stretch of the canal is very pastoral, reminding me of the canals in Holland.
Most the day we were traveling through apple orchards, field crops and small towns. We each
take one hour turns at the wheel, intending to travel 6 -8 hours each day. There are so many
interesting towns as we go along it's tempting to stop at all of them, but we only stopped at
Brockport, for pizza at lunch time. We stopped for the night at Spencerport which has new docks with electric and gorgeous bathrooms and it's free. Is it a wonderful world or what? Everywhere
we've been people have been extremely friendly and helpful.

We've been surprised how quickly we've acclimated to the cruising lifestyle. Once Carol
cooked a full meal in her kitchen it went a long way toward her feeling at home. We've
enjoyed cooking steaks and chicken on our grill already. The days are definitely getting
shorter now and we find ourselves going to bed much earlier than we are used to.

33 miles
                 

Unstepping the mast

Friday, Sept. 7

Today was the day we changed from a sailboat to a powerboat. This morning was spent preparing
the boat for taking the mast down. This required disconnecting all the electrical wires from the
base of the mast, removing the boom and lines going to the mast. Dennis Wardell said we could
leave the headsail on the furler and the mainsail furled into the mast which simplified things. We
had brought our wooden supports with us for the mast stowage, already made up. Since Carol and
I seemed capable he didn't call in his usual two helpers (although he didn't charge us any less?).
Dennis has an old homemade crane for lifting the mast but he is very experienced and knows what
he's doing and was very easy to work with. He was careful with our boat and I was impressed how
pleasant and accommodating he was. He didn't charge us for the overnight stay. The mast fit on
all our supports just as planned so I was pleased. Unstepping fee was $324 ( $6/foot mast length ).
We purchased a cruising guide for the Erie Canal (only $20) - very thorough and helpful.

We cruised the half mile further into N. Tonawanda and tied up to the town wall. Very nice and
only$20/night including water and electric. Many boats were cruising the river in the evening on
a Friday night, seemed like a floating Geneva-on-the-Lake.

Buffalo, NY (N. Tonawanda)

Thurs., Sept. 6

After a peaceful night on the hook we were off at 0700.  Ten minutes later we were
aground in Presque Isle Bay. We had managed to find one of the shallow spots in the
bay, which has many. This gave us a chance to become aquainted with our Boat US
towing service and the tow captain was both courteous and professional. We have
already saved more than the cost of one years' worth of towing service with this one
incident. Most cruisers wait until later in the voyage down in the Intercoastal Waterway
before they go aground but being precocious we decided to do it early in the trip. No
damage to the boat was done but we didn't truly get on our way for the day until 0830
in what was to be a long day.

We had following seas all day so we had to hand steer the whole way instead of using the
autopilot which is more tiring. We motored and motorsailed due to the light tailwinds but
the temperature was pleasant. In the afternoon we were visited by a plague of biting flies
and I got a feel for how the Egyptians felt in Moses' day. Some thunderstorms appeared
in eastern Lake Erie but by using our radar we were able to track them as they skirted us
by a mile or two. Entering Buffalo was interesting as you need to enter the Black Rock
Canal soon after entering the harbor. While on the canal we passed many sculls out practicing
on the water. Rowing seems to be very popular here and the canal walls are painted with
the winners of previous Henley Cup races. The lock operator was very gracious and locked
us through early which was a big help since we were racing the coming darkness to make
the Wardell Boat Yard. From talking to other people the lock operator has a history of being
nice and helpful.We managed to pull into Wardell's right as darkness fell,a real blessing.
Dennis Wardell had told us to just pull up and tie to the fuel dock.

After the long tiring day we walked up the street and to our joy we found a theater restaurant
district right there near the boat yard. We had a nice meal in the airconditioned comfort of
Dwyers Irish Pub,enjoying some fantastic Ruben Fries and then returned to the boat for a
refreshing night's rest.

80nm   (94 miles)

We're Off!

Wednesday,  Sept. 5

We moved onto the boat Tuesday after preparing the house for the housesitters, the newlyweds
Jeremiah and Heidi. Friends Doug and Pat Reichenbach were our taxi service, much appreciated.
The wedding weekend was wonderful and we are very pleased to welcome Jeremiah as our new
son-in-law. It was also a chance to visit with all our families as we said our goodbyes.
The weather was beautiful all day as we motored and motorsailed to Erie for our first night. It was
a very peaceful anchorage in the protected Presque Isle Marina Bay. We swam off the boat and
went ashore with the dinghy for a walk. It was a wonderful first day and we're excited to experience
the rest of our trip.
By the way it was a zero dollar day, which means no charge for dockage and we ate all meals on
the boat.

49 nm  ( 57 miles)