What an incredible weekend. Of course it rained most of it and was a bit breezy, but we didn’t let that get us down. We walked and walked and explored Sylvan Beach. We docked up on their free City docks. We had no power but that was ok. We used our generator.

I have to share this with you. Remember in the last post I shared with you our experience with the gusty wind in Lock 20. Well as Bryce and I docked along the wall we docked right in front of the boat that went sideways in the lock. They were actually a very nice couple. They were traveling with another powerboat. She seemed a tad bit embarrassed. I suppose it could happen to anybody. For those of you who are just catching up; their boat Leap of Faith was blown side ways in the lock.  Due to the winds, Bryce and I are waiting to leave today Monday.

If you ever get the opportunity to visit Sylvan Beach; it is a town built around a small amusement part.

 

Ok… I will ask this question. I always thought these were called the rocket or Bullet ride. What do you think they called in the 60’s – 70’s?

 

Awa.. The beach didn’t have too many people this weekend. Probably due to rain and 72 degree temps.

 

Friday night we enjoyed a nice dinner here at the Canal View Café.

 

We enjoyed a walk thought town several times. It had a beach party atmosphere.

 

Bryce and I enjoyed our breakfast once we got waited on.

 

Sunday evening we went out dinner. We decided to go to Eddie’s.  It is wasn’t bad. The air was a bit chilly due to the cold front hanging over our heads. But after dinner, we took a walk along the beach.

 

This is the free dock at Sylvan Beach; it was very nice.  We met a couple Larry and Bev Mosser on a trawler named “Canadian Flyer”. They travel 3 months out of the year now.  They went around the world on their previous boat: a 54’ Tayana.  The were celebrating 56 years of marriage.  Congratulations Larry & Bev

 

We have 20 miles to cross on Oneida Lake . It was a beautiful day.  Very calm and warm.

 

We did enjoy the lake crossing. I really wanted to anchor out. The weather was in the low 80’s; so it was perfect.  I love the free dockage but I think I miss throwing out the hook.  But there seemed to be too much seaweed so we just kept moving.

 

We took advantage of another free wall dockage at Brewerton. No electric, but very nice. We had dinner here; it was ok.  My dinner order was completely wrong. Instead of making it right with me they tried to cover it up. “This is the first time we made it” It was the dinner special. Oh well, at least I got my shrimp.

Thanks for following our blog!

After spending two nights in Little Falls it was time to head out.  The forecasters were forecasting rain for the day. I was hoping that it would hold off.    Although it was hazy, it was a beautiful morning.  Little Falls city docks  was very clean. They offered nice clean showers to their guest. We meet a couple ridding a tandem bike from Massachusetts to Iowa.   It would be interesting to do that, but my fanny would not allow it. I keep trying new seats, but no luck; so I will stick with sailing. The City docks apparently allows bikers put up their tents for a night.  I have to say. They peddle faster then our sailboat. The do between 50-100 miles a day. They average 10 MPH. We do 5 MPH. LOL

Lori and Mike Wilson

 

I waved goodbye to the docks are we drove away. It doesn’t look like much but you can fit 7-10 good sizes boats there.  And the town is a short walk away.  The Blue tug here is the Gov Roosevelt. Built in 1901.  It was originally steam, but later converted to diesel. It has exposed rocker arms on the diesel engine.

 

We traveled up the canal and noticed they were unloading a barge.  It was full of dredging from the Erie Canal.

 

It was only 4 miles up the canal we ran into lock 18 (Herkimer). It is amazing that when you spot a lock; that is all there is. You either turn around or lock up.

 

You can also take a Erie Canal cruise while exploring the canal system.  Might be kinda cool for those without a boat.

 

I like how friendly people are. They always wave and smile.  But I need to draw your attention to the bumpers. I like them; they are so neat looking.   Many of these tugs are incredibly old, but still used by the Canal System. One tug was built in 1901 (Gov Roosevelt) and retired in the 90s. It still runs as a historical boat. These blue boats are for canal maintenance.

 

A few miles later we stopped, fueled up and pumped out and we are all set for a while. As we approached lock 19 (Frankfort), we decided to stop for the night.  The rain had begun. When we came up on this sign we didn’t know what to expect.  But as we turned the corner, there was an over head railroad bridge and lock 19 with hardly any wiggle room for the boat.  If you are a boater and are reading this you should wait to pass under the railroad bridge until the lock operator opens the lock.  Just in case someone is locking down.

 

This is a view from behind. Sorry I am having camera (lens) issues.  My zoom lens has bit the dust. The bow of the boat is already heading into the lock.

