Day 286: Monday, June 17, 2013

Port to Port: Kingston, NY

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Marina

Mile to Mile: If yesterday is any indication, our first full day in Kingston is going to be very busy. I got up fairly early and worked on the blog up by the Maritime Museum building (to let Cindy sleep a little more and to get a better wifi signal). A little while after I got started a hot, steaming cup of coffee magically appeared next to me (thanks Eddy) and the marina slowly started to wake up. I processed pictures, wrote some immortal prose, posted everything to the internet and finished a few other computer projects before we were scheduled to hitch a ride uptown to the mall to go to a movie. It was a little strange to go to a movie on a bright sunny day but Eddy (the Geek) really, really, really wanted to see “The Man of Steel” so, to make him happy, we all made the sacrifice and promptly proceeded to eat our way through a large popcorn even before the previews were done. Oh, the sacrifices we make.

  The movie was a fun diversion from boat projects and napping but now we had work to do. Our ride was only one way so we needed to walk the 4+ miles back to the marina. This was probably a good thing since we needed to burn off the calories from 2 buckets of popcorn and make room for a long awaited, prescheduled ice cream stop later. After stopping at Home Depot, the auto parts store, a grocery store, a dollar store, climbing through a locked fence gate, and taking our lives into our hands walking along a busy highway for miles (way more risky that crossing an ocean) we arrived at the most important stop – the ice cream shop. We wanted to relax and work our way through a couple pints of some caramel, vanilla, crunchy ice cream but we noticed some dark clouds approaching so we bolted for the marina. We arrived at Spiritus minutes before a very brief downpour and sat inside eating our perfectly softened ice cream with real spoons in cozy dry comfort. Life is good.

While we were off galavanting in uptown, our friends Roger and Dorothy on Slow Churn arrived and tied up at the neighboring municipal marina. Cindy and I went over to say hi and chat as Roger changed the oil (while making funny grunting noises) and Dorothy made chocolate brownies in her shiny new stainless steel oven (I think Dorothy had the better of the two jobs). Tomorrow might be a Slow Churn kind of day.

After the storm passed, the sun came out and it was time for docktails – it was almost like geese flying south for the winter. At around 4:30 pm the tables gradually filled up with cruisers and their cups full of something or other and we enjoyed talking about boats, food, the weather, the unknown status of the locks and any other topic that randomly came up. After solving the world’s problems, we had a feast to prepare. It was a team effort and we soon were sitting down at the table on Spiritus enjoying grilled steaks and red potatoes, fancy salads, fresh corn on the cob and perfectly warmed and toasted bread all washed down with some red wine. (We need another 4 mile walk, I think).

We finished the evening with a long awaited round of Championship Level Doodle Dice and I finally won (although I think I had a little help after Linda forget to play her “miss a turn” card at a critical time). We were exhausted, happy and can’t wait to see what the next few days bring as we all patiently wait to move north. Who thought being stranded would be so fun.

Day 285: Sunday, June 16, 2013

Port to Port: Mariners on the Hudson to Kingston, NY

Underway: 5:56 am      Motor Off: 9:15 pm      Miles Traveled: 12       Stayed At: Marina

Mile 77 to Mile: What an amazing Father’s Day. Not only did I get wonderful Happy Father’s Day wishes from Jess and Sarah (we miss them a lot even though we just saw them a week ago), but we got to spend a wonderful day with old friends and new friends in a random town along the Hudson River. You couldn’t plan this if you tried.

We got up early to try to catch the last couple of hours of tidal boost going north towards Kingston. It was worth it because we were able to make a little more than 5 mph for a while before we gradually started to slow down as we got closer to our destination. We didn’t know if there would be a spot for us at the marina but we could either raft up with Spiritus or anchor farther down the river by Eddyville (named after some person named Eddy) for a day until a spot opened up. After a very short day, we were soon making our way down Roundout Creek toward the marina. It was still really early on a Sunday so we quietly cruised by a bunch of boats along the pier and who do we see waving us in but Eddy. A few minutes later we were docked, we had shared hugs and I had a coffee in my hand (thank you Eddy). Some other cruisers wandered up and we soon had a group of 8 or so gathered for an impromptu dockside chat at 9 am on Father’s Day morning. The most amazing thing was that we had met several of the boaters as far back as Green Turtle Bay in Kentucky where we first met Mike and Gay on Irish Attitude and Tom and Margie on Blue Grass. It was like a reunion.

