Onward to the Tappan Zee

 Hi Folks,

Underway at 0600. Had to clear a huge mat of weeds that had drifted down on the boat overnight and caught on the anchor and the bow. I managed to get them loose but it turned out that a bunch got caught on the rudder and the propellor. The boat was just not moving as per usual. So, I shut the engine off, donned a swim mask, and went over the side. Johannah kept a close eye on me as I cleared the weeds, first by hand, then finally with a knife. It took 4 dives and all was clear. Water was delightfully warm. Had I done this in October I would be singing a different tune. This took place in front of Franklin Roosevelts house at Hyde Park. 

We continued as a motorboat. No wind, though at times there was a light breeze from dead ahead. Sunny, and hot at first, but gradually clouding up. Passed a large northbound ship just south of Poughkeepsie. Usual amount of smaller barge and tug traffic. Passing West Point and World's End was spectacular as always. Johannah feels the river has lived up to my advance billing, which makes me happy. We just missed a thunderstorm by the Indian Point Nuclear station. We turned the corner onto the Tappan Zee and were slapped with a stiff southerly breeze of about 20-25 mph which was quite a surprise. I thought about sailing and beating to windward, but at that point we only had about 4 miles to go so we just powered into it. The anchorage at Nyack was grim, with tide opposing the wind and boats rolling wildly, while surging back and forth on their anchors. Shortly after arrival, we joined the club, pitching and yawing wildly. Eventually the tide relented and the wind has died, so it is now quite pleasant. However, there is a thunderstorm bearing down on us, so I am reluctant to go ashore. I can sense that Johannah, given the proximity of the shore, would love to explore, but alas, concerns about weather and the safety of the boat will keep us here for the immediate future.

One tragic bit of news that I just discovered, is that the 79th street boat basin on Manhattan is shut down for several years, for a complete rebuilding. This iconic spot has been around since the 1930's, and really was the only  place where folks of average means could afford to stay. So, with that option no longer available, we may land at Coney Island, where there is a supposedly secure anchorage. From there, we could get Johannah into Manhattan for her train ride home on Sunday. And tomorrows forecast calls for light northerly winds, so there may finally be some sailing in the offing!

Cheers everyone, Charlie

I'm a slacker

Hi everyone/anyone,

I seem to be slipping on these posts. After a night at lock 4 we had a good day, albeit very rainy with a thunderstorm thrown in, on our way to the Castleton Boat Club. We got a mooring for the night and paid to use the crane in the morning. I was wondering how inflation may have hit the Boat Club, but it still cost only $55, which was what I believe I paid over 30 years ago. For comparison, at the marina where I used to work, it would have been over $400.

Yesterday morning found us at the dock, and Johannah getting a quick tutorial as a crane operator. I forgot to mention that I had made up a new forestay and  upper shroud, using materials that I had had shipped to the boat club. Shoutout to Vermont Sailing Partners for making that happen. The weather for stepping the mast was perfect. Flat calm, no wind, and no boat traffic, although we did wait for a barge to go by. The stepping really was a piece of cake. But I decided to opt for another night on the mooring, since we were most of the day getting the rigging sorted out, tuned, sail on, etc. It was also blisteringly hot which necessitated multiple swimming breaks. All in all a very productive day.

This morning had us up before daybreak and we fired up the engine at 0600. Yes, we are still a motorboat. It was flat calm most of the day, but with an occasional very light wisp of a breeze out of the south, which was the direction we were trying to go. Quite beautiful though, with a good bit of fog early. Saw some commercial traffic in the form of barges and tugs. Surprisingly light pleasure boat traffic. At 3PM we decided to drop anchor, just south of the Norrie Boat Basin. We'd have gone further but there are not many places to anchor over the next 30 miles or so. Actually, there are no places to anchor. The Hudson on that section is deep, right up to shore. But we had gotten over 50 miles in, so were content to stop  and put the swim ladder out. We also rowed into the boat basin and purchased some more ice. The icebox is not doing so well, what with hot temps and the engine running nearby all day long. But, we have been enjoying nice cool provisions and drinks since Orwell.

