So we finally left Port Stanley on August 30/08. We headed straight across the lake to Ashtabula OH, where we stayed for 3 days visiting with friends. Then on to Erie PA and Commodore Perry Yacht Club. They have wonderful facilities and a hot tub, which we made use of. The next day on to Dunkirk NY. We always enjoy going there, partly because the people are so welcoming, and partly because they have an awesome thrift shop! We headed into Buffalo NY on September 4 and dealt with the chore of getting our cruising license to enable us to travel in the US without checking in at each port. Seems that the videophone people aren’t really accustomed to this idea but after much persistence on our part, they arranged to fax our license to the marina where we were to take our mast down for going through the Erie Barge Canal. The weather was stinking hot and patience was in short supply but eventually Vertigo 1 and Whippoorwill both arranged their cruising licenses and headed on to Grand Island to Anchor Marine. That was an adventure! We were winched into the travel lift and got off the boat, only to find that now we couldn’t get back on the boat. It was wedged into the middle of the slip, too far to step onto. We found an old wooden ladder in the long grass and laid it across the gap from the wall to the boat. Luckily, no one fell in, although it was always a question. The folks at the boatyard did their best but it was clear that they were unaccustomed to such tall masts. Still, the masts were taken down and stripped, ready to be trucked to Catskill NY at the other end of the canal where we would retrieve them.
So now we had no sails, but since we had been motoring since we left home, it wasn’t a big deal. There is no need for them in the canal and it was nice not to have to deal with the mast hanging over front and back of the boat. We headed for the mouth of the canal, stopping at Wardell’s Boatyard for fuel. The owner was a bit crusty that we did not come to him for taking the mast down, but we sweet-talked him and he agreed to sell us some diesel. Lucky for us, because diesel is not as common on the canal as it should be. We headed to Lockport for the night, tying up on the west side of the first lock, and scouted the town. We stopped at a Timmie’s for their gawdawful coffee, stretched our legs, and headed back to the boat. The next day we stopped at Holley NY, which was written up in the guidebook as a great place to stop, with plenty of resources, a library, grocery, laundromat, etc. Unfortunately, the guidebook was sorely out of date and everything but the convenience store was closed down. The canalside had been built up and was very pretty, but still…
So on to Brockport the next day. The dew was heavy and we arrived at 9:00 a.m., only to have one of our travelling companions slip on the dock at the pumpout, sliding into the water and shattering her shoulder. Did I mention that Brockport has a lovely hospital? I spent the morning with Karen in the ER. We were told that they were going to transport her to a hospital in Rochester so I went back to the boat and Ab left for the hospital to be with Karen for the trip. Later in the afternoon, they showed up back at the boats, with Karen’s arm in a sling. She had been discharged and was to make her own way to Rochester the next day – which caused a problem since it was no longer an emergency and her health insurance was in question. Still, that was the way it played out and we all trooped off to Rochester the next day in a rental car for her appointment with a specialist. Since she would need surgery, the decision was made for her to go back to Kingston ON for the procedure. The Whippoorwills headed off the next morning while the Vertigos stayed with the boats. Ab dropped her off at the hospital and got back to Brockport later that night, having picked up crew from home. Southern Cross I had now caught up and we headed off to Fairport the next day. Fairport is a pretty town but since we didn’t need any supplies, and had lost time in Brockport, we left the next day for Rome NY where we tied up to a dock near the dam. The dam is lighted at night but the docks are on the edge of town. We hiked in to a grocery to get some milk and bread and then didn’t feel like going all the way back to tour the fort museum. The next day we got to Little Falls and were caught there by enormous winds, fallout from Hurricane Ike. We were glad to have a place to dock, although the wall was high getting off the boat, and the showers/washrooms closed each night at 7:00 p.m.
We finally made it to Waterford NY after 12 days in the canal, a trip that should have taken only 6. The facilities at Waterford had been expanded to accommodate more transients, but tug boats took up most of the prime locations, leaving us to again scale walls to get off the boat.
Our goal through the canal had been to take our time and visit the little towns, but due to delays from weather, health issues, and the business of daily living, it was a trek that we were glad to have behind us. We left Waterford the next day and headed to Catskill NY to retrieve our masts. We arrived early afternoon, but too late for them to start stepping masts. By noon the next day, they were ready to start the first of the 3 masts, and the boats were put back together and rigged by the end of the day. We left early the next day to find “smoke on the water”. The mist had come in and was rolling down the river in clouds. We picked our way along until the fog cleared and arrived behind Pollopel Island in the Hudson River late in the afternoon. We left early the next morning, pulling up our anchor and almost immediately becoming banked in by fog. We headed to the edge of the river where we hung back until the fog had cleared enough to continue on, motoring past West Point. West Point is a huge property at a bend in the river, and known for stopping passing boats for inspection. However, they seemed to be getting ready for a big football game and no one cared about the 2 Canadian boats slipping past. We arrived in Nyack NY later that afternoon. We anchored on the edge of the yacht club and headed to shore. The people there were very friendly and VERY New Yorkish. Lots of money there! The wind had picked up and we spent an awful night crashing at anchor. We were glad to leave there in the morning. Heading towards NYC, we were hailed by a boat we had come across 10 years ago in Atlantic Highlands. They told us about 79th Street Marina where they were staying and we decided to stop and take a mooring ball. The current through NYC is very fast and the wind was busy, so we didn’t mind stopping. We took the dingy ashore and headed into the city. We walked around a bit and got a feel for the city. It appears to be very clean along the river and there is a grocery every other block. We got everything we needed and were able to transport it back to the boat in our backpack. The next day we headed out to explore a bit more. We found Central Park and Tavern on the Green. We didn’t venture very far that day and plan to spend more time on our way back through next June. We did happen to run across Mark Messier on the street. Believe it or not, he looks just like his pictures! Well, it surprised me.
September 24 we headed out of NYC to Atlantic Highlands, NJ. There is a lot of traffic on the water and due to a G8 summit in NYC, the East River was closed and helicopter traffic was thick, making sure everyone stayed away. I’m not sure how much damage they think we could do in our very fast sailboat, but we made sure we stayed away. We took a path through the freighter anchorage, which seemed to be a bit quieter than the Staten Island Ferry path. There were other ferries as well, getting people to work in the city. When we arrived in Atlantic Highlands, we took a mooring ball because the winds were to pick up and the holding is horrible. We didn’t want to worry about the anchor dragging while we were there.