This is going to be a fun stop. We went out to breakfast with a group of Loopers to Dolce, a quaint restaurant downtown with good food and a bad attitude. We had fun but instead of talking about their food we laughed about their “no soup for you” type stupid rules (cash only, can’t take pictures in the restaurant, only one refill on a cup of coffee, can’t wear plaid, etc). It’s hard enough making a living in the restaurant business without turning your potential customers off. Oh well, there are lots of other places to spend money.

We relaxed for awhile afterwards and then went for a long walk with Eddy and Linda down to the point to look at the lighthouse and burn off a few calories and catch up on our mutual adventures before going out for dinner later. Tom and Margie generously offered to drive us to Walmart (they have a rental car until tomorrow) – an offer we couldn’t refuse since we had a long list of things we needed. We zoomed through and came out $200+ poorer but restocked with essentials for at least a few weeks. (Thank you Tom and Margie). By the time we got back it was time to eat again (isn’t it always) so 10 of us went up the street to an “authentic irish pub” for dinner and drinks. We were the only group in the place and we had a blast. The food we good, Mike, the bar tender/server took good care of us and we got to meet Timmy before we left for the night. Timmy is a real Irishman and he had us rolling on the floor with his banter and stories. What a great way to end a wonderful and special day on the Loop.

Day 284: Saturday, June 15, 2013

Port to Port: Plum Point to Mariners On The Hudson

Underway: 10:46 am      Motor Off: 3:15 pm      Miles Traveled: 18/17      Stayed At: Free Dock

First Things First: First time walking over the Hudson River.

Mile 94 to Mile 77: After a quiet night at anchor we had a leisurely morning waiting for the low tide. We made a real breakfast of scrambled eggs and bran muffins (finally decided to use them up after carrying the package for months). We had an ugly line of brown gunk along our waterline so I spent some time in the dinghy scrubbing whatever it was off (luckily it came off easy). We still have an eyebrow on the hull but it doesn’t pay to clean that off till we get to the Trent Severn Canal System and clean water.

We grew impatient waiting for the tide to switch so we left a little early and paid for it by going less than 4 mph for a couple hours before the current finally started to switch. We weren’t suffering thought since it was a beautiful sunny warm day and we making progress north. Our biggest challenge was dodging all the debris in the water. With all the recent rains, lots of logs, branches, leaves and trash has been flushed into the river and it all ends up going downstream. Some of the logs are 10-15 feet long and could do serious damage. At least it keeps you alert.

The boat traffic on the river was very light even though it is a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Kind of strange but we don’t mind having the river to ourselves. We were originally planning to keep going a couple hours but, with no where to go until the locks open, we decided to stop at Mariners on the Hudson – a restaurant right on the water that lets you stay at the dock overnight if you eat at there. What a deal! We got tied up behind an old wooden T-dock and decided to go for a walk before dinner. We had passed under a tall rusty old RR bridge that has been turned into a park/ walking path called the Walkway Over the Hudson. After a long uphill walk we found the entrance to the walkway and were amazed. There were hundreds of people walking, running and biking across the bridge. And what a view. You could see miles up and down river from this vantage point 200+ feet above the spot we passed underneath a couple hours ago. We are so glad we stopped. This old bridge could have ended up an eyesore and hazard but, because a bunch of people saw the potential, it is now a unique and valuable community asset. They expected 230,000 visitors a year but are getting over 750,000 visitors a year.

After our amazing walk across the Hudson, we returned to the boat and noticed another cruise boat parked on the dock. We didn’t recognize the boat name, “Auk” but they had a Looper flag off their bow so we had to say hi. Well, before you could say “Auk”, Ken and Ellen (and Rosie, a quiet, friendly, golden lab) had invited us aboard their 36’ Krogen for wine and conversation. They have been traveling part time for 5 or 6 years and have finished one loop and are now heading home toward Wisconsin (almost our neighbors). We had a great time chatting and finally decided to move the party over to the restaurant where we enjoyed some decent food, average service and wonderful stories (the classic story about emergency anchor raising in a thunderstorm while naked was the best) before finally saying goodnight until we meet again. Hopefully sooner rather than later. (Thanks Ken, Ellen and Rosie for the wonderful evening).

