2010 sailing in Chesapeake

Vessel Name: Chesapeake
27 June 2010 | Hudson River/Champlain Canal
26 June 2010
25 June 2010 | Hudson River
24 June 2010 | Hudson River
23 June 2010 | Hudson River
22 June 2010 | Hudson River
21 June 2010
17 June 2010 | east coast
16 June 2010 | Fairfax, Virginia
11 May 2010 | Annapolis, Maryland
07 May 2010 | Annapolis, Maryland
06 May 2010 | Mills Creek Maryland
05 May 2010 | Mills Creek, Maryland
05 May 2010 | Fairfax, Virginia
Recent Blog Posts
27 June 2010 | Hudson River/Champlain Canal

Coeymans to Lock One Marina

The next morning we had breakfast on the boat and then started taking down the mast. I took off the boom and put it in the boom bag and set it on the dock. That was easy. Then I assembled the canal crutch and installed it. That wasn't too bad. I dropped the mast as I usually do onto the crutch. [...]

26 June 2010

Catskill to Coeymans

The next morning we had breakfast on the boat. The night before I had realized that I forgot the "U" top for the mast crutch. I had to figure out some kind of replacement. I was trying to think of a way get to a marine store to buy a roller or to use PVC or something. Then it dawned on me that the [...]

25 June 2010 | Hudson River

Kingston to Catskill

The next morning we had breakfast and coffee on the boat. Then we took off. I had checked the tide tables this time so we left a little after low tide. This meant we had the incoming tide behind us as we went up river sine the tide actually reverses the flow of the Hudson. It was a wonderful trip! [...]

24 June 2010 | Hudson River

Lay day in Kingston

The next morning was sunny and hot. After showers we went to the deli for breakfast. However, they were slow as molasses so we walked over to a natural foods place. This is not usually my kind of breakfast, but I must say it was good. And they had WiFi.

23 June 2010 | Hudson River

Hyde park to Kingston

The next morning I went to the bathrooms to shave and shower. When I ran the water to shave, it came out brown. No big deal I thought, just rust in the pipes form not being used. I let it run for 15 minutes and it did not get any better, maybe worse. I checked the taps on the docks, same thing. [...]

22 June 2010 | Hudson River

Newburgh to Hyde Park

Today we are starting our trip for real. I set the alarm for 6:30AM. After showers and such we went to Panera for a 30 minute breakfast and WiFi session.

Coeymans to Lock One Marina

27 June 2010 | Hudson River/Champlain Canal
The next morning we had breakfast on the boat and then started taking down the mast. I took off the boom and put it in the boom bag and set it on the dock. That was easy. Then I assembled the canal crutch and installed it. That wasn't too bad. I dropped the mast as I usually do onto the crutch. Then I started moving it forward. This caused the crutch to collapse into the cockpit. I thought the pipe connections would be tight enough to prevent this but they were not. I had to re-engineer the crutch so that it leaned backward slightly to prevent this. This took a while.

Then I started taking down, coiling and stowing the shrouds and stays. This took a long time. Mary provided a lot of advice. I installed the antenna attachment and it worked perfectly. Mary suggested that we store the boom on the foredeck. She said she could work around it. So I wedged it into the side and foredeck and bungeed it on.

After more than 2 hours we got everything ready. By now the restaurant was open so we went to lunch so Mary could have steamers.

We finally left after 1PM. We still had the tide with us, Pn the way up the river we passed Castleton-on-Hudson. This is place that has a self-service gin-pole! There was a boat making use of it as we went by.

We had rain by the time we got to Albany. The river was no longer tidal north of Albany so our speed dropped. North of Albany the river once again became very rural and small. We were bucking a slight current but making good time.

I had planned on staying at Troy dock, but when we got there it was very crowded and very open. We docked for a short time so I could ask about canal passes. Even in that short time we were bounced around a lot. Overnight probably would have been uncomfortable. The Dockmaster told me that we did not need a pas for the Troy lock.

We decided to keep going to the Lock One marina. I called ahead and they said they had space for us.

Going through the Troy lock we looked like a couple of goofs. We went to the east wall. There was a west wind blowing and you would think this would keep us against the wall. However it was pushing us off. We ended up with our stern t and our bow against the wall. I pulled us off and we made another try further down. This time it worked. The lock tender told us that in a west wind, take the west wall.

