The weather on June 16th looked promising for our brief journey out into the Atlantic Ocean from Manasquan around Sandy Hook to Atlantic Highlands. We checked a few weather sites and were fairly sure we would have a good trip, but you just never know for sure.
We deflated the dinghy and stored it on deck before we headed out at 8am that morning. We squeezed through the narrow Glimmer Glass Bridge and headed out the inlet. Once out in the ocean we were greeted with calm conditions. The wind was almost non-existent making for glass like seas, only a slight swell was present. We ended up motoring for a couple hours before the wind finally came. It was as predicted at about 10 knots from the west. We raised the sails and turned off the motor. When our speed dropped below about 4 knots we started the motor to assist us. We continued this way until after lunch when the wind died completely and we ended up motoring the rest of the way to Sandy Hook. It seems whenever I predict great sailing conditions; it just never seems to happen. But I must say, that I prefer when the weather reports overestimate the wind speed, rather than underestimate it. Once we fought the outgoing current and rounded the corner of Sandy Hook, we raised the sails again and had a great sail into Atlantic Highlands, where we dropped the hook near the shore.
After looking at the tide tables, we figured that we needed to leave before sunrise in order to get the current in our favour going up the Hudson River. We set our alarm clock to 4:45 for Friday morning. When our alarm went off we could hear rumbling thunder and a quick look around revealed clouds around didn’t look very friendly. Sal and I debated back and forth about whether we should go or stay. I’m not sure if we came to a decision or if we just fell asleep, but were staying. It turned out a good decision as thunderstorms rolled through the area all day on Friday, some with strong winds and some with hail. We ended up having a lazy day reading, writing and watching a movie.
Saturday morning at 4:45 looked promising, there were no thunderstorms in the forecast and the skies were clear upon inspection. We set out just before sunrise and headed for New York. We had a fun ride across the harbour as about a 4 foot swell was rolling in from behind us. We had a slight breeze, so had our sails up to assist us until we reached the entrance of the Hudson, where the wind promptly died. We passed by the Statue of Liberty and the Battery around 10am. Everything was fairly calm and quiet on the river at that time. Just a few tour boats, water taxis, and some sailboats heading out to the harbour. We got the boost of the current and almost had it the whole way to our anchorage in Haverstraw Bay. We saw lots and lots of boats around the anchorage in Haverstraw Bay, and the suckers for punishment that we are, decided to check it out and we ended up anchoring there. There was some sort of music festival or fair and were at least 50 boats anchored here. We found a spot and dropped our anchor. Big Mistake – all the boats coming and leaving and moving around created an uncomfortable and constant roll. It was incredibly annoying, but we were too tired to move. I wasn’t happy as I tried to make dinner as the boat rolled from a 15 degree angle to the right to a 15 degree angle to the left, then back and forth, again and again and again. But thankfully it died down after dark as most of the boats left. Never Again.
Sunday we had a windy day. Unfortunately the wind was on the nose, no matter which direction we were headed. We had the current, but the wind seemed to be slowing us down big time. The wind slowly eased as the day went by and by the evening the wind had died.
Both Sal and I agree that the Hudson River is one of the most scenic places along our trip. There are Mountain ranges on both sides with rich green vegetation and only a few houses scattered around. We’re continually looking around and snapping pictures. We had a very quiet anchorage that night and slept like babies.
On Monday we had to wait until about noon before we left in order to have the current in our favour. With the current we can get to about 6 knots but against it, we make only about 3 ½ knots. It was so quiet on the river compared to the weekend. We saw more birds, deer and other wildlife than we saw boats. Another very scenic day as we moved further up the Hudson.
(5:30 am departure)
Tuesday we left early in the morning and made it to Albany before 9am. We tied up at the free dock and tried to remember how to take the mast down. It has been a while since we’ve done it so our memory was a little foggy. Part of the process involved getting the fenderboard (a long 2x8 piece of wood) out of the bilge, which we would use to protect the boat when going through the locks. We somehow managed to get it in last fall, but were now having a bit of difficulty trying to get it back out. We ended up having a little squabble as we tried to figure it out only to find that a man was listening to us on the dock. We were embarrassed to be caught in the act of a little dispute, but he just wanted to chat with us as he used to sail in his younger years. After our brief break we got back to work and managed to get everything down and secured without any disasters. Once we finished taking the masts down we had lunch and walked around downtown Albany before heading off. Our first lock was at Troy, which would take us to our intended destination of Waterford. We had to shake the cobwebs off as we tried to remember how to lock, but it all came back quite quickly and we were in and out in no time.
Waterford has a free dock before you enter the locks in the Erie Canal. The dock was full with boats so we tied up along the concrete wall a couple hundred meters away. We managed to snag a spot with a latter to help us get up and down. We then showered and enjoyed a couple cold ones in a local bar. It feels like we’re almost home now.
My dad came to meet us on Wednesday. It was great to see him and we all took a trip up to Cape Cod to have a look at a project boat for sale. It was a gorgeous drive through the mountains, and we got to see a bit of the countryside of Massachusetts but unfortunately it rained all day long.
Thursday we are going to head out and start the next phase of the journey home. We have about 30 or so locks and about 180 miles before we reach Lake Ontario.
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