Day 283: Friday, June 14, 2013

Port to Port: Haverstraw to Plum Point (Newburgh)

Underway: 11:44 am   Motor Off: 5:05 pm    Miles Traveled: 23/20   Stayed At: Anchor

First Things First: Saw our first castle; saw our first waterfall; first time we heard, saw and talked to another boat named Aurora; first time in water 165 feet deep.

Mile 116 to Mile 94: What a beautiful day on the Hudson. Today was exactly what we were hoping our travels on the river would be like. The sun was shining (the forecast a couple days ago was for storms and rain). The winds were light. And we got a really nice boost from the current. We were consistently going 5.5 mph or better for a good part of our journey. And the scenery was inspiring. Tall granite hills covered with trees. Cliffs showing the twisted and folded rock layers. Amazing lighthouses, homes, and even a castle on an island on the river (Banneman’s Castle). Coming around the corner and seeing the massive fort-like buildings that make up the West Point Campus can’t be matched many other places. Even though we can’t go much farther north until the canal system reopens, we are thoroughly enjoying what the river has to offer in the meantime.

We were having such a good time we wanted to keep going another 8 or 9 miles to get to a place we stayed at in 2002 but a line of afternoon thunderstorms started moving towards us and it looked like we were going to get wet so we found what we thought was an okay temporary anchorage while the storm blew by. As soon as the wind kicked up, though, we started dragging the anchor and had to quickly pull it up and move back and to the other side of the river to get out of the wind. We got anchored just in time for the clouds to break up and the wind to die down. We never did get a drop of rain (thankfully).

After tacos for dinner and a couple more episodes of Homeland (kind of like 24 and just as addicting) we planned our travel route for tomorrow, wrote the blog and read a little before going to bed on a calm, quiet Hudson River.

Day 282: Thursday, June 13 , 2013

Port to Port: Haverstraw, NY

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Anchor

Mile 116 to Mile 116: After an amazingly quiet and peaceful night – it was hard to tell we were floating and not on land somewhere – we awoke to rain and overcast skies – just like forecast. It was definitely a lazy day. Cindy made me breakfast in bed (milk and cereal) and I didn’t put pants on until after I finished one of the books I’ve been reading for several weeks just before lunch at 1:30 pm. Decadence. It’s really hard to get motivated on gray, wet days. I’m just glad we are in a safe anchorage and not trying to meet some artificial schedule.

We didn’t do much today. Naps and reading were the main goals. We watched the last episode of Northern Exposure we had with and the first couple episodes of Homeland (not the best thing to watch just before bed) – thanks Garrett. We’ll see how the weather is tomorrow before deciding our next move. We plan to go slow and break up our Hudson trek into small legs since we can’t go anymore once we get to Waterford until the locks reopen on the Erie Canal.

Day 281: Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Port to Port: New York City to Haverstraw, NY

Underway: 6:05 am      Motor Off: 3:43 pm      Miles Traveled: 31      Stayed At: Anchor

First Things First: First time getting a wave washing across the deck and cabin.

Mile 146 to Mile 116: Remember when I said we were looking forward to the river again and that it would be less stressful? Well, I was a little too optimistic. We had a hard slog today – probably one of the hardest-won 30 miles of the trip. We wanted to get as much advantage from the tidal current as possible so we got up early to leave at low tide. That has always worked for us in the past. The Hudson is different, though. It is a real river with a current of it’s own plus we have gotten 8+ inches of rain over the past week. We actually went backwards for a while as we cut across the river to get out of the wind and start heading up river. It took us 3 hours to go less than 5 miles. We didn’t lose sight of the NYC skyline until late morning when we finally turned a corner in the river. The tide didn’t really give us any boost until 9:00 am. We should have slept in.

Our second mistake was assuming the river would be calmer than the ocean. It’s a lot smaller right? Well the wind was much stronger than forecast and straight from the north – exactly the direction we wanted to travel. Plus the tidal current was going up against the wind. With a long fetch, steady 15-20 mph winds and a counter current, the waves got to be very uncomfortable. We were getting sprayed every few minutes as Aurora pounded through the chop. She did good but once in a while the waves were perfectly aligned and she would be stopped dead. Boris never missed a beat but had to work hard to keep us moving forward. We had one wave crash over the bow and wash across the deck dripping through the hatch and drenching us in the cockpit. Luckily this was not to far from our destination. And the scenery is beautiful.We never went faster than 4.5 mph and we averaged only 3 mph for the whole day. Yikes.