 

Because of my inabilities to swim well, I always wear my life jacket. It is under my rain coat.  In the Mississippi, life jackets are mandatory in the locks.  Not in the Erie. We pulled up next to the wall right lock 19 (Frankfort).  It was nearing 5:30 and we didn’t have enough time to get to lock 20 (Whitesboro).

 

The following day we headed up to lock 20 (Whitesboro).  All these pipes are used for dredging the canal

 

On this side of the locks, there is a spillway for water overflow next to the north wall.

 

I have to laugh this is another straightaway like on the Dismal Swamp.

 

In some areas you will find places to stop and have lunch or dinner while you are cruising.  It is a 1 dollar a foot to tie up for the night.

 

So many different ways to to see the water flow in and out of the canal.

 

We knew this time we would be sharing the lock with two other power boaters. We were a mile a head of them so we told the lock operator when we contacted him on the VHF that we didn’t mind waiting for them.  As we approached the lock we fought gusty winds from behind. It took us a few times to reach our lines on the wall to hold on too.  We finally got settled in.  We waited for the powerboats to join us. The wind was really gusty. The wind grabbed the first powerboat, a 40 foot cruiser and turned them sideways in the lock. Now these locks are not that big.  Bryce tied his line off the springer.  The women was yelling at her husband who couldn’t hear her.   “I have to let go I can’t hold on any more”  her voice trembled in fear.  “We are going to hit the sailboat.  Go… Go turn us around.. get us out of here” her voice pleaded.  But her husband was trying to push the stern of his boat off the other wall.  Bryce was sitting off the back of Beauty  holding their boat off with his feet.  They finally turned around and headed back out of the lock.

 

Wait… crap they are headed back in.  I need an extra shot of Goldschlager for this. LOL.. I closed my eyes and said a prayer. This time they made it in were able to grab there lines. The next power boat took the east wall. I think he was the smartest of all. The wind blew him right to his lines. Lucky stiff. The doors closed and we were all  being lifted up. Bryce and I took a deep breath.  The lock operator  was just opening the doors when we heard the women screaming again. I couldn’t help but laugh… Her dog tried to abandon ship.

Dark clouds are over their heads.  I sure hope their day gets better.

 

Here is an interesting fact. Lock 21 (New London) is the start of the locks going down instead of up. We must be coming to the other side of the mountains. This didn’t even look like a lock to me.  But after we pulled closer, I could see the doors of the lock.

 

Lock 22 (Sylvan Beach) was just a mile away. They were quite close.  We ended staying two nights over the weekend here at Sylvan Beach to wait out the rain storms. Today (Monday) we will head a cross Oneida Lake to Brewerton New York.

Just arriving at Sylvan wall City Free docks for the weekend.

As always Thank You for following us.

The following morning, after Bryce finished up as always with work, we headed up to Lock E-16 (Johnsville lock). It was only 6.9 miles away. We followed the canal up to E-17; the Little Falls area.  I wanted to stay there over night providing  they have any room available at the City docks.  You are not allowed to tie off at lock E-17.  This area is so hilly with steep rocky cliffs.  Moss Island is a popular area for climbers. Another neat piece of history is Redco Food INC is a private company that makes tea here.

 

This is the E-16 Johnsville lock. It had a 20.5 foot lift. It was preparing me for Lock E-17 with a 40.5 foot lift.

 

Here is the E-17 Little Falls lock. I was a nervous wreck!! Freaking- out  as always of the unknown. I heard this was a difficult lock because of the 40.5 foot lift.  Little Falls provides the largest lift in the lock system. It also is unusual because of the guillotine door.  This door raises instead of the hinged door.  It’s funny because any one on deck will get wet as you enter the lock.  The picture below shows the guillotine in the raised position.

 

Excuse my hair.. but if you look I am holding on a line and Bryce is holding onto the bow line. This is the only thing you have to secure your boat. My stomach was so upset.  I was nervous.   I think, I was more upset that I was upset that I had to settle my self down. The lock operator was awesome. He let the water in slowly so it didn’t create a monster  whirlpool.  It was awesome!!!! I thanked him.  This picture shows the closed guillotine door behind the boat.

 

On the West side of the lock you can see that this side has the hinged doors. It’s leery to see the water leaking through the doors.  As we drove the sailboat into the lock I kept thinking; darn, I sure hope those doors don’t collapse with all that pressure.

 

Look I am smiling…. We only have a few more feet to go up. Life is good.

 

This is the view as we past through the lock on the upper side.  This lock appears to be at a big cut in the mountains

 

Now we haven’t see this type of dam before. This dam has a hydraulic machine with an arm on it to remove the debris from around the dam gate.

 

This I believe is the water tower…. that welcomes everyone to Little Falls…LOL

 

Now this is one of the many gates on the canal that they close to drain a portion of the canal so they can work on the locks and dams.

