Milford CT to Point Judith RI - Northern Long Island Sound Run

North Dumpling Island Light House   

Sailing Regatta    

What I failed to mention in the last blog was that as the day 7/13/17 wore on, clouds rolled in again and by the time I was abeam Charles Island off Milford, it was seriously threatening a downpour. The storm raced with me into Milford and won, hands down. The seemingly long slog up the Wepawaug River on which Milford Harbor is situated, was wet and tight through a massive collection of predominantly pleasure craft slipped or moored both shoreside and midstream. Milford Boat Works where I grabbed a slip, was at the head of navigable waters, at least for larger craft.

Watch Hill Light House   

The following day 7/15/17 was rainy all day so I stayed put, after a nice breakfast aboard of potato fries, ham, eggs and picante sauce, I wandered about town a bit, read and generally enjoyed a lazy day. I had hoped to meet a friend who lived there but that didn't pan out.

Commuter Yacht "Aphrodite"              

High tide was 4am on the 15th so I was underway early so as to catch a favorable current heading north along shore under a gray, damp sky. By 6:50 New Haven on the Quinnipiac River was abeam. Soon Branford and Guilford were astern. It was in that area that I attained my best speed for the day- 9.3mph or about 8.1 knot. As I passed abeam Clinton about 9:20am, I slowed to "no wake"speed as I came upon a large group of sport fishermen in a variety of boats, mostly small runabouts- perhaps a fishing tournament. By 10:30 I was abeam the Conneticut River to port and the northern end of Long Island in the distance to starboard. By just shy of 1pm I was abeam New London where Suzan had come aboard on the trip south to New York City and the Hudson. About 12 miles later I was passing Watch Hill Rhode Island. Here I had the pleasure of seeing "Aphrodite" a totally restored and beautiful 74 foot 1937 Classic Commuter yacht,  roar by at about 30 mph, her twin 1,000 horsepower Caterpillar diesels just purring.

Point Judith Light House

By this time the sky had cleared to become a mostly sunny afternoon. After passing Watch Hill, the scenery became mostly long stretches of beaches and the occasional fishing vessel til I reached Point Judith Harbor of Refuge. Once inside the refuge, I dropped anchor and settled in for a nice evening on the hook, watching the Block Island ferry and other craft come and go from Snug Harbor, Jerusalem and Galilee. This time around, the sea was a little more calm than last so the boat rocked less and I slept better.

Block Island Ferry heading out.   

Liberty Park Anchorage to Milford

Sunrise over Lady Liberty and Manhattan

United Nations Headquarters

Colorful factory along East River

Stepping Stones Lighthouse off Great Neck, NY

Tug and Barge

      Rested but apprehensive about my trip up the East River I awoke early and was underway by 6am. By leaving this early I knew I had plenty of time to reach Hellgate on the East River at or just after slack water which was at 7:36am. Heading out under a mostly cloudy sky, I passed the Statue of Liberty as Lower Manhattan and the Battery came into view. At this hour of the day there was limited water traffic which made for a much more relaxed cruise across the Upper Bay, past Governors Island and into the East River. I meandered about in the lower East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn awhile, passing by ferry terminals for Staten and Governors Islands, the South Street Seaport, then the Brooklyn Bridge. Then Puffin passes under 3 more suspension bridges- the Manhattan, the Williamsburg and then the Queensboro which places me between Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island, just past the United Nations Headquarters, traveling at about 8 mph. By about 7:45am, the sun had come out to stay.  About 8am I have passed Hellgate and am now on a flood tidal current,  aiding my trip into Long Island Sound: speed has picked up to 9 mph with no change in throttle. Shortly I pass between North and South Brother Islands and put Rikers Island to starboard. By 8:40 Puffin is past Whitestone Bridge and by 9am she has passed under Throgs Neck Bridge and out of the East River into the western end of Long Island Sound. By getting the timing right on current ebb and flow past Roosevelt Island and Hellgate, the whole East River trip was a pleasure instead of a white knuckle ride on turbulent waters in my slow sailboat.

Execution Rocks Lighthouse off New Rochelle, NY            

By 9:15am, I was passing Manhasset Bay to starboard and Hart Island to port. As I worked my way eastward, I passed by several lighthouses marking shoals, ledges and islands; the occasional tug and barge, numerous pleasure and recreational fishing boats, a windjammer, and commercial clammers, draggers and fishing vessels. All in all a very pleasant day. I motored into Milford, CT at 4:15pm, a 10 hour 15 minute run of 55 nautical miles (63.3 statute miles).