  We got a call from our friends on Spiritus with some interesting news. Not only did they warn us about how slow the river is going up stream (even for them) but that the Erie Canal and Trent Severn are closed due to high water. Boats are backed up all along the Hudson waiting for them to open. I have a feeling if I had known this yesterday we probably would have stayed longer in NYC but we hadn’t done our homework so far into the future. We just wanted to get traveling again.

The good thing about today is, after a long day racing the trees, we made it safely to our anchorage – a little wet and a lot tired but everything worked out okay. Luckily it was warm and sunny all day so we at least weren’t freezing to death on top of everything else. Cindy hung out all of our wet stuff while I dinghied to shore to get gas. We look like a laundry barge.

We are planning to stay in this quiet little cove for a couple days – more rain and wind is forecast for Thursday and Friday and we aren’t in any hurry to go north (although we would like to catch up to Spiritus). We have lots of food, water and books to read so we won’t be suffering too much.

Day 280: Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Port to Port: New York City

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Mooring

Mile to Mile: Life is a lot different when it is just the two of us – herding 4, 5 or six people in the same direction is a challenge at times. We slept pretty good last night but new places have new noises including sirens, honking horns and normal apartment noises – they all take some getting used to. But we were warm and dry and slept soundly most of the night.

Today was kind of boring – showers, laundry, lunch, blog, shopping and one last movie before locking up the apartment and saying goodbye for good. We did take one last trip downtown to try out a popular BBQ place by Times Square and buy some more NYC post cards (15 for a $1). What a zoo – rush hour plus crowds of tourists all going in different directions.

We are entering a new phase of our adventure – we are going to start having more “lasts” than “firsts”. We are almost done with salt water – only four more days and we will be done with the Hudson and the last brackish water. That will be the last of the tidal currents too (yah!). We are done with intracoastal waterways. For the next couple of months we will be traveling in areas we traveled 11 years ago on our summer trip to NYC. That will be a huge change (and a little less stressful since we know what to expect). I like “firsts” better than “lasts” but I’m sure the new adventures will surprise us.

Day 279: Monday, June 10, 2013

Port to Port: New York City

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Mooring

Mile to Mile: We got off to a slow start on our last day in NYC with the kids. We were tired and the kids went down to Times Square last night to get a taste of NYC nightlife. They didn’t get home early. Cindy and I got to the apartment about 8:30 am and waited until the youngn’s were up, showered, fed and ready to go. I worked on the blog and other computer tasks. We headed out late morning to go downtown to wander around Greenwich Village. It was raining again. We’ve had more rain since we arrived in NYC than we had had in 9 months of travel.

We made the most of the day. We stopped for lunch at a random restaurant – we were pleasantly surprised. We were all pretty tired so we gradually headed back towards the apartment so everyone can get ready for their flights (and Cindy and I can rest a little). Jess left first – her flight was supposed to leave at 6:30 pm but she texted later that her flight was delayed 1.5 hours. Sarah and Jake left a little later and spent a little more time at Times Square before taking the train to Newark.

Cindy and I were exhausted. We said our goodbyes and finished cleaning up the apartment. It was rainy and windy outside. We decided to stay a little longer and watch a movie on Netflix (Garrett has fast internet). It was still raining out so we watched another movie and ate some leftovers for dinner. It was still raining out and kind of dark out so we watched another movie. Decadence! We just couldn’t bring ourselves to move any farther than the bathroom and couch. It’s warm, quiet, dry and not moving here. It is windy, wet and rocking at the boat. We decided to stay the night and try to catch up on our sleep (thanks again Garrett – we promise not to rent out your apartment while you are gone). Tomorrow we are going to wash clothes, organize the boat, charge all our gadgets, plot our course and get ready to head out whenever we have a favorable tide on Wednesday. We have loved our stay in NYC but are ready to move on to new adventures.

Day 278: Sunday, June 9, 2013

Port to Port: New York City

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Mooring

Mile 146 to Mile 146: What a glorious day in the Big Apple. We awoke to a beautiful sunrise and blue skies. We were sore and tired from our wanderings yesterday but excited about doing it all over again today (lucky we are doing this while we are still sort of young and spry).

