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September 2005 9-1-05 Paul & I discuss the situation and decide to give it a try. If worst comes to worst, we'll turn around and re-dock at Sylvan Beach. Paul is docked immediately down stream of Weal Sea and suggests we depart first and "play in the current", as he likes to say, until he gets undocked... its Cool Change's turn to play "pathfinder" today and spot the submerged dead-heads and weed patches. 0840 - Pat & I head out into the canal (its about 50 yds across at this point). The current is heavy but not that bad and Weal Sea seems to handle it easily (she has a 30 hp Universal M-35 engine). Rather than just hold our place in mid-stream ("playing in the current") waiting for Cool Change, I decide to proceed up stream to get past the point where Fisher Creek enters the canal. I keep to the starboard near the shore giving wide berth to the red buoys per the dredger's suggestion. Weal Sea does great. However, when we get to the junction with Fisher Creek, which enters the canal at about 45 degrees from the NE on our port side (north side of channel), the current REALLY picks up and there is a LARGE whirlpool on our starboard side containing trapped tree branches and other debris.... looks scary. Now would be a very inappropriate time for the fuel line to plug, or the engine stall or overheat! (Isn't it funny what goes through your mind at moments like this?) We note that Cool Change is playing it smart and is hanging back ~ 75 yds off our stern "watching, studying & learning" how to approach and get past the junction.... Darn It,,, I should have let Cool Change lead today as originally planned!.. Oh well. Since I have been hugging the starboard shore keeping well away from red buoys, I'm relatively close to the whirlpool. I point Weal Sea's nose directly up stream at the point where Fisher Creek enters the channel and gun the engine. She responses immediately and push up stream against the current then enters the main branch of the canal as we steer toward our starboard quarter. During all this, a group of workers from the dredging and tug crews are standing on the north shore of the channel watching to see if the "yachty" could make it up stream past the Fisher Creek-Erie Canal junction... I suspect they were probably "laying bets" that we couldn't make it! In addition, there was a fisherman anchored near the junction watching the events. We spoke briefly as I motored past and he congratulated us on our handling of the current. He also told us he had seen numerous trees as well as a picnic table float past earlier in the morning. Once past the junction and into the canal channel per se, I put the engine in neutral and waited for Cool Change to make her run at the crossing. She had learned from watching Weal Sea's effort and stays closer to the middle of the channel away from the starboard shore and whirlpool... Cool Change moves across the junction with relative ease. Pauls pulls up close by and ask why we went "ahead"?... he said he was planning to lead the way and was just kidding about going out and "playing in the current"... NOW HE TELLS ME! Cool Change moved out front and led the way the rest of the day. The canal east of Sylvan Beach was quiet, smooth and scenic. The clouds cleared and it became warm and bright. Really a relaxing day cruising the canal. Hey this is really FUN... can hardly believe its happening. Gosh are we lucky, and... we've got 12 months to go! 1750 - Arrive @ Little Falls, NY (43.02.03 N, 74.51.97 W). This is
not a free dock. They charge $20 a day for a 34 ft boat, plus $3 for
electricity and $2 for water! We pass on the water... besides "Paul"
left the hoses back in Bladwinsville! (Please note: this is a running
joke... neither of us liked our old hoses anyway & planned on replacing
them... no big loss). Very nice new facilities but not much here. The
town center is about a mile away. The dock master is a pleasant fellow
who walked around in a white shirt and tie and collect the trash! Don't
see that very often. He said he'd keep the showers open for us until
2200 hr if we wished. Telephone Arne & Bev (Scandia). They are docked in
Canajoharie, NY down stream. Its a short run and Bev said they would
wait for us there. We look forward to getting together with them again.
Pat & I have coffee-tea and sweets with Cool Change and hit the sack
about 2230. 9-2-05 Each lock in the step series was separated from the next by a short stretch of straight canal which varied in length from 50 to 200 yards. In one instance while going between locks 4 and 3, we met 3 "locking-up" trawlers and a houseboat waiting for us to exit the lock #4 when the lower gate opened. The locking-down went smoothly. Each lock had dropped us between 33 and 35 feet. We really were anticipating the last lock. "Set the scene": Image floating in a somewhat darkened cold box about 60 feet long with 40-foot tall brown-black, wet and slim-covered walls on each side, a water-filled floor, huge dark forbidding steel doors at each end, and an open sky above which seems to extend forever. Suddenly, when the lower gate door of Lock #2 opened, there before us, immediately on our port side about 100 yds downstream, was the small Village of Waterford's dock with the Hudson River about 300 yds beyond.... It reminded me of that scene from the movie "The Wizard Oz" when Dorothy (Judy Garland) opens the door of Aunty Em's farm house (which has just been dropped from the sky by the tornado) and see then Munchkin Village in bright, vivid Technicolor! "I don't think we're not in Indiana (Kansas) anymore, Pat (Toto)". Gosh...Wow!...and you simile and feel good inside. We did it. It is amazing and hard to believe Pat and I, with the help of our good friends, Paul, Mary, Arne and Bev, had just completed 360 plus miles on the Erie Canal from Tonawanda, NY on the Niagara River to Waterford, NY on the Hudson River! Pat smiled and.... I knew she was relieved too. However, we did have one more lock to traverse on the Hudson, Lock #1, the Federal Lock", before we got to NYC. But, I didn't bring it up, not wanting to spoil the moment for her (time ~1345 hr). We cruised down the 100 yds or so to the Waterford dock, turned around in midstream to bringing Weal Sea's bow facing upstream toward the lock we had just exited, then nudged her forward slowly bringing her starboard side up to the dock behind Lollygag. Paul & Arne are already docked and are there to grab our lines (~1400 hr). Although this is a "free" dock with free electricity, water, showers and toilets, the lady dock master stops by and reminds us to check-in. We all get off our boats and chat, congratulating each other then visit the welcome center. Later in the day, we wander the village locating a laundry, (and ice cream shop, of course), then walk across the bridge over the Hudson River 150 yds to Troy, NY to a large supermarket. We gather for Coffee-tea and sweets on Cool Change about 1930 hr. Return to Weal Sea's A/C-cooled cabin & hit the sack about 2130.... Its been a great day but we are exhausted..... I really slept sound. 9-6-05 1930 - Arne, Bev, Pau & Mary show up at Weal Sea carrying sweets,
coffee & tea. They knew Pat was "down" & wanted to cheer her up...
