Portsmouth NH - Buffalo NY Update 4

Monday, 12 Sept 2011

As we last left our intrepid voyagers, the Erie Canal had been closed for the rest of the season (and probably most of next year) due to severe damage to three locks and dams on the system. We are moored in Kingston NY waiting for the flood waters in our alternate route, the Champlain Canal system, to recede. We have removed the hard top and radar arch to make our air draft 16 feet and 6 inches.

We have been waiting now exactly one week, with daily updates checked on the internet thru www.canals.ny.gov and daily calls to the Federal Lock at Troy NY and Lock C3 on the Champlain for updates on their progress. Today, we finally received word that the Federal Lock will be reopening tomorrow and that the locks on the Champlain Canal will reopen at 0700 on Wednesday.  So, it is with this renewed confidence in our situation that the family went next door to the Hudson River Maritime Museum for our last day in port.

To celebrate, I rented an SUV and we went to town for steak dinner followed by a couple of lines of bowling in Ulster NY at the Hoe Bowl. It was great to break the mental frustration that a week’s delay created. Fun was had by all!!

Tuesday, 13 Sept 2011

We get underway today for the 54 mile run up to Troy and the Federal Lock. The plan is to pass thru the lock and proceed on to Lock C1 and tie to the lock wall for the night so we are in position when they open at 0700 on Wednesday.

1000: We have a late departure to coincide with the change in tide and thus we will enjoy a push all the way past Albany. We head out to Rondoubt Creek Light and turn left to continue up the Hudson River in the company of the 44’ Californian “High Spirit” with Bill and Barbara from Boca Raton.

As we get closer to Albany, we see more and more signs of just how high the water got when Hurricane Irene passed thru. It explains why we are dodging trees on our way up the Hudson.

But besides watching out for debris, there are other sights to see on the Upper Hudson.

 Saugerties Light

Hudson-Athens Light

 Anyone who has run up the Hudson to the Erie or Champlain Canals knows Troy Dock as the last stop for food and fuel before entering the Federal Dock. After the flood took out the docks, they are done for the season.

We arrive, like clockwork, to the Federal Lock and it makes us all happy that they are in operation; after waiting all this long! We lock up with “High Spirit” and another sailboat. Bill on “High Spirit” is stopping at Waterford as we proceed further up to tied up on the wall at the first lock in the Champlain Canal. This will be the last we see of “High Spirit.”

Just before 1700, we arrive at Lock C1. There is a lockmaster in the office. He hasn’t seen a private vessel since Hurricane Irene and called his supervisor wondering if the locks were open. We explained to him we just wanted to be ready when the lock resumes operations the following morning. And with that, we turn in early after a home cooked meal in the “wilderness.”

Wednesday, 14 Sept 2011

0600: Reveille. The crew are up and ready for action!

0700: The lockmaster (a different one form the night before) arrives and is a bit surprised to find a yacht already waiting. No one else has arrived early, so the lock is ours!

As we get to the top of Lock C1, the lockmaster takes our $20 toll for a two day pass. We inform him that we intend to run the whole system and asked if he could phone ahead to Lock C3 and have them lower their lake section so we can get under the railroad bridge above the lock.

0930: We arrive at Lock C3 and we inform the lockmaster that we will require 16’6” for the bridge above the lock. He rolled his eyes and said, “I think you can make it.” We asked him how the water got during the flood and he indicated this high!

After locking thru at 3, we look ahead at the lowest bridge on the Champlain Canal. The book says it is 15’5” at normal lake level and if called in advance, the clearance can be as much as 17’1”. However, our concern is that with all the flooding, what will the clearance be today? Our answer was shortly before us.

After clearing the bridge, it was all downhill from there… actually, uphill for the first 8 locks and downhill the last three. No problem with bridge clearances and the weather was bright and sunny.

We ran the whole day and arrived at Lock C-12, the end of the Champlain Canal system, at 1730; a half hour after the locks close for the night. Fortunately, Lock C12 is located at White Hall NY. We secured the vessel and walk a half mile to Joe’s Pizza for dinner.