We started the day with a party – an ebleskiver party that is. We brought all the parts to make ebleskivers over to Garretts apartment and started getting ready to cook while the kids were slowly getting up and ready. Garrett had never had the joy of ebleskivers (that could be the title of a book) so our party was extra fun. (seven or eight ebelskivers later, I think he liked them). The smell of bacon and coffee got everyone moving and we all feasted on perfectly made little round pancakes. What a fun way to spend time together.

We, of course, had a long list of hoped for destinations today so off we went to see the sights. Twenty-two thousand steps and 5 subway rides later, we had created a lot of new memories. Some of the highlights included a leisurely walk through Central Park with Garrett before he had to go home to get ready to drive to DC tomorrow for work (thanks Garrett for everything – especially the impromptu piano concerts and hard to forget stories – even the one about the attack pigeons in London), the United Nations (sadly, with no flags flying), NBC studios, a BBQ festival, Puerto Rico Day festivities, Rockefeller Center, the Chrysler Building, and watching all the people watching all the “famous” people arriving for the Tony Awards ceremony – no, we didn’t see Tom Hanks or Neil Patrick Harris. Of course the biggest highlight was just spending time with the kids. What a wonderful treat to spend our time together in NYC.

We ended the day with nachos and beer at Garrett’s apartment before saying goodnight. Cindy and I went back to the boat and slept like babies. The kids, of course, went out on the town and wandered around Times Square at night. I’m sure that was a memorable experience. They all leave tomorrow but not until later in the afternoon so we get to have a little more time together – this will probably have to last until we get home in the fall so we need to make the most of it. We can’t wait.

Day 277: Saturday, June 8, 2013

Port to Port:  New York City

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Mooring

First Things First: First grad party for our nephew, Kurt – Congratulations! Sorry we couldn’t be there but we were thinking about you.

Mile to Mile: After a wet, lumpy and way too short night, we thankfully awoke to sunshine and calm seas. What a difference a day makes. We only have a little less than 3 days to pack in some new family memories so sleep can wait (but hopefully not too long).

So, we got up with the sun at around 5:45 am and the phone rang about 6:00 am – Jess’ plane had landed in Newark (yah!) and she was getting on the train to Penn Station where we were going to meet her in about an hour. The rest of the day was a blur – we hung out our wet clothes from the day before, bailed another 2”+ of water out of the dinghy, dinghied to shore, walked to the grocery store to get bagels for breakfast, walked to the subway, took the subway downtown to Penn Station, waited for Jess to arrive, bought two coffees, found Jess, walked to the subway station back to Garrett’s apartment, stopped to get 2 more coffees (for Jake and Garrett), walked to Garrett’s apartment, made bagels for breakfast while the girls and Jake got ready, ordered tickets to the 911 Memorial for this afternoon, finished breakfast, walked to the subway to go downtown to Battery Park, waited in line for the Staten Island Ferry, took the Ferry across to Staten Island (it’s still free), took lots of pictures of the city skyline and Statue of Liberty, got off the Ferry and right back on the Ferry for the return trip, wandered through Battery Park, walked over to Wall Street to see the charging bull and stock exchange, cut back towards the east river to see the South Seaport shopping area, hopped on a bus up to Little Italy, got off the bus a little early and saw Chinatown, had pizza in Little Italy and rested. Time for a new paragraph.

The next stop was Washington Square Park and Union Square where we needed another rest, on to another subway down to Wall Street again, found Garrett and got in line for the 911 Memorial, paused to remember and reflect on everything that happened that day and since (and remember our last visit here 11 years ago), get on another subway back north to Garrett’s apartment, relax, order Thai takeout to celebrate Jessica’s belated birthday, chat, say goodbye, get ice, walk to the marina, dinghy back to the boat early enough to watch the sunset and finish a number of boat projects (clean  cooler, put away now dry clothes, charge electronics, write blog, pack stuff for tomorrow) before crashing for long and much more peaceful sleep (we hope). And we get to do it all over again tomorrow. Woohoo! We wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Day 276: Friday, June 7, 2013

Port to Port:  New York City

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Mooring

First Things First: First 4+ inch rainfall day.