Shortly after leaving the Troy Lock, we passed the junction to the Erie Canal. I thought this was very exciting. Turn left and you can go 300 miles into the Great Lakes. Go north and you can go 200 miles to the St Lawrence Seaway. Pretty soon we came to Champlain Lock 1. We looked good when we entered. We bought 2 two day passes. One was dated, the other was not in case we decided to stay somewhere along the way. They were $10 each.

The marina was only a few miles up stream. However, this took us a while. The marina owner called on the cell wondering where we were.

The marina was very nice and very small. We got a nice spot on an interior wall. The restaurant next door, which I had counted on for food, was closed. We ended up eating peanut butter sandwiches on board. The marina only had one bathroom. When you entered and turned on the light, a full sized stop light lit up outside the door. It was visible from all over the marina so everyone knew not to go there.

After dinner we sat in the gazebo planning our trip. A very nice couple from the trawler "Grace" stopped by with their poodle Dixie to chat. They gave us a lot of good recommendation on places to stay and eat.

Catskill to Coeymans

26 June 2010
The next morning we had breakfast on the boat. The night before I had realized that I forgot the "U" top for the mast crutch. I had to figure out some kind of replacement. I was trying to think of a way get to a marine store to buy a roller or to use PVC or something. Then it dawned on me that the crutch was ½" pipe so if I could get some small nipples I could build a "U" and screw it on. It seemed I would have better luck finding ½" pipe than a roller and bracket.

I talked the guys hanging out around the marina and found that was a Lowes and Wal-Mart only 1 mile away! I put on sneakers and quickly hiked over to the plaza. I found all the pipe parts I needed and also bought hangers, lime and bungee cords at Wal-Mart.

I was back at the marina by 11:00 and we left around noon. We had the incoming tide with us the whole way and hot 7.7 kts, a new speed record. The river was getting narrower and twistier. The banks were even more rural, with an occasional spectacular house.

The marina at Coeymans is behind a breakwater. However, the breakwater is under water at high tide. When we arrived almost all of it was underwater. After a reconnoitering pass we entered form the south and motored over to the fuel dock. The cleats were huge! We tied up behind a pontoon boat that seemed to be just sitting there. I had to go to the store to find someone. She told me to just pump the gas and then tell her how much it was (3.6 gallons). I also got dockage and a Maptech chart of all of Lake Champlain. She had us tie up right in front the office among the Mainship trawlers that were for sale in a 50 foot slip. I was surprised that she wanted to use such a big slip for us.

When I went to pay I discovered they had a Maptech waterproof chart of the entire lake for $20. I snatched it up. We had a cocktail on the boat and then went to the restaurant, Yanni's Too. It was very good.

After dinner we asked one of the marina staff how to get to town so we good walk around. He looked at us oddly and then told us how to get the main drag and a prohibition era bar. When we got to the top of the hill we saw why he looked at us strangely. There was not much to town and what there was, was not impressive. We kept walking looking for the bar. We never found it but we did find a marvelous old building that was now a senior facility.

Kingston to Catskill

25 June 2010 | Hudson River
The next morning we had breakfast and coffee on the boat. Then we took off. I had checked the tide tables this time so we left a little after low tide. This meant we had the incoming tide behind us as we went up river sine the tide actually reverses the flow of the Hudson. It was a wonderful trip! We went as fast as 7.4 knots according to the GPS, which is significantly faster then I have ever gone under motor in Chesapeake.

The river is getting more rural as we head north. Again we saw mansions we could not identify. Some I think are really private homes.

We could see the Catskill Mountains off to the west as we went north. We stayed at the Catskill Marina. In is down Catskill Creek across from a rock formation known as Hop-a-Nose. It really does look like a giant nose. When we pulled up to the dock, the guy there could not have been more laid back. When I asked for dockage he said sure, take any one you want. I asked if we could take the face dock so we would have more breeze. He said sure. I think he would have said sure to anything I suggested.

After we got tied off and registered we had a cocktail and then went to the pool. It was smaller than the last one but just as refreshing. The weather was still hot and humid.
After cooling off we walked into town. Catskill was larger than we expected. Unfortunately not all of it was well maintained. We walked the main drag looking for a store since we were out of cocktails and chips. All we found was a tiny convenience store. We found a number of restaurants, some of which looked good, most not. We picked out a little café for dinner later.