Great Captain Island Lighthouse off Greenwhich, CT

Next leg of journey will be to Point Judith and Wickford, Rhode Island.

Penfield Reef Lighthouse off Fairfield, CT

Hudson River Alone-Coeymans(New Baltimore,NY) to Haverstraw Bay

Roundout Lighthouse

Tanker Palanca Montevideo   

Esopus Meadows Lighthouse   

Galleon Replicas    

Bannerman Castle/ Arsenal

Pete Seeger's Clearwater

At Coeymans Marina, I (Suzan) jumped off Puffin and headed home by land to Massachusetts leaving Dean to captain alone the mighty and sometimes rough Hudson River to and around New York City. So, July 10th, heading out of Coeymans with a 5 to 7 mph wind on the nose, Woodstock, the cat and I (Dean) had a pleasant trip down to Roundout Creek and the Hudson River Maritime Museum and Boatbuilding School. About two hours into the trip I spotted 5 deer playing and grazing along shore. A bit further along I noticed a bald eagle and blue heron standing on the shore right next to each other, which I thought to be kind of curious, like a couple of fishermen discussing tactics and gear. Periodically a tug and barge on water or AmTrak or freight train along either shore would pass by, whistling it's approach. We made 41 statute miles that day. Once secured dockside in Kingston I took the bike into town for some sightseeing and groceries. The following morning I was underway downriver at 6am. Ten minutes later Puffin was exiting Roundout Creek, passing Roundout lighthouse and back into the main body of the Hudson River. About a half hour later I'm passing Esopus Meadows lighthouse, warning of a large area of shallow flats at a bend in the river. Just off the town of Hyde Park on the eastern shore, on the charts, is an anchoring ground for vessels awaiting loading or unloading. There sat the Palanca Montevideo, a 182ft asphalt/bituminous tanker, obviously awaiting loading as she sat very high off the water. Another large tug and barge passed by creating a wake which sent Woodstock scurrying below decks. Shortly a breeze sprang up creating ripples across formerly placid waters as Newburgh came into view, where two black Galleon style ships like the Nina and Pinta, appeared to be taking on passengers. Next Woodstock and I passed by Bannerman's Castle on Pollepel Island. It is a Scottish style castle/ armory and residence, built around 1900 by Francis Bannerman for safe storage of his company's munitions and war materials and a summer residence. A little further downriver we pass by West Point, home to the US Military Academy for the Army, perched on a plateau above the river. It is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the US, established by George Washington in 1775. About an hour later off Peekskill I noticed a large sloop that looked like Pete Seeger's Clearwater, which, it turned out to be! The Clearwater, a replica of the sloops sailing the Hudson in the 18th and 19th centuries was created to bring attention to the toxic chemicals, raw sewage and oil pollution fouling Pete's beloved Hudson back in the 60's and 70's, decimating fish populations along much of it's length. It made me happy to see she was still at it. Pete and his boat have been very successful. You can now fish the entire length of the Hudson though one must still be very cautious of what you eat from the river. That afternoon I decided to drop anchor in Haverstraw (Half Moon) Bay. 56 miles this leg. It had been a hot sticky day so after a light dinner, just before dusk, I took my first swim since starting the trip-much of the water having been to muddy or the weather to cool or rainy. The water was so cool and refreshing, I went back in several times before turning in after a beautiful, peaceful sunset.

West Point Military Academy  

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Sunset Haverstraw Bay

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On the way flowing up/ flowing down

Signage at each lock   

The Champlain Canal which runs from the Hudson River to Lake Champlain, flows south towards New York City from Ft. Edwards, the high point (Lock 8). Then flows  north to Lake Champlain through the last 3 locks. It climbs 139 ft. over the 42 miles between Troy lock and lock 8, then drops 44 feet to Lake Champlain. The upper Hudson is very narrow with falls and rapids so locks are needed to adjust the water levels for navigation. Fort. Edwards is the end of the navigable Hudson, which splits off and heads west while the canal continues north.