Tomorrow… Lake Champlain!! More to follow…

Portsmouth NH to Buffalo, NY Update 3

Monday, Sept 05 2011

After  day of relaxation and fun, we are starting our journey up the Hudson River. The run from The Battery at the bottom of Manahattan Island to Troy, NY the terminus of the Erie Canal and Champlain Canal systems. For an 8 knot boat running against a 1.5 knot current on what will be an ebb tide for a portion of a days run, the trip to Troy will take a couple of days.

The word from the Canal System is that there has been some damage to a portion of the Erie Canal system and assessments are currently underway, so we are not in too much of a rush.

So, with that in mind we depart Liberty Landing Marina for a quick tour of Lady Liberty and a group photo.

Everyone is pleased as punch that we have put NewYork City behind us... well, sort of. We are chugging up the Hudson River at a break-neck speed of 6 knots over the bottom, so it looks like Manahattan is following us. All 112 horses in each of the DD 453s are galloping along in unison.

Lots of derbris, as expected, the boys are posted look-outs for huge trees and logs coming down the river. But the river is scenic and full of history.

As we round out towards the end of the day, we pass underneath West Point and Bear Mountain and spend the night on river's western edge at the Front Street Marina in Newburgh, NY. Nice floating docks; if you want 50 amp service, tie up on the south facing dock near the gate. The dockhouse and bath facilities are just outside the gate. There are 5 or 6 restaurants right in front of the marina... everything from ribs to sushi.

West Point

Tuesday, Sept 06 2011
Up and at 'em crew. It's Lisa's turn as captain and performs a flawless departure. Lots of logs and debris have clogged the docks and more than once last night I was awakened by a log bounching off our waterline. The water level is incredibly high and the river is swift. However, the slow ground speed makes for perfect oppotunities for photography.

Meadow's Point Lighthouse

A "real" Paddlewheeler

While we are on our route, I am on the phone checking on conditions ahead. The information is not good.  At Troy Docks, the last stop before we head into the Erie Canal, all of the docks have been destroyed. The Erie Canal System is closed while they assess damage and clear away debris from the flooding associated with Hurricane Irene. So, it looks like we have some time to kill. One of my favorite stops on the Hudson River is a little town called Kingston, NY. There is a waterfront village called Rondoubt which is about a mile off the Hudson up Rondoubt Creek.

Bridge at Rondoubt

Really High Water

You Can Park Your Boat in the Livingroom

Four days of continuous rain on already saturated ground.

Quick Scout! Put it in Reverse!

Anybody Missing a Gazebo?

Kingston City Marina, the parking lot in the foreground was under several feet of water.

Several of the locks on the eastern portion of the Erie State Barge Canal have been damaged when the Mohawk River flooded during Hurricane Irene. The Erie Canal has been officially closed for the rest of the season.

The Erie Canal, from the Hudson River to Oswego NY on Lake Ontario, was the most direct route for our journey. The only other alternate route for us is via the Champlain Canal system. However, the lowest clearance along this route is 17 feet. Therefore, it is necessary for us to remove the vessel's hardtop and radar arch. So, while we are waiting for the storm waters to recede and the Champlain Canal to reopen, we will do the work required here in Kingston. Thanks to Jeff Correa at Jeff's Yacht Haven, we were successful in getting our air draft down to 16'6".

Voila - Topless !!

Well, now all we have to do is watch the water level and call about lock openings and we are "back on the road again."  More to follow...

Portsmouth, NH to Buffalo, NY Update 2

We arrived at Liberty Landing Marina late yesterday evening. Liberty Landing is the most protected marina in close proximity to New York City. Though on west side of the Hudson River in Jersey City, it has been my experience that the other marinas; Lincoln Harbor, Newport Harbor, Surfside 3 and Port Imperial, are all "rolly' due to the large number of ferries, water taxis and tugs that run back and forth between New Jersey and Manhattan Island. I have seen snapped docklines and broken Marquip ladders and this abuse is prevasive until the last ferry docks after 10 pm. Liberty Landing though is tucked well up into a canal and experiences no surge or wakes. My favorite stop in the metro area!

