And We're Off!

Sunday's BonVoyage gathering was such a kick!  It was so great to have friends and family share some time with us before we left...it was important for us to see all of them.

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We successfully cast off from Stratford on Wednesday June 2, 2010 and went straight to our local pump out before beginning our first leg to Stamford-only 3 hours away but it was a good shake down for us. Erika, Charles and Lucie had reserved a slip in their marina so we were able to enjoy our last Connecticut meal with them.

Left by 6:15 AM Thursday because we knew it would be a long distance to Tarrytown and we needed to catch the tide at Hell’s Gate. About an hour out the engine began to run very hot and Pete began his bag of tricks until the problem healed itself. We were happy that we could continue but this delay made our run thru Hell’s Gate somewhat more challenging. The NYC skyline is always an awesome sight and this perfect weather day was no exception. Passing Reicker’s Island with it’s overflow barge, through Hell’s Gate and up the Harlem River with no other recreational boats made us think we’re the only ones enjoying our boat. After arriving in Tarrytown we met another “looper” who’s been doing this loop since March of 09!!! And then we saw a boat sink at the dock while going for its sea trial-talk about failing a sea trial! Major bummer! Sister Diane met us at the marina and treated us to a delicious meal at the Striped Bass Restaurant-Thanks, Sister!

Harlem River Cardboard Condos

Friday was another long day as we pushed to get to Kingston. West Point is always awesome to see, especially from the water. We got a slip at the Hideaway Marina in Kingston which probably had the worst facilities we had ever seen. We were able to get a tasty meal at an outdoor table with Buddy at our feet. Again we saw “looper” boats and are surprised at the number of people doing this trip. Most are from FL with others from Tennessee and Texas.

Saturday we left early to make it to Waterford where the Mohawk  River (the end of the Erie Canal) meets the Hudson River and the Champlain Waterway begins. They have a free dock(If it's free, it's for me!) where many people hold up for a couple of days before continuing their journey and that’s what we did while tornado warnings and heavy thunderstorms pelted the area.

Monday we began the Champlain Canal leg of our trip. It was fairly windy which caused Joanne to become anxious, thinking about her hand breaking on a similar windy day last September in Lock 11 but after she mastered securing the lock lines on the cleat everything was pretty uneventful. We ended our day in Fort Edwards where the good restaurants are closed on Monday – the only place open made the most overdone pork chops in NY state…food wasn’t even fit to bring back for Buddy! Temperature tonight is supposed to be in the low 40’s…hope the heater works!

Tuesday we completed the Champlain Canal, mostly the dug out section, leaving the Hudson River to veer to the west.  This section is monotonous, with only the growth on the shore and cows for wildlife to keep us entertained.  Arrived in Whitehall, NY, the birthplace of the US Navy.  They have an interesting looking museum but unfortunately, it doesn't open for the season until next week.