After spending the past 2 1/2 months ashore we're back on the water and headed for sunshine, palm trees and warm water. We had a busy summer catching up on neglected projects at home and camp, taking care of medical and dental problems and working on the boat. We relaunched the boat on Sept 14th and headed out on the 19th. Beautiful sunny days and cold nights allowed us to enjoy a great trip down Lake Champlain and thru the locks to Waterford, 150 miles in 3 days.
Sat, Sept 19, 2009- Spent the afternoon at Crown Point where the rededication of the historic lighthouse and monument was taking place. Musical entertainment, numerous speeches and great fireworks made for a memorable first anchorage.
Sun & Mon- On down the Lake and thru the locks. Spent Sun night at lock 9, and Mon at Waterford town docks. Kate joined us for Dinner and a pleasant evening. Past few nights have been cold with lows near 40, but sunny days warmed us quickly inside our greenhouse.
Tues- Short trip thru Albany and on to Castelton Boat Club where Katie met us and helped step our mast to become a sailboat once again. As we passed thru downtown Albany we were greeted by watercannons and a crowd welcoming a number of historic ships into the port. This was a part of the 400 year celebration of the Hudson/Champlain.
Wed- Spent much of the day putting the boat back in order, then on to Coxsackie town dock where we were met by old friends Ron and Janet for dinner and a visit to our old neighborhood.
Thurs- Motor sail with a brisk north wind south 67 miles to Peekskill where we spent the night anchored behind Bannermans Castle, Pollepel Island.
Fri- Another great sailing day, Sail and motor thru NYC and on to Sandy Hook NJ, 77 miles. Anchored behind the breakwater at Atlantic Highlands. Only 3 other boats at anchor, but hundreds on yacht club moorings and docks.
Sat- Weather dosen't look promising for our offshore passage down the Jersey coast. Looks like we will be here until mid week as strong cold fronts pass thru. To town with our bikes, then cocktails aboard with fellow sailors from 2 neighboring boats. Both came from Lake Superior and are on the way south.
Sun- Rain all day, projects aboard.
Mon- Sunny and warmer, low 70's. Biked around the area. Strong cold front came thru late afternoon with gale force winds and blinding rain. Wind stayed up all night but we are very protected in this anchorage. At least 22 boats now in the anchorage, all waiting out the weather to head south.
Tues- Sunny but cool, after a few projects aboard we headed to town for a few items and wifi at the library. Wind still strong but expected to calm down tomorrow giving us 2 days of fair winds so we will prepare to head out in the morning. Hopefully winds will calm down enough so we can get into the fuel dock this afternoon without to much problem.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Home
As we celebrate the close of our journey, we look forward to spending the summer at home and camp. On this last leg from Jensen Beach to Plattsburgh the GPS logged 1840 statute miles. Since starting out in the fall we have logged a total of 4900 miles.
When we first began the trip I was concerned about our 25 year old boat with its little 14hp diesel engine being up to the task. I have to say that both the boat and her crew performed admirably and we look forward to our next adventure this fall.
We have had the boat hauled and it will spend July/Aug on land as we prepare the the next trip. I have a list of work to complete before we head south again in Sept and I have been searching the net for charts and guides to assist us in planning the trip to the Bahamas.
When we first began the trip I was concerned about our 25 year old boat with its little 14hp diesel engine being up to the task. I have to say that both the boat and her crew performed admirably and we look forward to our next adventure this fall.
We have had the boat hauled and it will spend July/Aug on land as we prepare the the next trip. I have a list of work to complete before we head south again in Sept and I have been searching the net for charts and guides to assist us in planning the trip to the Bahamas.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Homeward Bound- Up the Hudson
Sunday June 14th- Anxious to be home we motored thru NY Harbor enjoying the sights. Being a Sunday the ferry and tug traffic was much lighter and the passage less stressful than on our southern journey. We were boarded by the Coast Guard off Manhattan for a safety check and thankfully all was in order. Chris had the wheel during this encounter as I was in the head. I'm still giving her a ribbing over the fact that the only time we were boarded in our 17 years of sailing was while she was in command.
Monday- found us anchored in one of our old haunts at the head of the Rondout Creek in Kingston. Flooding thruout the area had us fighting a swift current much of the day and as we sat at anchor much debris and tree limbs passed us by.
Tues-Tied up for the night at the town dock at Coxsackie (an area we called home for 6 years) where we enjoyed biking around for the afternoon. Along the way we passed the replica of Henry Hudsons ship the Halfmoon.
Wed - a short run to the Castleton Yacht Club where we used their hand crane to unstep our mast in preparation for the low bridges in the Champlain Canal. Kate came down from Albany to help and join us for dinner. All went smoothly and we spent a quiet night on their guest mooring.
Thurs. -Heavy rain much of the day. Motor to Waterford(where the Erie Canal and Hudson River split) and tied up for the night at their free town docks. At least 15 large boats (mostly power) were at the docks waiting for good weather to transit the Erie Canal to the Great Lakes. Many of these boaters were "loopers" (great lakes to Ohio River to Mississippi to Gulf then up east coast) that we had been seeing thru much of our journey.