Mile to Mile: Actually, it was more like puddle jumping in the rain but that isn’t as poetic. The remnant of tropical storm Andrea decided to pay NYC a visit with an all night and all day rain event – sometimes up to an inch an hour accumulation.  Before we left in the morning, I bailed many buckets of water out of the dinghy and before we could go back to the boat after dark I had to bail many more buckets (in the rain). We were soaked.

We still had things to do though so we slogged through the day and ignored our soggy feet and we underwear as best we could. We took the subway down to Penn Station midmorning to meet Sarah and Jake who arrived at Kennedy Airport at about 10:30 am. Everything went smoothly and we headed back up to Garrett’s apartment to drop of their backpacks, get Garrett, go out to lunch and head back downtown to tour the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) – it was free in the late afternoon so of course Sarah figured that our for us. What a perfect day to hang out inside where it is warm and dry. It rained the whole time.

On our way home we picked up the fixin’s to make chicken parmesan, fresh green beans, bow tie pasta and garlic bread for dinner. What a fun party – it was definitely a group effort. It was good together time and great food – way better than going out for dinner (except when it became time to do the dishes).  We didn’t want to leave (it was also still pouring rain). Even though Garrett offered his room to us, we decided to be strong and go back to our home for the night – not one our best decisions. It only let up for a little while and soon poured some more as we made our way to the boat after dark. Are we having fun yet.

The River was much choppier with large continuous swells rocking the boat violently. I had to hold on with two hands during the worst of it. Ugh! We survived (what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger right?) but wished we had slept onshore in a bed that doesn’t try to rock you off all night. The glamorous life of the Great Looper.

Day 275: Thursday, June 6, 2013

Port to Port: New York City

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0       Stayed At: Mooring

Mile 146 to Mile 146: Our plans were wide open today. We could go east, west, north or south. Well, to go west we would have to take a boat but you get the idea. We decided to go south along the river side parkway – it goes for miles north and south from the marina. You can basically ride your bike along a bike path all the way downtown. We found a city run boathouse along the way that lets people use kayaks for free to get exposed to the Hudson River. It wasn’t open yet or we would have taken a ride for sure.

Surprise #1: As we were walking, we called our friends on Spiritus to see where they were and they happened to be passing by Ellis Island on their way north up the Hudson. They aren’t going to stop in NYC (bummers) because they need to get somewhere to meet family. As we were passing by the Intrepid Museum (a decommissioned aircraft carrier) we called Spiritus again as we say them passing by on the river. Eddy turned the boat around and we ran out onto the end of a long boardwalk and chatted with them for a while and had a fun but not very satisfying reunion – it was perfect timing to have a chance to talk. We wished them safe travels and told them to take it slow so we can catch up in the next couple of weeks. (We also told them they could stop by our boat on the way by and leave a couple bottles of wine – we wouldn’t mind – but they must have forgotten because the boat was empty when we got back).

Surprise #2: After saying goodbye to Eddy and Linda, we angled over to the Chelsea neighborhood and found a great lunch deal – 2 pieces of pizza and a can of pop for $2.75. What a deal. We found the highline park and explored that for a while. They converted an old rusty unused elevated railroad bed into a wonderful linear park and pedestrian walkway. Instead of being an eyesore, the bridge is a neighborhood treasure.

On the way back to the marina, we did a couple of errands and were almost ready to hop in the dinghy when our nephew Garrett called to find our what we were doing. He was back in town early and we decided to turn around and meet him for dinner a little corner hamburger joint by his apartment. He treated to dinner (thanks Garrett) we walked a few blocks back to his apartment to visit and have a couple of beers. We had a blast catching up on his and our adventures. He has a nice apartment in an old mansion just 7 short blocks from us. What are the odds? We can’t wait to spend more time together this weekend with him and the kids. It really fun to see the kids grow up and become independent adults. Less than 24 hours and we start getting long awaited visitors.

Day 274: Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Port to Port:  New York City

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0       Stayed At: Mooring

Mile to Mile: Our goal today was to see a Broadway show. Unlike most of the towns we have been through on the Great Loop, NYC has dozens of theatre choices from comedies to musicals to love stories. Well, we picked one that covered all the bases. I had found out some months ago that the play “Once” was showing Off-Broadway in NYC to rave reviews. “Once” is one of our favorite movies. It tells the story of a musician in Ireland (Glen Hansard) trying to make music and how he goes from playing on street corners to finding his muse (Marketa Irglova) to forming a band and making a demo disk. The music is amazing, the story is funny and there is even a love story mixed in – something for everyone.

