The Hudson River

We departed Liberty Island anchorage on 14 June and, from New York City, we began the 150 mile trip up the Hudson River to Waterford New York, which is the beginning of the Erie Canal. As we passed through the New York City waterfront, we saw all of the landmark buildings, to include the Empire State Building.

The city is beautiful from the water, unless you get too close to shore and you can see the rundown industrial docks, and a lot of dirt and other unpleasant stuff.

As we passed under the George Washington Bridge at the north entrance of the City, we almost immediately left the big city for rural country side. The contrast is striking to go from one of the world’s largest cities, to farmland and country, in less than a few miles.

Our first stop up the Hudson was at Haverstraw Marina, about 40 miles north of NYC, in Haverstraw, NY. This was a nice marina, but not nice enough for the $2.00 a foot they charged to dock IRISH AYES. But, we needed to stop for fuel, food, pump out, and to step ashore, so we paid it.

Now, let me tell you about the fuel dock. I know sometimes you complain about slow gas pumps when we fill up the car, but this diesel fuel pump was the slowest pump either of us has ever experienced in our lives. You may not believe this, but to fill our tank with 238 gallons of diesl took OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF !! Yes, I can pee faster than that (Mike says). And at $2.99 a gallon, you’d think they could afford a faster pump. Sure glad we don’t have to fill up very often.

While at the Marina we decided to take the bikes and go find a grocery store. After pumping our bikes up several hills we finally found a pretty good grocery store about four miles from the marina, and bought about 10 bags of groceries. With our bike baskets full, and Mike’s rucksack filled as well, we rode downhill back to the marina. All in all a successful trip.

We departed Haverstraw on 16 June, and headed up the Hudson, next stop, Kingston, NY, where we would see our friends Lee and Brenda Jetton, who have a Gulfstar 44 just like ours. They just had their boat, MOONLIGHTER, painted, and it is beautiful. After we anchored IRISH AYES in Rondout Creek, we took our dinghy off the boat and motored to their marina. Brenda fixed dinner for us, and it was delicious, and visiting with them again was great. We last saw them in Charleston, SC, back in April. We greatly enjoyed our visit with Brenda and Lee. The next morning we departed Kingston, and headed north to Waterford, NY.

We have been amazed at the beauty of the Hudson River. It is one of the prettiest bodies of water we have been on, and looks a whole lot like the Tennessee River. Interestingly, the Hudson is tidal, and can have as much as a 3-4 know tidal current, so it pays to play the tides. Our boat travels at 8 knots, and with a 3-4 knot tidal current, we can increase or decrease our speed, and fuel consumption, depending on which way the tide is running. Needless to say, we departed on a rising tide each day to get the benefits of the tidal push.

We passed many beautiful buildings, not the least of which was the US Military Academy at West Point. It is a stately, rock solid facility that makes this Army family very proud. We also passed the New York State Mental Hospital, and Pat threatened to take Mike ashore and leave him there. But, since she still needed him to drive the boat and fix things when they break, she passed on that opportunity.

The water on the Hudson is deep, thankfully. We have had enough shallow water for a while. At one point our depth sounder registered 155 feet. There are lighthouses all along the Hudson, and Pat took at least two pictures of each one of them.

After passing through Albany, New York, we arrived in Troy, where the Troy Lock and Dam designates the end of salt water, the end of tidal water, and back into the inland rivers and lakes of the USA and Canada. Since salt water is hard on the boat, and tidal water is a pain, we were happy to pass through Troy Lock. Next stop about two miles away is Waterford, New York, and the beginning of the Erie Canal. Stay tuned.