which they DID! Group discussed tomorrow's agenda.. will depart for
Riverview Marine in Catskill, NY @ 0830 since we must now take the
"tide" into consideration when planning our daily departures and
arrivals. We want to have the tide with us going out to sea (downriver)
in order to make the best time. We've never had to take tides into
account on the Great Lakes so this is a new experience for us. Riverview
Marina is on the Hudson River @ its junction with the Catskill River,
about 40 mi south of Waterford. Our masts are scheduled to be delivered
there by truck from Buffalo Friday morning (9-8-05) and we will need
part of a day to prepare the boats. 2100 - hit the sack. Scandia's engine has been running a little hot so I'm bringing up the
rear to be available to provide assistance if required. Arne said the
water intake is clear & suspects the cooling water-intake pump's rubber
impeller may be the problem. (NOTE: The blades on the impeller will
sometimes break-off or become sufficiently worn so as to decrease the
flow of water thru the heat exchanger. All cruisers carry at least one
extra impeller. Many change the impeller at the beginning of the season
and keep the old one as a back-up; we do this). 1530 hr - Arrive the the
mouth of the Catskill River ('skill' is Dutch for 'creek') where it
junctions with the Hudson River. Arne takes the lead since he's been
here before. The marina is also expecting us; Arne had previously made
arrangements with them to step our mast when we were in Buffalo.
Riverview Marine (42.12.66 N, 73.51.43 W) is immediately around the
corner on the north shore as you enter the Catskill River. We have
radioed ahead and they have someone on the dock directing us into our
slips near the fuel dock & crane they will use to step masts tomorrow.
This is a pleasant marine about 1-2 mile from the town of Catskill. It
can handle much of the work you might need done on your boat in the way
of repairs. The owners (husband & wife) are very friendly and often
stopped by to chat while we were here. We spend the rest of the
afternoon getting the boats ready for tomorrows mast stepping. They are
to arrive in the morning -- We'll be sailboats AGAIN! Hit the sack about
2030. Today is "9-11" and flags along the way are at half-mast. We also see
a riverside ceremony with fire trucks and fire boats honoring the
firemen who lost their lives that day. 1415 hr - Arrive Restaurant dock
at Newburgh, NY (41.30.31 N, 74.00.16 W) on the west shore of the
Hudson. Weal Sea & Scandia take outside spots parallel-to & exposed-to
the river boat traffic, waves & surges... we bounce a lot. Cool Change
gets a spot at the end of the dock with her bow facing out toward the
river and less bounce. (Lots of seagull dung all over dock... have to
constantly watch where you walk. There are several restaurants here. We
walked the docks checking them out. Nothing took our fancy & we decided
to eat on the boat. 1930 hr - Group met on Scandia for coffee-tea &
sweets to chat about next day's schedule. Will depart at 0730 hr and try
to make New York City or Sandy Hook, NJ. 2100 - Return to boat and the
sack. We continue on another few miles downstream and approach a narrow section of the river termed "World's End". Its the deepest section of the entire river & the Americans tried to prevent the British from attacking and burning Kingston by stretching a chain across the river here similar to what they had done downstream earlier... no luck. This section of the river is immediately north of West Point Military Academy on the river's west bank (41.24.02 N, 73.57.53 W). Opened in 1802, its an awesome sight as you pass beneath it's mammoth stone walls which tower over you as you look upward in the bright morning sun. Continuing on we cruise under the Bear Mountain Suspension Bridge built in 1924. This bridge still carries auto traffic but is also the Hudson crossing point for individuals hiking the Appalachian Mountain Trail which extends from Georgia to Maine. (Dan did a Kentucky section of this trail when our boys were in Boy Scouts). On the hillside off our port side, we pass Ossining, home the famous "Sing Sing" prison which is "Up the River" from New York City. In fact, we can now see some of NYC's buildings in the distance. We now pass Tarrytown (AKA: Sleepy Hollow made famous by Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow") on our starboard immediately north of the Tappanzee Bridge stretching across the Hudson. Gradually the mountains began to turn into low hill and laying before us in the haze (smog?) is the skyline of the "Big Apple", New York City. 1215 hr - We go under the George Washington Bridge and the Hudson suddenly widens. Weal Sea is now leading since our chart plotter covers all of this region. We popped our headsail (jib) & were able to sail or motor-sail part of this region. However, river