Soooo much walking!

 

                                                                

We left Castleton-on-the-Hudson late Sunday afternoon, so we didn’t venture far.  We dropped the hook for the first time in Schodack Creek. It felt like a quiet secluded spot right up until the train came roaring past just out of sight on the other side of the trees.

With Nicks help over the winter in 2021-2022 we rebuilt the anchor windlass, added four additional batteries, and installed a wireless remote control.  Not only does it look great, it now goes up and down at the push of a button. Between the restoration of the windlass, wire, batteries, chain, and switches, it was a$5000 project.   Well worth it if you use it daily!

We managed to get moving Monday morning around nine. Deb and I had our breakfast, hauled up the anchor and headed south down the Hudson while Henry caught up on his sleep. It was nice to get the gang back together for this part of the trip. To do it once was fortunate, so to do it again thirteen years later is totally amazing!

We listened to music and talked as we navigated our way down the beautifully picturesque Hudson River.  Mansions dotted the hillsides, obscured by the lush trees that surrounded them.   Until I sailed the Hudson River all I knew of it was what I saw on television, big and dirty.   In films the Hudson River plays a character, sometimes dark and ominous, a place where the underbelly of the city dwells, in others it’s a place of romance and connection and for movies like Sully, its a place where miracles happen.  For us the Hudson is just the beginning of our adventure, a gateway to the ocean and all the possibilities it holds.

America is something different to everyone. For me, it’s the hardened steel railway bridges that span the canals and the rivers. They stand quiet and steadfast, carrying the load of a country.  A lot like the people that built them.  

We squeaked out 35 miles today, calling it quits around 5:30 in the afternoon.  We dropped the anchor in Saugerties, a small town on the west side of the river.  Henry and I splashed the dinghy for a mother-son adventure ashore.  I stayed on the boat to continue troubleshooting some dilemmas I was managing.  

They weren’t gone too long before returning with the spoils of their adventure.  Some books, some junk food and my first ever Dunkin Donut. We ate dinner over some Netflix before calling it a day. Our next day was meant to take us to an anchorage off Iona Island, some 50 miles south of Saugerties, but

we didn’t like the look of it and continued on.  Always a highlight of any Hudson trip is WestPoint Naval Academy. Built overlooking the Hudson River, the grand stone structure rises out of the stone cliffs, as to keep watch over all those that venture past.  

It was getting late, and we needed a safe place to anchor for the night, so we reached out to our much more experienced friends Rick and Wendy for some advice.  After much deliberation we settled on Croton Point at the south end of Haverstraw Bay; it offered protection from the south, ideal for the days conditions.  We got in and dropped the hook just before dark, after covering 65 miles in ten hours.  We had a late Thanksgiving dinner but still managed to get to bed at a decent in preparation for Wednesdays push into Manhattan.

We had to get an early start if we were going to make our destination before dark. With the 79th street boat basin closed we had to find another affordable place to tie up for our visit.  After much research we landed on the Miramar Yacht Club in Sheepshead Bay, Coney Island, nowhere near as convenient as 79thStreet. It did offer $50 a night mooring balls in a well-protected bay with access to public transportation  right outside the front gate.

We caught some of the sites as we traveled south, past all the bridges and the tunnels, the Intrepid Aerospace Museum and of course the Statue of Liberty.  Several people told us to take the ferry to see Lady Liberty, no need when you’re on your own boat!! 

We arrived at Sheepshead Bay on a rising tide so there was plenty of water under our keel to gain access to the bay.  We picked up our mooring right on schedule, 5:30pm on the nose, leaving us an hour of daylight left to splash the dingy and come up with a plan for the evening.  

Deb, being the discount shopper she is, had already gotten the lay of the land by the time the dinghy was in, so adventuring we went.  Marshalls was our first venture into the unknown, we walked, and we walked, and we walked before reaching our destination.  After a quick peruse and a couple of purchases it was off to the grocery store across the street to stock up on some supplies. 

 Not really equipped for a grocery run, we loaded up my backpack with the heavy items and sherpa'd our way back to the boat.  We walked and walked and walked all the way back to the boat collapsing into the dingy when we finally made it back.   We rustled up some grub before heading to bed.  

Thursday was to be our New York, New York day so we packed up some drinks and headed for the bus, and then the subway, then another subway, and then another.  And then there was more walking, lots more walking!

We started with the Intrepid Aerospace Museum where we toured the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier, the first ballistic missile submarine as well as seeing the Shuttle Orbiter, Enterprise, an SR71 Blackbird and other military aircraft. 

From there we headed to Times Square to see what all the hubbub was about.  So many people, so many stores and lights. It was amazing to see the volume of people there for the spectacle of it all. 

From the excitement of Times Square to the subdued and somber mood of the Trade Center Memorial. The sites of New York are filled with the emotions of the city and a tightly woven history of great happiness and great sadness.

Our last ‘first’ of the day was a visit to Target, one of Henry’s New York bucket list items.  He’d never been to a Target and wanted to see one for himself.  Again, we stocked up on some provisions, and again I was the only one with a backpack!

By the time we’d finished our day in the city my feet were ready to walk out on strike because they were so sore and tired, my hip was also putting in for time off.  

Friday was a little quieter to start, we got showers and did the laundry before heading to Coney Island for fun and adventure.  It was a quiet evening at the park so there were no line-ups for the rides. Henry and I got to ride the iconic Cyclone wooden coaster as well as a couple of newer steel coasters further into the park.  After I’d had my fill of loops and barrel rolls Henry took on a couple of daring challenges by himself.

We finished off the day with dinner from Nathans on the Coney Island Boardwalk while the sun set in the back ground.  Our New York Hollywood moment!  I was feeling a little disappointed on our way out of the park, I hadn’t yet seen the Zoltar arcade machine from the movie Big.  And then I did!  The last little diner we peeked into on our way out the gate had the Zoltar machine.  My Coney Island visit was now complete. We made it home in good time that night, so we watched another movie together before heading to bed.

It was a rainy-day Saturday and although we’d rather have stayed on the boat, we had to meet up with our friend Sandy to pick up the new alternator bracket we had sent to his address.  We took another bus and another subway to Grand Central Station to connect with Sandy and take in another iconic site.  

From Grand Central we walked over to the New York Public Library to conclude our tour of the sights of New York

And that was that.  It was Deb’s last night on the boat and our last night in the Big Apple.  We had dinner together and watched a movie before calling it a day.  The next morning, we had to get Deb to the bus by 6:45am so she could make her Porter flight back to Toronto.  We said our goodbyes as the rain fell around us, it was hard to see her go, knowing our next visit won’t be until Christmas when we arrive in Cuba.  

Fortunately, Deb’s ride home didn’t need the same repairs Island Eclipse did.  It had rained all day Saturday, it had been 36 hours since the batteries had been topped up, so we fired up the generator.  Now that Fred’s been getting all the attention Barney just had to make things right.  He started up just fine, but the engine room quickly filled with exhaust, and there was heavy condensation on the inside of the engine room door window.  

Upon close inspection I found the exhaust injection elbow had snapped cleanly off the exhaust manifold, spilling raw water and exhaust into the boat. A truly epic disaster and a reminder that no matter how much you prepare things are bound to break.

After dropping Deb off at the bus, I disassembled the exhaust and found that the pipe had sheared off at the flange leaving nothing for me to grab onto to remove it.  A real dilemma if not for the fact that the remaining threads were so corroded that I was able to peel them out with some needle nose pliers like the lid on a sardine can.  All I need now is a fresh piece of 1 ¼’ pipe to put it back together.   I should be able to source one in Annapolis when we arrive on Wednesday.

Until then, Have a great week.