After spending several days and nights at Chipman Point Marina over the July 4th Holiday weekend, we are finally on our way through Champlain Canal and down river to Albany,  NYC and beyond.www.canals.ny.gov
As mentioned, we tried to go through Lock 12 at the Lake Champlain end of the canal on Sunday, July 2, to no avail. By end of day on July 2, most of the 3 Canals-Erie, Oswego, Champlain, were closed due to heavy rains, rising water and flooding. We have pictures going down the Canal where rising waters left muddy sludge on the shrubbery along the banks up to 5 feet above normal water level.
So---Tuesday, July 4th, 3 boats started from the Marina to begin navigating the 12 Locks of the Champlain Canal. Along the Canal in small towns, there are town docks, some with facilities, some not, where you can tie up at the dock for no charge. Several town docks had pretty parks and nice facilities.
Our first stop was Whitehall town dock, just beyond Lock 12.  A relatively new town dock with free water and electricity provided for transient boats.  Police station and fire department are just up beyond the dock, so very secure. We headed first to Historic Grounds, an awesome breakfast and lunch restaurant in an old bank building dating back to early 1900's, a short walk across the green.   Dean had eaten there in his way up to Lake Champlain and wanted to return.  We were able to shower at a restroom facility, built by the state of New York and taken care of by the town. We visited the Skenesborough Museum (Skenesborough was the original name of Whitehall) and wandered the town a bit waiting for lower locks to open. Across the Saunders St. bridge was a quaint shop in the old newspaper office - The Times Emporium. Both Historic Grounds and Times Emporium owners chatted with us about the town history and refurbishing being done to revitalize the town. We walked several blocks away to get some groceries and discovered a gas station there selling diesel fuel for a good price so I made three bicycle trips (for the exercise of course and something to do while waiting lock openings) to fill my single 5 gallon fuel can and the boat tanks - the jerry can fit neatly into a large backpack so was easy to carry on the bike.

As soon as the locks were open below 8 we were on our way to Fort Edward, below Lock 8.  Again to tie up at their town wall to wait for the lower locks to open. Here we enjoyed a wholesome, inexpensive meal at Ye Old Fort Diner, making it the third meal I (Dean) had here. Down on the dock we met other Canal travelers either going north or south that were held up for Lock openings. Next stop- Mechanicville and below now that locks 1-7 were opened heading us to  Troy Federal Lock and down past Albany.


Reason for the Locks seen
from inside the lock 

Mechanicville also had free hookups for water and electric, new bathrooms and showers. These features certainly help make the transit more economically feasible for many boaters. Here we walked to a Price Chopper nearby to replenish food supplies.
The following morning we were heading south again.


Mount Travers ahead 

At Albany, we were approaching a large ship, the Mount Travers, just pulling out of an Albany Commercial terminal maneuvered by 2 tug boats pushing and pulling the huge freighter. The captain radioed us that he would be moving slowly at first through the terminal area then gathering speed and asked at what speed we traveled. We radioed back that we traveled at 7 knots so he would be passing us at some point and would keep an eye out to give way.

Puffin at Coeyman's Marina  

Just below Albany we docked at Coeyman's Marina so 1) I could jump off and travel home by land as the Hudson River down and around NYC gets a little rough and 2) so a friend from the Albany area could visit.
As we were on the way home from the trip- Dean being on the boat for 45 days, at this point, and I for 30, I was ready to be on land for a while, not sure if Dean was and it would take him another week to reach south coast Massachusetts,

Locking Through  

Suzan and Puffin in Whitehall  





Dean and the Canals

Canals- Erie - to Lake Erie, Oswego- to Lake Ontario, Champlain- to Lake Champlain.
Troy, NY about 10 miles above Albany, has the New York Federal Lock that allows you  to start the New York State Canal System either west to the Erie Canal and branch off in the Oswego Canal or north to the Champlain Canal.

Once thru the Federal Lock, the town of Waterford has a public dock, where you can tie up and get  information about the canals, restaurants, public facilities, before starting your Canal journey.

Erie Canal to Lake Erie- 340 miles-35 Locks
Erie Canal to and thru Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario 184 miles - Erie- 23 Locks, Oswego- 7 L
Champlain Canal to Lake Champlain-60 miles- 12 Locks

2017 marks  the New York Canal System Bicentennial 200th Anniversary of the start of the construction of the Erie Canal and for those traveling the canals by boat, it is offering toll free navigation on the Canals for non commercial boaters during the year.