 

We were able to tie up to the plastic dock and enjoy two nights here. It cost a 1 dollar a foot. We were able to get power and water along with nice clean showers.

 

Shortly after we tied up, we headed out for a walk to check out the town. What a beautiful area to explore.

 

This is a land view of the Erie canal that we were just on.

 

As we headed into town, we passed two young boys just having a great time.

 

I just think this is such a neat building.  I love the rock bed foundation; it shows its history. Kind of like the Flintstones.  LOL

 

You know as we cruised by this beautiful area, I didn’t realized how magnificent it was until we took our walk. It was very magical as we walked the streets holding hands and laughing as we talked about our adventure over the last year. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Can’t wait for the next one and we aren’t done with this one yet.

 

I thought this was neat. Here was crochet and net things on most of the chairs, trees, bike racks, etc.

 

I’ve been trying to figure out what this building is… maybe at one time it was a school. I see curtains in the windows now.

 

This is the North side water fall.  The bridge in the far background takes you to the tea factory.   Perhaps this is why they call the town Little Falls.  This runs directly next to the tow.

 

Little Falls reminds me of a town you would see in the old western movies. It has to be one of the cleanest towns we have been in.

 

Look at the top of the building.. It remains me of a widow  walk. That is where people go to watch the ships come back into town after a long day out to sea.   the legend go like this “ The faithful and dedicated wife, performing her daily circumambulations on the cold and lonely widow’s walk; The next sail to top the horizon may carry her husband, gone to sea these many years. But not today. The sunsets brings to close her lonely vigil for this day. Perhaps, though the much anticipated vision will appear tomorrow and if not tomorrow, the next day.”    Don’t think the widow walk on this building is the same reason as the poem but it sure is pretty.

 

Okay so Bryce took me out for dinner. I chuckled as I agreed to eat here… It has been many years since I had a Big Mac. For those who know me, I am a calorie counter.  One Big Mac only 550 calories…LOL I think I will have to wait till we get back to worry about weight. It sure did taste good.

 

Okay, maybe it’s time to show you our journey so far.  The dots are closing in…..

 

I think they did this on purpose.  Every pot of flowers had the same flowers in the same arrangement as the next. Boy, they sure had pretty flowers.

 

As always thank you for following us..

We spent two days in Scotia. Bryce called a taxi to take us to a must see Central Park Rose garden. I had to laugh it was only 4 miles away but by taxi it felt a bit longer. The taxi driver took us the scenic way. Through the rough part of the town.    The Rose garden was nice but the previous storm did a ton of damage. We must have seen a dozen trees down. The roses looked a bit dead. I think they were thirsty, maybe wind blown from the storms. We walked around the park they had a nice pool for the locals to use and  great play ground. There was also an ice cream vendor there with his truck. You know it… I had to have an ice cream.   I really don’t know between the two of us who likes ice cream more. LOL

 

 

We had very bad storms that passed though this area. It knocked down numerous trees in the area. Clean up time.

 

 

This is the local pool area. Many local families were waiting for them to open. It looked like a lot of fun.

 

 

After we took our expensive taxi cap ride back.  We had him drop us off at “Jumpin’ Jack’s” restaurant. It is a local place. Kind of like an old A&W except they have picnic tables to sit at.   We had to try it. The place is always full of people waiting to eat here.

 

 

Well.. I think my dress might be a tad short to ride a bike.  LOL  Good thing that is a piece of art. LOL

 

 

Aw… look Beauty got a bath. Bryce you did a great Job.

 

 

You know in Scotia they put on a water ski show for whoever wants to watch.  The bad part is… They like to irritate the boaters. The do not respect the boaters on the City docks.  According to the city doc personal they have been trying to get no wake area buoys out there. The waterski team is very disrespectable. Bryce actually walked down and asked them how much longer they were practicing. He mentioned that even though the area was not no wake, they are still responsible for any damage done by their wake. They stopped shortly after that. They throw such a big wake, it cracked the bow protector of the jet-ski as the wake pushed the jet-ski into the stern of beauty.  It must have been newbie day, because the skiers seemed inexperienced.

 

 

The following morning we headed up to lock 8, 9, 10, 11, and we finally stopped after proceeding through lock 12. The sad thing is for some reason my camera is acting finicky. So the following photos were taken with my iPhone.  So picture quality is a bit bad.

 

This is lock 9 it has an 15 foot lift.  It is funny because as we pulled into the lock, it seems to be very windy and when we reached the top of the lock, the wind disappeared.

 

When you reach the top of each lock, you can see the information on that lock. It also tells you how far to the next lock. The operator of the lock will also ask if you will be locking through the next lock. He will call the next lock and let them know you are on you way.

