Waiting For Danny

Lou taking me on a "dingy" date in New London, Connecticut. It's great but we always get wet feet.

Waiting for the effects of "Danny" on a mooring in New London, CT.

8-26-09

Milford, Connecticut, is a very cute port. It has the longest village green (except for Boston) in New England with stores and restaurants on both sides. For lunch we found The Rainbow Gardens along the green which was quaint AND delicious.

We had a busy day in Milford. We have three modes of transportation: walking (yuk!), riding our bikes, and going by dingy.......and, we used them all. On the way to the laundromat with our clothes strapped on the back of Lou's bike and in both backpacks, Lou discovered that he had NO brakes on his bike. Fortunately, there was a bike shop "on the green", and he got his back brakes working. The front ones will require a bigger repair. Laundry, hair cuts, lunch and back to the marina. Off we went in the dingy to find the boat store and explore the Wepawaug River.

There are some very strange names in this part of the world. But, some familiar ones too. We were in a town and on a river named Saugatuck.

We carry a large supply of tools, nuts & bolts, and various other "necessary" items on board. This morning Lou needed the most useful one......the duck tape. For some reason the tip of the autohelm arm fell off. Without it to hold the tiller to the autohelm, Lou would have to "man the tiller," and that's pretty tiring. Or.......turn it over to me, and that's not good either. I can't steer a straight coarse to save my soul. When you look at the wake I leave, you would think that it was the path of a drunken sailor. I'm much better at reading or writing the blog or enjoying the sights. We have a following sea today which means that we're surfing down 3' to 4' waves. With me at the helm,, we'd probably broach (that's NOT good). Well, the duck tape seems to be working. It's not pretty, but it's working!

Recently we visited with a Canadian couple on the next boat. Rob got his Masters at U of M in Marine Engineering. That was in the 70s when boat building was going gangbusters. He has designed at C & C, Nunsuch, and Hunter. In fact, his name was published for his design of the Hunter 33. Now he's selling boat building supplies and living in NJ. It was fun hearing about some of his Hunter experiences.

I think the boating people in Connecticut are RICH. I can't believe the docking fees. Essex is more expensive than New York City. We barely traveled up the 400 mile Connecticut River, but it was beautiful with BEEEEE - u - tiful houses. (Must be all that NY money!)

8-29-09

Now we are waiting out our second hurricane or tropical depression (Danny) in New London, CT, on a mooring ball. Apparently the boats were banging around on the docks during the last "blow." One fellow snapped three new docking lines. Depending on how high the winds reach I thinking we'll be safer on the ball. Unfortunately, we can't get Internet on the boat, so it'll be a couple of days before we can give you an update. Live by my philosophy......no news is good news....and......take a nap when things get stressful.

Just let me say before anything goes wrong that this has been a fabulous experience. We met a couple who did the Great Loop in 34 months and loved it! I thought we were doing great at 3 months. We'll be wintering in Bristol, RI, so we only have a couple more weeks of living in 550 square feet with motor noise as our constant background "mood" music.

Milford, CT

This is the actual depth sounder on our boat. We docked at the Milford Yacht Club in 12.5 feet of water at high tide. At low tide this is what our depth sounder said the water level was. Hummmmm-----our boat "needs" 7.5 feet of water for the keel to be floating safely. So, I guess we are deep in mud!

We left Westport, CT, where we waited out our first hurricane......Bill. It amounted to a few thunderstorms and lots of rain (that translates to wet cushions, damp starboard bunk, and soggy towels that Lou used to soak up the drips.) Here he is in Milford getting ready for Happy Hour. What a guy!

This is a very cute harbor. The city has put floating docks down the center of the river to add more dock space. We are at a dock at the Milford Yacht Club and just as safe as can be and an easy walk to the pool. Yea!.
It is too hot and humid to make me a happy camper. Tomorrow we'll load up the bikes with the laundry and pedal off to town to the laundromat. Nothing on a boat is simple. But, there are some really nice sides to it. I'll tell you more (or not) later.

Westport, CT

We came straight from NY City to Westport, CT, in order to meet Gui, Christine, and Nina over the weekend. They were able to have a little sail on Saturday and a swim off the boat. It is still HOT and HUMID here!!!!! We decided to stay an extra day to wait out Bill, but the weather has turned quite nice. We have had a few wild thunderstorms, but they have all passed.





Our plans are to "hop" up the coast of Connecticut and spend some time looking at the cute colonial towns along the way. I thought Westport was one of those towns, but it is quite a busy mid-sized city and the marina is a LONG way from town. Our first cab ride in cost $36.00. Fortunately, Gui drove us around town and to another fabulous grocery store in the next town.

The Big Apple

Gui, Christine, and Nina Ferreira

New York Deli

Debbie, her son, Lou, Kristin, and Ashley

The NY Skyline

At last I can check off something on my "Bucket List." Ever since Matt and Brian brought Trader past the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan, I've wanted to do the same thing. We've cruised the NY harbor and dodged the ferry and cruise boats for a water view of this amazing city with a local who told us what we were seeing.