 Sooo Captain Dean wanted to experience some of the Erie Canal before committing to the Champlain Canal to reach Lake Champlain so I can return to the journey.     Once thru the Federal Lock in Troy, Dean continued up the 5 lock stairs (one right after the other) and up thru lock 9. There are walls in the Canal where you can tie up for the night and most had restrooms and/or showers available.  From there Dean turned around and came back down to Waterford where he turned North for 11 locks ( 1-12 no #10) on the Upper end of Hudson River turning into the Champlain Canal to reach Lake  Champlain. At times the Hudson River is so shallow and narrow a Canal is dug so you can get through. This took about 9 days to get to the southern part of the lake where it gets wider and 2 days to be in Burlington, on the Vermont side.

One experience was Basin Harbor, home of the Champlain Marine Museum www.lcmm.org and replicas of Lois McClure schooner ( that is sailing this summer on the canals to Buffalo to help celebrate the 200 anniversary of the start of building the Erie Canal). The museum is a nice walk from the courtesy dock at the Basin Harbor Resort www.basinharbor.com and you can stop at the Red Mill restaurant for a meal on the way.

Gate to regulate water flow in the canals

Once in Burlington at the Community Dock I joined him.
Next- Lake Champlain and more of the journey

Up to Albany, Troy and the start of the Canals

From NYC we traveled up the Hudson River about 33 miles from the Battery and stopped at Croton on Hudson (Half Moon Bay) for the night, as we had traveled rough waters- 3 ft waves up the Hudson with the winds and I was done for the day. A storm was brewing and I wanted to be in safe harbor.  Many other boats thought the same and we ascended on this Marina, probably 6 boats within 1 hour. We stayed 2 nights with the rain and wind. We passed West Point and the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) on our way up the Hudson River to Kingston, NY, docked at Roundout Creek, an inlet off the west side of the Hudson. Tied up to the dock and met a couple from Michigan, who live aboard  a 58 ft  trawler style boat named "Tinacious", that they designed and had completely  re-built themselves from a bare hull, a massive project.
 Riverport Wooden Boat Building School is located there and Dean was enjoying chatting with the boat teachers and students.  We stayed there for 2 nights (weather-rain) and walked into town for a meal with "Tinacious" owners, Art and Pam.

Last stop before Albany/Troy area is the Shady Harbor Marina, 10 miles south of Albany. There we met some Loopers we had previously seen at Half Moon Bay Marina and Kingston; and other boaters who recognized our boat from passing on the Hudson River.  There is a restaurant on site and you can chat and play outdoor games with fellow boaters.

It didn't seem possible that we were going to be able to meet with friends in Montreal due to weather related traveling. We needed to decide on an alternate path as part of the Erie and Oswego locks were closed for a short time with the heavy rains and we also heard about some issues with the Ottawa River .

By Friday, I decided I needed a break, after roaming what I called high seas -3/4ft waves, (from my non boater status), rain and wind. I jumped ship and drove to Massachusetts for a little regrouping. My anxiety with the weather led us (Dean) to decide to take the Champlain Canal to Lake Champlain where I can rejoin our journey.
Next one- Dean with the Canals, regrouping, and redirecting our trip.

Some things to know

Boats- the type you choose is a big consideration.  Most of the Loopers (boats cruising the Great Loop or any part of it) we connected with had power boats a bit larger than ours.  Ours being 33 ft motor sailor with masts down, and 10ft 2 in width.  Some of the power boats, trawler style,  were from 36' to one we met from Marathon, Fl. a live aboard, at 58 ft, a bit larger than they had anticipated, to a 48 ft live aboard.  These couples no longer own land homes, their boats are their homes.  A little scary for me at present although, I would like to perhaps have a 36' ft trawler on the intercoastal down south.  And there were a few hard core sailing people making the Great Loop in their 40 some feet sailboats. One couple we met were from Finland and sailed to the US from there to travel the Great Loop.

Coming from South Coast Massachusetts down to NYC, there are many coves and tucked in harbors and marinas to spend the night, not much in anchorage or moorings. Many along the way to NYC charge from $2.50-3.50 a foot for dock space. We had to tuck into some of them as our weather beginning the trip was not ideal- much rain, wind, and high seas. We were able to get  free moorings with the town of Fort Washington in Manhasset Harbor but is was too windy and wavy for me that day so chose to go into a dock.  You can anchor behind the Statue of Liberty if the waters aren't too busy.
As you journey farther up the Hudson River you can find Anchorage and Moorings at least 50, 60 miles from the Statue. There are many areas to tie in the Canals or at a Lock with nice parks you can be on land for a while. 2017 is an Anniversary for New York so the NY State canal system is not charging for canal travel and tie up.