 

 

Lock E-12 (Tribes Hill) had an 11 foot lift. We pulled over after our lift on E-12 for the night. Many of the locks will let you tie up for the night. But not all have nice walls to tie up to. It was very nice here. We took our lawn chairs and walked across the parking lot to the shade trees to cool down a bit.

 

 

One thing I haven’t been writing about that maybe I should add is the train system on the Erie Canal in the Mohawk River. You can not escape it. As we sat in our chairs on the banks of lock E-12 or on the docks of Scotia or wherever you are, you will hear the sounds of the trains passing by 24/7.

 

 

This is lock E-13 (Randall Lock).  Here we talked for a bit with lock master Mark. This lock has an 8 foot lift with lines. Some of the locks have pipes that you can wrap your springer line on. But that was only the first few locks at the beginning of the Erie Canal. After passing through E- 13 we headed to lock E-14 (Canajoharie lock). It also had an 8 foot lift.   We continued on to  E-15 Lock.

 

We entered lock E-15. The Fort Plain lock. It had a 8 foot lift and it had pipes and lines.  You see the line Bryce is holding? Well we both hold a line. One of us in the bow; the other on the stern.  When the lock master closes the gate and starts to fill up the lock with water it creates a whirlpool affect. Let me tell you… I have to hold on tight to that line. My arms might look like a guy with muscles by the time we are out of the Erie canal system.

 

Marc the Chief lock operator from lock 13 (Randall lock) came to lock 15 to visit with us. We learned a lot about locking and what all happens in the winter. They drain all the water that they can out of the Eire Locks to do maintenance on them.  We also learned that the complete operation and maintenance of the Erie Canal is the responsibility of the State of New York, rather than the Army Corp of Engineers like all other waterways in the US.  So the Erie Canal is quite unique in that respect.  New York has their own fleet of boats and barges to dredge the canal also.  They laughingly call them the New York Navy.  We were quite impressed by how well maintained the Erie Canal locks, dams and boats were.

 

After Marc left we sat on the side of beauty and had a cup of coffee. The heat was finally dissipating for the evening.  George loved this spot, it was one of the few times he jumped off the boat.  He wanted to munch on the grass.

 

As always thank you for following us.

After we left Catskills, we decided to head up towards Albany. What beautiful scenery we had.  This route is just lovely. I enjoyed sitting on the bow taking photos. The Hudson river is so picturesque. We had a few spells with the power boats going by and plowing past us giving us a bad wake.  But for the most part other boaters slowed down.

 

The hills of New York are awesome.  Sure does look like a lot of yard mowing.

 

This was a pretty lighthouse we passed. I wonder if some one lives here. I see a dock & picnic table.

 

 

This barge is getting loaded up; then a tow will move it to its new location.

 

 

I just had to zoom in. I thought that they might have a green house on top of this.  There sure was; but not the type I was thinking of.

 

 

People should remember they are responsible for there wake.  Some people always have a camera in hand so they know who causes the damage. Thank goodness nothing happened to our mast.  We also are power boaters; so I understand the need for speed.  But I always try to watch our wake. Enough complaining…

 

 

We had to stop briefly to let this tow turn his barge around in the river. Then we saw another one behind him. Sure is a busy river at times.

 

 

This crane was so big that they had a tug pulling it and a tug pushing it.

 

 

This crane can lift some heavy loads.  We think he is going down stream to help with a big bridge that is being built across the Hudson.

 

Here is a picture of a park in the city of Albany as we cruised by.

 

Another picture of Albany.

 

See the front of the mast making it under the railroad track bridge.

 

 

We found an anchorage just north of Albany. I wonder if these Canadian Geese have to have a passport too. LOL

 

We had a bumpy night with storms passing through. We had tornado warnings . My weather alert on my phone went off all night long. Bryce and I stood on the bow for a while looking at the dark clouds roll in. But it ended up we just had wind & thunderstorms. Thank goodness.   The following afternoon we headed up to Scotia.

Here is a picture of a boat we took as we  passed through Troy. It was a pretty city from the water.

 

The light just was not right for this photo but I took it anyways. The statue of Helen of Troy was pretty.

 

 

This is a picture of an interesting bridge in Troy.

 

Shorty after Troy we came upon our first lock. It called the Federal Lock  or Troy lock.  This is the dam next to the lock.

 

This lock is much smaller then the locks on the Mississippi.

 

This lock had pipes to tie my line around. Bryce is up on the bow with the stick to keep the mast from hitting the wall.  This picture is looking toward the rear of the lock.

 

The view just keeps getting better.  Looking forward in the lock.