What a thrill to come down the Hudson River and pass the entire west side of Manhattan! We sailed up to the East River, around the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, drove through the incredible traffic of the city with our personal tour guide, Debbie, and even ate lunch at a real NY deli. What a nice day.......except for the heat. It must be in the 90s again with 100% humidity. Our marina in Jersey City looks across to the NY skyline.

We've been able to spend time with my nephew, Steve, and his family (we missed Lori though), and his neighbor, Debbie, and her son & daughter. Debbie was our guide, and I must say she shared her love of the city. We can't thank her enough for driving us around. She is my hero for her driving skills and non-stop narration.

Between the ferries in the NY harbor and the cars on the island and the hundreds (or so it seemed) diners in Katz deli it's easy to get a feel for the millions of people living in such a small space. I'm not sure what is the most impressive thing.......seeing the NY skyline from the water, looking across the Hudson at night at all the lights, or "sneaking out" of the harbor before the crack of dawn while the city is still asleep. I loved it all!

A true highlight of our stay in Jersey City was having dinner with Gui, our first exchange student, and his wife, Christine, and 3 year old daughter, Nina. He lived with us 20 years ago in East Lansing. We plan to meet them again in Connecticut this weekend. (Nine speaks 3 languages and she's only 3.)

August 20, 2009

We left NY at 5:30 am today to get the incoming tide in the East River. I haven't figured this high and low tide stuff out yet, but Lou's timing worked! Through Hells Gate and into Long Island Sound we were going 11 knots and no slower than 9 knots over the land. Towns were closer than we're used to in Michigan, so we had to keep a close eye on the charts and the road map. What a neat experience.

Haverstraw Bay. NY

Sharon and Jon Morris

Kate The Great

Sharon, Jon-boy, Kate, and Jon

While we were in Haverstraw Bay we were joined by Don's sister and her family.

Kate, and Jon (the giant) were so much fun! We loved having them come and meet us. It was the first time we inflated the dingy, the first time we went swimming, and the first time we had 6 people sleeping on the boat. Havershaw Bay was the biggest marina we have ever been in.......

1,000 slips. The Morris family noticed the size of the boats and the number of BMWs, Lexises, Lincolns, and Mercedes in the parking lot. I couldn't believe the docking fee...$117 per night. On the other hand it appeared to be a luxury country club with a huge pool and restaurant attached. It is so stinking HOT and HUMID that we couldn't wait to jump in the pool.

This was a first time sailing experience for the Morris family. Here are some comments:

Jon-Boy (8) "It's awesome!" Kate (11) "I LOVE it and I want a boat!" Sharon (age unpublished) "It's very relaxing and I love the GPS and plotting program!" and Jon (the giant) "The beds are too short, I broke my toe in the cockpit, and I sat up in bed and gave myself a concussion. Ouch!!!" (But secretly he loved it.)

Even with all that we had a great day of sailing, swimming, and visiting. We also loved Aunt Kim's coffee cake and pie. (Thanks Kim.)

The Hudson River

The northern part of the Hudson River is just beautiful. It's hard to believe that NY city is coming up soon.

We are official members of the "I've Been Aground in the Hudson River" club. We were motoring south when Lou got a little confused on the markings. Unfortunately he picked the "short cut" and it was a BIG mistake. The tide was changing, we were in a muck field, and there was no help in sight. I was convinced that we were hard aground, but Optimistic Otto (the captain) kept trying different things and we got back into the channel. It probably took 10 minutes but it felt like 4 hours!!!

We continued south to the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club where we snagged a mooring. In the morning we woke up in our own world.......fog so thick that we couldn't see the boat on the next mooring. It was like being wrapped in a cocoon.

We have met the nicest people on this journey. The folks at Hop-O-Nose went out of their way to help us recommission the boat, the couple from Sparta unselfishly shared their experiences with us, and the manager at the Julius Petersen Boat Works was the nicest guy in the world. The only "gripe" I have is that Jim McConnell is not aboard to refresh our 11th grade history on the Revolutionary War.

Mast Up!

I'm a firm believer that it's the little things in life that are important. Below you see our new spider web remover bought as a gift by Mike and Marlene. It holds an important place in our "necessary equipment" department. I probably killed 30 spiders today as we dismantled the
cradle that held the mast above the deck. Those little fellows came out from every hiding place.





Our mast went up today with the help of this OLD equipment at
Hop-O-Nose Marina in Catskill, NY. This pully was used during the original canal days. I must say that it was a far cry from the stuff they use at Irish Boat Shop, but it worked!

Now our job is planning for the next leg. Where shall we go? We consulted the state map, a guide to the Hudson River, the Waterways Guide , the phone and talked to lots of people. (It seems that that is the best source of information.) In two days we'll be in Haverstraw Bay and meeting Jon and Sharon Morris and their two kids (Don's sister and her family). It will be fun to introduce the boat to non-sailors. They will spend the night (6 people in a little space!!!!) and we'll sail or motor to a swimming beach for a day of laziness. It will be so much fun. We just wish that Kyle and Ryan could be with us too. They love their cousins and the boat.

