Erie Canal

On Wednesday, June 10th, we arrived at Hop-O-Nose Marina in Catskill NY where we planned to build a couple of cradles and un-step the mast in preparation for the 340 mile trip on the Erie Canal. The maximum bridge clearance on the canal is 15 ½ feet so our 63 ft. mast has to come down.
Friday morning the mast was down and loaded on the deck and we started on our last day up the Hudson River to Albany, NY. Once again we arrived with the Hudson anniversary replica fleet and watched the celebration at the Albany Yacht Club. Denise, Kevin and Reese ended their trip in Albany and flew back to the real world on Saturday morning. I’m glad we had a week to share the experience with them.
Sunday was Andy’s 27th Birthday so we went downtown for dinner and after that we took in an arena football game. Later Sunday evening Gary Gaudreau flew in to rejoin the crew for the rest of the trip home.
On Monday the 15th the three of us entered the Erie Canal in Troy NY about 9:00 AM. Within two hours we had passed through the first 5 locks called the Waterford Step. In this group of locks boats are raised 169 feet, five times the total lift of the Panama Canal. By the end of the day Monday we had transited 11 locks before arriving in Amsterdam NY for the evening.
Tuesday we passed through 8 more locks on our way to Herkimer, NY. Mid afternoon we passed through lock #17, the largest single step lock on the canal, a 40 foot lift. The original canal had 5 locks to raise boats at this site. There are ruins of the old canal where you can see the original canal walls and the towpath that ran alongside it. The original Erie Canal was only 40 ft. wide and 4 ft. deep and mules, on the adjacent towpath, pulled the barges through. Later , as steam powered vessels became self propelled, much of the old barge canal was replaced with wider/deeper “canalized” stretches of rivers. Tuesday evening we tied up on a canal wall in Herkimer, NY.
Wednesday we traveled 92 miles, including 20 miles across the open waters of Oneida Lake , ending up for the evening in Baldwinsville, NY.

Thoughts from Denise

Reese Goes to Summer School

Taking land lubbing family members for an afternoon ride on your treasured sailing vessel is one thing -- inviting them along for a week with you boating the Hudson River is another! In a weak moment that’s exactly what Brad did, and brother Kevin (Stu), nephew Reese (8), and sister Denise were only too happy to accept the invitation. Brad’s son Andy would be joining us as well, and he’ll remain on the boat after we depart.

We packed Andy’s car with provisions for the 12 hour drive to NY: blue Gatorade, red bull, pop tarts, Doritos, pretzels, and 4 lbs of red licorice. Don’t worry, Clare, the licorice was made from strawberries. Andy drove half the distance, Stu and I shared the other half. Reese slept for the majority of the trip, waking up at 4am. He said he always wakes up early. We were all surprised by the landscape as we neared West Haverstraw, NY. We weren’t expecting the beautiful hills and scenic winding roads that greeted us when we rolled into town at 5:30am. Thinking it was a bit early to wake Brad, Jay and Linda, we drove into town to look for a place to get breakfast and gas (for the car). We found a great local deli staffed by Puerto Ricans and got our orders in just before the rush of locals started coming in for their breakfasts to go.
After breakfast we found the marina and the Northern Light crew greeted us warmly. Before going aboard, Reese learned the importance of wearing a life jacket on the boat. Captain Brad filled us in on some essential information, assigned tasks (Reese will raise and lower the flags each day), and we were off on our first adventure. We started with a trip to Phillipsburg Manor where Reese and I learned how to milk a cow. From there we took a shuttle bus to the John D. Rockefeller estate. WOW, what a beautiful setting, and the home wasn’t too shabby either. At the estate Reese got some lessons in human anatomy as we passed by larger-than-life statues throughout the property. By the end of the day Reese had developed a fine blue moustache after drinking four of the Gatorades. Stu and Andy are on a mission to clean that upper lip, but so far haven’t succeeded.
Sunday morning Stu, Reese and Iwent for a jog before church. Reese learned the importance of pacing himself on a jog, but neither Stu nor I complained when we had to stop and give Reese rest breaks. They were never long enough. After church, we motored out of the marina, dodging water police, kayakers, and the Hudson River quadricentennial flotilla as they were all coming into the marina for the day’s celebration festivities. We motored to Newburgh and docked at a marina in the waterfront district of Newburgh. The place was packed with people awaiting the arrival of the flotilla later that day. We were treated to live music from three bars along the waterfront. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t make those three different styles of music sound like three part harmony to my ears. About 6pm the noise went up a few notches as the flotilla began to arrive. In the lead was a Coast Guard cutter, then came a parade of floating vessels: water boats shooting off their water cannons, police boats with lights flashing, canoeists, kayakers, stink boats, the flotilla itself, some of whom were shooting off cannons, and bringing up the rear was another Coast Guard cutter. All the while the boaters at the marina were honking their horns. It was quite exciting. During the excitement we were treated to a young lady making a wardrobe change in a boat not too far away. Clare, I tried to distract Reese, but I was no match for that cute girl. Stu, Reese and Andy were standing at the end of the dock when the Half Moon (replica of the ship Henry Hudson sailed) clipped it. A lesson in paying attention when you’re at the wheel. Yesterday while visiting the Hudson River Maritime Museum, we noticed a photo taken in 1909 showing the Half Moon replica o ship ramming another ship. Must be a Half Moon tradition to hit something at these river celebrations.
During our motoring down the river that day we spotted a Rocky Mountain on the riverbank that appeared to have a hiking trail. We anchored the boat and took the dinghy ashore. We were advised by some hikers to take the forest trail rather that the rock face trail. We had a real nice hike in the beautiful mature woods. We didn’t make it to the top of the trail before deciding we should head back to the dinghy. As we launched the dinghy Reese found out the importance of proper weight distribution in an overloaded dinghy. Don’t worry, Clare, he had his life jacket on and Andy would’ve gone in first if we had capsized. That night while Brad and I made dinner Reese was getting a math lesson from cousin Andy who was teaching him how to play Black Jack. He’s real good at adding to 21 now, Clare.
After galley duty I joined the guys for some 5 Card Stud. Andy’s already making plans for a Las Vegas trip with Reese as soon as he’s of legal age. Our next night we moored at Hyde Park Landing. This night Reese was taught the finer points of peeing off the boat - proper wind direction, good arcing angles, and whatever else he needs to know about that manly ritual. I have to admit I’m jealous I can’t participate, it’s a bit trickier for women! But I still have three and a half days to perfect a system.