Marinas- Many of the larger and better equipped Marinas, especially on the Hudson River,  are very familiar with Loopers and welcome them. The boats traveling the Great Loop or any portion of it Triangle, Champlain Canal Loop, will spend $$$ for supplies, groceries, any boat repairs, restaurants, laundry, fuel, pump outs, at the Marinas with these conveniences. The dock fees range from$2.25/ft to less than $3.00/ft plus a few $$$ for electric. on Hudson River Marinas as you get up the river about 50 miles.  Sometimes the dock fee is worth it if you have been traveling 6-7 hours a day for a few days,  and need a shower and laundry, or a meal you did not prepare on a boat. Stay tuned for the Hudson River and the NYState Canals

East River around the Battery and up the Hudson

I know why it is called the Battery.  You get battered around by all sizes of boats, waves from the boats, tides, wind, and ebb and flood currents from the tides.  That is a mouthful and a boatload of obstacles to maneuver around. The weather was not the best, cloudy, though no rain, and some wind.
We started out from Port Washington, LI about 10:00 am so we could catch the currents at ebb on the East River from Hell's Gate- which is about the middle of a 14 mile run from Throg's Neck Bridge to Manhattan (the Battery). Eldridge's Tide and Current Book start at the Bridge 2 hours after low tide at the Battery. We had to calculate the low tide, 2 hours, and our speed getting to the bridge and Hell's Gate to figure how to travel with the ebb currents or fair current in East River the last 1/2 of the 14 miles. Ebb currents can work in your favor, carrying you 2-3 knots faster than your normal cruising speed. Catching the wrong current can put you up to that much slower than normal.  We tried to time our trip around Manhattan for flood currents in the Hudson River. That didn't quite work in our favor, but not too bad. To see Manhattan (NYC) from the water is something to behold!! The skyline mixing old architecture with new modernistic is incredible and a little weird.  There are many buildings higher than the Empire State Building especially the new 911 structure in downtown Manhattan. From the west end of the East River you can see the Statue of Liberty in all her magesty at the base of the city. Anchor behind it or moor in Liberty Park, on the New Jersey side.  We dodged tour boats, cruise boats, small and large, and many other boats, including Looper boats such as ourselves going up the Hudson to the Canals.  I am learning there are different routes(loops) to take on this journey.  Heading up the Hudson River was a challenge, with all the boats and the current not always with us. It wasn't against us that much, just chugging along.  We recognized other Loop boats we had seen or docked with earlier. Next blog-- journeying up the Hudson River with other Loopers and other routes to take.


From afar
 



New vs Old
 





Getting Down to the Wire- Journey to begin

All the wiring for the Mast is in place. What a job that is/was. Much more complicated than expected. Mostly done except for testing to make sure all components- Radar, Radio, Deck Lights, Mast head Light, and Loud Hailer work.


My seat- across from the Captain's seat so whomever is not piloting, can sit up and see the water ahead and around.
Dean is working on the part that fits into the VBerth to make a fuller bed for sleeping. I have the foam, waiting to be cut.
Inverter we will take with us and wire in while traveling.
We will also take the extra batteries to be swapped out or added, as and if needed.
We are down to the last amounts of supplies to be put on board and then we are ready----


Our cat, Woodstock, is joining us on the journey. He has not been on Puffin in the water. We don't know how he will do and are prepared. He has been wearing a harness instead of a collar, that you can hook a leash to so if he goes overboard we can reel him in. As mentioned before, he also has a pet life jacket.

Still some things to accomplish on land---mail, bills to be paid, cleaning our home as we have guests staying while we are away. We are plant people so all of our indoor plants (20-25) are outside for awhile and some Dean has put the potted plant in the ground for moisture. We have placed them so there is ample morning light and should get moisture when it rains. I hope it is not like last summer- in July, August, September--no rain at all, we were in a drought. We contracted for someone to mow the lawn and neighbors will keep an eye out for anything unfamiliar around our home. We have nice neighbors.
By next week we will be on our journey on the Triangle Loop of the Great Loop.