Just a little note about what a small world this is.......we met a couple in Waterford from Sparta, NJ. They knew exactly where Wantage, NJ, is (Don's family is there.) They found us again in Catskill and we had dinner together. Turns out they knew Melissa (from the second blog) and someone else that Lou knew. We couldn't believe it!

The Crew

Meet the crew of Tequila's trip through the Erie Canal........(not in order) ........ there is Lou the Captain...Pretty in Pink Marlene the Pusher.....Mike the Map Reader........and Donna The Happy Hooker. We compiled our impressions of the trip so far and they are:

*The people are so friendly. We docked in front of a restaurant in Brockport, and they offered us free electricity without even knowing if we were going to eat there which we did of course.

*A perfect stranger in Amsterdam drove me to a store to buy a few supplies. and then the owner of the marina in Amsterdam went to buy a dozen eggs for our breakfast.

* The biker babes in Weedsport were very helpful and friendly.

*Boaters all along the way have been willing to share information on where they have been and marina locations.

* A US Representative for the NY 21st District (Paul Tonko) was interested in our experiences in the Canal and asked us to write to his website.

*There were plenty of houses and cottages to see along the canal but lots and lots of wilderness and wildlife to see.

*The locks were easy to negotiate (especially with four people) and the lock keepers were friendly and helpful.

*There are very few people in the canal. It's as though the whole system was built just for us.

We've all learned something about the boat. Lou has found that going under bridges completely messes up the GPS and compasses and coming out of locks makes the boat steering go kaflooie for a while. Mike has learned that he can't stand up in very many places in the cabin, and he has the lumps and bumps to prove it. Marlene has learned where things are stored - especially the candy.

We expect to finish the last set of locks in the Erie Canal on Monday and send Mike and Marlene on their way home. We will miss them. They have been a huge help, and we hope we've provided a new experience for them to put in their memory log.

Where Are We?

Sal the mule is taller than me! PARTY

!

Stopping in the Erie Canal

We have been in the middle of wilderness for the first 5 days of the journey in the canal. It's been just beautiful. We keep trying to remember the Erie Canal song we all learned in 4th grade, but if we do, we'll make each other crazy singing it!

We were motoring through what appeared to be uninhabitied land while Mike checked off the channel numbers. But, we didn't see any marinas or towns and felt "lost in time." Suddenly we came upon a wall we could tie up to. (It's not easy to allow for a 60 foot mast hanging over the bow and stern.) It just so happened there was a restaurant, band, 300ish people, and at least 80 motorcycles. We had found a PAR-TY and still didn't know where we were! I finally asked one of the biker babes and found that we were in Weedsport. Now you know. We had dinner and listened to the music which was quite good and went to be at 9 pm.

Friday we stopped near Syracuse and plan to motor across Oneida Lake on Saturday morning with the winds in a favorable direction.

Erie Canal

August 3, 2009

Our friends from East Lansing, Mike and Marlene Cosgrove, drove back to Buffalo with us and survived the 46 mile long traffic back up. Whew! We wondered if that was a sign of things to come. IT WAS!!!!!!

Thank heavens for Mike's experience with tools and wood. With his help Lou has built a cradle to hold the mast on the boat that will last 100 years, not just the two weeks to get through the canal. That being said the cradle lasted 1/2 hour. When we left Buffalo and entered into the Niagara River, things began falling apart......literally! The strong current combined with choppy waves and big power boats rushing by us going full out. When we hit the 3 to 4 wake, Mike knew we were in trouble......BIG TROUBLE. The mast lifted off the transom support by about 2 feet and then the front lifted out of the bow pulpit and the support collapsed. Mike and Lou rushed to the bow to hold the mast down while Marlene and I were left in the cockpit to steer the boat. No worries though. Mike and Lou lifted the mast up enough to reposition the supports and everything was tied down very securely. Then it was HAPPY HOUR!!!!!

The Erie Canal was completed in 1825 after a 7 year construction period. At 2 pm we excitedly entered our first of 35 locks which will drop us a total of 338 feet. This one only dropped 49.1 feet. Each of us had different ideas of what we would find, but all of us are pleasantly surprised at the greenery and peacefulness. It's like traveling down the White River if it was 150 feet wide and 14 feet deep. We've seen a blue and green heron, a horse, black ducks, Canadian geese, a fox, a pair of egrets and a llama. It's just beautiful.

In one place we passed over the famous (of course we've all heard about it) Culver Road which was built in 1823. The road passes beneath the canal and drips water from the ceiling of the tunnel. I think I'd want to drive quickly!

There are a lot of walkers, joggers, and bike riders but very few boats. Today we passed 6 boats. It's as though this waterway was built just for us.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I like grocery stores. I could wander around one in every town whether I need anything or not. I've found the Bentley of grocery stores. It's called Wegman's and it's fabulous. There is a kids playland staffed by store employees so you can shop in peace. I could be lost in the fresh meat/deli section for days.

Tonight we are tied up in front of the ribs restaurant in Brockport, NY. Of course, we have to have dinner there. Yum!!!