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.