Whoopsies

I've been cruising pretty hard. I feel like I still have to make up for the late start. But, I think I'm gaining. Anyway, an overnight stop at Lyons, NY and on the road (so to speak) again early. I was headed for Spencerport. But, I encountered a bridge that I thought I could clear. I couldn't. The radar mast hit the bridge and tore a section of fiberglass away from the roof. Not the roof itself, but a fiberglass plate that holds the mast, horn, and spotlight. The really nice bridge tender asked me to fill out an incident report. He told me that I wasn't the first, nor will I be the last. He gave me the number of a near-by repair facility.

Along the Erie Canal

The folks at Mid-Lakes Navigation couldn't have been nicer. The owner met me at the dock. He introduced me to a free-lance repair guy, Steve, and then took me on a tour of his facility. The repair guy said that to remove the section of fiberglass would require dismounting all the hardware. Then the glass would have to be laid out and cured, etc., etc. Be about 2 weeks and $1200. Or... or... "I could just screw it back together and put some caulk on it. That'd be about $50." I opted for the latter and he was done in an hour. The owner let me stay on the dock gratis due to emergency nature of my visit.
And, as if all that wasn't nice enough, Steve let me borrow his Mercedes so I could run to Walmart for supplies.
So, if you find yourself in western New York or in need of an idea for a vacation, stop in and visit Mid-Lakes. They have several custom built steel bottom canal boats that are for rent. The boats are beautiful and everything is included.
Next day, I cruised out and managed to make it to Spencerport without further incident.

Finishing the Erie Canal

The last eleven days have been both eventful and uneventful. It's kind of hard to describe. On the one hand cruising along on the Erie Canal is really fun. But, while the scenery is constantly changing, it really doesn't change. Parts of the canal are long straight stretches that are tree lined and pretty. Other parts are zig-zaggy, tree lined and pretty. So, lots of trees, lots of scenery, and lots of sameness. But, I enjoyed every mile.
The locks were hard work. And, I wish I could have gotten some pictures and sounds from inside the locks. Some of the locks are really huge and it's tough (the first couple of times) to look at the huge doors that are holding back tons upon tons of water and think, yeah, it'll be fine. The noise that the doors make on closing is something straight out of a horror movie.
After Lock 20, I cruised across Lake Onieda. I had no idea that that lake was so big. But, I had a smooth crossing and made it to Ess-Kay Yards. Nice place. The night I tied up there, the forecast was for thunderstorms. So, I decided to stay and get some work done on the boat. the center windshield wiper tore loose from its moorings. I had used the wipers a lot coming up the intra-coastal and didn't want to continue on without it.
Parts had to be ordered, fortunately from a near-by supplier, and the old wiper motor had to be removed. The mechanic beat on the wiper arm for about an hour before it finally let loose. Needless to say that at $95 an hour, it was an expensive removal. When the new motor arrived the following day, he got it installed and I was on my way.
I cruised to Baldwinsville, NY and tied up to a lock wall for the night. Gotta love the free walls. But, I didn't get there until late, so all I did was tie up and retire for the night.
Next morning, I looked online for a place to fuel up. The only place close only accepted cash and I didn't have any. I looked at my credit union's ATM finder and saw that there was a free ATM near where I was tied up. And... wait for it... it was located in a Duncan Donut's shop. Score! Cash and a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel before 9am. I love my life.
Next stop Lyons, NY. 

Lock 20

I got a late start out of Saint Johnsville. I fueled up and watered up. The fuel dock didn't open until 9:00a. Again, it was a little rainy and a little gloomy, but I remain grateful for the calm waters of the Erie Canal.

Traveler tied to the wall at Lock 20

It was a 31 mile cruise to Lock 20. The lock had been recommended as a nice place to tie up. I got there, tied up, and settled in for the night with a glass of wine. After a bit, a gentleman walked up and we started chatting. He said that he had a friend that was interested in this (my Ranger Tug) kind of boat and would I mind if he took some pictures. Of course I didn't mind and we continued to talk. I invited him to have a glass of wine and he said that he'd be right back, that he had a couple of things to do before it got too late.
It turns out that my new friend, Al Freihofer, is taking his Adirondack Guide boat (read really big canoe that is rowed instead of paddled) on a 680 mile adventure to raise money for the school he works for.
Seems that we are kindred spirits, boats, adventure, airplanes, travel. He used to own a Pitts Special. And, I'm not jealous... no really... I'm not... OK... really jealous.
You should check out his blog at - arowtoofar.blogspot.com.

