Friday, June 24, 2005
Amsterdam to Long Island
After leaving Amsterdam, we decided to go through the ten locks all the
way back to Waterford. As we had difficulty transiting the locks on the way up, a whole new set of problems appeared
trying to reverse our path down the locks.
As our freeboard (the height of the deck above the water) is so high, it
was very difficult to reach down to snag a line at the top of the lock to control the boat. Those lines were over six
feet below us. It became necessary to ask the lockmasters to help us get these lines, which they did for us.
We are glad to be out of the locks, they just were not for us. We
had three great days traveling down the Hudson back to our yacht club on Long Island. We will rest here for a few days
and do some traveling through Long Island Sound out to Block Island and maybe Newport during the summer.
The plan is still to head south by mid September to cruise the Chesapeake
before bringing the boat down the ICW to FL for the winter.
Details of our trip will appear here from time to time as I am finally
able to make internet connection from onboard Heart's Desire.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Waterford to Amsterdam and Back
June 14, 2005
Today we began our trip through the Erie Canal. We
departed Waterford at 7 am and began to lock through the “Waterford Flight” . This consists of 5 consecutive locks numbered
two through six, which raises you from the level of the Hudson River over 160 feet in the span of about 2 miles to the Mohawk
River which is part of the Erie Canal system. Once you start this trip, you are required to complete all five locks.
The first four of the five locks have been renovated recently
and have either ropes hanging down to hold onto or a plastic covered cable to loop a line around from a midship cleat so the
boat can slide up as the lock fills. The last lock in the flight is extremely old, with many holes in the walls and
only ropes to hold onto as the boat moves up when the lock fills.
It was quite a ride!! I would drive the boat into the
lock, while Brenda would loop the line around the cable to our midship cleat. I would then shut down the engines and
take over that line while she went forward to the bow to grab one of the hanging lines for additional control. The water
would then enter the lock from the center of the lock, forcing the boat against the wall. It was quite a job trying
to control a 16 ton boat with all this action. By the time we finished the five locks (about a two hour time frame),
we were whipped. However, we felt quite a sense of accomplishment.
Then while traveling toward the next lock, I went below to
restart the generator, when I smelled a strong odor of diesel fuel!! I jumped into the engine compartment to find the
port engine spurting diesel fuel into the bilge. We immediately shut down the engine and dropped the anchor.
Fortunately there was a marina less than a mile away that
was able to take us for the night. Once we were docked, I went into the engine room while Bren started the engine and
I was able to find a leak in an injector line. As I walked up to the marina building to get the address to have the
part shipped to me from VA, the owner offered to drive me to a local place that might be able to make up a new line for me.
This was a very nice gesture, and off we went.
Unfortunately, they were not able to provide a replacement,
so I wound up calling VA and having the part overnighted. I could not get over how friendly and nice this gentleman
was to be willing to go out of his way for a complete stranger.
We should have the new part here tomorrow, Wednesday, at
which point I will install it, and if early enough, we will set off again for Amsterdam, NY.
June 15, 2005
The part I ordered apparently arrived at 6:40am, well before
anyone was in the office to receive. So it was taken back to the local UPS facility. About 8:30, Bill, the fellow
that drove me the day before to try to find a local repair, came by to tell me that he would gladly take me to UPS to get
the part. What a great guy!!
I got back to the boat, installed the part, and the engine
was up and running by 10:30. Although it was sunny, the weather forecast was calling for unsettled weather with occasional
thunder storms, so we decided to stay here another day. We took several walks in the wooded area and had a very relaxing
day.
We also invited Bill and his wife Linda to the boat for drinks
and a chat to say thanks for all their help. They have just sold their home here, bought a small condo and also purchased
a pilot house trawler which is in Virginia at a friends house. They plan on bringing it up to Blains’s Bay in a couple
of weeks so they can continue to work on it before heading south to Florida in October.
June 16, 2005
The plan today is to go to Amsterdam, which Bill informed
me is only about 4 hours from where we are. We decided to play it by ear and if we felt we could go further, would attempt
to make it to Canojoharie.
Needless to say, this am was totally overcast, with a forecast
of occasional showers and late day thunder boomers. We would be traveling through a minimum of 5 locks today, most of
them with only a 15 foot rise, as compared to the Waterford flight where the locks all rose over 35 feet.
We had a south wind behind us and when we entered a lock
it was a struggle to keep control over Heart’s Desire. By the time we passed lock 9, the skies opened up and it began
to thunder with some bursts of lightening. We decided to pull over for the day after we passed through lock 11 in Amsterdam.