traffic increased significantly & we decided to motor only! As we move down the river, New York City is on our port side (east side) and New Jersy is on our starboard side (west side). We pass numerous NYC apartment buildings & St Patrick's Cathedral. In the distance among the sky scrappers, we can see the Empire State Building. Nearing the south end of Manhattan Island we approach the area where the "Twin Towers" once stood. Suddenly you have feelings of sadness but also anger & defiance. However, these feeling soon dissipates as you approach "The Battery" at the tip of Manhattan & look off the starboard bow past Governor's Island into NYC's harbor. There, in the distance, is the enlarging shadow image of a "Lady" standing straight and tall holding up in her right hand for all to see a guiding torch with gold-leafed flames glistening in the afternoon's sunlight... "Lady Liberty". Off the port bow and up the East River between Governor's Island and The Battery you can see the Brooklyn Bridge connecting Brooklyn & NYC. Adjacent to The Statue of Liberty separated by a narrow piece of water is Ellis Island with its 4 towers with onion-shaped roofs. The Bahamas group has been debating on VHF between (1) taking a mooring ball at NYC's 79th Street Basin, (2) anchoring by The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, and (3) continuing on to Sandy Hook, NJ to anchor in the harbor at the base of Atlantic Highlands. Scandia is still running hot & Arne wants to change the impeller. He plans to stay at Sandy Hook a full day regardless of where we go tonight. There is a great deal of surge and difficult currents at the 79th St. Basin. Although there is an designated anchorage between The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, there is also a lot of surge and waves from river traffic. Paul checked Skipper Bob's book and pointed out that there is a protected anchorage immediately behind The Statue of Liberty (40.24.96 N, 74.01.39 W) adjacent to Liberty Park, NJ (40.01.68 N, 74.03.22 W). The entrance is narrow but well-buoyed. Weal Sea agrees to go in and
check it out. We proceed slowly with Pat watching the buoys, some only
20 yds apart. It is low tide but the depth looks fine; no less than 11
ft with 17-20 ft in the very protected anchorage pool. We radio back to
Scandia & Cool Change circling off the south side of the "Lady", and
they come-in. 1530 - We anchor in 17 ft of water letting out 80 ft of
rode (50 ft of Hi-Tensile G4 chain and 30 ft of nylon anchor line.) The
pool is very quiet with no other boats & the water is flat with no
wind. There are a few families fishing on the shore. There are numerous
people strolling the park which is "in" New Jersey but stands directly
behind Liberty Island. Immediately east of us above the trees of Liberty
Park we can see the back of Lady Liberty holding up her torch to guide
the way to the immigrants of the past. These included Dan's great
grandfather from Cork Ireland and his other grandfather from the Kiev
Ukraine. 1800 - We have dinner on the boat then row the dinghy ashore
(about 50 yds) to visit Liberty Park. Its dark when we return and we hit
the sack @ about 2100 hr. Tomorrow we are heading across the bay to
Sandy Hook, NJ. 0800 - Weal pulls anchor first and leads the way thru the narrow buoyed channel past Lady Liberty. We circle off the main Hudson channel as Scandia & Cool Change slowly make their way out into the river. It's VERY busy in the early morning with tugs pushing freighters and barges up and down the river, and orange "Staten Island Ferries" and motorized blue & white "SeaStreak" passenger catamarans from Sandy Hook, and other ports in New Jersey, transporting well-dress commuters to their jobs on Wall Street at the tip of Manhattan (Pier 11 ferry dock) or up the East River under the Brooklyn Bridge to the 34th Street ferry landing. We move out into the main channel periodically having to "head into the wakes" of passing ferries & tugs to avoid excessive rolling. Before us lies the Verrazano Narrows Suspension Bridge which separates the NY Harbor from Raritan Bay. Ten miles across the bay is Sandy Hook, NJ, our destination. (Sandy hook is a peninsula which points northward from NJ toward Manhattan.) The waters of the bay run 20-30 deep in most areas but it has deeper buoyed channels used by the ferries going between NYC and the towns of Highland & Atlantic Highland at the base of the Sandy Hook peninsula. The winds are down & on the nose so we motor across the entire bay. 1030 - Arrive @ Atlantic Highland's harbor (40.25.00 N, 74.01.38 W)
and head for fuel dock for diesel and a pump-out with Cool Change. We
then drop anchor behind the breakwater at the east end of the mooring
field (free) putting out about 80 feet of rode in 13 ft of water (hi
tide). You can rent a mooring ball from the Yacht Club for $40 / day.