We drank wine, talked about boats, airplanes, adventures, politics and all in all had a very nice (if too short) evening.

Cruising the Erie Canal

Yeah... I know... I've been remiss in updating my blog. In my defense, there is a lot of work to cruising. There's the 6 to 8 hours behind the wheel. Then, there's the laundry, shopping, boat maintenance, refueling, taking on water, setting up the next day's navigation, etc. I am having fun. I am seeing a lot of sights. And, it continues to be the adventure of a lifetime. I've met so many nice people, it's extraordinary.
So, out of Waterford the first 5 locks are called the Waterford flight. It is a group of locks that are really close together. When I locked through, it was really hot. Five in a row, by myself, wasn't easy. I was exhausted. But, moving on, I did several more locks and wound up in a marina/RV park. Easy in and easy out. I had a quiet night and slept well.
I got an early start the next morning and headed to Fultonville. There is a free dock there and I wanted to hit it early to make sure I had a space. It was an uneventful day. I'll say that it was gloomy and rainy all day as well. I found my free dock, tied up and spent a pleasant evening there. I called a near-by Walmart and renewed my prescriptions.
When I got up, I walked across the street to the McDonald's for an Egg McMuffin. I do like the occasional McMuffin. I walked back to the boat and got Uber to take me to Walmart. I did some shopping, got my prescriptions, and headed back to the boat.
I had decided on a short cruise, so as soon as I got back to the boat, I started the engine and headed out to Saint Johnsville.

Miniature lighthouse designed and built by the former harbor master for St. Johnsville

St. Johnsville Marina is a municipal marina with fuel, water, and showers. I'm learning that there are precious few marinas on the Erie Canal that provide diesel fuel. I top off every chance I get. The marina was nice and while I was there, they were hosting an Erie Canal bike ride. Several riders walked over to the boat and started asking questions. Of course, as much as I like bike riding, I shot a few questions back. I had a fun evening.

June Recap

I started June in South Carolina and finished in New Jersey. I had my spotlight fixed at Dowry Creek. I saw a retina doctor in Norfolk, VA (ongoing treatment for an existing problem). I got to spend the night on the dock at St. Mary's College. That was really cool. I had a visit from my kids and grandkids in Annapolis. They took me out to dinner and helped me get some shopping done. I got my inflatable boat fixed in Annapolis as well. I visited with friends I had made in Pensacola, they live in Delaware. And... I ran aground in New Jersey. Fortunately, I have BoatUS towing insurance.
All in all, not a bad month! Wish I had made a few more miles, but, we're getting there.

Third month cruising:
Cruised - 741.3 nautical miles
Burned - 90.48 gallons of diesel fuel
Spent - $202.35 (avg 2.24per gal)
Marina Nights - 20
Anchor Out - 9
Free Docks - 1

Erie Canal Lock #2

Actually, lock 2 is the first lock on the canal. And, I am here, tied to the municipal dock in Waterford, NY, looking at the lock doors.
From Shadows Marina in Poughkeepsie, I jumped to Riverview Marina in Catskill, NY. I almost consider that a second home. My Aunt Janis and Uncle George lived in Catskill and my grandparents (Aunt Janis' parents) lived about an hour north of Catskill. I spent a lot of summers, holidays, and long weekends visiting there. Riverview is a pretty nice marina and it's only about a mile into the center of Catskill. After a shower, I walked into town and had a nice dinner at La Conca D'oro. I had eaten there lots of times before. I must say that the chicken piccata was wonderful. The walk back to the marina was pleasant, filled with memories of being there when I was much younger.
After a cool, I had to put on a blanket, night of pleasant sleep, I got started fairly early and headed to Albany, NY. It is another place that I spent some time when I was younger. I overnighted in the Albany Yacht Club. I decided on a late start. I had a big breakfast at a near-by diner and did a load of laundry before heading out.
I was going to try to make it to Schenectady, but decided to take advantage of the free dock in Waterford. I got some grocery shopping done and am now enjoying a cool quiet evening looking at lock #2.

