Brewerton to Oswego

June 20, 2006 (Brewerton-Oswego) The rain let up in the late afternoon yesterday, so we took our bikes into town and looked around. What a nice little town. We passed a funeral home and monument sales company, which made us feel right at home. We found a boat supply store, went to Burger King, got some ice cream and headed back to the boat. When we woke up the next morning, it was really nice and the little cove we were in was beautiful. We heard fuel was cheap just up ($2.73/gal) the river, so we stopped in to top off our tanks (total bill $916... WOW…what a bargain!). The people who owned the fuel dock were really nice and took a liking to Jaycie & Boo. They walked out of there with a T-shirt, bag of candy and a dog bone place mat as gifts from the wife of the owner! Within minutes of leaving the gas dock we were at lock 23 on the Erie canal. As we came out of the lock there was a really beautiful, tall pine treed town dock just of to the port (that’s left side to you land lubbers). It was like a small forest with green grass, barbeques and picnic tables. If we had not hit bad weather yesterday, I would have stopped here for sure. As we cruised a little further down the river the clouds were growing darker and starting to look a little ominous. As to not have a repeat of yesterday, I suggested that we turn around and go back to my beautiful “pine trees”, but the boss said we should press on! As we pressed on it started looking bad and I kept reminding Joyce that I said we should turn back. But, as luck would have it, the river turned and we skated out from under them. Just then my brother Frank calls. It’s always nice to here a familiar voice and makes you feel very connected with your “former life” (I know, it‘s only been 2 ½ weeks!). Anyway, we had a nice long talk and it was great to hear from him. I passed the phone to Joyce and once again here comes another set of those damn clouds! Once again, I remind Joyce about those nice pine trees (now, too far to go back to) but she ignores me. And once again, luck is on our side as the clouds once again go in the opposite direction of our boat! Whew! We get to a “fork in the road/river” and we fork right towards Oswego. The wind is picking up and we are now flying at 9kts (it’s a trawler term). We get to lock #1 of the Oswego river (a mere 7‘). But this one has a draw bridge right in front of where you come out and it has to be raised before you can leave. As we travel down the Oswego river we are met by the “welcoming committee” (actually 6 young boys & girls who moon us as we pass under the bridge!). Unfortunately, before we could snap a picture, a car pulled up and they quickly put their welcome banner back in their pants. By now the wind is picking up and getting quite strong. We have to remove our Power Squadron flag because it is getting too loud flapping in the wind (sorry, no disrespect to my friends at the GSBPS). Then we lower the bimini because it is taking some real stress and pulling on the boat. The wind is not unmanageable, but gusty and strong. The river has turned to white caps, which we haven’t seen since we started in the river/canal system. Our boat eats the caps as if they aren’t even there. We notice that were the grass meets the river, in some calm spots, it flows seamlessly into the water, which has a carpet of green growth on top of it and it looks spectacular. I’m not sure our pictures will capture just how pretty it was. We/JOYCE decides to push on through and cover some extra ground/water today. We did lock 2 and everything went fine-even with the winds. Lock 3 didn’t go as well. The winds were really strong from our port (left) side. All the flags on shore were standing straight out and flapping loudly. We got hold of our lines o.k. as a pontoon boat pulled in behind us (the only boat we saw in any lock all day). We were going down, which should have been easy, but the winds were so strong that as we dropped, Joyce was having trouble holding the bow line. Our boat blew off the wall until it was on a 45 degree angle across the lock. Then we started blowing back too. I ran to the front and grabbed