This includes water taxi service between 1000-2200 hr, and use of their
showers (only fair). There are several other transient sailboats and a
trawler already here. Arne (Scandia) came over in his dinghy to barrow
our generator. His electrical system is not charging his batteries
properly and his refrigerator is not cooling. He carries a spare
alternator & will be installing it tomorrow. Bev's left knee has also
been bothering her for several days (stained ligament?) and she has had
to take it easy. We dinghy into the dock and scout-out the town for
grocery stores, laundries, hair dressers, hardware's, Napa's, etc. which
we'll take advantage of over the next few days. 1730 - Return to the
boat had dinner & went to bed about 2300. 1000 - I take Mary & Pat into town via dinghy. They have hairdresser appointments and decide to do some grocery shopping as well. Return to Scandia to try to help Arne with his electrical problem. He wants to check his batteries and I bring my VOM and hygrometer. Batteries seem fine. Arne had installed his new alternator but had a local fellow also look at the electrical system. He has taken the old alternator to have it checked. In the meantime, Arne discovered a blown fuse and suspected this was the problem. It's not. But we found that the fan on the refrigerator was bad. Thus, the refrigerator is constantly running draining the batteries. Arne contacted the local electrical fellow who he has been working with. He will pick up a new fan from Radio Shack. He's had this happen in the past and he found that the small computer fans from Radio Shack work fine on the "AB Cold Machine"-- much cheaper too! 1600 - Dinghy to shore to pick up Mary and Pat. They are both tired & hot and we stop off at a local restaurant for a cold drink before returning to our boats. Dinner on our respective boats. 2130 - Hit the sack. 9-15-05 Overcast, drizzling (including all night), BP 30.65, Temp 75 F. We are staying put. Weather to south looks bad. Small craft warning with sea in some places reported to be up to 26 ft! None of the other transients are leaving either. Rains increased and became heavy during the day. Now's a good time soap up, take a fresh water shower and to wash down the boat. The Yacht Club wants $13 for one use of their shower. (One of the local business people told us this is really not a friendly transient boaters marina.. They appear to be more interested in people using their Fishing Charter boats.) Mary and Paul are planning to rent a car for next Monday to travel to south for their son Eric's graduation from "Homeland Security" training at a US facility near Brunswick, Georgia. They would return next Thursday or Friday. 1230 - Bad News: Paul & Mary informed me today that they have really become home sick and are now considering turning back! I was really caught off guard. Hope its just the depressing weather and they will change their mind. Pat & I had only agreed to do this trip if Paul & Mary were going. We said we would stick with them through thick & thin. They told us they did not expect us to turn back but could continue on. I talked it over with Pat & she said she wants to go on. I dinghyed over to Arne & Bev and told them what Mary & Paul were thinking about... we were really surprised as well. I told them Pat & I really wanted to continue on but did not want either of them to think they had to "baby sit" us. They said that they would be happy to have us continue to travel with them as long as we wished. However, they pointed out that they would be leaving next Sunday, weather permitting, for the Chesapeake Bay; They are scheduled to pick up their daughter who will sail with them for a few days. We already knew about their schedule. However, because we had committed to sail with Paul & Mary, we had planned to stay in Sandy Hook to wait for them to return from Georgia. Now that they were planning to turn back, Pat and I will go on with Arne & Bev. However, despite our decision to continue on, we really felt depressed for the rest of the day, and the rain and reported hurricane to our south did nothing to raise our spirits. Stayed on the boat, cleaned up and read another chapter in Dan Brown's Book "Angels & Demons" which our daughter Susan loaned to me. I plan on reading his other book, "The Da Vinci Code", later. 2000 - hit the sack.