 

It was long we came upon our turn near Waterford when out of the blue we were at lock E-2.  This picture shows a fork in the road.  Right takes you toward Montreal, left toward Erie (where we are headed).

 

This is where the Erie Canal starts. It begins with lock E-2.  Apparently they don’t have a E-1. Not sure why.  The next 5 locks are close together and take us up 150 feet.

 

As we approached the lock at lock E-3 we had tourists watching the sailboat (Beauty) in the lock. I waved and ended up talking to them. It was kind of fun.

 

This lock had lines to hold.  I am not a fan of them but you do what you have to.  After having a few upsetting words with Bryce who wasn’t my best friend at the time.  A shot of Goldschlager helped me get through a total of 8 locks that day.

 

We looked at Active Captain and we headed into Scotia. They have slips for 20 dollars a night; 30 with electric.

 

The winds were blowing pretty heavy; nearing 20 knots. As we pulled up to a slip, a young man came over from his boat to give us a helping hand. After we settled in, we had Dave & Donna over for drinks before we left for dinner.   They are good people too.

 

We went out for dinner at the Glen Sander’s Mansion Restaurant.  I really didn’t care for the food.  The best part was my shrimp and it was a four course meal. Bryce looks so tired.

 

 

Good night everyone.. Thank you all for following us.

Boy, as we docked up in Catskills at the Riverview marina we were greeted by a young man by the name of Craig.  We stayed the night on the dock at the gas pumps.  There was a boat on the wall where they remove your mast. We didn’t do much the first evening. We meet a couple going North in there trawler. We went out for dinner with them and had a great night.

Their names were Wayne & Vicki Bernhardt. They have a 36 Monk trawler named Cocomo.  We had an awesome evening with them. on our way back to the marina it decided to down pour on us.  Donna shared her umbrella with me.

 

The following morning we woke up at the break of dawn and dropped the head sail.  She needed some mending of the sun shade, so Bryce took out the machine and put her back together.  Craig came by and asked us to move over to the hoist area. So we did.

 

 

Head sail is put away, now comes down the main sail.

 

After getting the sails down, we had to build our frame to hold our mast. I printed out the photos that we had from when we had her un-stepped in St. Joseph Michigan.  We reproduced the supports.  Kenny, thank you for an awesome design.  Going up the Erie Canal we didn’t find a place to do it all.  We did everything here except the mast removal.  At one of the other marinas we could of removed our mast ourselves.   But they didn’t think they had any lumber that we could use.  Riverview was great.  They would make sure we had what we needed. They even have a store on hand with some supplies you might need even water pumps, toilet paper, cotter pins.  They supplied us with lumber, screws and screw bit.

 

Thank goodness Bryce brought all the tools we really had no room for. LOL

 

We had to remove the silicone from around the mast. I must say it really wasn’t that bad to remove it just a bit messy to clean up.  We use large line as the wedge, then fill it in with silicone.  It provides a relatively stiff support and water proof.  And relatively easy to remove during un-stepping.  There is a very expensive product you can buy that performs a similar function.

 

So it was finally time to remove the mast.  Jack & Bryce lifted Craig to the center of the mast where he placed the tourniquet around the mast to lift it out of the boat. We have a keel step mast so that makes it a tad bit longer the a deck mast. She is nearing the 60 feet mark.

 

It is always a bit scary when you lift someone up. I always have a fear of dropping Bryce, so I drink a few beers to calm my nerves.  Craig was done and the mast is secure and ready to be lifted out. Jack is the younger guy and hasn’t had much practice lowering Craig down a mast so he asked Bryce to do it.

 

I went downstairs to make sure all is well as they lifted her out. She seems so naked without the mast.

 

They are lifting her up and I am always biting my nails.  A thousand pounds worth of aluminum, cables and expensive electrical.

 

Boy, it sure is long.  Below we are placing the bottom of the mast on the bow support.

 

This is Mike. He is the owner of Riverview Marina. He is in control of where our mast is going..

 

Mast is almost down now. Our work continues; all instruments, lights, radar get removed.

 

The guys loaned Bryce a ladder so he could remove the instruments.  You are probably wondering why I am showing you this empty slip.  This is where our boat was. I wanted to show you that we were able to walk the boat back & fourth to either finger dock.  Using a step ladder on the finger dock, we remove everything that had to come off.

 

Noticed all the extra rope we carry just to make sure the mast can hold up all the lines backstays.  We been hit by some pretty big wakes by powerboats we rolled and rolled. Thank goodness Bryce is an over doer. Our mast didn’t move; only my nerves… 

 

Our final step was to add the bumpers and side board. This works very well in the locks.

 

The next morning we headed out on our way. This bridge was the first bridge we went under with our mast down but we still had room to leave her up.

