Category: New York

July 8, 2017  Saturday

A relaxed start to the day, the tide change was at 9:54 am so we had time for breakfast and news before casting off at 9:45 am. Traveling under the FDR Mid-Atlantic Bridge and the Walkway Over the Hudson we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Hudson River as we made our way north; commercial traffic, pleasure boats, stately homes, train whistles, and cliffs. By the end of the day we were amazed that, on a beautiful Saturday, there were no crazies on our section of the river.

Do you love a town that loves cats? If so, you will fall in love with Catskill, NY, a quintessential Hudson River Valley town. Home of the Rip van Winkle Bridge, named after the 1819 short story by Washington Irving, home of Samuel Wilson, the butcher who, according to legend, became known as Uncle Sam, and the home area of Jimmy Fallon. Catskill, named by the Dutch who settled here in the 1600s, means “Kaat’s Creek.”

As we strolled Main Street, we saw a multitude of fiberglass cats. After a little research, we discovered that the cats are used to raise funds for various charities. In its eleventh year, the cats have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities. Each year cats are designed by local artists, placed on display for the summer, and then auctioned off.

Cat’n Around Catskill – 2017

 

July 7, 2017 Friday

The Hudson River is tidal from New York Harbor to Troy, NY, 155 miles upriver. The tide was in our favor at 7:53 this morning, so, we were up at sunrise preparing to leave, which included finding the pump-out station. By 7:45, despite the fog and rain, we were ready to continue up the Hudson. We had traveled the area by car and were was looking forward to the views from the river, unfortunately, our visibility was limited. Pulling into Shadow’s Marina I thought I could wile away the rainy hours reading, but as luck would have it, the sun came out and my afternoon of reading turned into a work afternoon. With a little teamwork, we removed all of the barnacles from our dinghy and polished the stainless steel on Andiamo.

It is the weekend and the crazies were out in force by late afternoon. Even though we were in a no-wake zone, they tossed us around as if we were rubber ducky. Objects were flying like crazy, we had to secure our cabin as though we were at sea. Once their playing was over, we enjoyed a lovely evening watching the sunset, the moon rise, and the lights coming on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Atlantic Bridge. Opened August 25, 1930, this bridge is the oldest bridge over the Hudson River south of Albany.

July 6, 2017    Thursday

Life is never simple, we should have received Rick’s new phone yesterday but complications were such that there was no one at the marina that could sign for the package. This morning he called the local Federal Express and they said his package would be waiting for him at their office. He drove 15 miles to Elmsford, New York to pick up his new phone, however, when he arrived they could not find the package. Finally, they had found the package but would not let him have it because the address on his driver’s licenses did not match the address of the marina, go figure. An hour and a half later he finally left with his package.

As we all know, most gray clouds have a silver lining, after running errands and returning the rental car we returned to the marina to meet fellow loopers aboard m/v Donna Mae and m/v Tango Papa. At docktails, we had a great time sharing tall tales with Derek, Lori, Tom and Paula on Donna Mae. Great people with lots of humor, we are still laughing at their stories.

Another beautiful sunset!

July 5, 2017, Thursday

We took the train to Grand Central Station to spend a fun-packed day in the city. A stroll down Broadway, lunch at Trattoria Trecolori, entertainment at the Gershwin theater and a walk in Central Park.

The Broadway play Wicked is hilariously funny and extremely thought-provoking. It powerfully shows how the reaction of people to news can change the course of history.  What a clever twist on the Wizard of Oz. Loved it!

July 4, 2017  Wednesday

Flying on Walkway Over the Hudson

Happy 241st Birthday to the USA

June 30 – July 1-2, 2017  Friday – Sunday

Rick’s phone died, buried at sea, and we are waiting for delivery of his new phone. Since we will be here for at least a week we have rented a car and are enjoying the rich heritage of the area.

New Croton Dam which has a stunning spillway that is part artificial and part natural. Built in the late 1800’s, the dam supplies New York City 19 billion gallons of water, about three percent of New York City water system’s total storage and provides the public access to a beautiful park and hiking trail.

USN Blue Angels soar the skies at the New York Air Show, an amazing event. On our way home we visited West Point, the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. We were astonished by the beauty of the buildings and scenery. At Trophy Point, a scenic overlook of the Hudson River, there is a collection of cannons that were captured from early American history wars and pieces of the huge chain stretched across the Hudson to prevent British Ships from continuing further up the Hudson. This is where Benedict Arnold, at the time commander of the fortifications at West Point, betrayed his country and rowed out to a British warship to defect.

June 29, 2017 –  Thursday

We awoke early this morning and left our Statue of Liberty anchorage shortly after sunrise. It was a little early for the incoming tide but we were anxious to get started and thought the traffic through New York would be much lighter early in the morning. Two-foot waves were at our stern most of the day with a fair share of four footers thrown in just for kicks. Rick and I were both busy watching for ferries, commercial ships, and recreational vessels darting in and out of the terminals and at the same time trying to take in the sites along the Hudson. The pictures below record or trip from New York to Croton-on-Hudson, NY.