It’s time to start South now, and say goodbye to the Erie Canal. Tuesday we spent a few hours getting ready. Dan called for an Uber ride to the nearest Walmart to pick up a spare battery while I took care of business and pleasure and did a good walk-through of the boat to make sure things were stowed properly. The coming journey into the Hudson with its strong currents and possibly windy conditions was going to be very different from the placid cruising we’d done so far. We didn’t want to be forgetful that the counters should be empty and the cabinets locked. The weather was already hot when we left at 1015, and this heat wave is supposed to last for several more days. The Hudson was very calm and any wind was self-made. We decided we’d splurge on a marina for the night, and found a nice little one just inside Catskill Creek at Riverside Marine. The temperature was hovering around 90, humidity level close to that, and dead calm 1. We waited til sunset to go for a walk in the cute little village of Catskill, which sported magnificent architecture as well as a collection of decorative cat statues all up and down the main street. There will be an auction at the end of this month.
Wednesday we tried to beat the heat by getting underway by 0700. The early morning was nice and cool, but as the sun rose and the low-lying fog burned off, the temperature started rising rapidly. We did have a breeze, though, which was very welcome. Wednesday was our longest cruising day so far - we kept a steady 7 knots or so for the next 65 miles, and anchored off Rockland Lake State Park, across the river from Croton-on-Hudson. This was our first anchorage in this boat. Dan set a trip line and we kept a wary eye on everything for an hour or so. Once we trusted that we were holding well, we decided to go for a swim. This river has a current even at slack water, so we had the life ring out with a long line to hang on to. Oh that water felt good!
The trip line decided to dance with the prop in the early Thursday morning: Dan ended up having to dive to cut it free. Good thing the water was warm and we have a hand swim platform for him to hang onto. I stood by with the life ring and a life jacket to throw, as the current was fairly swift, but he managed to cut it off without incident and there was no damage done to anything but the line itself. We spent a leisurely morning waiting for favorable tides for the rest of the ride down the Hudson and through New York Harbor into the East River. Once we got going, the currents were almost a slingshot through the area: we were making 12 knots at one point. We’ve been through this area four times now, and this definitely was the fastest passage. We tucked into Manhasset Bay for the night, as the predicted thunderstorms started taking over the skies.
Friday we thought we’d get a good start into Long Island Sound, hoping to make the islands off the Connecticut shore for the night. We changed our minds out on the Sound - whitecaps and wind made it very rough going, and though the current was against us, it would soon turn, which meant it would be against the wind. We didn’t want to face that and turned around. Dan spent some time familiarizing himself with the wires, hoses, and plumbing that travel through the engine room. I made Eggs Benedict for lunch. About midafternoon it seemed calmer and we decided to head out into the Sound again. The new Willie Dawes was slightly more comfortable than the old Willie Dawes, but it was still a roller coaster ride. And we learned what things need to be more secured during such a passage. This time we stuck it out long enough to make the next bay over and dropped the hook in Oyster Bay.
The Easterly winds are predicted to be steady and strong over the weekend. We will probably be here for the duration.
No comments:
Post a Comment