Joyce’s line while she ran to the back and grabbed Jaycie’s line. The pontoon boat, nervous that we might loose it completely, let go of his line completely and powered to the side out of our way! We were able to muscle the boat back to the wall without crushing any pontoon boats (thank God!). On the way out I apologized to the lock master for almost losing control, but he said we did great and that it’s been a real tough day for eveyone. Joyce and I debated loudly about how the lock should have been handled and we come to terms because we still have 2 more locks to do before we can stop. There is no lock 4. Lock 5 goes better…but not great (sorry this is so long, but it was a harrowing day, so bear with me). Since the locks go down, we are high above the wall and the lines are well below us. The wind is still blowing strong, so as I try to keep the boat near the wall, Joyce tries to get the bow line (which she has to literally lay on the deck and reach down and over the side to do). Jaycie gets the stern line (which she is very good at). She uses a boat hook, but since we are being blown around, I do not have the boat in ideal positions to grab the ropes. Joyce finally gets hers when I hear Jaycie screaming from the back of the boat! I run down and the boat is drifting off the wall, she has the boat hook stuck on the rope float and is fully extended, holding on for dear life. I grab the hook and fight the boat back into position (unfortunately squishing Jaycie a little under me-but she’s fine). We wrestle the boat a little but finally finish that lock and pull out. “Only one lock to go” I exclaim, to which my poor, stressed Jaycie replies, “I don’t want to do anymore locks!”. I calm her down and just then we hear over the VHF that other people have been having troubles all day. Lock 6 knows we are coming an hails us on VHF. He tells us his lock is extremely windy and tells us to lock on the port (left) wall. The wind is blowing strong from the port side (we had been staying on the starboard side thinking it would press us against the wall-making things easier). We thank him for his advice and it works out beautiful!!! Lock 6 & 7 go relatively smooth (although we had help from the lock master, as we had trouble getting those low ropes again). Lock 7 contacts lock 8 and tells them we won’t be locking through today, to which he replies, “ I’m beginning to get a complex…no one wants to go through my lock today!”. We didn’t realize how far we had gone (Oswego) and lock 8 would put us in Lake Ontario. I can see, because we are still 1 lock high and I see the Great Lake ahead in the distance and it looks like Jones beach! It is all white caps and white water smashing and spraying over the jetty!!! VERY INTIMIDATING!!! We didn’t realize we had traveled this far, but THANKS TO JOYCE we pushed ahead and have made good headway (I would have been under the pine trees roasting a hot dog!). Luckily we are ahead of schedule and if necessary (because of poor lake conditions) can stay put. We wouldn’t mind staying in this town for a few days, there‘s lots to do and it‘s really nice. However, it does look like there might be a weather window tomorrow, and although I would like to stay longer…if the lake is calm…WE WILL GO! This has been a very draining day for all of us. It did finish on a good note though, we met a new couple, biked over to take pictures of the lake at Fort Ontario. We had hotdogs at a local peewee baseball game, rode around town, went for ice cream and Jaycie even learned how to play Mexican domino’s with our boating neighbor. It was fun evening and much needed R&R after today‘s events. Oh, I almost forgot, we are docked below (but just past) lock 7. The water is as smooth as glass, however, right next to us, on the other side of a narrow wall is the spillway. A spillway allows the water from the river/canal to flow semi-controlled. About 50’ away, and running parallel to our boat is this raging, white water river. You are sitting in nice calm water, but when you look out your window you see this wild, fast moving water and you can hear it too. It’s a little un-nerving… but could just be the day.