Catskill had decorated cats just like Rochester had decorated sheep. However, they had a LOT of cats. Some were clever,

On the way back to the boat we found a little bakery. We felt in the need of lunch since we had not eaten on the way up. The owner was a character. I had an excellent homemade pulled pork sandwich with homemade coleslaw. Mary had a pastry. We sat outside and ate. It was very pleasant.

Back at the marina I asked about a grocery. The convenience store was it. I bought some more Corona.

For dinner we wanted to go to the café we picked out but it was closed. So were most of the places. We ended up at an Italian place (Coco de Oro I think)that was actually quite good.

Lay day in Kingston

24 June 2010 | Hudson River
The next morning was sunny and hot. After showers we went to the deli for breakfast. However, they were slow as molasses so we walked over to a natural foods place. This is not usually my kind of breakfast, but I must say it was good. And they had WiFi.

After breakfast we walked to the Maritime Museum. They did not open until 11AM and we did not want to stay around that long. I needed gas so we motored to a private marina about a ½ mile up the creek. I bought 4.5 gallons and paid $3.86 per gallon! While at the fuel dock, a guy from a Beneteau 28 came over and mentioned that there was severe thunderstorms watch on until 6PM. I could not get a NOAA forecast on the VHF so we went back to City Dock and the harbormaster brought it up on her laptop. There was indeed a watch out and the radar showed a big mess heading right for us.

We decided to stay another night. The private marina, Rondout Yacht Basin was very nice and had a pool! It was very hot and humid. I called and got a slip. They put us in a very nice protected slip and we headed for the pool. It was fantastic!

A little while later a thunderstorm hit, but there was no lightening. After the storm we went back to the pool. Another storm hit, but again no lightening. There were no restaurants near the Yacht Basin so we took the boat down to City Dock for dinner. We paid $5 for 2 hours and ate at a very nice steak and seafood restaurant that was recommended by some folks we met at the pool.

The marina had cable TV so I hooked up the adapter that turns my laptop into and HDTV. Mary watched TV for several hours in the evening while I read and did internet. We also did laundry.

Hyde park to Kingston

23 June 2010 | Hudson River
The next morning I went to the bathrooms to shave and shower. When I ran the water to shave, it came out brown. No big deal I thought, just rust in the pipes form not being used. I let it run for 15 minutes and it did not get any better, maybe worse. I checked the taps on the docks, same thing. Mary checked the ladies room, same thing. All the water in the marina was brown! It may have been perfectly safe, but I didn't want to try it. I had about 3 gallons of water on the boat so cleaned up and made coffee with that. We did without showers.

We stayed around until 11AM so we could get lunch at the CIA. We ate at the Apple Pie Café again and again it was terrific.

We left sometime after noon and headed to Kingston. Mary is really getting into the navigation. She doesn't understand all the chart notations, but she knows enough to know when to look for a can or a nun. The Hudson was beautiful. We saw the Culinary Institute form the water, the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park and several others mansions we could not identify. We passed some barges being pushed by tugs. It seems most barges are being pushed, not many are towed. We passed the Esopus meadows lighthouse which was lovely.

It was sunny and hot so we tried to motor with the bimini up. After a while I took it down because of the wind. We started out just before slack tide so we had the tide with us and the later against us. It made a difference of 6.1 to 5.6 knots, which is significant for us.

The entrance into Rondout Creek was hard to find, but once we figured out it really was by the Kingston Lighthouse it was easy to follow. We got a slip at Kingston City Dock. This is right in the historic district and convenient to 8-10 restaurants and a small deli. It is right next to the Hudson River Maritime Museum.

After we tied off and paid, we walked around town. We were in Rondout, which is not really Kingston proper. We stopped in the Visitor's Center, only a few blocks from the dock. It was a very nice place with a good museum on the history of Rondout upstairs. We picked up a walking tour of Rondout but it was so hot and humid we decided to put it off until tomorrow. We stopped at the deli for an Italian ice. While sitting outside eating the ice I discovered we could do a large section of the walking tour from our chairs!