Sounds like potential thunderstorm activity tomorrow. My goal is to get within striking distance of the City and be in a good spot to weather the frontal passage. Calm conditions are supposed to prevail tonight, but I wouldn't want to be in this spot during a serious blow.

Trip is going well so far! Everybody is happy and well fed!

Cheers, Charlie and Johannah 

This photo is available thanks to Johannah's efforts and IT skills. She managed to set up my laptop using my phone as a mobile hotspot and a different screen pops up that gives me photo options. It looks way complicated, but I will see if I can learn this process. This photo is off my favorite historic lighthouse, the Esopus Meadows light. Lovely!

Into the Canal

 Departed Whitehall at about a quarter after 7 AM. Johannah handled her first lock transit with aplomb. We made it from Lock 12 to just outside Lock 4. We got there right at 5 when they close for the day . The lock keeper said we could tie up for the night with no problems. We took a walk into Stillwater village, where we picked up an extremely important item that I had forgotten, mosquito repellent! Johannah is heating up a delicious looking dish of mushrooms and orzo that she had prepared the day before and has been awaiting us in the icebox. Yum!

50 years ago:

A Honda? Huh? My father had found a little portable generator made by a company he had never heard of, called Honda. His thinking was that I could use it to run a sander, a drill, and some other tools when shoreside power wasn't available. I was pretty much sick of sanding at that time, what with a fleet of 10 charter boats, and therefore not keen on another device that could get more work out of Charlie. But then I realized, the generator that was buried in a deck locker could run a battery charger. I dug it out and Fred was delighted when it fired up. I can't remember how long it took, but after a while, the Perkins fired up and order was restored. We didn't need to run it continuously since we still had wind, but we conserved the batteries and continued pumping by hand. A day or so later, we motored into the Ft. Pierce inlet and had the boat hauled out. The source of the leak was immediately evident. A plank end, far forward at the stem, was sprung, and allowing a good bit of water to enter. A couple of new fasteners and we were on our way. Back on the ocean and down to Ft. Lauderdale, where, very uncharacteristically, my frugal mother booked us a slip at the uber expensive Pier 66. My father must have experienced heart palpitations when he found out about that bill.

We secured a much more reasonable berth up the New River, and everyone headed home but me. I was to keep the boat maintained and looking great for a potential sale. I spent the winter doing that, and picked up a job washing dishes on a restaurant dining boat. And the schooner did sell, to an actual Greek shipowner. 

And so ended my first cruise south! Hope you enjoyed hearing about it!

Whitehall, birthplace of US Navy

 Actually, there are several claimants to that title, but Whitehalls is fairly solid. Benedict Arnold built a fleet of ships here in 1776 and they were used later that year in a major battle on Lake Champlain. Anyway, we, (Johannah Schneider and I) are tied up on that site, which is now the Whitehall Marina. We had a nice run down what is a really beautiful part of the lake when Johannah arrived a bit after 2. Normally I would go thru the first lock and tie up on the bulkhead for free, but the authorities have reduced the hours of operation, so I caved in and rented a slip for the night. An extremely bad habit to get into, but there don"t appear to be any anchoring options.

Meanwhile, the other story continues:

The batteries weren't completely dead, they just didn't have the oomph to turn over the big Perkins diesel. But Fred could read the writing on the wall and asked if we had a manual pump aboard that didn't require electricity. I got out of a storage locker a large Edson pump that fit the bill. And so the pumping began. It was quite tiring, but we had motivation, knowing that we were 50 miles offshore on what no one could deny was a sinking boat. We took turns, and with 4 able bodied men aboard we were able to keep up with it. I don't recall my mother taking a turn, and my dear little sister was clueless. We discussed which inlets on the Florida coast would be easiest to negotiate under sail and figured it would be based on the weather at the time. Then I remembered the Honda.

To be continued

Another Day in Orwell

 Not a lot to report. Got the final coat of paint on the mast this morning. Had nice visit with Bruce on Timshel, who I had met in the Exumas with his wife Karen on the last trip. Gonna be a hot day. Need to finish the macerator installation and reinstall some hardware on the mast.