Sylvan Beach to Brewerton (cross Lake Oneida)

June 19, 2006 (Sylvan Beach-Brewerton) When we wake up it is overcast, foggy/hazy and dead calm. Before I call my supplier for advice I notice the fuel line to the lift pump on my port engine is wet (same as last time), which means it is not my lift pump but an air leak from my supply line. I tighten it and problem solved! I still call my supplier and discuss the problem (since it loosened again) and he tells me someone (past owner) put the wrong line on and that it will loosen again. I can fix the adapter or replace the line. For now, I will just keep an eye on it (I check my engines every hour while under way) because I want to get across this lake. Besides, I still have my electric fuel pumps as emergency back-ups if need be. The weather seems like we have a window this morning but we would have to be across before early afternoon to avoid the severe thunderstorms. We start up, untie and leave. It is really quite eerie out on the lake. Visibility is fair to poor and nothing is moving. We were warned to follow the markers closely because there are shallow rocks only 1’ under the surface. We watch our radar and chart plotter closely as to not make an error. I notice that the depth is decreasing and I can faintly see what looks like a “sand bar” off the little island ahead, when we realize that the course we set was on the wrong side of the buoy!!! A quick 90 degree turn to the other side of the marker and our depths increase. Good thing we were paying attention. As we come across the lake things are starting to look worse as the clouds darken and we still have a ways to go. Of course, if we were in our friend’s (Todd & Jenn) progression race boat, we would have already been there, docked and having brunch somewhere- but I digress! Anyway, Joyce notices an “Island” on the radar that is not on the charts. Just then the temperature drops, the wind picks up and we can see a surface water change about the same distance from the boat as the uncharted island. Of course we finally realize what it is… a heavy rain storm! We go right into it and it is POURING! The nice thing is that you can see the radar and see when you will get out of it (unfortunately, it’s not for a while). We don our foul weather gear (because I like to look down from the fly bridge for obstructions) and hope that lightening doesn’t start until we’re in and tied up. Visibility, in the mean time, has gotten a little worse. We finally see the bridge we’re suppose to be looking for and the rain lightens, but we can see another “island” coming our way. We find the town dock, tie up and hear comes round two, only this time with heavier winds (we drop our bimini in the torrential rain) and then some awesome (and beautiful) lighting strikes with the accompanying thunder claps. They were near us but not on top of us- which definitely eased our concerns. We sat on the sundeck, ate breakfast and played Yahtzee. This town around us looks really nice and I can’t wait until the rain stops so we can ride around. In the mean time we will hang out and enjoy the rainy day!

Sylvan Beach (Father's Day Weekend)

June 17, 2006 (Sylvan Beach) Today we head to the Frog Festival. It’s a country western festival with music, drinks, craft fair and kids attractions. Jaycie goes in an air bouncer, swings and 3 different playsets and has a great time. We stay for a while, but not our type of outing. We take a ride and look at Lake Oneida and what a site. A giant lake with lots of people in the water and boats by the dozens rafted up just of f the beach. The life guard stands are lined up in the water, as far out as about 150’ out (at that point the water is about shoulder deep). Went back to the carnival and we went on rides and even a roller coaster. We went out to the same place to eat and then headed back to the boat. Jaycie wanted to fish so I taught her how to cast. She caught her first fish (and this one didn’t get away) and was really excited! We let it go, of course, and she was very happy (I would estimate it was about 30 pounds or so-at least that‘s what it look like when she was screaming for me). We called it a night and went in. June 18, 2006 (Sylvan Beach) Father’s Day. Not such a good day. It’s 98 degrees and HOT (thank God for air-conditioning) Wanted to cross Lake Oneida today. It’s rated as the 5th most dangerous lake, so we would like to cross it on a good day. Also, we see severe thunderstorms coming in the next few days, so we would like to get across ahead of that. We started the engines and within 5 minutes the port engine stalled. I check below and find air from the bleeder screws. I see that our engine fuel filters have about 96 hours on them and although it’s early for a change, figure I will switch them out and hopefully cure the problem. I start the engines again and after 10 minutes same problem. I’m still sure it’s a fuel problem and I’m thinking my lift pump. I turn on my auxiliary electric fuel pump and the engine runs fine for 30 minutes. Looks like that’s the problem. I keep a spare, but want to talk with my supplier about the install (and their not open on Sunday). We don’t want to cross the lake running on my electric fuel pump without a back-up, so we decide to stay another day and fix it in the morning. Jaycie wants to go swimming at the beach and has a great idea to take the dinghy there. We get it ready, and needless to say…it doesn’t start! I’ll try to keep this short as a vent. I need new plugs for the engine, only our marina doesn’t have them. We call another marina, who has them and is only 1 mile over the bridge (which is about 1 mile from us - 2 miles total). So we’re about 4 miles after the bridge and call to ask just where they are located. He says, “ just go to next light and turn right”. Only problem is we’re 4 miles after the bridge the road is straight and it’s a clear, 98 degree day…and as far as the eye can see there is no light!!! We decide it’s “one of those days” and turn around, head to the state park beach and go for a swim… AHHHHHHH! The first thing to go right today! The water is clean and cool and we have a great time. Time to go home (the boat) and we stop at a new restaurant for dinner (only they forgot we were on the waiting list), but eventually we did eat and it was good. We head back to the boat where Joyce & Jaycie whip out my Father’s Day surprise… my favorite, Ben & Jerry’s NEW YORK SUPER FUDGE CHUNK! MMMMMMMMMMMMM.And the long, problematic, drawn out day ends on a good note! LIFE IS GOOD!