So here we are in sight of the lock, at a little park with free dockage and 15 amp electric service, while it continues to
pour. The only minor drawback are the freight trains that blast their horns about 150 yards away as they pass by on
what appears to be a half hour schedule
We’ll decide in the am whether to only go a short distance
to Canojoharie tomorrow (the public library has an exhibit of 350 paintings, sketches and watercolors of american artists,
including Winslow Homer), or to proceed on to Little Falls.
According to the trip odometer, we have traveled 218 miles
since leaving NY, traversed 10 locks on the Erie Canal and are now 253 feet above the Hudson River.
June 17, 2005
The weather here stinks!!! It is raining and windy
for today, so we are staying put in Amsterdam, home of the every 30 minute freight train horn!!
We have come to a decision about this trip. We have
both decided that we are terminating the trip and turning around. This boat is just too much to handle in the locks
because it is so high off the water. It acts like a 33,000 pound sail. We can barely control the boat, having
only a couple of lines to grab onto that hang in the locks. Once the wind gets us, it becomes almost impossible to fight
the weight of the boat to control it. Rather than enjoying the countryside, all we can think of is the next lock and
the anxiety it creates.
The plan is to leave tomorrow and depending on the weather
either go back to Blain’s Bay or go all the way back to Waterford, doing 5-10 locks and getting it over with.
June 18, 2005
We’re back in Waterford after negotiating the ten locks we
passed through on the way up. For most of the trip the wind wasn’t too bad, and we called ahead to the lockmasters to
let them know we had been having trouble due to the windage and height of the boat.
Going down in the locks has its’ own set of problems.
Since we enter from the top of the lock, it becomes necessary to reach down with a boat hook to try to grab the lines to control
us in the lock. Just imagine Brenda leaning over the railing with the boat hook extended to about a ten foot length
trying to grab a piece of rope, and then me running down after putting to boat in neutral trying to grab a line at the back
before it swings away from the lock wall due to the wind. Are we having fun yet???
We will leave for home tomorrow with only one more lock in
Troy to pass through. This will probably be the last entry for a while, since we have not decided what course we will
take regarding bring the boat to Florida at the end of the summer.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Home to Waterford
June 12, 2005
It’s Sunday, so, will this heat wave ever end?? At
least today the skies are somewhat cloudy so it doesn’t feel quite as bad as the last several days. We are still in
Waterford and relaxing as much as possible.
We walked into the village with Pat and Jim of Lady M III,
to the local breakfast greasy spoon. This place is unbelievable. I had pancakes ($2.50), Bren had scrambled eggs
and toast ($1.55) with unlimited coffee. And I thought Florida restaurants were cheap!!! We spent over two hours
there talking with these folks who have been living on board the last five years cruising the Carribean and Venezuela.
They are now on their way home to Canada. Some great stories, especially paying only 7 cents, yup that’s cents, a gallon
for diesel fuel.
We found this great antique store in town that Bren wanted
to check out but they were closed with a sign in the window that said “Gone swimming’, will reopen at 5pm”. So we went
back at 5:30 and they were still closed. Guess the swimming was more fun than being in the shop!!
In the afternoon, we also took the car to do some exploring
and saw some magnificent old Victorian homes, when we chanced upon a hardware store. We have a slight leak in
the pressure relief valve on the water heater and I needed a few parts for the repair. Lucky me, I found just what I
needed to complete the job.
Tomorrow we plan on doing a bit of restocking the larder
and then returning the car, as we will be entering the Erie Canal for Amsterdam, NY on Tuesday.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
HOME TO WATERFORD
June 6, 2005
Finally !! The crew of Heart’s Desire is about to set
off on our adventure. After having arrived back in NY on 5/24, to get everything set to depart by 6/1, now 2 weeks later
we are set to leave for the Trent-Severn, Georgian Bay and the Rideau Canal. It has been two weeks of both of us having
upper respiratory infections, as well as my needing a minor surgical procedure. Today I was cleared by the surgeon so
now here we go at last!!
At the moment it is pouring rain and the wind is howling
at about 20 knots due to thunder storms rolling through the region. The offshore forecast for tomorrow is 4-6 foot seas
with 10-15 knot winds, so we will wait until Wednesday, 6/8 when the forecast is for 2 foot seas and 5-10 knots out of the
north which will make the run from East Rockaway Inlet on the south shore of Long Island to the Hudson River more bearable.