1000 - I took Pat and Mary ashore for laundry and grocery shopping; Bev has been laid up with her sore knee for the last several days and is staying on their boat. There is an older Columbia anchored near us on a mooring ball. The boat is operated & maintained by George Morgan, a "ship's pastor" for the Sea Scouts which actually owns the "donated" boat. Paul spoke to George the previous evening and discovered that his wife Judyannah (she is originally from Trinidad) works at the local West Marine (WM) Store. He volunteered to drive us in to WM the next day to pick-up any boat supplies we might need. I spent rest of day working around the boat and preparing a list of items to purchase from the WM store. 1900 - late dinner. 2100 - hit the sack. 9-17-05 1430 - Back at the harbor, getting ready to return to boat only to discovered I had scraped the dinghy against one of the pilings when getting gasoline earlier in the day. The tide was out exposing the barnacles which are like razor blades. Several shallow gashes were present on the port side and one was causing a very slow leak... more problems! Checked the repair kit on board and no glue! Judyannah had already left so I telephoned George & asked if he might pick up a tube of Zodiac PVC glue for me when he drops Judyannah off at WM for work tomorrow AM. He says sure, pleased to do it. Return to boat. Pat said Paul came by earlier to tell us he and Mary had changed their mind again & have decided not to continue on! He had dinghied into shore to try to find me and tell me personally. 1530 - Arne came by on his way to the fuel dock & I gave him the news about Paul & Mary. He was surprised & left for shore to find Paul. 1550 - I put more air in our dinghy & headed ashore to find Paul. Arne and Paul were sitting at the dinghy dock talking. Arne left when I arrived (found out later this was so Paul & I could talk in private). Paul explained his heart was really not in the trip... he had actually considered turning around when we were in Buffalo but continued on because of he felt a commitment to Pat & I. He was really feeling bad and felt he had let Pat & I down. I explained that Pat & I understood & that we both felt that if their heart wasn't in it, they should not continue on. Paul said they realized they could not possibly return all the way to Michigan this late in the season. Thus, they were thinking of returning up the Hudson & Erie Canal to Sodus Point, NY where Mary's brother lived. They would leave Cool Change there for the winter and return next spring to possibly do the "The Thousand Islands" then return to the North Channel. We returned to our respective boats. I told Pat about my talk with Paul & their plans. Arne telephoned & invited us over for coffee-tea and sweets at 1730 to discuss plans for the sail south the next day. Since Paul & Mary were turning around, we would now be leaving with Scandia for the Chesapeake Bay the next day. 1730 hr - Pat & I dinghied over to Scandia. Paul & Mary were also invited but did not arrived until about 1815. It was really a sad occasion & neither Paul or Mary said much initially. Bev was her cheery self and tried to perk us all up. Pat was doing her best as well to keep spirits up. Arne said they planned to leave about 0630 hr tomorrow. Thus, Pat & I would have to get up around 0500 to get Weal Sea ready including bringing our outboard motor & leaking dinghy onboard. Arne asked Paul about his plans. When he discovered he was only planning to return to Sodus Point, NY where they would leave their boat for the winter, he suggested that they might consider continuing on at least to the Chesapeake Bay. They could leave Cool Change there for the winter & return in the Spring to spend time sailing the Chesapeake Bay before returning home. Mary & Paul thought about it & decided it was a good idea.... Ooops OUR plans are changed
again. Since we had agreed to stick with Paul & Mary we still felt
obligated to wait for them to return from Georgia to sail with them to
the Chesapeake Bay. Although they encouraged us to continue on with
Scandia, we said we would wait for them at Sandy Hook... we had started
out together and we would continue on as long as possible. The mood of
the evening immediately changed and everyone felt better. At least we
would be together for another couple of weeks. 2100 - Returned to our
boats. Pat and I sat up & talked. The weather forecast for tomorrow was
good and we really would have liked to have pulled anchor for the
Chesapeake tomorrow. However, we both agreed that we had made the
correct decision. Paul & Mary are our friends & waiting for them to
return was the right thing to do. They had stayed with us when they
wanted to return home earlier in the trip & this was our opportunity to
show our gratitude & return the favor. 2230 - Hit the sack. 9-18-05 1630 - Lots of boats "going south" have been arriving and dropping
anchor at this end of harbor. A surprising large number are from Canada
- 30% to 50%. 1700 - Having real problems using telephone on the boat
here at anchor.. bad reception. However, did manage to telephoned some
of family members. Spoke to Ryan, Sean & Matthew, 3 of our grand
children. Ryan now has his own email address and sent me an email. I now
have his return address & will be placing him on our list so he will
receive his own copy of Weal Sea's Log. 1930 - Coffee-tea & sweets with
Paul & Mary. Mary cleaned out many of the perishables from her refrig. &
gave them to Pat. She put ice in their refrig. to hold the rest. We'll
keep an eye on Cool Change while they are gone. 2100 - hit the sac. Good cell phone coverage here & Pat telephones children. Walked up Wall Street toward Trinity Church at the top of the street. Past the NYC Stock Exchange and the Federal Hall on the opposite side of the street. This is where George Washington took his presidential oath of office on April 30, 1789. Pat talks to one of the ever-present mounted policeman ("New York's Finest) standing by his horse to answers questions of passer-bys.!