Little Falls to Sylvan Beach

June 16, 2006 (Little Falls-Sylvan Beach) 7 Hours & 5 locks to Sylvan Beach We left around 12 noon and headed for Sylvan Beach. The weather couldn’t have been better! Sunny, warm and calm. We travel through 5 locks over 7 hours. Locks have now become common place and we don’t stress about them (although, at times, some can still be a little tricky). We travel and go through all the locks alone today. We only see one boat in one lock the entire day. The last 2 locks go down (for our first time) and are MUCH, MUCH easier. We get to a portion of Erie canal that must be the “man made” portion because the canal is straight and as far as you can see back and as far as you can see forward is just CANAL. But it is really beautiful and fun to do. It does cross my mind, however, just how long would it take for a tow boat to come get us if we should break down? There are storm dams or guard gates which are put down to shut down (or slow) the flow of the river. There are kids climbing it (about 15’ high) and jumping into the canal - looked like fun! As courtesy you slow down to “no wake” speed for boats, docks or people you see. As we come under a bridge I see a “beach” with kids swimming. I slow down to pass and as I get close, one kid yells, “Give us a wave!”…so I hit the throttles and give them a little thrill - although, in a trawler, it really wasn’t much. After our never ending canal we get to civilization and it looks amazing. The first thing we see is a few beautiful homes in the woods. As you round the bend it looks great! Boats, jet skis, and lot’s of people and activity. Sylvan beach is jumping! It has a Lake George feel to it, but a smaller type town. There’s a town dock, marina, camp ground, amusement park and lots more. We stay at the marina because its not in the heart of town, and although the town dock is free, this seems like a calmer spot. We took our bikes, went into town and looked around. Real nice town, but very busy (and noisy) after staying in so many small towns! We are told there is a “Frog festival” this weekend, which is some kind of big party with bands, at the state park. We’ll check it out tomorrow. We head back to the boat, watch another episode of the Simpson’s and go to bed.

Jaycie being chased by a black chicken Doesn't look like we'll fit!

Canajoharie to Little Falls

JUNE 15, 2006 (Canajoharie-Little Falls) When we got up I went out to do a return at price chopper and Joyce did some computer work (I also noticed that there was a building supply store on the way and I wanted to build a chinning bar attachment for the boat). I asked if it was safe to leave my bike outside (unlocked) and the man said they don’t lock anything and that the keys are in his car- I guess my bikes safe. When I got back Joyce called the post office to see when our package would arrive and they said it was already there. So we went into town and picked up our package. We actually picked up 2 packages because Jaycie loves the Simpson’s and Mark (my sister’s boyfriend) overnighted ALL 5 SEASONS!!! While in town we went to breakfast and got huge portions of food for little money! We headed back to the boat and since it was still early enough so we headed on. Our next stop is Little falls. We had to go through another 4 locks and the 4th one was the largest so far. It was 40’ high and actually quite intimidating. It was different from the others because instead of doors opening, the gate lifted up and you went under it (as it dripped water across your boat) and into this huge and high box. Then the wall comes down behind you and the water starts to fill, raising you up to the top. A short way ahead we see a small children’s park on the right and just around the bend we see the town dock. As we pull up, Popeye, Irish Rose (“Boo’s nightmare”), & Alegria are all there and they come out to get our lines. We have another tight spot but get in nicely. As soon as we settle in Joyce has some things she wants to do, so Jaycie and I head off for the park. While playing Frisbee, we notice the winds shift and temperature drop, so we figure its going to rain. Sure enough while heading back to the boat the sky darkens and the rain drops start (thanks George & USPS weather class). We get back the boat before it rains. On the boat we do some engine checks and maintenance before dinner. Our friend Popeye (Skip) drops by with his Mom to say good-bye because they’re headed a different route than us. Hopefully our paths will cross again when we are both heading south from Mackinaw Island or Chicago. We have dinner and then watch another episode of….you guessed it….the Simpson’s, only this time it’s double feature night with Everyone loves Raymond (we have 2-season’s, compliments of Billy, my daughters boyfriend).