We are waiting for word from NY State Canals on the condition and reopening of the Erie Canal. Tomorrow is a holiday, so we don't expect any updates until after Labor Day. So, with the boys onboard, it was decided that we five would all pile into a limo-van and head thru the Holland Tunnel to mid-town and the Intrepid Air and Sea Museum. I called a limo company I had prior success with, Jersey One Limo, to arrange a pick-up. $80 one way for five passengers, plus tolls and tip. That was fine with us... however, I got a call back from dispatcher Mike and he told me that all of the vans were booked, but he would send us two Lincoln Towncars for the same price. Apparently, it is against the law for a taxi or limo to take more than 4 passengers in a standard vehicle. So, off we went to the Intrepid, enjoying a race by two crazy Egyptian drivers.

The USS Intrepid is an Essex Class aircraft carrier which was had it's keel laid down just a few days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. A venerable old ship, she serve in WWII, Korean and Vietnam Wars and the Cold War before being decommissioned in 1974. Excellent displays of her history on the hanger deck is suppliments by a variety of military aircraft on her huge flight deck. We spend over 5 hours walking miles of companionways and ladders throughout the ship. The boys loved it!

Luc and Pierre on the Battle Bridge

The docent wanted to teach the boys how to polish brass,

but they weren't having any of it.

According to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, the ship houses two anchor chains. The center anchor chain is 225 fathoms (1,350 feet or 15 shots) and the starboard side anchor chain is 135 fathoms (810 feet or 9 shots). Each anchor chain link weighs approximately 250 pounds.

Good thing the chain stopper is lashed!

Note that Pierre is wearing cammo shorts and web vest with a matching steel pot.

While we were on the mess deck grabbing a drink at the scuttlebutt, some foreign

tourists asked to have their picture taken with our young "soldier."

 Luc's comment afterwards was, "they probably thought we were Americans."

We finished the tour by checking out a British Airways Concord jet on the Pier.

A successful Liberty Call for the crew of "Sea Hunt."

The family and I parted company as they wanted to show the boys the 9/11 Memorial downtown, so I walked 6 blocks to the Waterways Terminal and caught a ferry to Hoboken. Then caught a cab to Jersey City for dinner at Amelia's Bistro on the corner of Warren and Morris. This is just three blocks from where I catch the marina's ferry on it's way back from lower Manhattan and a one dollar ride across the canal to the marina.

Amelia's is one of my regular stops for lunch or dinner; al fresco when the weather is right. The hostess seats you and BAM, stamps the days specials on your table.

Tonight's special is watermellon gazpacho followed by bourbon basted baby back ribs... yum!!

After your order is taken, they bring you a mortar and pestle with chickpeas in it and you make your own hummus. 

After dinner and a bowl of ice cream, the alarm on my iPhone told me I had 5 minutes to walk to the ferry... which of course was 10 minutes late. But, it afforded me time to look across the river at lower Manhattan and enjoy the view of dusk in Gotham City.  More to follow...

Portsmouth, NH to Buffalo, NY Yacht Delivery Update 1

Andre (L) Lisa (C) Capt. John (R)

Luc (L) Pierre (R)

Tuesday, Aug 30 2011
What a difference a couple of days make! 0600 in the morning, Andre with Pierre in tow, heads into the engine room for pre-start checks. At 0630 we are underway for the Cape Cod Canal under clear skies and glassy seas.

Excited Crew!! Almost.

Sadly, Lisa had to find her sea legs later.

As we approach Cape Cod, we are greeted by a number of Right Whales, blowing on all quadrants. The boys, Luc (10) and Pierre (7) are on look-out, shouting out like whalers of century past.

We planned our arrival to the canal with emphasis on getting to the east entrance in time for the change in tide (ebb) so that this 8 knot boat doesn't have to run against a 3 knot current. It was great to see the speed over ground hit 10 knots while we were in the canal.

1800 finds us grabbing a (free) mooring bouy at Port Independence on Onsett Bay, just south of the Mass. Maritime Academy.

Wednesday, Aug 31 2011
We enjoyed an extra hour's sleep last night. After engine checks at 0700, we were underway for Fisher Island on the eastern end of Long Island Sound. Again the weather was delightful. Calm seas with just the motion of the yacht creating a pleasant breeze in thru the pilot house doors. We count less than a dozen boats out on the Sound as we pass Latimer Light on the north side of Fisher Island.