 

Thanks for following us.. remember if you have questions please ask.

As we left breakwater Harbor the day started out pretty well. The winds were light at first so we put up the main sail and motored of course. I would say on this trip we sailed 10% of the time and motor sailed 90% of the time. It was awesome, the sails stabilized Beauty. We figured we just do a short ride maybe 30 miles or so and head over to Ocean City. I received a text on Facebook from a friend of ours telling us about the shoaling at Ocean City inlet. We were not able to connect with Towboat US so we changed our minds decided to go to Atlantic City. It was an additional 40 miles. Total trip 70 miles.

As the day went on the Atlantic showed no mercy again. The winds increasing to 25 knots her rollers seem to hit us from every direction as the wind direction changed. Our last day on the Atlantic till our next trip so I thought. The ICW near Atlantic City sounded like a great option.

 

Atlantic City looked so pretty from the Ocean side toward the shoreline. We looked at Active Captain and found two areas in which we could anchor in. We took the first one. It was late and we were exhausted from the long day out in the ocean. It was a beautiful sunset the night with the strawberry moon.

 

 

 

I took some photos of strawberry moon.

We anchored inside the harbor near the bridge and the Harrahs Casino. It was a calm anchorage in spite of the gusty winds and tidal current.

 

The following morning after great deliberation we decided that with the storms brewing we should take a boat slip at the Golden Nugget. I also haven’t done laundry since Saint Augustine in Florida, so this will be a great chance for me to get caught up on laundry. Ok.. I did gamble away $20 the following morning while I waited for Bryce to finish up with work.

This is a photo of the marina taken from the casino. The background shows the inlet from the Atlantic.

 

We ended up spending three days at the Golden Nugget Casino. We wandered around the city and enjoyed every thing they offered. I especially love the boardwalk and the sandy beaches.

We had to have our photos taken with the ape…

 

So which one is the ape…LOL

 

My toes are in the sand…

 

The board walk was so cool…

 

Well after talking to a lot of different boaters we found out the ICW would not be an option for us. So once again and this was my final trip on the Atlantic Ocean, we motored sailed up to New York City inlet. Just a few miles in the New York harbor was a bay called Sandy Point. We took rescue there for the night. Once again we managed to arrive just as the sun was setting. We heard that this wasn’t a real good place to anchor, but it turned out ideal for us.

Bryce setting the anchor.

 

This military area was just off of Sandy Point.

 

Our sunset for the evening came quickly.

 

 

The following morning we pulled up anchor early at 5:30. We headed towards New York City. It was amazing. The view was breathtaking. I must say to my surprise I was shocked to see so many freighters, tows and barges anchored in the harbor near the Statue of Liberty.

Staten Island Ferry.. It was to our surprise to see all the ferries were guarded by an armed coast guard boat.

 

Up close and personal…he’s manning a machine gun on the bow!

 

These tows were anchored right inside the harbor.

 

Our Statue of Liberty.. Very pretty.

 

This was a neat looking building to me. I am thinking that it could have been a Coast guard station at one time.

 

This was one heck of a clock…if you can’t see it I would suggest an eye doctor… LOL

 

Continuing up the river, we decided since we already been to New York a few times by car, we would just travel the waterway this time. We headed north of New York and took Anchorage in a bay called Croton Bay. We actually spent two nights there. We enjoyed a day of kayaking.

We kayaked in to this beach area. It is low tide. When high tide comes in, the beach disappears..

 

Bryce cleaning up the toys so we can play…

 

George even got out to enjoy the day.

 

The bay was full of boats. It was great to see everyone anchored and enjoying their day.

 

The following day we headed up the river nearly 30 miles or so. We anchored near a shoreline with a train track running along the shoreline. LOL You said it ….yes we were listening to trains passing by all night.

This passenger train was headed north.

 

While this train was headed south.

 

 

The view on the Hudson grew more beautiful every day.,

 

Houses appeared out of the mountain tops.

 

We passed this cute couple waving to us from their boat as they passed by.

Every corner we turned, the view was awesome.

 

The following day we headed up to a marina in Catskills called RiverView. Then reality kicked in..Knowing you have to do something, then actually doing it. It was time for the removal of the mast again. You know what that means???? The next part of this adventure takes us up the Erie Canal to Lake Erie.

As always thank you for following us

After leaving Annapolis we headed up to the Chesapeake & Delaware  canal where we will stay the night at the top of the Delaware Bay.  I am suggesting to all our sailing and motoring friends (powerboats) not to miss the Chesapeake area. It is just  wonderful don’t miss it.  Well, we spent 14 hours sailing & motoring sailing; but it was so worth the trip across the C & D.