Head north again to Liberty Street & turn left at Liberty Plaza one block to the World Trade Center site. Its currently a huge "Hole In The Ground" surrounded by a fence. Lots of earth-moving & other equipment working in the area. Really a sad sight which makes you angry. Hundreds of people are wandering around taking photos & reading the posted signs with information about the attack. We head to the NE corner of the plaza & walk downstairs to the World Trade Center subway terminal. Purchase 2 "all-day" surface-underground tickets for $7 each. Take subway north to 41st St. to visit Greenwich Village & Washington Square. Pat & I were here in the early "1960s" during the "Hippie" years. It hasn't changed that much. People still sitting around the fountain, some playing guitars sing folk songs and others just gazing off into the distance (still on "pot"?). There is even a group filming a commercial movie off to one side of the square. Visit the Chapel @ the Catholic Center at New York University adjacent to the square. Back on the subway we head up to 34th & 6th Ave passing the Comedy Village and by a several groups of people playing a game of "pick-up" basketball in one of the ever present fenced-in public B-ball courts along the street. I'm still trying to find some sandals... that's all I have been wearing on the trip & mine are wearing out! Of course this is a bad time of year to try to find summer clothing. Someone suggested we might find some on 8th Ave. Nothing on 5th Ave I can afford!. Head to 8th and found a shoe shop that still had some sandals and purchased a pair. Head south & enter the West 4th Street subway terminal & take the subway to the 34th St - Penn Station exit. Penn Central R.R. Station is very busy. They have numerous underground stores including a small K-Mart which we can't resist visiting. Exit the station, turn east up 34th & head for the Empire State Building. Purchase 2 "senior citizen" tickets for $13 each (save $1) & take the elevator to the observation deck. Seems like hundreds of tourists with cameras are here & 75+% don't speak English. It is a fantastic sight & you can see the all of NYC, the harbor including Lady Liberty & Ellis Island as well as much of NJ & even Sandy Hook in the distance. Took lots of photos. Tried to use cell phone on the observation deck but no towers! Getting late and need to get going. Took elevator down & turned west
on 34th and walked by Macy's Department store @ the junction of
Broadway, Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave) & 34th. Walked into Macy's
briefly but then continued east on 34th to 8th Ave subway station to
catch subway to 50th street (50th & Broadway). Pat stops outside an
Applebee's and telephone the kids (lots of towers here). Its dark and
the multitude of colors created by the city's lights are cannot be
described. Walk past the Time-Life Building, Radio City Music Hall, The
NBC Studio (Pat sees Conan O'Brien walk out of the studio) and continue
on to the Rockefeller Center. Its getting late and we need to catch the
2000 hr ferry back to Atlantic Highlands. Take to subway back to 34th
St, then catch a 34th St "cross-town" bus (included on our ticket) to
the East River ferry dock. Get there about 1930. Ferry arrives on time
and we relax on the return trip... its been a "long" but enjoyable day.
Arrive back @ ~2045. Dingy is still inflated and we head back to the
boat in the dark. Did not need the flash light.. I did remember to bring
the dinghy light! 2200 hr - hit the sac. 1500 - decide to pull anchor & go to fuel dock for diesel & fill boat's water tanks. Paul mentioned that the Municipal Marine here seems to be using the same water hose to both flush holding tanks & fill drinking boat water tanks! That's a BIG NO, NO. We go to fuel dock and take on diesel. Asked for the the hose to fill our water tanks. Sure enough the attendant, a young fellow about 18 or 20, gave me the hose they use to flush holding tanks. Not being sure he understood me, repeated myself & said I told him again that I wanted the hose to fill my water tanks not flush the holding tanks. He said they use the same hose! I explained that that was illegal and dangerous. He said, "Well, we never touch the edge of the holding tank with the hose." Sure...., I thought. I asked him if he tells people they service that they use the same hose for both purposes. He did not respond. Then he told me that they had been doing it this way for 20 years and that they were not required to give water to anyone. If we did not want water we could do without. Unfortunately, we had no water left. I took the hose and poured pure Clorox over the end then filled the first few feet with Clorox and held it that way for about 5 minutes. I then began to run water through it to flush it out. The older dock man came over and turned off the water. I explained I was flushing the hose and had not yet filled my tanks. He said, in an unpleasant tone, "We have a water shortage here and don't want to waste water". However, he did turn it back on and I filled the tanks. We returned to our original spot in the harbor and re-anchored. Many more transient boats were now arriving. One, a small trawler operated by an elderly couple, came in and kept trying anchor about 25-30 yds from us. They were using an anchor ball but seemed uncertain about what they were doing finally setting the anchor not more than 30 or 40 ft from the bow of their boat in 11 ft of water... not nearly enough scope in my experience. Oh well... maybe they know more about this anchorage than me. 2130 - hit the sac. 2200 - Very windy. Weal Sea and other boats are swinging on their anchors. Despite the fact that you have out 80 ft rode including 50 ft of chain, you still worry a bit. 2300 hr - Pat is still up reading. The wind now is really up and fierce. We have our forward hatch awning up so we can keep the hatch open when it rains to allow air to circulate through the cabin. It was thrashing in the wind so much that the noise woke me. Debating whether or not I'll have to go out and take it down. Sit up in v-berth & look out hatch. MY GOSH... that trawler that came in late & anchored near us seems closer... are we moving forward? I immediately check Madison on my port beam. She is still in the same place. Check the trawler again & she is even closer! HOLY BOVINE.. she's dragging anchor & coming down on us. I jump out of bed and race past Pat reading in the salon to the cockpit to check our situation; we are holding firm. I call to Pat to hand me the air horn explaining that the trawler is dragging anchor. Just as she hands me the horn, the starboard side of the trawler hits our our port stern quarter. I am very concerned that the trawler's anchor will hook ours and pull it free then drag us along with them into the shallows. I hold the horn out
& give several blasts & yell as loudly as possible, "You're dragging
anchor!" I can actually touch the starboard cabin of the trawler with
the horn over both our rails. I continue to give multiple blasts trying
to raise someone inside. Finally a light comes on & I can see 2 confused
people staggering around inside. They struggle & finally come out on
deck. By this time the trawler has slid past us & is heading slowly
toward the beach 150 yds behind us. They appear not to have hooked our
anchor. The couple still seems confused and ask, "Where's our anchor
ball?" I try to explain again that they have dragged anchor & are headed
for the shore. Finally I go below & grab our rechargeable flood light &
use it to help them spot their anchor ball. They are lucky... their
anchor seemed to reset itself about 20 yds off shore which prevents them
from going aground. Eventually they get their motor started & haul in
the anchor. However, they move the trawler up-wind in front of us AGAIN
& try to reset the anchor in the same spot! I can't believe it! No
luck... Thank goodness. They try several times & eventually move further
away & off to our starboard. I watch them for the next hour from our
v-berth hatch using binoculars. Their cabin lights remained on the
entire night with someone wandering around. I set an alarm for 60-90
minutes to remind me to check to see if they have moved. Eventually get
to sleep @ 0400. 1045 - dinghed over to Madison. Bob and Sally also heard the horn
last night and got up to watch the events... the trawler passed Madison
on her starboard side but missed them. 0100 - took dinghy to shore to
visit library. On the way, I stopped by police station, which is in the
same building, and asked if there was a local Heath Department. The
office I spoke to said no and asked why. I explained our experience with
trying to get potable water at the municipal dock only to discover they
were using the same hose to fill dinking water tanks and flush toilet
holding tanks on boats. He was not aware of this and expressed concern.