After the ice we felt refreshed and did the rest of the tour. We learned that the scruffy looking island across form our slip was actually a man made island from the 1800's coal trade. We got some great pictures of the marina form the bridge crossing Rondout Creek (built in 1922).

After the tour we went back to the boat and had cocktails (Corona with lime). For dinner we ate at a large restaurant right on the waterfront. We had an excellent table outside ith a view of the river.

Newburgh to Hyde Park

22 June 2010 | Hudson River
Today we are starting our trip for real. I set the alarm for 6:30AM. After showers and such we went to Panera for a 30 minute breakfast and WiFi session.

We stopped to top off the gas in the rental car and then went to return it. At Enterprise it did not take long to return the car and the charges were correct. The young lady that gave us a ride back to the marina was originally from Troy. At the boat we tidied up and rested until the marina office opened. When the office opened I bought ice and returned the key.

We left about 10AM. We were close to slack tide so we made good progress. Mary was a very conscientious navigator and kept a sharp lookout for each buoy. We were heading for the Hyde Park Marina. This is within walking didtance of the Culinary Institut of America. We planned to dock there and eat at the CIA. I called the Hyde Park Marina but just got an answering machine. I left a message with our particulars and a callback number. I also called the CIA. We could not get into American Bounty, but did get into the French restaurant.

I tried to call the Hyde Park Marina several more times but just got the answering machine. The trip up the river was nice, but the scenery was not as spectacular as around Storm King or as what I expected further north. As we approached the Mid-Hudson Bridge, the current got stronger and our speed dropped from 6.1 knots to 5.6. The weather had been cloudy but dry all morning. Now we started to get a little rain. However, it was very light and not worth putting on foul weather gear.

Past the bridge I could see the marina. We headed for it and I tried to call again. When we were close enough to read the sign for the Brass Anchor restaurant, I hailed them on channel 16. I did not get an answer. There was a floating dock near the sign so I docked the boat and went ashore looking for people.

There was a shack that might have been an office but it was locked up tight. The Brass Anchor Restaurant appeared to be a tent with a shack next door. Even that had fallen into disrepair and was nothing but a tubing shell. There was no one in or around the boat basin.

I saw some guys chipping brush and asked them. They said the guy who usually ran the place was in Florida because his mother died. They suggested I try the bathrooms. There was no one there. I was pretty sure someone was around because I had seen a golf cart drive around the basin.

I kept looking for someone. I finally found a guy working on a boat motor in a plastic Quonset hut. He said he could take care of me. He assigned me a slip and told me it was $2 a foot. I pulled the boat away from the floating dock and entered the boat basin. It was nice and protected. The guy was there to help us dock. I brought the boat in to a nice soft landing, he took the bow line from Mary and I grabbed the stern line and hopped onto the dock to tie off. I ended up in water to my ankles! The floating dock had sunk into the river when I stepped on it. It came back up but was barely above water level. I commented that this was unique, but we tied off anyway.

We were on the way to his office to do the paperwork when a 37 foot sailboat docked. The marina guy called a young Hispanic man in a golf cart over to take me to office while he talked to the 37 footer. He told the guy to take me to his shop. The Hispanic guy grinned at me and said "You get beer?" I said "Beer? No.". He grinned and drove off. He took us out of the yard and across the railroad tracks. Then up a hill towards the highway. By then I realized that he thought I wanted to go shopping. I told him no, I wanted to go to the office. He turned around and took me back. When I walked into the office the marina guy said "Where on earth have you been?" I explained the aborted beer run.

After we settled in, we walked to the CIA. It was not a long walk, maybe a mile or so. We had lunch at the Apple Pie Café; it is an informal café but still had outstanding food. After that we jumped on one of the tours of the campus. It was pretty interesting.

By now it was raining. We walked back to the marina in the rain. We were soaked by the time we got there. I put up the bimini and we spread things out to dry. The interior of the boat was fine, and under the bimini was also OK. We had 8PM reservation at Escoffiae, the French restaurant. By 7:30 it was pouring rain. Instead of canceling, we decided to walk to the CIS in the rain with our good clothes on. Mary wore her foul weather jacket and took and umbrella. I carried the beach umbrella! This worked somewhat, but we were both wet by the time we got there. We both went into the restrooms and used the hot air dryers to dry off. After that we were reasonably presentable. We then went in the dining room and spent $155 for dinner!

About & Links