 

 

The sun cast it glow on the Port side of this bridge as we passed under around 6:30 a.m.  This is the bridge just north of Annapolis.

 

 

Look at the fisherman & women out here.  I would say this is one HOT spot to fish…..

 

 

We are merging into the C & D Channel.  It was so darn pretty.  As we merged in we noticed way to many red buoys. As we got closer, we realized that the pilings running along the river had orange netting on them. I think they could change the color.  It is too close to looking like a red buoy.

 

 

 

The Delaware RESPONDER!!  Was at the Coast Guard Station on the C&D.

 

 

We were going to anchor in the bay just across from this.  But there were so many local boats due to the weekend, that we just decided to continue through the C&D.  Besides, the tidal current was in our favor for another 4 hours.

 

 

This area is so pretty. I love all the different style bridges we have seen.

 

 

They sure do leave a big wake when they pass in this narrow canal.  This is a tow pushing a barge.

 

 

Birds on a wire and pipe looking at the boats and wondering watch one their poop will fall on….LOL

 

 

We passed another tow under the bridge. Boy do they look like freighters from a distance.  I think this was a freighter converted to a barge.  Bryce calls them “Freighter Barges”.

 

 

Yep… we met right under that bridge. Giving the tow more room…

 

 

A bike cycle path runs along the C & D

 

 

The moon was out in early evening full and just beautiful. This photo is for our daughter Tami.  The moon is so magical…and when the sky is full of stars there is nothing prettier.  The moon is a sailors flash light.

 

 

We finally took anchor for the night where the C & D joins the Delaware Bay.  The winds were 18 knots but this break water protected us from the waves.

 

 

Early the next morning we headed to the bottom of the Delaware.  Not realizing how close we were to a nuclear plant.

 

 

This tow and barge sure is pretty in RED .

 

 

We saw these kinds of boats transporting vehicles from Europe.  We saw the same boats in Charleston.

 

 

OM!!! look how much bigger a freighter is next to a tow.

 

 

Boy, this is one busy area with big vessels. There is an area where they anchor while they get their paper work done. Apparently this is a point of entry. There is an anchoring area where they get checked into customs.  Another vessel pulls up next to them and collects their trash and fills them up with fuel.

 

 

We had to be very careful and follow the channel in due to shoaling.

 

 

This lighthouse is in the break water where we anchored for the night at the bottom of the Delaware Bay.  Exit to the Atlantic Ocean.

 

 

Our sunset.. at Breakwater Harbor

 

 

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After we settled in for the night in Ingram Bay, we sat down with a cup of coffee on the bow. We had a pretty view of the bay. We watched a lady paddle herself around the area.  After we anchor, we are often just plum tired and ready to snooze. LOL.. crap.. wait no rest tonight; our anchor alarm went off.  All I could think about was there she blows again.  Winds were 30 knots.  We have our depth alarm set and drag alarm set every night.  For some reason in this bay, the bottom was maybe hard or something and our anchor did not hold us tight.  I don’t think we have ever had a time when our Danforth has ever let us down.  OH…Well Bryce pulled up the anchor and moved us just a little and she reset herself and held us all night in the 30 knot winds.

I watched this girl paddle for a while. I think.. I must have one of those boards! “ Bryce it would make a great Christmas present.” LOL

 

 

Early that morning we pulled up the anchor and headed to Annapolis MD.  As we were pulling out of the bay and of course I had no camera in hand, Bryce yelled “Look at the dauphin’s”. OM! There had to be twenty  of them passing us a cross our bow. I only managed to get a photo of one.

 

 

Sometimes the view is just spectacular out here. This lighthouse looked so pretty as the light rotated in circles at the top of the lighthouse. I wonder with GPS and and the navigation tools of the last few years if a lighthouses light still helps with navigation. I can tell you with all the fishing areas out here, I sure would not want to come close to this lighthouse.

 

 

As our day went on we noticed this huge pier just past the lighthouse. As we got closer and closer we noticed it wasn’t a pier but possibly a refueling station for the tows and freighters.

 

 

I must say in our earlier travels we have never seen a tow pull a barge. But as time has gone by, we see it a lot on the ICW route near the Ocean. We are thinking it has to do with the rough water.

 

 

Here is an interesting old light house on the Chesapeake Bay.

 

 

As we get closer and closer to Annapolis I noticed this bridge and freighters anchored out. Bryce explained to me that this is probably a waiting area for freighters to pick up a Pilot Captain to get them a cross the Annapolis Bay.  Or perhaps waiting for customs.