What a Week!

After the grounding and the days spent in Beach Haven avoiding the wind, I had a pretty good cruise up to an anchorage in Silver Bay (NJ). The anchorage turned out to be really popular with the local boating crowd. There were scores of boats on anchor. Most were just there for the day. Many were on anchor overnight. What I couldn't get over was the discourteousness of the boaters not on anchor. Many, with rather large boats, cruised through the anchorage at high speed, throwing a huge wake behind them. I was rocking and rolling until well after dark. And then got woken in the morning by even more high speed boaters. When I went to bed, I wasn't real sure on where I was going to go, but I knew that I had to get out of there.
I looked at my charts and found that there was a marina in Belmar, New Jersey. I called and found that they had a slip available. I was grateful for that, but I was a little scared about the fact that I would have to go out into the Atlantic. That would be Traveler's first taste of real ocean.
It was a relatively short trip to Belmar and the Atlantic decided to be real cooperative, smooth, calm, and virtually no wind.
When I got to Belmar, I got fueled up, pumped out, and tied up in no time at all. Really nice dockhands. I realized that the next day was the Fourth of July and if I left Belmar, I'd be traveling through New York harbor on the Fourth. That was a not-starter, so I checked with the marina office and arranged to stay until the 5th.

Behind the Statue of Liberty 7/5/17

The big boat across the dock from me had his hailing port listed as New York, New York. I figured he would be familiar with the waters so I asked his advice. Jim said that I should cruise straight into the harbor and anchor out behind the Statue of Liberty.
Again, I was pretty scared at the prospect of cruising the Atlantic. I was also pretty intimidated at the prospect of taking my little boat through New York Harbor. But, I got up early and got underway. The Atlantic was not as calm as I had hoped for, but it wasn't bad, either. I got beat up by a couple of really big ships, but I tucked in behind the Statue of Liberty. There was only one other boat on anchor. I had a pretty quiet night.
I was going to head to Tarrytown, NY, but the belts (water pump/alternator) starting making a lot of noise. I decided to divert to Ossining, NY. I headed to Westerly Marina. Among other things, they are a Yanmar (my engine) certified shop. Good call on my part. They were able to get the belts and replace them in short order. I had to spend an extra night, but that was OK, too.
I called my high school buddy, Lou. He and his wife, Toni, came down and got me. We went out and had pizzas and drinks. I had a great time visiting and catching up.
And that brings me to Poughkeepsie. I got up fairly early this morning and set out for Shadows Marina. I had a gorgeous cruise up the Hudson. I passed Peekskill, the Bear Mountain Bridge, and West Point. It was a beautiful day and I made great time. I got here and got settled in for the night. It all went so well that I decided to change the oil in the engine. It had just come due. So, it was a productive day, too.

And then the journey took a turn...

I was heading for an anchorage near Beach Haven, NJ. It was a little breezier than I like, but we were moving along nicely. I had been warned about the Intra-Coastal Waterway in New Jersey. It is really shallow and many of the larger boats choose to take the Atlantic route. But, I've got a 2 foot draft, n worries. My shallow water alarm went off on several occasions. I've got it set to warn me when I have less than 2 feet of water under the keel. Usually, I just probe around for deeper water and all is well.
About 3p on June 30, as I was cruising toward Beach Haven, the alarm went off and I couldn't find deeper water. I tried to back off. Nothing worked and finally, with the tide going out. I was hard aground.
I called the USCG for assistance and they contacted BoatTowUS for me. About an hour later rescue came... sorta. The guy on the rescue boat assessed the situation and said that there was nothing he could do. We'd have to wait for the tide to come back in. It hadn't completely gone out, so I was 7 or 8 hours away from being pulled off of the sandbar. So, there I sat watching the tide continue to go out. I wound up in inches of water and heeled over at about a 30 degree angle.
The guy came back around 9p to reassess the situation and decided that it would be a couple more hours. The tide had begun to come back in and I was mostly afloat, but still unable to move. He finally came back around 11p. He approached my boat and tossed me a harness to tie to my bow cleat. By now, the wind was howling and it had begun to rain. He told me to hurry, like a needed prodding. As he started to back away from my boat, he fouled the tow line in his starboard engine. He raised the engines out of the water. I could see that it was a mess. He asked me it I had a knife. I had bought a knife at West Marine. Supposedly the best at line cutting, it is the third time it has come to the rescue.
He got the lines cleared and restarted his engines. It was a hard pull, but suddenly I was off the sandbar. He told me to make for Beach Haven (not the anchorage) Yacht Club. I would be able to tie up at the fuel dock for the night. I had never navigated in the dark before. Suffice it to say that it was a harrowing final 5 miles to Beach Haven. The wind continued and the tide was ripping, but I managed to get tied up at the fuel dock for the night. I went to bed and slept the sleep of the exhausted.