We decided to stand in line for rush tickets to either the matinee or evening show. A lot of other people had the same idea. As luck would have it, the guy in front of us got the last two cheaper rush tickets so, instead of taking our chances and wasting more time in line, we just sucked it up and paid the price to get for the 2:00 pm matinee. Since we were down in the theatre district, we wandered around looking at the sights, did a little window shopping in Times Square (what a zoo) and had lunch at a Chinese restaurant in the neighborhood.

Before we knew it, it was time to head to the theatre and get in line. In turned out (for future reference) that a couple people were trying to sell extra rush tickets because their plans had changed (we recognized them from this morning) so we could have saved $50 but you never know. Maybe next time.

This beginning of this play was interesting. They had a bar set up at the back of the stage with a bartender (the story takes place in Ireland) and the audience could go up and order a drink and stand around on stage while everyone was getting seated. Soon some of the actors started playing music on stage just like they were jamming. Them they played a couple of songs as the audience members onstage watched. Soon they cleared out the stage and the story made a smooth transition to the first scene of the play as the lights went down. Very creative.

Suffice it to say, the play was amazing. It was funny, the music gave us the chills and the story was inspiring. The actors were also wonderful musicians and played all the music live. What more could you ask for.

After the play, we spent a little more time in Times Square, had some ice cream sundaes at McDonald’s and headed back to the boat. Cindy took the subway and I walked the 2 miles back taking pictures along the way. Thankfully, the river was calm and we relaxed in the warm sunshine on the boat as the rest of the city made its way home from work. Only a little over a day before the kids start arriving. We can’t wait.

Day 273: Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Port to Port: New York City

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Mooring

First Things First: First time walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Mile 146  to Mile 146: No, we didn’t hit bottom of get stuck. We actually had plans today. Our friends Roger and Dorothy on Slow Churn traveled by train, plane and automobile (well, two out of the three) from somewhere on Long Island all the way to Manhattan to meet us and spend the day. We wandered up to the subway station at 79^th and Broadway, bought 7 day transit passes for unlimited rides on the buses and subway for $31 each (they were $20 in 2002) and hopped on the 1 train to go to Penn Station to meet them.

They arrived only a few minutes after we got there and we headed for Brooklyn on the subway. Why Brooklyn you might ask? Well, Roger had never walked over the Brooklyn Bridge even though he used to live here. That sounded like a fun adventure so we took the subway across the river and got off just at the base of the bridge. We found the pedestrian boardwalk on top of the bridge – actually over the roadway – and walked back to Manhattan. What a view! We could see downtown Manhattan skyline framed by the suspension cables and off in the distance the Statue of Liberty gleamed like usual. New York Harbor was busy as always with boats of all kinds. Surprisingly, this is a popular attraction as hundreds of other people were doing the same thing. We would never have thought to do this so this was a wonderful surprise.

Battery Park was the next destination on our list. This is at the very south tip of Manhattan below downtown. Normally you can wander along the river and enjoy the harbor views but today part of the park was closed for a special fundraising event and another part was closed for repairs from Hurricane Sandy. We saw some of the park but we will have to come down here again with the kids.

After a late lunch and much needed rest, we stopped by Ground Zero and looked out over the 911 Memorial Park and the Freedom Tower site. This is a lot different than when we were here in 2002. What an amazing transformation. You need tickets to go into the Memorial (free though) and there were long lines so we passed and went to find ice cream.

After a long, hot and convoluted subway ride north we shared a couple appetizers at the Boat Basin Café right next to the marina before walking them back to the subway station for their long trek back to their boat. (We were exhausted and we were only a few minutes from our boat). We had a blast visiting again and hope to meet up north somewhere, someday. (Thanks for more great memories Roger and Dorothy – till we meet again).

Day 272: Monday, June 3, 2013

Port to Port: New York City

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Mooring

Mile 146 to Mile 146: Our noise reduction projects were partly successful. We stopped the centerboard from banging and eliminated some squeaks and bangs but added a million more noises overnight. Torrential rains fell off and on accompanied by thunder and lightning making for an interesting night trying to sleep. My phone added to the fun by beeping at midnight (waking me of course) warning us that there was a flash flood warning for our area so be cautious. At least we don’t have to worry about that – we are already floating.