Amsterdam to Canajoharie

JUNE 14, 2006 (Amsterdam-Canajoharie) We left first thing in the morning and headed for Canajoharie. We had to go through 4 locks today. After completing the lock, we realized that while locking Joyce must have dropped her cell phone into the water. We called home and had them overnight one to “our local Post office” which said we would get it by 3pm. When we go to Canajoharie, it was a really nice town with very friendly people. The town dock was newly done and beautiful. We have train tracks right across the way with 50-100 car long freight trains going through (but, believe it or not, it doesn’t ruin your sleep). We unloaded our bikes and headed for the nearest “Price Chopper” (grocery store). It was “just over the bridge and down the road a piece“. Translation: approx. 2 miles. When we got back to the bikes with our shopping cart, I didn’t think there was anyway we could fit everything without having to hang bags from our handle bars- but we did it ($82.00 worth of food including ice cream)! Anyway, we picked up Subway on the way back (o.k., that we had to hang from the handle bars) and had dinner under the gazebo on shore. It was a nice night. We went back to the boat, fished from the bow (Jaycie got her first fish…but when we got it near the boat, it broke the line-- ok, next time I’ll set the drag!), watched the Simpson’s, had ice cream and went to bed.

Watefrord to Amsterdam

JUNE 13, 2006 (Waterford-Amsterdam)Today we got up and did our first pump out! Actually it was really easy and only cost $1.00 (much better than Oakdale Yacht). Traveled with new boats today, not all doing the loop. We did 9 locks today ranging from 16’ to 33’ and didn’t end up sideways or pressed up against the doors… that’s good! It was a little nerve racking at first, but we quickly settled in to the routine. After hearing stories of people losing control of their boats in the locks and ending up sideways against the doors, we just wanted to get through with our dignity- which we did. The locks only open on demand and usually wait for a number of boats, so we all traveled from lock to lock as a group. We’re slow….they’re slower! They traveled at about 4.5-6 knots (that’s slow even for us). At the slower speed it was a long 7 hour cruise day. We reach the Amsterdam Dock and it is beautiful. All new and redone. We met another boater today after his dog attacked Boo. After much brawling, Joyce lifted Boo up and the other dog jumped up bit onto her tail and hung from it in the air!!! I had to boot the “little terror” into the air (not that high-but more than once as he kept coming back on the attack) and his owner came running up (not happy with my NFL separation tactics). He was yelling and screaming at me, but I told him there’s no way I was going to use my hands to pull fighting dogs apart (it was really more of a one sided fight-Boo getting her a** kicked). While he was still in a tirade, Joyce said why wasn’t your dog on a leash? To which he replied, “Oh, yeah your right. I’m sorry“. We both apologized to one another and anyway, we met a new boater (who ended up being a really nice guy). After the may lay, we biked outside the gated dock area and it was pretty dead. Lots of closed stores, a large mall that was like a ghost town, with more stores closed than open. We actually walked our bikes through the mall and onto the elevators and never saw anyone to tell us we couldn’t. On a positive note, we went to a pizzeria and had probably the best pizza we ever ate (no joke). We went back to the boat and CAN’T WAIT TO LEAVE IN THE MORNING! Next time we get advice about a dock we will make sure we do our own research to confirm the decision.

