28/29 July 2013

After spending the night on a mooring ball at LCYC (with no electricity) we headed north to Plattsburg, NY.  The weather conditions were a little rough...

(so were guest and crew)


We pulled into Champlain Boatworks with no injuries  - despite the choppy sea-state and high winds - Bravo Zulu to deck force, they kept me from looking bad again.  There is an excellent restaurant Dana’s Rusty Anchor at the marina were we congratulated ourselves on a safe arrival. 

 

Now onto the maintenance concerns;

Just in time for Dan's visit the generator failed... and Sea Chantey has been experiencing some issues with the house battery system so electricity has been limited when on the hook... it's always something... 

The service manager at Champlain Boatworks lent us a load tester to trouble shoot. The good news is we isolated the problem to a single battery with a failed cell; the bad news is 3 or 4 days to get a replacement... 

The generator is a different story - it looks like the starter failed - replacement time TWO weeks... 

 

Discussions happened, decisions were made... Let's do like congress does, kick the can down the road and see if we can solve these items later.

 

We say goodbye to Dan and head North.  

 



 

26July 2013
I was told there wasn't enough fish on hooks...

 So our good friend Dan Boe drove from Virginia to upstate New York to straighten us out.

Welcome Aboard Ceremony on Sea Chantey @ Champlain Bridge Marina 

 
 Alright Bill this is how you do it...

 Sean Kelly and Dan Boe slaying the Lake Champlain fish population 

'Don't give me any lip... I am fishing'.

 
 Beautiful Champlain Bridge Marina Crown Point, NY. ... a really great place. 

Dan adjusting to being underway 

Sean exiled to the small boat 

 Next stop Lake Champlain Yacht Club... 

25 July 2013

We pushed all the way up the Champlain canal today – seven additional locks to arrive at Whitehall, NY.   This is where Benedict Arnold built a fleet of twelve vessels to confront the British at Valcour Island on Lake Champlain – a battle the U.S lost.  So this gives Whitehall the honor to claim itself as the birthplace of the U.S Navy. 

Deck force working us through a lock

Bos'n leading deck force

Canal charter boat

Canal locals



Fort Ticonderoga

 

lunch

 Skene Manor home of Philip Skene Military Governor during the French and Indian War

 

 

 My kind of place... Whitehall, NY

Tamera and I stopped in for a cold one at the American Legion Post 83 Whitehall, NY

American Legion Post 83 crew 



 

 

24 July 2013

Departed Waterford, NY… what a great place.  We headed up the Champlain Canal and made it as far as lock four… another great day.  We were allowed to tie-up on the upward side of the lock – peace and quiet was everywhere – what a beautiful spot.     

Sean bring us up the Champlain Canal

Lock 1 Champlain Canal
 

Tams office

Going up!

 

 
 Sea Chantey on the wall upside Lock 4

 

Sean walking the lock gate

Art in the park Lock 4

 

 Contrast in home maintenance

 

 

 

21 July 2013

Underway here we go… heading up the Hudson on another beautiful day.  It’s amazing how many lighthouses are up the river… we found a nice anchorage behind Houghtailing Island about 20 miles short of Albany…wide with 15 feet of water, beautiful spot.  There were four or five other boats enjoying the location. The three of us took advantage of the fresh clear water and took a dip to cool off. We heard several eagles but only spotted one. There was a train track several hundred yards away and a train would go by every couple of hours… if you gave them a wave they would blast their horn.... all part of the charm of the location.

Converted to a B&B

     

We lowered the mast for several upcoming low bridges

 Waterford, NY town wharf visitor center - free dockage for 48 hours

Hannaford's allowed people at the Waterford dock to barrow carts for groceries - then sent a truck to pick them up later - good business sense

 Sean loving the WI-FI

Tamera and Sean on the Champlain Trail

 Taking care of the essentials

18 July 2013
After doing all the obligatory things in New York it's time to depart the Big Apple... We headed up the Hudson past the United Nations Headquarters, past General Ulysses S. Grant’s tomb, under the Tappan Zee Bridge the day was a true history lesson.

Who's buried in Grants Tomb?

 

 We ended the day at what looked like a nice weather protected cove on the west side of the river - Haverstraw Cove.  There is a beautiful community park at one end and a band was playing lite rock-n-roll. Fifteen feet of water at MLW, not many bugs – this place looked excellent – so we dropped the hook.  After firing up the generator we sat on deck to enjoy the sunset and lesson to the music.

 Sometime in the late evening the generator started acting up.  It got louder and alarms started going off – did I mention this was about 0230 in the morning? - and that it was about 100 degrees outside - and that the air conditioner will not run without the generator? - and that when I went outside to check the overboard discharge (at 0230) there was several dudes  on the bank of the cove fashionably dressed in wife-beaters drinking what could only be forty ouncers and smashing the empties on the rocks?  Needless to say the rest of the evening was uncomfortable a). No generator, b). No A/C, c). Freaks on the beach.  Of course the cook was concerned about the fridge and freezer which added to my anger management issues.

19 July 2013

Sunrise came  about 0545 – while boat checks were being completed  the freaks on the beach started yelling 'take us fishing' – that did not happen. We departed to anywhere but Haverstraw Cove … 

As it turned out it was a beautiful day on the Hudson (after two pots of coffee).  We rolled by the historic West Point and Cold Spring where cannons supporting the revolutionary war were manufactured.

Historic West Point Military Academy

 The towering cliffs are filled with opulent mansions and ruined remains of fortunes long lost.

Unknown estate... but I did hear several varying story's about the structure


The ghostly remains of Bannerman's Castle circa 1901 on Pollepel Island

 

 We made the call and pulled into Norrie Point Marina in Staatsburgh, NY.  This hidden jewel is run by the New York State Parks Department at Norrie State Park.  The facilities were in great shape, with typical state park camping style bathrooms-but very clean, miles of hiking trails and beautiful scenery.  We stayed two days – okay one of those days I was in the engine room degunking the generator fuel system, but it was a beautiful spot to do it.



Many structures at the park- including the bath house were built by the WPA

While we were there a handsome old wooden boat ULYSSES from Stonington, CT pulled in… as we got into conversation with them it turns out a guest on board Tommy Tyler and I as kids were neighbors 40+ years ago on Governors Island, New York.  I thought he looked familiar - it is truly a small world.

Bill Kelly & Tommy Tyler -neighbor kids 40+ years later meet by chance on the Hudson River 

      

16-17 July 2013

The push to the Big Apple… it was an early morning anchor detail and away we went.

With a clear sky and calm seas it was a good day to put our sights on New York City.  We rounded Sandy Hook and crossed Lower Bay before long the Verrazano Narrows Bridge came into view.

Verrazano Bridge in the haze

Swab and crew with NY,NY in the background

Postcard perfect photo of Lady Liberty

Ellis Island

Staten Island Ferry

Circle Line Tour boat

 

To my relief the harbor was not horror ably busy and we timed the tide just right.  We tied up at Liberty Landing Marina which technically has us still in NEW JERSEY!! - we can't seem to get out of the Garden State.  Just a quick ferry ride and we are in the heart of it...

 

 

No visit to New York is complete without a stop at Katz for a pastrami on rye

 

 

The view from the marina of New York was excellent day and night

 

Sea Chantey dockside... still in NewJersey