  I woke up early and decided to do a quick load of laundry while we waited for the rain to move on. We must have gotten 2-3 inches overnight – it took many buckets full to bail out the dinghy. I waited for a lull in the rain to dinghy to the marina – I almost made it before the rain started falling again. I threw our clothes in the washer and hopped in the shower. Cindy stayed on the boat to try to get a little more sleep. It probably didn’t work since another inch of rain fell while our clothes were in the washer. Surprisingly, the washer and dryer were free. Not surprisingly, the dryer didn’t work. No one had bothered to put a sign on it so now I had a heavy load of wet clothes on a rainy day in Manhattan. Are we having fun yet? Luckily, I found a Laundromat a few blocks away on Google Maps so I loaded up the clothes and hiked over to find a dryer. A little over an hour later, I had finished my morning coffee, had a roll for breakfast, wandered around the area a little and had a load of (much lighter) dry clean clothes. All by about 8:30 am in the morning.

I went back to the boat, dropped off the clothes, picked up Cindy and off we went to explore again. We had planned to go to the Natural History Museum and Planetarium but it was crowded with school kids on field trips and the sun had come out so we decided to wander north along Columbus to see what kinds of stores and restaurants are nearby and just take in the sights. After stopping at a Virgin Mobile Store to see if they could tell me how to fix my battery life problem (he told me how to get a warranty replacement phone) we were at the far northern end of Central Park at 110^th St.. So Central Park it is again. We wandered through the North Woods, past the Harlem Moor, toured the Dana Discovery Center, smelled the roses in the Conservatory Garden (amazing) and cut across the middle of the park along a path overlooking the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir before reentering the real world again. I can see why the apartments around the Park cost millions of dollars each. What a treasure right in the middle of the city.

We stopped at a few shops on our way back to the boat to get a few groceries and essentials for the boat, Dark clouds were rolling in from the west so we decided to sit on the bench at the marina for a little while to wait for a break. Lucky we did since a few minutes later, the skies opened up and it poured buckets – again. We probably would have gotten soaked before getting to the boat. We chatted with several other people also waiting for the rain to stop and after about a half hour the clouds thinned, the rain stopped and the sun came out for good. We enjoyed French toast al fresco on the Hudson River as the sun set over the river. Only four days before the kids start arriving for their visit – we are counting down the days.

Day 271: Sunday, June 2, 2013

Port to Port: New York City

Underway: 0:00 am      Motor Off: 0:00 pm      Miles Traveled: 0      Stayed At: Mooring

Mile 146 to Mile 146: Last night was noisy. The Hudson is always moving. The current reverses every six hours. The wind creates waves. And swells from the ocean can be felt all the way up here. We discovered lots of new noises. The swift current bangs the centerboard back and forth. The large plastic mooring ball bangs against the boat as the tide switches directions. The dinghy doesn’t know which direction to go sometimes but likes to bump into things as is goes by. Add in all the normal creaks and groans and other mysterious noises and sleep can be somewhat difficult. We will get used to it but tomorrow we will have to do some noise mitigation projects.

With all the time and effort it took to get here, we have not had a chance to plan our exploration of NYC. With no specific plans, we just headed out in the general direction of Central Park to see what we could find. We had a cheap breakfast at McDonalds and meandered our way several blocks over to the park. It hard to miss since it runs lengthwise from West 58^th St to the south all the way up to 110^th St. in the north. We could spend our whole week just exploring this amazing resource. After stopping at a farmers market on the edge of the Park, we followed random paths through the park and stopped to rest at Shakespeare’s Garden, climbed the narrow circular stairs to the top of the Belvedere Castle, rested again on a shady park bench and watched the world go by, passed by the Boat House and didn’t rent a row boat, sat and enjoyed a group of young and old musicians playing and singing for passerbys, and watched the amazing mosaic of people that make up NYC enjoying a beautiful sunny Sunday on the Great Lawn and Sheep Meadow. We wished we had a blanket to lay on in the shady grass and take a much needed nap. Maybe tomorrow.

  On our walk back to the marina, we found a street fair with art, food and all kinds of stuff you can’t live without. We found a Gyro we couldn’t live without and enjoyed people watching as we ate our really late lunch. We were exhausted so we dinghied back to the boat and immediately crashed for a long delayed nap. We will have to do some planning to see what’s next (or not).