Yesterday we found a great docking spot in Kingston, NY, right in front of the Hudson River Maritime Museum. After docking, we found another local deli where we had lunch. Reese switched to an orange flavored drink to add a little more color to his upper lip. After our private guided tour of the museum, Stu and I went for a jog, then off to do laundry and get some supplies. Reese chose a lavendar colored Gatorade this time. I was able to wash Reese’s Red Wings jersey after I assured him he would be able to wear it to watch the game later that night. Unfortunately, Andy’s prediction that washing the shirt would jinx the team came true. They lost last night’s game, but there’s still a chance to win the Stanley Cup. Sorry, Clare, I think the lesson learned from that experience was “don’t wash your jerseys”.

At the grocery store I requested eight strips of their artery clogging, man-sized bacon. The man at the counter didn’t understand English too well and we went back to the boat with at least two dozen strips of bacon. Breakfast today was cooked by Andy, great scrambled eggs, bacon enlaced with “gelatinous gobs of fat“, coffee, OJ. Sue, you would have been proud. I topped my meal off with a couple pieces of licorice. Perfect! Clare, I’m afraid to say that Reese is now a real bacon lover, I heard him ask for more after he finished his first six pieces. After switching to the lavendar colored Gatorade, his upper has taken on the same color as the rest of his face - dirty brown. I’ll drop some hints to Stu tonight about throwing Reese in the shower for an hour or two. He does have clean underwear at least!
This brings us up to date. We are motoring up to Catskill, NY where we’ll spend the rest of our time on this great adventure. I am truly having a great time, and I honestly wish you all were here (but I’m not sharing my comfy berth with anyone but Steve).

I just heard Andy up on deck say something to Reese about a barge passing by and mooning. I think I better get up there with my camera.

Denise signing off.