Kingston to Waterford

JUNE 11, 2006 We woke up to a nice day but still a bit windy. We packed up and left first thing in the morning. Our fellow Looper (30’ Sundowner Tug, Popeye) had already left about an hour earlier. We were sad to leave but it was time to move on. We hoped to make Troy town docks by mid afternoon. When we got out on the river the wind was HOWLING! We had to take down our bimini and remove all cushions from the fly bridge for fear of them being blown or ripped off. Cloudy, overcast (as usual) and I still have my winter wool cap on. We had to pass our first large barge today, and although it took awhile, it was fine. We saw a bald eagle which flew directly over our heads. We heard the Erie canal was shut down the end of last week due to high water… but has since re-opened. We also hear that the turbines for the large windmills they have been setting up all around are in transit and should be locking through starting sometime Monday. We have been told they are huge and DO NOT want to be locking through while they are. There are many beautiful homes and sights along the way. We can see the tall building of Albany, over the treetops, well before we get there. As we come up to the Port of Albany we see the propellers for the turbines sitting at the dock…they are HUGE! We dock at Troy town dock, the wind and especially current are really strong. We can see the spill way for the locks can be seen ahead and looks like a waterfall (that’s why the currents so strong here). We meet another couple doing the loop, Miss Liberty (John & Sue), and Skip (Popeye) docks comes into dock here too. We go to dinner with John & Sue and get along great. When we get back to our boat he takes a look at my non-operational windlass. We disassemble it and he gets it working again-oh happy days! JUNE 12, 2006Today was the first truly BEAUTIFUL morning since we started. We hung out for a little in the morning and were told we would be joined by another another Looper, “Katie Sue” (John & Betty). We had never met them but now we were 4 boats heading for the lock together (the more…the merrier!). We left around 11:00 and headed for the Federal lock (our first lock ever). It only took about 10 minutes to get there- if the winds hadn’t been so strong and gusty yesterday we could have done it then. Anyway, as we come up to the lock its pretty big (as compared to Shinnecock), about 16’ high. The “spill way” is just to the left of it and is a raging water fall, making it a little tricky to navigate the waters at slower speeds. But as soon as you pass the little piece of land that separates the two, the water calms down. We pull in behind Katie Sue and she goes to port so we go to the starboard wall. We are the first boat on that side with the wall/doors in front of us. We wrap our lines around a single cable, in a groove, going up the side of the wall. It’s a little weird, because we only have a single point to run our lines to basically in the middle or our 46’ LOA. The doors to the lock close behind us and the water starts to come in. The water in front of us gets a little turbulent and tries to push our bow from the wall. We fight with lines to get our bow back to the wall and keep it there. It is not as precarious as it may sound, but for a first lock and not knowing what to expect…tensions were running a little high! It was a really cool experience, but what was really strange was rising up the 16’ in this “dark box” and as my head came over the top wall there was a guy mowing the lawn not 10’ from me. It’s just not what I expected to see! After the doors open we pull out and there is more logs, branches and debris than you can imagine. All I could picture was wrecking my props. So I put in gear gave it some throttle and as soon as my bow contact the pile of junk I shifted into neutral and coasted through. After I passed the pile of junk I shifted into gear and were on our way to Waterford. After a short time we arrived at the town docks with the next lock just in front of it. Our friends from Miss Liberty are heading north so we part ways. We really liked them and hope our paths will cross again somewhere on the loop. We will be docking on a wall today and I am told that they have a space that “should” fit my size boat but I should come down and take a look. When I get next to it, it’s definitely tight but I find my way into the space (which earns me applause from our, now friends, on Katie Sue and a congratulatory praise on the VHF from Popeye) I will say it is really nice to meet so many nice people on the loop (of course getting out may be another story!). Once at the docks, everyone decides to stay the night and “lock through” tomorrow (once you start this next lock there is no where to stop in between each one, so you MUST complete the next five locks in succession). We were thinking of staying anyway because we like the look of this town. As soon as we settle in we take the bikes off the boat and head to town. We get some odds and ends at the hardware store. On the way back to the boat we find a park and Jaycie has a blast. I ride back to the boat and get a Frisbee, basketball and Boo (Jaycies dog/Pomeranian- which by the way fits very nicely into my bike saddle bag with her head sticking out). We shoot some hoops, throw the Frisbee, chase Boo around and have the first sunny and truly relaxing afternoon since we left. When we get back to the docks, we find out there are 2 other loopers who will also be locking through tomorrow. We’re not sure what our destination is tomorrow , but we know we’ll be doing at least 5 locks!