There is something about the waters in New England... the color... the smell... I love it!! Oh, and you can't get lobster rolls in Palm Beach.

While we were gliding the last 10 miles to our anchorage at West Bay, Lisa spotted what looked like a hot air balloon way out in front of us. I thought it odd, a hot air balloon over Long Island Sound this late in the day. Well, about 30 minutes later we got buzzed by what was an unidentifiable flying object...

Just before sunset at 1910, we drop anchor in West Bay. The unique thing about Fisher Island; even though it is on the east end of Connecticutt, the island belongs to New York State. In 1664, the Duke of York gave the island to New York as a land grant. Fisher Island for the most part, is a private island with limited services for the transient boater.

With the anchor chain fouled in the hawse pipe, Andre gets a lesson on how to get the kinks out.

Thursday, Sept 01 2011
Another early reveille at 0530 to get this boat headed down Long Island Sound... next stop, Stamford, Ct.

Again, we gauge our departure with regards to the tide; for the most of out trip today we averaged better than the boat's 8 knot cruising speed. This end of the sound is filled with debris, trees, sections of docks and oddly, the water was the consistency of rich chocolate milk. I have never seen the sound this muddy before. It wasn't until we passed abeam of the Connecticutt River mouth that the water blued up.

The end of the day found us up the eastern branch in Stamford Harbor tied to Harbor Square Marina. This was Andre's first use of bowthruster. I think he likes it!

Great stop... the marina has a moderately acceptable Italian restaurant on premises (The Eclisse) and across the street is a most formatible supermarket called "Fairway." A huge store filled with specialty items and organics; you have to ask for assistance to locate something as typical as Mrs. Buttersworth. But check out the produce... I have never seen a store with so much produce. And display? Every navel on the navel oranges display where pointed outward with military precision.

We took an extra day in Stamford to perform some training in knot tying, tender launch and recovery, change of fuel filters, engine zinks and tracing/servicing the steering system, etc...

I have to tell you, Pierre, the 7 year old, is the best knot tying student I have ever had. Bar none!

That's Luc on crane.

Andre looking up the deck.

Andre and the boys took off in the tender to give the engine a good run and charge up what was a dead battery. This afforded me time to get "Sea Hunt" underway with just Lisa aboard to give her some maneuvering and docking lessons. After about 30 minutes, it was time for me to step onto the dock and let Lisa solo the boat. Actually, I had to trick her as she didn't want to do it. Well, she did an outstanding job in the turning canal and returned the boat with the starboard pilothouse door right to where I was standing. Well done Lisa!

Proud New Skipper

Saturday, 03 Sept 2011

Delayed start today. Our half day run to New York City has to be timed perfectly as the tidal current in the East River, specifically Hell's Gate, can run at 5 knots. Therefore our departure at 1230 affords the last of the flood tide with a nice push down the remainder of Long Island Sound, pass Throngs Neck and Rickers Island and into the East River at the turn of the ebb tide. We clocked mostly 11-12 knots down the East River and once saw 13 knots! Around Hell's Gate and down between Manhattan Island and Roosevelt Island, the ebb was in full flow. Standing waves,  just live we were in river rapids, hobby-horsed "Sea Hunt" with the boys bow-jumping with enthusiasm. Rounding the The Battery, we headed across the Hudson River to the Big Clock on the Jersey Shore and Liberty Island Marina.

Execution Rocks.

It is said that durig the Revolutionary War, British troops would take captured American rebels to the rock and chain them there at low tide.

Stepping Stone Light



We have to lay up here for a couple of days. Hurricane Irene caused flooding the Mohawk River, which is part of the Erie Canal system. The canal system sustained structural damage to a couple of lock houses. The canal is closed from Onieda Lake to Waterford, NY; the terminus of the canal system until an extensive survey is completed. We will not be able to find out when they will reopen until at least Tuesday. So, it looks like liberty call in New York City. The boys will love the Intrepid Air and Space Museum in Mid-Town. More to follow...