Albany

Mate For A Day
Kingston Point on the Hudson River, N41 55 W73 58

(7/15/05) Today we did a crew swap. My buddy (and fire chief) Pete Vonie came down to join me for the trip to Albany. Libby drove back to do more cleaning and gardening in preparation for a showing of the house on Sunday. Pete is a long time sailor but he had no experience on blue water or blue water boats. Also, Pete has been following my blog the whole time. So, naturally he was dying to actually see Tarwathie.

When Pete arrived Libby and I were on our way to the Maritime Museum so we continued. There's a lot of interesting stuff in this museum. River boats and equipment. Even a 45-foot iceboat that used to race over 100 miles per hour!

We decided not to try to sail much today, having a late start and since there was no wind and there was oppressive heat and humidity. We explored up Rondout Creek a few miles, but we chose to go back to the Hudson to anchor. We're 200 meters from charming 19th century lighthouse at Kingston Point. We swam and relaxed to escape the heat. Around supper time a thunderstorm passed which cooled things off some.

Our plan is to sail to Albany by Sunday. There may not be a place to stop there. The Erie Canal is closed because of a broken lock and the boats are piled up near Albany waiting to enter the canal. Oh well.

River Day
Coxsackie Island, N44 22 W73 48

(7/16/05) There was just enough wind today to make a very pleasant sail. We motored only 2 hours and sailed for 8 hours. Pete had a good time. Exploring a new territory and navigating around all the hazards, aids and traffic is a fun experience.

We anchored for the night just short of my goal of Schodack creek. I'm afraid that if we get too close to Albany we'll run into hoards of boats waiting for the canal to re-open. Tomorrow as we continue north, I have no idea where we'll be able to stop.

The anchorage is nice. There are only two other boats here, a trawler and a Tanzer 31. I never saw a Tanzer 31 before. Nice boat.

It's been great having Pete onboard. Pete's not only a friend but also a long time sailor. Therefore we can have fun talking shop about sailing and boats all day. Pete really loves Tarwathie, and of course that's a great way to get on the captain's good side.

Hello Albany
Albany Yacht Club, N42 39 W73 45
(7/17/05) Pete and I just arrived in Albany. Word is that the canal is re-opened so many of the boats waiting will be gone.

We decided to put in at Albany Yacht Club instead of Troy City Dock to avoid two drawbridges. When I go back south for more sailing or to unstep the mast, I won't have to bother with the bridges.

Libby and I intend to hold an open house on the boat in the Albany area probably later this week. Keep posted here on the blog for a notice of when and where for the open house. I'll also try to email friends in the Albany area to invite them.

Tomorrow, our daughter Jennifer is coming from Vermont. We’ll sail with here for a few days, down the Hudson again. How far to be determined.