And now, back in time. The storm died down the next day and we found ourselves moving steadily along in pleasant conditions. But we noticed that the bilge pump had come on and was staying on for a disconsertingly long time. It would shut off, and then start running again. We had developed a leak, probably as a result of the storm. The Sea Song was a wooden vessel, and though stoutly constructed and relatively new, was not immune to seawater intent on making its way inside. Attempting to discover the source of the leak we removed the floorboards and peered into the dank recesses of the bilge. The problem was that most deep areas of the bilge had massive iron pigs fitted in that provided ballast. These pigs weighed around 60 #'s apiece and were well nigh impossible to move around without resulting in smashed fingers. And the pump kept running. The interval between run cycles was getting shorter. Fred realized that we had been putting quite a strain on the batteries what with running the navigation lights and the bilge pump so he decided to fire up the engine for some battery charging time. As he pushed the starter button there was a very feeble sound as the engine turned about a quarter of a revolution, then silence. The batteries were dead.

To be continued.

 Definition of cruising

Boat repair in exotic locations. Thanks to my good friend Silas for that definition. Not sure if Orwell, Vermont qualifies as an exotic location, but it is a lovely place. 

After the rain stopped and things dried off, I sanded the mast and applied the first coat of paint. My former boss and friend, George, would refer to it as a 20 footer. This means that it presents well at a distance of 20 feet. I suppose I could strive for a true yacht finish, involving hundreds of dollars in multi part linear polyurethane painting components, and getting the mast inside a paint booth where I could utilize maximum technology, but no. I'm just using a sheet of sandpaper, a bit of paint thinner, and a quart of Rustoleum. Total cost, with tax, a bit over 20 bucks.

A brief trip back in time, to Charleston, 50 years ago. We spent several delightful days there, while my father managed to rustle up another captain, a really great local guy named Fred Wickman. We set out one late afternoon, and by midnight we were in a strong northeast wind, blowing over 30 knots. It was spectacular sailing, running wing and wing. About 3 am, Fred asked me to douse the jib and the staysail, as they were mostly just flogging about. The staysail was easy, but jib involved making my way out on the bowsprit to haul down and secure the sail. I took in the view, with the big seas, the low scudding clouds, the moon flashin through, and resolved to always remember that moment. I still do.

Battery a bit low, so, Good night all!

Charlie

 Mast down today

I sailed off the mooring yesterday morning at 0825, with serious doubts about proceeding on the trip. It was mostly a result of excessive worrying about a host of things I won't delve into at the moment. Suffice to say that being on the move once again, on a small boat, helped to rearrange my outlook. It was a nice day, although I did end up motoring through calms for almost 3 hours. The majority was under sail.

Arrived at Chipman Point Marina, which is a favorite spot, and Chip, the owner, and a friend, agreed to unstep the mast, which we did today, shortly after lunch. I am planning to paint the mast over the next several days.

Just took a break to close things up as a rain squall has started. Really coming down!

Good friends Tom, Michelle, and Douglas came down and took me out to a great dinner at the Wheel Inn in Benson.

Back to the trip south of 50 years ago. After leaving Norfolk we were a couple of weeks moving south to Charleston. Mostly under power, being on a vessel not suitable for close quarter sailing, but we did get some sailing in on the big waters of North Carolina, like Albemarle Sound, Pamlico Sound, and the Neuse River. We spent several days in Morehead City, for reasons I have forgotten, but used the time to meet some local youth and party a bit. Eventually, we found ourselves in Charleston and I felt a huge sense of relief in having gotten the boat there without screwing something up. It was a good confidence booster for me as well. I had gotten a low number in the draft lottery and had decided I didn't really want to be in the army. My dad had been in the Navy and I decided that would be for me. But I flunked the physical due to a lack of depth perception. So I felt like a real loser. Even the military, sending kids to Viet Nam in droves, didn't want me. So that 2 week stretch was really just what I needed.

Till the next time, Charlie