Out of Maryland, Through Delaware, and Into New Jersey

So much has happened in the last several days, I don't know where to start. I guess I'll just go chronologically.

Under the Bay Bridge

After the nice visit with my family in Annapolis, I cruised under the Bay Bridge and got to an anchorage across the Chesapeake Bay. It was about a 25 mile cruise in smooth water, which was a pleasant surprise. I anchored out in a big cove that protected me from the south. And, I was in a good position to get to the C&D Canal.
Of course the winds shifted and I was again exposed to some of the worst that the Chesapeake has to offer. Small craft warnings and a gale warning kept me on anchor for an extra day and awake all night.
The winds subsided on Wednesday (6/26/2017) and I was treated to a  beautiful run up to, through, and out of the C&D. I got into the Delaware City Marina for the night. The marina it on a narrow channel that connects the C&D to the Delaware River. The single dock must stretch for 1/4 of a mile. The tidal current runs through the channel at an amazing speed. The guy who runs the place gives an extraordinary briefing on the expected conditions for traveling the Delaware River out into the Delaware Bay and on to either Cape May, NJ or Lewes, DE. He then gives you a departure briefing the following morning. He laid out my journey down the river and told me that I could expect to arrive in Lewes at 1530. He broke it down into segments that involved tide, current, and wind. He said the with a 6 knot boat and the tide, I'll be doing 8 knots for 2 hours. Then at slack tide, I'll be doing 6 knots. After that, I'll be doing 4 knots. And then, the tide shifts again and I'll be back to 8. He was amazing and I arrived in Lewes at 1530.
I had contacted a couple that I had met in Pensacola, in the RV park. Rich and Linda had been following my journey and told me to contact them when I reached Delaware. So, I did. They were nice enough to come and get me from the marina. We went out to dinner with another couple that I had met in P'cola. Linda did a load of laundry for me and I stayed overnight at their home. That was the most comfortable night I've had since visiting Connie and Stan!

Sunset on Delaware Bay

After staying the night, Rich took me grocery shopping and dropped me off back at the boat. I headed out for a short cruise to Cape May Point, NJ. Another beautiful crossing. The bay was like a mill pond and I arrived mid-afternoon and anchored about 100 yards off of the beach. Again, I was well positioned for the following day's cruise, which would be through the Cape May Canal.
As you can see in the sunset picture, the water of the bay is already getting choppy. There must have been a big storm to the south because I was pounded by 4-5 foot waves all night long. I didn't get much sleep at all. The pleasant surprise is my anchor. Through all of this bad, overnight weather, the anchor hasn't budged an inch.
June 28, sees me through the Cape May Canal and well into New Jersey. It was a windy day cruising, but I got to a marina in Marmora, NJ. I got checked into the marina and I asked the young woman at the desk if there was any shopping or restaurants near-by. She said, "Yes, there is a restaurant about a mile or a mile and a half away. Depends on how fast you walk." I responded, "No, it doesn't." She said, "Yeah, I know. Nobody ever gets that!"
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had the inflatable fixed in Annapolis. But, they didn't have the seat for it. I had the seat on the tug. So, I took the opportunity to pull the dink out of the water, partially deflate the tubes, and insert the seat. I had sort of forgotten how light the boat is, so instead of towing it behind, I've mounted it on the swim platform. Although, there is a bit more wind resistance, I think there is less of a performance impact than when I'm towing it. We'll see how it works.
So, with the dinghy on the swim platform and a full tank of fuel, I set out for an anchorage in Beach Haven, New Jersey...