Picture shows Quilcene on the dock at Waterford with the river in full flood

More pics at;
https://goo.gl/photos/bRvwJCo1RFqtUb9Z8

Eventually we sorted out the liferaft problem and were on our way again. Passing through New York as we left was much less hectic, mostly because we left Port Washington at 0345 to transit Hell Gate on the East River at (almost) slack water. Also at this hour there was very little traffic on the water.

We spotted Concorde on display at a NY waterside aviation museum but didn't get close enough to get a good pic as it was guarded by a coastguard vessel sporting a rather large gun on its bows!

We must've got the timing right as we had a favourable current for 50 miles up the Hudson River to Cornwall where we dropped anchor for the night. We picked up the following flood tide next morning and spent a beautiful sunny day admiring the mighty Hudson. To see the beautiful Hudson River Valley from the water was a real treat, and we loved the lighthouses, which are actually houses on rocks in the river! (see google pics) The only downside was that we had to keep a careful watch to dodge the numerous logs and debris floating down the river. There had been a lot of rain and water levels were quite high - as we were to find out later....

We anchored in the river opposite Catskill, where we sat out a couple of wet days waiting to go in and get our mast unstepped. In between rain showers we watched Bald Eagles fishing in the river behind us - a wonderful sight as they scooped up a fish in their talons and flew overhead with the struggling fish held fast.

Once tied up on the dock at Catskill we took down the foresails and Kit busied himself preparing the rigging and wooden horses to hold the mast. We celebrated being on the dock with a delicious lobster dinner at the Port o' Call Tavern in Catskill.

The guys in Catskill Marina are obviously used to unstepping masts and it went well. Two strong men and a big crane was all it took. Kit had done quite a lot of preparatory work; disconnecting the electrics on the mast, loosening the rigging etc., and we did have a few anxious moments, but in less than 90 minutes the mast was safely stowed on deck and Quilcene was a motor boat!

Setting off next morning it felt very strange, especially when we passed under a low bridge!
We were still running with a bit of fair tide and made good time to a quiet spot just south of Troy Lock. We decided to drop the hook and as it was a Friday Kit set to and cooked our traditional Friday curry!

Next day we passed through Troy Lock on the Hudson, having to fend off strongly as the boat swung in the incoming water and the overhanging masthead almost hit the lock side. With a couple of dozen more locks to pass through Kit has since worked out a solution to that problem!

Shortly above Troy we turned into the Erie Canal approach and tied up to the floating dock at Waterford Visitor Centre. The dock here is free for 48 hours, and also has free showers. Very civilised!
There was a farmers market on the dock on Sunday morning so we decided to stay another day and stock up with fresh vegetables.

The stalls had just about packed away when it began raining hard and didn't stop for 2 days. This compounded the earlier days of rain and water levels began to rise in the Mohawk River and Erie Canal approach; soon it was flowing fast. After the first flight of locks at the east end of the canal, the route is actually along the Mohawk River, which was now in full flood. A canal closure was announced due to high water and strong currents, and the 48hr docking rule was suspended, not that we could go anywhere anyway as the rushing water was holding us firmly to the dock.

We spent an anxious night listening to the water rushing past the hull and next morning the water level had risen by 4/5 feet. Our floating dock, which had been 5 feet below the concrete dock wall was now level with it! (pic above)

Rather than watch the water we checked that our lines were secure and took a bus to visit Albany, NY state's capital city. Albany has some impressive buildings and an interesting museum. We bought lunch from a street vendor and ate it sitting by a lovely pool and fountain. Later we read that the pool freezes over and is used as an ice rink in winter!

Back in Waterford the weather had improved and with a good forecast all we had to do was wait for the water to go down. Still, there are some nice walks and lots of wildlife to spot!