He said he would check into it and make a report. Went to library and
checked hotmail account then back to boat. Dinner then some reading.
2030 - hit the sac. 1800 - Transients gathered at the pagoda on shore for pot-luck. There
were at least 10 boats represented. Among the new people we met were
Mimi & Sam Cooper (s/v Green Eggs 'n Sam) from Danvers, MA, Jim Noeleen
& Nicola Looney, their daughter & dog (s/v SeaLoon) from San Antonio, TX
and Ireland, respectively, and Bruce McKenna & Barbara Fagan (s/v Messin
About) from Portsmouth, NH. Everyone is departing tomorrow but the
groups are leaving a different times with different destinations.
Madison is leaving at first light & doing and overnighter for Cape May.
Several are leaving a 1000 hr and going for Barnegat Bay or possibly
Atlantic City. The latest NOAA weather report for Tuesday predicts NE-N
winds @ 10-15 knots with occasional gust to 25 in the AM and seas of 3-4
ft. Winds will gradually shift to E then SE Wednesday PM, and finally S
on Friday. They will not swing W or NW until Saturday. That means if we
decide to sail to Barnegat Bay or Atlantic City, we will have to wait
until Saturday to continue south... we don't want a SE, S or SW wind.
Weal Sea & Cool Change decide, with the agreement of the Admirals of
course, to do an overnighter and go for Cape May! We'll leave at 0800.
Return to boats and hit the sac @~ 2030 hr. Stan comes along side, takes me onboard and we head for shore. I wade in so his motor doesn't hit bottom. SURE ENOUGH, IT IS OUR OAR!... Pat has an unbelievable knack for finding lost items! Stan run me back to the boat and we weigh anchor @ 0845. Rounding the breakwater we head directly into the wind and waves -- its really pounding with wave coming over our bow. I'm getting drenched and I do not have my foul weather gear on! Pat is sitting in the companion way under the dodger. Although its clear, we are having difficulty locating Cool Change. We radio Paul on VHF channel 68. He can see us coming out of the harbor and tells us he is about 1/4 mi ahead of us off our starboard bow. Sure enough, searching the horizon we spot Cool Change being pounded by the waves as she 'holds station' (sailor speak for "staying in one spot") waiting for us. We push the throttle forward and Weal Sea's 30 hp engine responds pushing her forward at about 5.0-5.5 knots north toward the tip of Sandy Hook peninsula 5 miles away. Its a long hour with waves constantly coming over the bow and drenching me. Cool Change falls behind. She has a 25 hp engine and is having trouble keeping up. We make it to the tip of the peninsula and hold station again waiting for Cool Change. Although the channel between the bay and open sea at the north end of Sandy Hook peninsula is well buoyed, its much easier and reassuring if you have a chartplotter showing you your headings and giving the depths. Once we rounded the tip of hook and were headed south, we let out our head sails and gradually pointed Weal Sea's bow slightly SE off shore for about 2-3 miles then almost directly south. It was a great feeling! We were finally sailing and headed south again. Over the next several hours the seas seem to smooth out. However, the winds were steady and we sometimes hit 8 knots! About 1300 hr we looked back and could see at least 3 other sailboats on the distant horizon following us. We were fairly certain that these were the other members of the southbound transients that planned to depart about 1000 hr. Weal Sea lead since our chartplotter chip covered the entire New Jersey coast, Cape May and all of the Delaware Bay. We set the autopilot and relaxed. Pat and I took turns on watch at the helm during the day and early evening. 2000 hr - Pat goes to bed. She is going to take the 2200-2330 hr watch (I did not want her to do more an 1 1/2 hr per watch). Paul and I had discussed how we would handle the watches on our respective boats. He would always be on watch on Cool Change when Pat was on watch on Weal Sea. I would be on watch on Weal Sea when Mary was on watch on Cool Change. We would also "close up ranks" throughout the night so the boats were usually no more than 75-150 yds apart. In addition, we always radioed each other every 30 minutes or so to the see how the other boat was doing. Weal Sea had her CD or satellite radio (a gift from Mike & Darla)
feeding music to the cockpit speakers during much of the night. 2330 -
Dan gets up, makes a cup of coffee, and takes over the watch on Weal
Sea. Its an exceptionally clear night with stars filling the sky. It
seems like they have multiplied a thousand-fold at sea with the usually
faintest star shining brightly and twinkling in the blackness of space.