Haverstraw to Kingston

JUNE 8, 2006 As usual, we woke up to overcast sky’s. The weather started to break a little in late morning so we decided to leave. I started the engines and checked the fuel line. We pulled out and then did a lot of maneuvering just outside of the marina to see if the engines were o.k. They seemed fine, so we left. We passed Sing Sing Prison, Pollepel Island which has a deteriorating 1900 castle (very cool) and under the Newburgh bridge. It’s really exciting always in anticipation of what lies around the next bend. Newburgh was supposed to be our destination for the day, however, the weather seemed calm enough that we decided to make up a little time and move on to our next destination. We saw West Point (from the water anyway) and it was much bigger than we had expected. In front of it was a touring tall ship that was really beautiful. We passed a nuclear power plant and Joyce put a towel over her head to shield herself from stray radiation (actually our calm weather started to change to rain and she was protecting her laptop). Normally we would have gone below to the lower helm, but from all the prior rain there has been plenty of debris in the river and it was easier to spot logs and things from above. As we travel we get light drizzle from time to time, but in the distance we see the sky turning black. We feel the wind pick up and the temperature drop and in the distance a downpour coming! We get on the rest of our wet weather gear and wait for it. Meanwhile right under the black cloud we notice a really nice little lighthouse island in the middle of the river. When we look at the charts its shows that all the water to the one side of it 1’ deep. To the right, the channel portion, it is 52’ deep, but there is no transition in depths. We decide, for the health of our hull, we will stay as “in the middle of the channel” as we can get! Just before we reach the lighthouse the rain dumps on us and hard!- Luckily it only lasted about a minute or so. We go around the lighthouse and head to our next destination Kingston. We head into the Rondout Creek heading for the town dock. We pass a crew team practicing in the creek. It’s a really quaint little area. As we arrive at the docks the town looks great! It’s 7:30 so we settle in quickly and walk into town for dinner out on a deck…what a great night! Hopefully we’ll get some nice weather so we can explore the town tomorrow. JUNE 9, 2006We wake up to a beautiful and SUNNY day! We do a little work, eat breakfast and get the bikes down. The minute we pulled in I said let’s go up on top of the bridge and get some pictures looking down at our boat and this little town, so that’s what we do. What a view! The area has really old and historic houses and there’s even slate sidewalks. Although the overall condition of the area around the town varies, you can see that it is still up and coming in being revitalized. We ride around and find a Stewarts and do some food shopping. We do the test run of bringing back “1 dozen eggs” in Joyce’s padded & insulated bike rack bag (thanks Steve). The sidewalks and ride prove to be quite bumpy, but all eggs survive (the ride to the bridge and surrounding areas was ALL uphill, but the ride back to the boat we didn’t have to pedal once). I go to work on repairing our dock damage and Joyce catches up on her work. We really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant from last night, so we go back for a lobster dinner (compliments of Mom & Dad S.). We’re all having a great time and might stay another day… we’ll decide in the morning. JUNE 10, 2006Winds are blowing 15-25 knots out on the river, so I guess we’ll have to stay here for another day- Yahoo! Figured we would take a day to do some “catch-up” work and settle in a little more. When we came in we saw the finger piers were about 12-15’ long. I asked the dockmaster if we were too big and he said “No problem, we had a 50 footer in here the other day”. So we docked in stern first with the bow sticking WAY out. Well, the winds got so strong during the day that the bow was getting blown over and bending the huge metal hinge that attached the finger to the dock. Before we ripped it completely off, we tied off more lines to the 3rd finger pier 2 docks down. Our lines blocked the other slips completely but at least our boat (and their dock) stayed in place. Spent the entire day on board doing odds and ends and I spent some time in the engine room. There was a live band in town which we got serenaded by all day long- great music! We went in for Italian ices at night and met the owners who were originally from Dix Hills & Massapequa. We spent time talking with them before heading back to the boat.