Monday, 6/1, we continued our trip down the New Jersey coast to the Manasquan Inlet. That afternoon, after several failed attempts to find a deep water dock in Brielle NJ, we were forced to anchor at the end of a small creek amongst a fleet of shrimp boats. The tidal current there was very strong so we set two anchors to limit our swing as the tide changed. We went to sleep listening to the anchor lines groaning until about 9:30 PM when one of the lines finally broke. Without the second anchor there was no way we could stay in that tight location so back out into the Ocean we went in the dark. We sailed south another 35 miles till we rounded Sandy Hook and found an anchorage in Sandy Hook Bay around 2:00 AM. Sleep came easily that morning.
Tuesday we made the short trip out of Sandy Hook Bay, under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, into New York Harbor and anchored in a basin behind Liberty Island the home of The Statue of Liberty.
Thursday, 6/4, after two days of enjoying the sights in the “ Big Apple”, we left early to catch the flood tide on our way to Haverstraw Marina in Haverstraw ,NY. Here Andy, my sister Denise and my brother Kevin and his son, Reese will join us for the trip up the Hudson River. Jay and Linda will leave the boat and drive Andy’s car back to Michigan.
While in Haverstraw we drove to Sleepy Hollow, NY and spent an afternoon touring Kykuit, the estate built by John D. Rockefeller.
Late Sunday morning, 6/7, we left Haverstraw just as the flotilla of replica ships arrived as part of the Hudson Quadricentennail. This is a weeklong trip of replica ships sailing up the Hudson River to commemorate Henry Hudson’s discovery of the river that bears his name. More info is available at the website http://www.exploreny400.com/ . The fleet includes a replica of Hudson’s square rigger the Half Moon. That evening we arrived at Front Street Marina in Newburgh NY , several hours later the anniversary fleet also arrived for the night.
Monday, 6/8, we anchored at Hyde Park Landing and spent the afternoon touring the Vanderbilt estate, another of the many mansions and castles that line this part of the river.
Tuesday, 6/9, we traveled up the river to Kingston and we were able to dock at the Hudson River Maritime Museum. We will have to leave early tomorrow because the Hudson fleet is arriving and evicting us.

Tour of the Big Apple!

Yesterday, Tuesday we stayed at one of our best anchorages of the trip and a milestone we have been looking forward to. The anchorage behind the Statue of Liberty in Liberty Park, it was awesome!

Today we had a wonderful day touring the City of Manhattan. We covered a lot of ground by ferry boat, buses and the famous New York Subway. They sure have a great public transportation system.

We started with the Empire State Building Observatory and the great sites of the city. If you look real hard you can see Northern Light across the Hudson River in the Lincoln Harbor Marina in this photo.

Next, we made a visit to Saint Patrick’s Cathedral and said a few prayers of Thanksgiving.

We spent a lot of time at the World Trade Center Memorial & Museum; it was a very moving experience that we will not forget. The photos of all of those lost on 9/11/01 were overwhelming to us.

This photo is the plan for the future WTC, a single tower 110 stories high and memorial park. Building has started and is scheduled for completion sometime in 2012.

We ended the day taking the subway to China Town for a great Chinese dinner. A great day in the Big Apple!

Delaware/New Jersey

Friday morning on the 29th we left Annapolis early in a light fog; by noon we were coming off the Chesapeake Bay and entering the Elk River. The Elk River turns into the C&D Canal on the North end of the Delmar peninsula. The C&D Canal, the third busiest canal in the world, was dug in the early 1800’s to provide a water route between the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware Bay.
We spent the evening at dock in the Summit North Marina in Bear, DE.

Saturday morning we woke at 3:00 AM for a very early departure. The tidal current in the canal and northern part of the Delaware Bay runs up to 4 mph as the tide ebbs and floods, so we needed to time our departure with the falling tide. Traveling with the tide we move at 10 mph, against it we go 2 mph. On the days trip of 60 miles you can see why we departed when we did.

That evening we stayed in Cape May, NJ at the South Jersey Marina. Cape May is a delightful little resort/fishing village on the southern end of the Jersey shore.

The town was founded in the 1630’s, in the early 1800’s it became a resort area for visitors from Philadelphia, Baltimore and New York City. Today the entire town is on National Historic Register as a Historic Landmark City. The town also hosts a fleet of the best maintained shrimp boats we have seen, all brightly painted.
As we entered the harbor we viewed the graduation exercises for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy located in Cape May.

Sunday, the 31st, we left Cape May and traveled in the Atlantic Ocean up the New Jersey coast to Atlantic City. We anchored for the evening in a small basin just inside the Absecon Inlet. We will be travelling in the ocean for the entire trip up to the New York Harbor because our mast height prohibits us from using the N.J, intracoastal waterway.

Historical Annapolis!

Yesterday we spent a day on a wonderful walking tour of historic Annapolis, Maryland. These are just some of the highlights and photos of what we enjoyed:

The State House (Where George Washington resigned his commission in 1783 and is the location where the Treaty of Paris was ratified by Congress in 1784 ending the Revolutionary War). It is the oldest State capitol in continuous legislative use.

