Little Falls - Amsterdam - Waterford

Sorry to MFP for missing our blog yesterday but Kudos to him for installing the Yacht Controller on Seas the Day.  It would have been possible for Sandy and I to have done all the locks without it but with a whole lot more stress and angst.  Coming into the lock I switch to the controller and navigate from the main helm until Sandy gets the forward spring line.  Once done, I can walk (or run)

The Admiral with her communicator ready to grab the line

down the stairs to secure the stern.  In the Erie, in which they simply throw very dirty lines over (you need throwaway gloves) you may keep the engine running.  This allows me to move the bow in upon the Admiral’s command and also re-position the stern all while standing in the stern of the boat.  What a great “Toy”

We are currently tied to the wall in Waterford and will spend at least tomorrow here as well.  We will then enter the Hudson River on the way to New York.  On the to-do list is a call in to CBP as we enter a new jurisdiction (I did not think you had to do this after getting a cruising permit but I guess I was wrong) and to call the Insurance Company as this is the demarcation point for our coverage area before increased fees apply.

Yesterday we travelled 38 Nm in about 6.0 hours as we travelled from Little Falls to Amsterdam NY.  Passing from Lock 17 to below lock 9.  Here again we spent the night on a concrete wall in front of a restaurant where we had dinner.  Before dinner we had drinks with Dave and Linda and her sister Beth from Seahawk a Fairline 65.  A really knowledgeable couple, they have done the Loop in this boat living on it for a year.  They live in Ohio and take the boat to Charleston where they spend the winter.  Interestingly, he is going to leave the boat in Long Island for a month as his Insurance will not allow him to go south of Georgia before November 1.  Dinner was at a riverside outdoor patio and at least we got smarter and did not order appetizers.  As it was, we ate leftovers for Lunch. 

Mist off the  in the am

After an early morning start which was supposed to be 7:00 but delayed while Dave checked out a coolant leak, we departed in limited visibility.  It was very cool this am and the mist rising off the water made finding some of the buoy’s a challenge.  Tonight there is a frost advisory for the area.  You can now begin to see the leaves changing on the trees. Today we made 26.4 nm after about 7 hrs travelling.

The last four locks dropped us about 130 feet, all of them in the 30-foot range.  Interestingly on this stretch the guard gates upstream of this section were closed and we had to call in to have them raised.  It certainly is nice that all of the Locks have VHF so you can call them as you approach and they can give you a heads-up on the status.  Today was pretty scenery with a mixture of rock walls and cottages.  They are doing a lot of dredging in certain areas, but as it was a Sunday, nobody was working.

Waiting for lock upstream of dam

Water flowing over dam

Ocean Alexander 72 heading for Lock

We locked through the first lock with just the two boats, when the Ocean Alexander 72 that had docked just in front of us last night came barrelling up.  After that it was 3 boats in the locks.  This boat had a couple from Toronto who were taking the boat to Florida.  The owner said the boat was for sale as “there is nowhere to cruise in the Toronto area” and it interrupted their golf.  Lizzy, a person after your own heart!  They normally navigate their boat on their own but had a captain for this trip.  She drives and her husband and the Captain do the crew work.  I like the way Sandy and I do it.

Our schedule for the next few days is uncertain as we slow down in order to reach NYC for next Saturday.  We have a reservation at Liberty Landing for then, and Jennifer will fly in from Toronto to spend the next 3 months on the boat with us.  This Marina has very convenient access to Newark airport.  We will keep you apprised.

Are you sure we are not in Europe, Dutch sailboat with lee-boards