Day 3 & 4 - Manhattan to Haverstraw

JUNE 6, 2006 We waked up (yes I did spell that correctly) bright and early and got out of there as fast as we could. Our port engine had a little trouble starting. While backing out in the “ferrie-swell”, my port engine stalled just ½ way out of the slip. I finished backing out but was being pushed into the dock by the ferry wakes. As I turned to port, the stern catches a piece of metal on the piling and I hear a fiberglass “crunch” sound. I thought it was my sundeck hardtop, but we check and see no damage. We now get into a “very active” harbor, running on one engine, at a slow (slower) speed. I go below to check the engine and I remember I had a vacuum on one filter that needed to be changed. I was going to do it at Newport Marina, but figured I would wait-due to the rolling. When I go in the engine room, to my horror, the “bad filter” is on the engine that is still running! I am quite nervous now, thinking I might lose this engine as well in the middle of a busy “rush hour” harbor. I try to restart my port engine and to my surprise…it starts! We maintain a slower speed and head up river. I am still concerned, but happy to be under “full power”. The city is still awesome and a sight that we loved seeing was “The Intrepid” from the water. Although I have seen and been on it before, seeing it from the water, with the buildings as a back drop, made you really appreciate its size. The river is beautiful and it’s interesting to see the scenery change from city to country. The Palisades cliffs are really beautiful. We have to keep a close eye on the water, because we have spotted a number of logs, branches and lumber in the water and don’t want to hit them. We pass our first big barge. It is 4 barges deep by 2 wide. Very cool! Still seeing large cargo ships and tankers as we head north. We pull into Haverstraw Marina. A beautiful marina with over 1,000 boats. They ask me to pull up to the gas dock - which I have never done before- but everything goes well. They give us our dock assignment. We have a side finger dock on one side, no poles on the other with a smaller boat berthed next to us. There is a large yacht with a 20+ boat (their dinghy, I assume ) in front of us. Docking will be a little tight, but not un-do-able if I come in on a slight angle. I spin the boat, start to back in and as I clear the first pole on my port side, my port engine dies again!! I have never docked with one engine before and we didn‘t have any dock hands to help us, but we managed to get in without hitting anything. After I changed my shorts, I first went to check what the “fiberglass crunch” sound was. I damaged the gelcoat on the starboard side/stern above the waterline, below the lower rub rail. The heavy rocking must have made us miss the rub rail! It’s about 6”x4” of pretty heavily crushed/pulverized gelcoat- down to the glass, but I don’t think it did any structural damage. I’ll check it more closely tomorrow, but for now, I need to see what’s up with my port engine. 98% of the time, when a diesel engine dies it is fuel related…this was no exception! The fuel supply line for the transfer pump was loose and dripping fuel. I tightened it, started the engine and all seems fine. I guess I’ll find out, when I pull out, if all is well. I changed the other fuel filter, tested both engines and should be set to go. We settle in. The water is calm, the marina is beautiful and we are planning to stay for 2 or 3 days. We start to organize, put away and get comfortable. Note: For the first time since we started….we are beginning to relax and it feels great! Tonight we’ll have dinner on the sundeck, go for a nice walk ashore and get a nice, long, comfortable sleep…. JUNE 7, 2006 We all had a good, long, comfortable nights sleep- it felt great! We wake up to rain and fog this morning. But the boats no longer a carnival ride so… LIFE IS GOOD! It’s nice to have a couple of days not on the move and what a great place to be staying. Judging by my weather websites, this weather system looks like it will be around for a few days, so it looks like we might be here a little longer than expected. It’s only been a short time, but the boat is so comfortable, it really feels like home. It’s amazing how not out of touch we all feel. Jaycie is on the internet IM-ing her friends and Joyce and I have been in touch with friends and family via cell phone and internet. It’s really is wild! Mom and Dad S. were supposed to come up to meet us and bring us to West Point, but due to weather, had to cancel. Jaycie was disappointed because they were supposed to bring her stuffed animal (a 5’ long white dog!) , which we accidentally - really- left behind. Maybe, when the weather clears, they can meet us at our next stop up the river and we will still get to go to West Point with them. My Cousin Debbie’s husband, Bill, came by to visit this morning. He is with the Sheriff’s marine unit here on the river. We talked for a while and he gave me lots of valuable advice. He’s going to stop back later and we will all go to their house for dinner. We have other Cousins in the area and hope to be able to visit with all of them before moving on.