June 7, 2005
We awoke this morning to a fabulous forecast and made the
decision to set off on our adventure. At 7:45 AM we departed WBYC and headed out into the Atlantic Ocean for New
York Harbor. The seas were calm with 2-4 foot rollers. As we rounded Norton Point off Coney Island, everything
smoothed out as we saw the Verrazano Narrows Bridge come into view. We were on our way to Tarrytown Marina. Other
than the temperatures in the 90’s it was a great run, as we arrived there at 2PM after traveling 54 miles.
We purposely went to Tarrytown to look up a live aboard couple,
Mark and Dot, whom we had met 5 years ago while searching for our trawler. They pointed out this 44’ Atlantic that was
docked next to their boat, and told us it was for sale at that time. We ultimately purchased the boat and after a lot
of sweat equity wanted them to see the changes that we had made. The could not believe their eyes when they saw the
finished product!!
June 8, 2005
Another hot and sunny day is forecast for today, again in
the 90’s. However when we departed the marina this morning at 7:05 (yeah, we tend to get an early start), the air temp
was cool and delightful until about 11 am when the temp began to soar. Coming up the Hudson, passing West Point, Bear
Mountain and the fabulous views was awe inspiring. We arrived at our destination of Kingston, NY at 2pm, after traveling
about 58 miles. About a half hour later 4 boats of Loopers also docked at the marina. These are people doing
the Great Loop trip . While we are not doing the entire loop, we joined this association so that we could meet people
on our trip who have a common bond. So on day 2, we are already exchanging boat cards and making new friends.
June 9, 2005
We awoke this morning tired from all the heat of the last
few days, however we were away from the dock by 7:20 heading for Waterford. The folks from two of the boats we had met
the night before left about a half hour before us and we wound up traveling behind them for most of the day.
Again it got into the 90’s by noon and after stopping for
fuel in Coeymann’s, NY, Bill from the boat Candy Dish informed us that he had called Waterford and they were full up.
No slips available. He, however, had a friend already there and would be able to raft to him.
We decided to call it a day around 3pm and docked at Troy
Town Docks, which were reasonable in price at $1.50 per foot. We’ll call Waterford, where the Erie Canal begins,
tomorrow to decide if we will travel the short distance to dock there for a couple of days or take another day to rest from
the heat here. It’s hard to imagine that two weeks ago we came back to NY in 48 degree weather and now it’s in the 90’s.
June 10, 2005
We awoke to what was to be another hot and humid day and
called Waterford for slip availability, and were told several were available but on a first come, first serve basis.
That was about 8:20 am and by 9:30 we were docked at the visitors center in Waterford.
This is the oldest incorporated village in the United States.
The architecture of the homes and buildings is truly remarkable, with some having been beautifully restored.
We decided to stay here until Monday or Tuesday since the
price is right, that means free for two nights and $10 per night after that. So we called Enterprise to rent a car for
the weekend at $9.95 a day. This is turning out to be a great bargain.
We met up with the other loopers we traveled with yesterday,
Bill and Karen on Candy Dish, Mike and Stephanie on Stephie’s Choice, Rick and Connie on Cori, and Bill and Ruth on Integrity.
So what else do boaters do when they get together? Why they have a cocktail party followed which we hosted on Heart’s
Desire. It’s amazing how quickly you can make friends on the water. We then waited for the afternoon thunderstorms
to subside and all dined on Chinese food at the a picnic table under the cover of the visitors center.
Tomorrow we plan on taking the car to Saratoga to explore.
June 11, 2005
Saturday dawned sunny an d very hot once again. We
decided to drive to see the town of Saratoga and it was well worth the ride. The town was built in the early 1800’s
and the architecture of that period was spectacular. Of course, Bren checked out the architecture within many of the
the various shops along the main street. While there, we visited the library and were finally able to get internet access.
However, it was sooo hot there, and the fact that there was going to be a parade in the town, and we did not want to get stuck
there, that we decided to leave and head back to Heart’s Desire.
I then spent the next several hours on the boat trouble shooting
the water flow to the A/C system. It tuned out, after I took a swim in the Mohawk River, that a plastic bag was partially
blocking the water intake. Problem solved.
Tomorrow we plan to relax and do a little house cleaning.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Problems Posting
Hello everyone,
Sorry for the lack of posts to the site. Murphy has been working overtime with my ability to log on via cell phone
modem. As I write this now I am at the Saratoga Public Library.
We left NY on 6/7 in 90 degree heat and had three great days of travel of the Hudson River. We currently have the
boat docked in Waterford, less than 300 feet from the first lock of the Erie Canal.
The visitors center there also has computer access, so I will attempt to upload a log of our travels thusfar this evening.
Don't know how often I will be able to post but I will keep trying. I am also going to remove the photo section
because there is no way I will have enough minutes on my cell plan to upload any picture.
