Thursday, July 6, 2017

The Hudson

Friday - Tuesday, June 23 - 27, 2017

Some sights going up the Hudson River.
Ellis Island
New York Skyline and a Ferry

Little Red Lighthouse and the Big Gray Bridge (George Washington Bridge)

West Point Academy

Esopus Meadows Lighthouse
Roundout Creek Lighthouse
Saugerties Lighthouse

 This passing boat did not slow down and rocked the ship out of us!
 Hudson-Athens Lighthouse
 Large cargo ships are way up the Hudson


Newburgh

Poughkeepsie

Albany

Take a left to the Erie Canal

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

New Day - New York

Friday, June 23

Arrived late last night, leave early today! Not the best way to travel, but we are going to New York harbor! And it is Friday! Does the harbor get as crazy as other people on Friday? We are not taking chances. Get up before sunrise and get in the harbor before all the ferries and commercial boats make us a nervous wreck traveling.

The sky was hazy this early, but sunrise was showing the beginnings of a great day. 

And then we spot the lady....

Up close--what a sight!

Our fellow boaters on The Journey and Time Out took pictures.

And we tried selfies.....

The sun was out, ferries and water taxis were starting to speed across the harbor. We think the big boats were anchored, but we started up the Hudson River.

The Hudson River is very wide and the farther away from the city, the more beautiful the scenery.

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Sitting on the Dock at Cape May

Sat-Mon, June 17 to 19
Cape May, NJ
Somebody had a great day fishing
The weather window to get out of Cape May was slow to arrive. So slow that Jean of Time Out wrote new words to a classic song--"Sittin' on the dock at Cape May". Several boats waited 5 days so they could travel up the coast out in the ocean to Atlantic City. So we went sight seeing.
Cape May Lighthouse
WWII Bunker on the Beach
On Tuesday we decided to travel the New Jersey ICW. It is shallow, but traveling at mid-tide rising it should be deep enough (well almost). We found the shallow spots in 2 different places, but it is soft mud. Wait about 10 minutes and back off and try to stay in the channel. We need a forward looking depth finder!!!
Drawbridge on the NJ ICW

This is shallow!!

Atlantic City Casinos
Several other boats - Time Out, The Journey, and Captains Choice - ran out in the ocean the next day and anchored in Atlantic City. We passed them on our way north! Wednesday afternoon we could see the dark clouds but they appeared to be passing south. Then the clouds moved closer and closer. We pulled out of the channel at Surf City and quickly let down the anchor. We sat in the boat and watched the winds and rain. Sometime through that storm we lost a large fender, but no damage.
Here comes the storm!

Sunset after the storm
We stayed anchored for the night, very little rain or wind. Up early the next morning to take advantage of the rising tide and get to the northern end of the NJICW at Manasquan
Sunrise over New Jersey
Traveling was easy until we got to Point Pleasant Canal. Wow, what a fast current through this 60' wide canal! Everyone including a tow boat towing a vessel was going fast! We were bouncing all over! 
Point Pleasant Canal (a true washing machine!!)
The New Jersey ICW ends at Manasquan, so we had no choice but to travel in the ocean. Just another mile and we were out in the Atlantic Ocean. It was a beautiful day for a ride in the ocean. Nice easy swales to glide over. 
Avon-By-The-Sea Beach NJ
We made it to Great Kills Marina in lower New York City bay by 5 pm.

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Favorable Tides

Tuesday-Saturday, June 13-17

We has a great visit at home, but it felt good to be back on the boat! Lots of sunshine and no rain. Tuesday afternoon the mechanic found and fixed the leaky fitting on the upper drive station. 
Sunset at Holiday Point Marina MD
We left Holiday Point Marina in Maryland at 6 am Wenesday to take advantage of a push from the rising tide up the Chesapeake Bay. The bay was lumpy, but mainly from the wind.
Gravel barge on the Chesapeake Bay
Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
Sailboat on the Bay

Chesapeake Bay Bridge
Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse

We finally get to the upper bay and it narrows down like a river and the water smoothed out. Easy travel through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to the Delaware City Marina. 
Turkey Point Lighthouse

Bethel Bridge Signal Light

Bridges over the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal
We made it in time to hear owner Tim's advice on transiting down the Delaware Bay. Looks good for a Thursday trip. In Tim's briefing he told everyone to check their boat gears before untying lines. The C&D Canal has a swift current. We were up at 4:15 am and ready to go at 5 am. BUT we have no gears!!! We are his second boat this year with gear problems. He says historically he has 3 boats a year to have gear problems. He has a mechanic that gets us fixed within 2 hours after he arrived at 7, but the significant pull of the outgoing tide from Delaware Bay has passed. We will try again tomorrow.
Delaware City Marina
This is the 3rd time we have been at the same marina as Mark and Karen on Captain's Choice. We went out to dinner with them both nights and had a great time.
Mark Karen Terri Kelly

Friday was a decent cruise down the Delaware Bay. Some bumps and lumps, but the tide was in our favor! 
Miah Maull Lighthouse


We caught up to Time Out and The Journey in Canyon Club Marina at Cape May. The great part was Jim and Cindy on The Journey cooked dinner for all of us, lucious shrimp and scallops!!!

On Saturday, Captains Choice arrived for burgers and docktails! Eating and sharing travel stories!
Terri Kelly Jean Dan Jim Cindy Mark Karen

Friday, June 23, 2017

Just Like Home

May 22 to June 13

We found a decent place near Annapolis, Maryland to leave the boat for a couple weeks so that we could go home. I had to laugh when I saw the name of the marina - Holiday Point Marina - the same name as our home marina on the Ohio River. 

We ended up staying home for 3 weeks and had a great visit with family and friends.
Family Brent, Nikki, Carlin, Terri, Keith Ann, 
Mom, Kelly, Lori, Teagan, Eric

Grandson Carlin's First Birthday

 Father's Day and Kim's Birthday

Hillbilly Hotdogs with Helen and Wayne

Blackberry Margaritas with Maureen

Kelly, Kim, Katie
Mom, Terri, Keith Ann

In Deep Ship safe in the cow pen!