St. Mary’s Church (Built in 1860 and designed by architect Louis L. Long)

suThe Charles Carroll of Carrollton Home (Built in 1749). Charles held the distinction of being the only Roman Catholic and the longest living signer of the Declaration of Independence.

>

-

The Hammond-Harwood House (Built in 1774 and designed by architect William Buckland)

United States Naval Academy (Established in 1845 is home to 4,000 midshipmen during their 4 years of training to become officers in the Navy or Marine Corps). The Chapel and Museum housing the best collection of ship models from 17^th century to modern times were awesome.

Saint John’s College (Chartered in 1784 and today is best known for its curriculum based on the Great Books program)

The Green House (Built in 1740, Jonas Green was public printer and Publisher of the Maryland Gazette)

We sure enjoyed the history of Annapolis!

Chesapeake Bay

Sunday, 24th : We left the free dock early after a brief visit with an elderly Japanese couple on the boat next to us. They were heading west, eventually to the Panama Canal then returning home across the Pacific. Somehow our six thousand mile loop doesn’t look so big anymore. That morning we motored down the Elizabeth River through Norfolk VA past the many boatyards and out into the Chesapeake Bay. That evening we arrived at the Deltaville Marina on the west side of the Bay in Deltaville VA.
Monday, 25th: We left Deltaville traveling north up the Chesapeake; we crossed the Potomac River and crossed into Maryland. That evening we anchored in the rain on the Patuxent River near Solomons Island.
Tuesday, 26th: The day started out like so many previous days; weighed anchor at 06:30 and had the sails up by 07:00. The forecast was for east winds 10-15 knots, perfect for that day’s trip. Surprise, by 08:00 the wind was a steady 40 knots with gusts up to 50! The wind and rain made for the most exhilarating day on the water that I have ever experienced. After what seemed like 40 hours we finished the 60 mile trip and arrived in the harbor at Annapolis, MD, actually it was only around 1:00 in the afternoon. The boat was such a mess that we knew we would need a couple of days here to put things back together. Wind and waves like we had just come through make things below deck look like they went through the washing machine spin cycle.It worked out good because the weather forecast for the next couple of days called for rain and scattered thunderstorms and we sure didn’t have a stomach for anymore of that for awhile. That evening after 2 Motrin and 2 Margarita's life was good again.
Wednesday we straightened up the boat and shopped for groceries. Thursday we had some time to enjoy this great maritime harbor town. Annapolis claims to be the sailing capital of America and it would be hard to argue that title. Between all the fabulous old buildings, the many boats, the great seafood restaurants and the Naval Academy there was plenty to see and do.

Deliverance From The Great Dismal Swamp!

Thursday we departed Oriental, NC early for a long travel day. It turned out to be a 75 mile trip one of longest on the Loop. A beautiful day spent motor sailing most of the day across the Sound and rivers. We found a beautiful anchorage on the Alligator River off Tuckahoe Point.

Friday, we made it to the Great Dismal Swamp after a great morning motor sailing on the Alligator River and across the Albemarle Sound. We had to dodge a lot of crab pots (was like a mine field at times) but a beautiful sunny day on the water. Arrived at Elizabeth City and the Pasquotank River the entrance to the Dismal Swamp. We wanted to top off our diesel fuel and Lambs Marina was the only place we could find it. We should have known we were in trouble when Billy Bob had difficulty telling port from starboard. When we tried reaching them on the VHF radio we found out their radio was not working, but we went there anyway, down a very narrow channel with minimum depth. We tied up at the only dock deep enough for us and had to wait for the fuel truck to come to our dock. When we saw the fuel truck (an old 1970 Ford F600) that wouldn’t start (because it was out of fuel!) we started to really get worried. After Billy Bob spilled diesel fuel all over the hose and himself, we decided to use our diesel jugs to top off and depart ASAP. Interesting but not one of our best fuel stops just part of the adventure! We did find a great anchorage behind Goat Island; it was so quiet and peaceful.

Today we crossed through the Great Dismal Swamp Canal and into Virginia. It is the oldest operating man made waterway in the US, first used in 1805 to transport flat bottomed vessels with grain and farm animals the 22 mile length. Our trip started early in dark flat water the appeared as a mirror reflecting the trees from each bank. The canal in narrow, only 60 feet wide in some sections with over hanging branches made it interesting. We made 3 stops, 2 locks and a stop at the NC Visitors Center dock. After we left the 2^nd lock we had an engine problem. The engine was running hot due to not enough water coming through the intake. Had to stop and emergency anchor and Captain Brad had to go down into the dark water (zero visibility) with his pony SCUBA tank and clean the intake port under the boat. It was almost like the Great Dismal Swamp was saying “Not so fast Northern Light, I am not finished with you yet”. We did make it passed the Swamp and stayed at a dock at the Chesapeake Yacht Boat Yard near Norfolk, VA.