Fri- On up the Hudson thru the first 7 locks. The current was very swift , in places over 3 mph from all the flooding in the area. The dredging project to clean up the PCB's at Ft Edward is in full swing with numerous barges, cranes, tugs and workboats making passage a challenge. We tied up for the night at the free dock above lock seven and walked around town. The basin at the town park and town docks there are closed during this project but would make a nice stop once the project is done.
Sat - On to Lake Champlain the balance of the locks went smoothly and we anchored in the lee of Fort Ti for a quiet evening.
Sun- motor to Point Bay (south of Essex) Fuel problems again so I pumped tank dry and filled with fresh fuel. Seems OK now but time will tell.
Mon- brought strong north winds and we pounded into steep chop all the way to Plattsburgh. Andros was home!
Monday- found us anchored in one of our old haunts at the head of the Rondout Creek in Kingston. Flooding thruout the area had us fighting a swift current much of the day and as we sat at anchor much debris and tree limbs passed us by.
Tues-Tied up for the night at the town dock at Coxsackie (an area we called home for 6 years) where we enjoyed biking around for the afternoon. Along the way we passed the replica of Henry Hudsons ship the Halfmoon.
Wed - a short run to the Castleton Yacht Club where we used their hand crane to unstep our mast in preparation for the low bridges in the Champlain Canal. Kate came down from Albany to help and join us for dinner. All went smoothly and we spent a quiet night on their guest mooring.
Thurs. -Heavy rain much of the day. Motor to Waterford(where the Erie Canal and Hudson River split) and tied up for the night at their free town docks. At least 15 large boats (mostly power) were at the docks waiting for good weather to transit the Erie Canal to the Great Lakes. Many of these boaters were "loopers" (great lakes to Ohio River to Mississippi to Gulf then up east coast) that we had been seeing thru much of our journey.
Fri- On up the Hudson thru the first 7 locks. The current was very swift , in places over 3 mph from all the flooding in the area. The dredging project to clean up the PCB's at Ft Edward is in full swing with numerous barges, cranes, tugs and workboats making passage a challenge. We tied up for the night at the free dock above lock seven and walked around town. The basin at the town park and town docks there are closed during this project but would make a nice stop once the project is done.
Sat - On to Lake Champlain the balance of the locks went smoothly and we anchored in the lee of Fort Ti for a quiet evening.
Sun- motor to Point Bay (south of Essex) Fuel problems again so I pumped tank dry and filled with fresh fuel. Seems OK now but time will tell.
Mon- brought strong north winds and we pounded into steep chop all the way to Plattsburgh. Andros was home!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Jersey Coast
Thurs, June 11- Pea soup fog kept us in the Cape May Harbor until noon when it seemed to clear. Headed out along with Rising Tide motorsailing up the coast and as we should have expected the fog returned. Thankfully the visibility improved as we reached the Atlantic City inlet and we were able to easily find our way into the protected anchorage north of downtown.
Fri-Fair winds but showery, got an early start as we bid farewell to Rising Tide (they were waiting for weather to head offshore for Block Island then on to Mass). Arrived at 3 pm at Barnegat Light anchorage where I spent an unpleasant late afternoon working to correct problems associated with dirty fuel. (clogged filters and water separator).
Sat- Winds were out of the north but predicted to veer east so we pushed on to complete this stretch of the coast while the weather cooperated. The Jersey coast is the only part of our journey where we had to sail off the coast in unprotected waters and I was anxious to get this behind us. From Cape May to Sandy Hook the gps logged 144 miles but we were able to break it up in 3 stretches. Jerseys inlets are notorious for steep waves and swift currents if the weather is bad so many boats make the trip in one overnite journey. Since we had no set schedule we would have waited out bad weather if necessary. Sat evening found us dining on 3 bluefish caught during the day, anchored behind Sandy Hook in sight of the Verrazano Bridge with the NY skyline in the far distance.
Fri-Fair winds but showery, got an early start as we bid farewell to Rising Tide (they were waiting for weather to head offshore for Block Island then on to Mass). Arrived at 3 pm at Barnegat Light anchorage where I spent an unpleasant late afternoon working to correct problems associated with dirty fuel. (clogged filters and water separator).
Sat- Winds were out of the north but predicted to veer east so we pushed on to complete this stretch of the coast while the weather cooperated. The Jersey coast is the only part of our journey where we had to sail off the coast in unprotected waters and I was anxious to get this behind us. From Cape May to Sandy Hook the gps logged 144 miles but we were able to break it up in 3 stretches. Jerseys inlets are notorious for steep waves and swift currents if the weather is bad so many boats make the trip in one overnite journey. Since we had no set schedule we would have waited out bad weather if necessary. Sat evening found us dining on 3 bluefish caught during the day, anchored behind Sandy Hook in sight of the Verrazano Bridge with the NY skyline in the far distance.
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