In contrast to our experience at Sandy Hook, cell phone towers along the
New Jersey coast are fairly good off shore so we have talked to a number
of our family and friends. 1200 - We are passing Atlantic City about 3
miles off shore! Its now Wednesday. (Log cont. on 9-28-05) 0230 - I'm up. Pat tells me she is willing to continue her watch for another hour or so but I'm awake and take over. I've decided to take the watch until dawn. I don't want to enter the Cape May breakwater before first light. 0500 - In the distance, we can make out the Cape May breakwater but its faint. Paul has also taken the helm of Cool Change to enter the breakwater. We are now motoring and have cut back our throttle to 4 knots so we do not arrive too early; Chart plotter tide tables indicate that sunrise at Cape May is at 0650. 0640 - Can now make out numerous charter fishing boats exiting the breakwater heading out to sea. The radio towers with their blinking red lights at the Coast Guard Station have been visible for hours. Now we can clearly see the red & white painted towers in the sunlight as it breaks over the eastern horizon. 0700 - About 200 yds off the end of the breakwater we make a hard turn to starboard the enter the Cape May breakwater... it must be 1/4- 1/2 mi wide. The seas have been choppy but they smooth out immediately once inside the breakwater's protective walls. We continue in following the buoyed channel but remain off to one side keeping out of the way of large commercial fishing boats returning with their night's catch. They set up quite a wake as they come in with their "net booms" extending out from each side like 60 ft telephone poles. About 1 mi in from the open waters the channel make a sharp, nearly 90 degrees, port turn then straightens out. Ahead of us on our port side is the Cape May Coast Guard Station and Training Facility. There are already several sailboats anchored in front of the station about 50 yds off shore and immediately inside the buoyed channel. Among these is s/v Madison, who we met in Sandy Point. We found out later they had arrived at 2300 hr the previous night. Bob & Sally wave to us as we pass by and drop anchor 200 yd in front of them and about 50 yds off shore (38.57.02 N, 74.53.20 W). The water here is about 10 ft deep; we put out 70 ft of rode. It's now 0735 hr, almost exactly 23 hr since we left Atlantic Highlands, Sandy Hook, NJ. The sky is clear, and the warm sun is bright & rising in the morning sky. Both Pat and I are exhausted but we smile... we made it! Then we HIT THE SAC (0800 hr). 1030 - Up, Coffee. Although I've not gotten much sleep, the
biological clock still will not let me sleep. (Note - there is a US
Coast Guard training center here. When we arrive Pat had not realized
this and saw men in dark uniforms marching around.... she though we had
anchored off a prison! The trainees march between buildings in formation
chanting. You can hear them respond to commands... "YES SIR!,,, NO
SIR!", etc. loudly as a group). Cool Change is anchored about 75 yds
further up the channel from us. We spent the rest of the day relaxing
and organizing the boat. Talked to Paul via VHF. Mary is feeling a bit
under the weather and has been resting. Telephoned Arne & Bev (Scandia)
and told them of our arrival in Cape May. They are anchored in
Annapolis, MD. Weather forecast for next 2 days is not great for heading
north on the Delaware Bay & it looks like we'll stay put. 2030 - Hit the
sac. They had a fire the previous Monday but are still open for eating on their docks. Its a huge operation. The restaurant is right on the dock with fishing boats tied up next to the restaurant. Pat has shrimp and I had fish. 1300 - Its getting hot, must be in the 80s. Walked to the village to check out the shops and visit marine stores. I pick up a gallon of oil for Weal Sea and replacement bulbs for the bow running light. Back to Uschts Marina. The lady at the marina allowed me to use her office telephone to send pocketmail. 1400 - Return to boat. Checked out the channel into Uschts where we will fuel up during return trip. The channel is narrow here and it would be easy to run aground, only 2-3 ft in some places. Paul and I are planning to refuel today. 1515 - Pat and Mary want to go back to the Lobster House to pick up some takeout & bread. Since Paul has already fueled up, he and Mary ride into Urschts with us. 1545 - Fuel up (10.87 gal diesel, $28.80, eng. hr = 1627.6). Ladies still have not returned and there is another boat waiting to
use the fuel dock. Paul will stay behind with "U'll Sea" (that's the
name we've give our dinghy) and bring Mary and Pat back to the
anchorage. I head out the channel. A few minutes later I see Paul and
the ladies heading back. I slow down and let Paul drop Mary off at Cool
Change. He then brings U'll Sea and Pat back to to Weal Sea. He comes
aboard and helps me anchor. We discuss tomorrows itinerary. We plan to
leave between 0700 & 0800. I then run Paul back to Cool Change. 2030 -
hit the sac.
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