 

 

Well, we made it into Annapolis. We decided to take a mooring ball. I was hoping for a marina slip so I could get laundry done; but it will have to wait till the next time. I must say if I could pack up my bags and move anywhere it would be right here in Annapolis.  It just feels like home. We come here darn near every October for the sailboat show. It is just a beautiful place.   Distinctly a sailors town.

One of our views after we got on our #14 mooring ball.

 

 

We were so excited to be here; it was so magical. I felt like Cinderella as she walked into to the castle. Bryce sat on the bow as soon as we were tied up. I handed him a beer and we just enjoyed the moment.  That statement isn’t true!  We enjoyed three days of… Well, I just cannot explain it. We had a great time.

Not knowing as we both enjoyed our view, sailboats were headed out for a race on the bay.

 

 

You can take a harbor tour of Annapolis.. You can take a sailboat ride on a sailboat… what a life….

 

 

Look at the boats going out to race. We are not racers but it is cool to watch them.

 

 

OM! I cannot turn without a fabulous view. Ok, let me see if I can explain this right. This dingy is pulling this sailboat out to the bay. Why you might ask. LOL  Well, it has no motor on it.   Why? Some time ago.. ok.. lets go some where in time a long time ago when a ship needed to get out of the towns or harbors another vessel, or a row boat would pull them out so they could set sail.

 

 

It just so happened that todays winds were averaging 18 knots. So they will have a great day sailing.  Sails are up!!! Have a great time out there….

 

 

Love the taxi.  But at three dollars a shot each way and of course a tip, we decided to use the dingy dock.

 

 

I am in dream town…

 

 

How much happier can a women get with a sailor on each arm… LOL.. Okay… maybe even happier with a Marine taking the picture.

 

 

Another great night at O’Brian’s with the love of my life.  We have dinner or lunch here every time we come into Annapolis. They have the best cream clam chowder.  See you in October

 

 

Night life!! why is this picture so blue/purple? I have no idea…. LOL but I like it.

 

 

Till we meet again Annapolis.. Had three days of pure happiness…

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What a gorgeous morning, sails are up and plenty of wind. I will tell you a short statement that was said to me. I will say… “A true sailor would never sail the ICW” The way I see it, cruising the ICW is infinitely more difficult than going off shore. The rumor has it that you don’t sail the ICW… I suppose it depends.. Bryce and I have done lots of sailing on the various bays and rivers. There are areas in-which you only motor like the Dismal Swamp and some narrows. Everything we do in the Atlantic ocean we do on the ICW… minus the rollers and waves. We enjoy doing both. We shoot out into the Atlantic when we can. But after 10 or 12 hours of nothing but open water, it can get boring. There are places on the ICW that you should not miss.. the bays of North Carolina, Chesapeake Bay and the Dismal Swamp. There are numerous other areas that are quite cool.

Sailing on the Chesapeake

As we left Norfolk, we saw so many more ships like these troop carriers. We are thinking they are probably for the Marines. The Coast Gard is patrolling the area so boaters don’t get too close.

Not sure, but we are thinking that the military is either building this vessel or refitting it. Either way it looked really cool…

This is a neat pic. I love watching the big ships load and unload all these containers. I didn’t get to see a vessel loading or anything but I think one might be headlining in to load up.

These cranes for the loading and unloading; they are huge!!! Just think something you or I might have purchased could be in one of these containers…

This is a Hospital Ship, They take care of our wounded soldiers. My dream as a little girl was to be a nurse in the Navy. Yah.. as you know, that didn’t happen.

These water sure are busy.

I don’t know why, but I was so surprised to see a tow and barge were also in the Navy. I think it was because of all the big ships ect…

I am just relaxing and enjoying the view.

Speaking of views. if this tow is pushing gravel. But gravel is heaver then water and it sinks. This barge must have some type of air pockets to keep it a float.

This lighthouse marks the entrance to Fishing Bay. This is where we will anchor for the night.

Fishing Bay to Ingram

The following Day we headed up to Ingram Bay. I believe it was near 40 some miles away. It sure was another pretty day. We had to cross the Potomac River which takes you to Washington DC. The river current from the Potomac slowed us down a bit and it was a bit chopy. However, we still made good time.

Coming out of Ingram Bay there sure are a lot of these fishing trap areas for fisherman.

  

I do believe this is one of the tall ships that was in Norfolk during the Harbor fest.

This lighthouse is the start point of us crossing the Potomac River.

Have you ever wondered what happens to that balloon when it slips out of your fingers? We have seen so many floating in the Oceans, rivers and Great lakes.

So I am thinking that this NYK line could be transporting new cars to the area.

Here is a sunken vessel in the Chesapeake Bay. I wonder is there is good snorkeling around there.. might see a few sharks.

On our GPS there is a warning to say away from this area so I zoomed in with my camera. this looks like some type of target for the military.

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