We are all looking forward to tomorrow when we will enter the Chesapeake Bay!

Camp LeJeune Lagoon

Friday, May 15th we left Wrightsville Beach and traveled 42 miles down the ICW to a lagoon inside the Camp Le Jeune Marine military base. The Marines allow boaters to stay in the lagoon but we are not allowed to leave the boat or go ashore. After observing their training maneuvers we decided to follow their rules. We got a front row seat to training exercises that included troops deploying from vertical takeoff fixed wing aircraft. When we arrived in the lagoon there was one other boat at anchor, two hours later there were 17. The site is about the only spot available to anchor on the waterway from Wrightsville Beach to Beaufort.

Saturday we motor sailed the 40 miles to Beaufort N.C... We had gone to Beaufort several years ago by car and enjoyed it very much, so we were anxious to see it again. We spent a couple days taking in the sights at this historic seaport. They do a great job of retaining and commemorating their history in the area. The town is full of beautifully restored homes, churches and store fronts. Susan and I spent an hour in one of the old church burying grounds with grave sites dating back to the early 1700’s.

Monday afternoon Susan and I rented a car and drove to the airport in Raleigh Durham. Susan flew home Tuesday morning to help care for her mother. Jan had heart bypass surgery last Saturday and her recovery has been slow. I’m sure Sue will provide invaluable support to her parents as they work through this difficult time. We’re all praying for you Jan. I’ll miss my first mate immensely; I hope we are together again soon.

Tuesday morning I returned to the boat and Linda, Jay and I left the Beaufort Docks around noon. After a wet breezy ride we arrived at the Oriental Harbor Marina in Oriental, NC late that afternoon. Wednesday we stayed at the dock waiting for the rain and high winds to pass. We plan to get an early start tomorrow morning and start to make up for some lost time.

Myrtle Beach Bike Week!

Monday, while waiting for Kurt the mechanic to arrive we had an opportunity to explore Georgetown a little more and enjoy a leisurely walk down quiet streets and historic homes. When the mechanic arrived at Northern Light he had his work cut out for him; after taking apart half the engine he was able to find the cause of our engine problem and made the necessary repairs. It was a disconnected wire (due to engine vibration) to the solenoid of the starter, hidden by the alternator.

Thankfully, we were back on the ICW and happy to be moving again. We had a beautiful trip on the Waccamaw River through abandoned rice fields and large plantations and antebellum homes.

Arrived at our anchorage a little later than usual where we found several other boats. We named it Jay’s Oxbow since it was unnamed. We anchored near a couple (Ed & Linda) from Daytona Beach aboard “Sea Smoke” a New England style Lobster boat. Our anchorage was near Bucksport, SC named after Captain Henry Buck a famous Lumber Baron.

Tuesday we departed our anchorage early for a short trip (25 miles) to Myrtle Beach. A great stop for all of us, just happen to be Motorcycle Bike Week for the boys and a great shopping opportunities for the girls right at our location at the Barefoot Landing Marina. Myrtle Beach got its name for the waxy leaves of the native Myrtle bushes in the area.

Wednesday was another early departure for a longer trip up the ICW into North Carolina. After a quick stop for fuel we traveled through some interesting areas. First, we negotiated the “Rock Pile” a very narrow part of the canal with large rock formations on either side. Then we got to a very unique pontoon bridge where the center span actually floats away to allow passage through. We had a short wait with several other boats since it only opens on the hour.

We got to the North Carolina Border about 10am and enjoyed the sights of sea birds, turtles and dolphins, especially at our great anchorage near Cape Fear, Dutchman’s Creek where we could see the tall (169 feet) Cape Fear Inlet Light. It was an interesting day with a lot of narrows, strong tidal currents, breezy and scenic nature and wildlife to keep us entertained.

Today we crossed the Cape Fear River on the way to Wrightsville Beach at the Seapath Yacht Club. Made very good time motor sailing and got to our dock just before the rains came. We hope to go outside (Atlantic Ocean) and do some sailing tomorrow if the wind and weather cooperate.

It is great to be back aboard Northern Light, thanks so much to our dear friends for the wonderful adventure!