Back Home in Annapolis

What an absolutely gorgeous August day to end our trip!  The Bay was absolutely calm and visibility was forever.  It is as if we brought the Vermont weather with us...

Arrived at the dock in Minnow Creek just after noon to complete a fantastic trip.  We covered 1,370 miles up and back using 353 gallons of fuel.  Took 958 pictures, saw many sights a picture could not capture, ate untold pounds of great food, met many friends (new and old) and, all in all, had a wonderful time.  There is a lot to see in this great country!

Delaware & Chesapeake

Lucked out again with a calm Delaware Bay. Running with the tide, we did an 80 mile day all the way from Cape May to the Sassafras River off the Chesapeake. The river water is as fresh as you will get off the Bay. We went kayaking in the morning and ran into the strangest water plants. They completely covered at least 100 yards of the end of a creek. The leafs were similar to elephant ears.

On Wednesday we did a leisurely 4.5 hr cruise down the Bay to Rock Hall, MD. Had dinner with 'Krogen' friends of ours, Joe and Trina Armand (Snow Goose). Nice evening. Forgot to take pictures so none here!

The Jersey Coast

We left Sandy Hook, NJ early Sunday morning for an 80 mile run down the New Jersey coast.  Not much to look at but sandy beaches.  A 10-15 mph south wind made it a little rough all day long.  Anchored in a protected bay next to Atlantic City.

Monday morning saw us again in the Atlantic cruising down the coastline.  After 5 1/2 hours we pulled into a marina in Cape May, NJ.  Took the free shuttle into town for dinner and sightseeing.  Cape May is the "Oldest Seashore Community" in the country (1761).  The entire town is an Historic Historic Landmark .  It has the highest concentration of Victorian homes in the country, many of which are B & B's.  None date prior to 1878 when a devastating fire destroyed virtually the entire city.

 

 

 

 

 

Around Manhattan

On our way north we went up the west side of Manhattan on the Hudson River. Just to be different, we decided to complete the loop around NYC. Manhattan is an island formed by the Hudson River on the west, the East River on the east and the Harlem River on the north. We left the Hudson and entered the Harlem River through Spuyten Duyvil. "Spuyten Duyvil" literally means "Devil's Spout" a reference to the strong and wild currents found at that location (to say the least!).

The Harlem River is not exactly the scenic route...mostly industrial warehouses and such. We did get to view both the current Yankee Stadium and the new one under construction (the Bronx is just to the north of the Harlem River. As we sound our way around the northern side of NYC we encountered numerous bridges that list no clearance heights. Many had only 25 feet (we need 24') and there was one that turned out to be 24' 6".

The Harlem River joins the East River at Hell Gate, an aptly named piece of water if there ever was one. We hit the East River at full ebb of 5 knots. We were spit through it like a watermelon seed! Basically, Long Island sound is dumping its water down the river to the ocean. Not only was it a fast current but very rough. With a strong southerly wind opposing the current we ran into some 4-5 ft waves.

Hell Gate used to be much more dangerous due to the many rocks in it. By the late 19th century, hundreds of ships had sunk in the strait.

On September 24, 1876, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used 50,000 pounds of

explosives to blast the dangerous rocks, which was followed by further blasting work. One explosion in Hell Gate was the largest planned man-made blast in history up until the Atomic Age. Photo: Chartplotter as we transit the East River at 13.9 mph. Red arrows are the current flow.

About the only thing to recommend about this route (other than the sense of accomplishment of living through it) is passing the United Nations. We also passed under the 59th Street Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge and the Brooklyn Bridge and over a few tunnels. We completed our circumnavigation of Manhatten a the Battery and continued past the Statue of Liberty and south under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. A very long day of over 70 miles ended at Sandy Hook, NJ.

Albany and South

After leaving the Champlain Canal we were back in the tidal Hudson River and salt water. It has been so nice not to have a salt-encrusted boat for the past month.

Just north of West Point is Pollepel Island home to Bannerman's Castle. After the Sapnish-American War, he bought 90% of the U.S. Army surplus. To provide a safe location to store munitions, in the spring of 1901 he began to build an arsenal on Pollepel. In August 1920, 200 pounds of shells and powder exploded in an ancillary structure, destroying a portion of the complex. Over the years, more fires, vandalism and neglect have left the buildings in ruins. Today, it is owned by the State of New York.

As we approached New York City we were met my a replica of Henry Hudson's ship "Half Moon". Next year is the 400th anniversary of his discovery and exploration of the Hudson River Valley and the ship is making a number of trips along the east coast.

Waterford, NY (Erie Canal)

Tied up to the free town dock in Waterford, NY.  This is just south of the last southbound lock of the Champlain Canal and only 1,000 ft from the first westbound lock of the Erie Canal.  The saying "Go West young man" emanated here.

We walked up to the Erie Canal lock to check it out.  Where the locks on the Champlain canal raised/lowered boats 10-15 ft on average, the first five locks on the Erie Canal raise boats 30 ft each.  This 150 ft locking is the highest of any canal in the world.  It is twice as high as the entire lift of the Panama Canal.

We were tempted to go west a ways on the Erie Canal but common sense prevailed!

 

Schuylerville, NY

We again stopped in Schuylerville, NY (Schuyler Yacht Basin) and spent two nights there.  Although the town is a bit sparse, the marina is delightful.

Shortly after departing Schuylerville, the engine Hobbs meter clicked over to the satanic 6666.6.  Fortunately, nothing evil befell us!