June 3rd - Amsterdam to Canajoharie NY

We actually slept in today and did not get underway until around 9:30 AM.  Of course, we are only going about 20 miles today with only 3 locks, so it makes the time schedule much more reasonable.

Today we stayed in Canajoharie, NY, a very nice small town with a free municipal dock that included electrcial power.  We walked a short distance to a library/museum that contained the art collection of the Arkell Family, the family that originated the Beech-Nut food company - which was located in Canajoharie.

Traveling with us today was a Canadian couple, Martyn and Alison Ubbink on their 34 foot Mainship trawler LAST CHANCE.  All in all, a very pleasant day.

Goose hunting should be good next season.  There have been plently of geese everywhere we have stayed.

Mama and her brood in the canal

Some of the idyllic countryside we have been passing through

More of the scenery

This provides an idea of the kind of debris that floats downstream during high water

A nice peaceful stretch

Canajoharie city waterfront park

GREAT ESCAPE and LAST CHANCE moored at the Canajoharie dock

Please note the rod extending from the top of the fire hydrant.  For those
friends back in Florida, this is so the fire department can find the hydrants in the deep snow
this part of the country experiences

Martyn and Alison Ubbink

June 2nd - Waterford NY to Amsterdam NY

Ah, the adventure of "lock foolery" begins.  We left Waterford at about 7:45 to go through the first lock at 8AM.  There was a short wait for traffic that was heading in the other direction.  Since the lock was "raising" us, he let the west bound boat in first, "lowered" him and than allowed us to enter.  By the time we got into the lock there were four boats.  One, a new 55' Sea Ray was manned by a three person crew who did not have a lot of experience in locking.  Although their fenders where on the starboard (right) side, they were drifting all over the lock before getting settled.  At the second lock, they started to enter the lock as soon as they saw the doors opening.  Unfortunately, there was another boat exiting the lock.  We got their attention by blowing the horn and explained you could not enter a lock until the lockmaster gave the green light. Anyway, as they were backing to avoid the exiting boat, they slammed their swim platform into the concrete wall surrounding the lock.  Oh well, so much for a pristine new boat.

The day was very blustery, with sustained winds around 20 mph and gusts to 40 mph.   Luckily, we were locking up all day which meant the lock walls provided a shelter while we tied up.  We made it through 10 locks today, a rather long day.  From the pictures, you can tell the Boyz were not very concerned.  Stayed in Amsterdam, NY at a dock provided by the city, which is common along the canal.

The boat at the forward right is the Searay I mentioned as having some difficulty
in the lock.  Note how far we stay behind him

Locking can be a spectator event.  These people came to watch us and other boats
conduct locking operations

Each lock normally has a dam associated with it.  This one had quite
a bit of overflow water.  The lock doors are on the left.

Typical information placard at each lock

The Boyz seem to be getting into a routine

A small working tug belonging to the Erie Canal maintenance organization

May 31st to June 1st - Catskill NY to Waterford NY

We left Catskill heading north toward Waterford, which is the beginning of the Eire Canal.  During today's trip we went through Albany and Troy NY.  Along the way, a good sized tanker started overtaking us on a narrow part of the river.  We decided that discretion was the better part of valor and pulled off to the side and allowed him to pass us.  We later caught up when he was manuevering with tugs alongside to dock.

Today was also the first of many locks we will traverse during the next few months.  We actually stayed in Waterford for a couple of days to replenish some food and to host Connie and Betty Lange, friends from Florida who live in the Troy area,  for dinner onboard GREAT ESCAPE.
 
Waterford is the beginning of the Erie Canal, which was originally completed in 1825, connecting Lake Erie with the Hudson River.  The present day version of the canal was completed in 1903 and has 34 locks which raise a boat 565 feet above sea level between Troy, NY and Buffalo, NY. (We can't go through the western section of the canal as it has a fixed bridge with a clearance of only 15 1/2 feet).  At Waterford, the first five locks, known as the "Waterford Flight" raise the boat 169 feet in less than two miles.  There is also an old section of the "original" Erie Canal locks here.

One problem with boating is that it is often difficult to take pictures of  your boat "in action," so I have included some photos of SONATA locking through the first lock at Waterford.

Another lighthouse on the river

This is the ship that was rapidly running us down

One sees all kinds of vessels on the Hudson River

The "monster" passing us

We pass the "monster" as she has tugs alongside and
is getting ready to dock

The entrance to the Federal Lock, Lock #1 at Troy, NY

GREAT ESCAPE entering Lock #1

This is water cascading down what were the original Erie Canal
Locks at Waterford

SONATA, on the left, entering Lock #2, the first lock at Waterford

Halfway up

At full elevation



SONATA heading toward the next lock

Connie & Betty Lange
 (We forgot to take a picture at dinner, so this is one from a previous get together)



May 30th - Pollepel Island to Catskill NY

Continuing up to Catskill, NY, we were pleasantly surprised to find SONATA at the marina when we arrived.  They had planned to head north a day ealier, but enjoyed the town so much they stayed an extra day.  After dinner on SONATA, we headed downtown for some ice cream.  The had the largest cones one could ever imagine, but we sacrificed and fininshed them off.  The city of Catskill decorates many of their parking meters in the form of cats.  There are many to look at and a few have been included below.

We finally got Bonnie & Charlie Burke to sit long enough for a photo

Donald with "John Travoltacat"

This is "Catty Shack".  Note the gopher

Another example of the cat art in Catskill

Believe it our not, this was a "medium" cone
and Charlie was the man to finish it

GREAT ESCAPE alongside the dock at Catskill Marina

Catskill Marina office

Looking down the channel leaving Catskill

May 29th - Haverstraw Bay to Pollepel Is.

A short trip today continuing up the Hudson, passing West Point and a popular summer area at Bear Mountain.  We anchored along a small, deserted island know as Pollepel Island, or named after the man who built a castle on it, Bannerman Island.  Mr. Bannerman was a munitions dealer during WWI who built this secluded little castle between 1900 and 1918 as a summer resort and storehouse.  The state of NY obtained the property in 1967 and unfortunatley, the castle burned in 1969.  It is now in disrepair, but a neat place to anchor.  This was also Donald's birthday, so he got to open some gifts from family and friends.

Tanker heading south on the Hudson toward NYC

West Point

The Hudson winds through the Adirondack Mtns.

Bannerman Castle on Pollepel Island

Some of Donald's birthday loot

Low hanging clouds in the hills made it appear as they were snow covered

An abandoned lighthouse

May 28th - New York City north on the Hudson River

Today's journey is through NYC harbor, past Manhatten and the start of the trip up the Hudson River to the Erie Canal.  Today we'll go about 40 miles to a nice anchorage, Haverstraw Bay.  The Boyz will get a chance to swim.  We said farewell to BLUE MAX IV and SONATA this morning as we will all be traveling on different schedules. We will meet up with SONATA somewhere in the future.

Ellis Island where more than 12 million immigrants entered this great country

Lower Manhatten with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background

The Jersey City, NJ skyline

Manhatten skyline

Empire State Building with the Chrysler Building in the background

George Washington Bridge

Sing-Sing prison which was just south of our anchorage

May 27th - Brielle NJ to New York City

This section of the trip requires we travel on the ocean from Manasquan Inlet to NY Harbor, around Sandy Hook, NJ.  The winds have been pretty strong the last week and the ocean has been in a roil. The winds are suppose to drop after midnight, so SONATA chose to get underway at 3 AM.  They had calm winds and no fog, but obvious night conditions.  GREAT ESCAPE and BLUE MAX IV left around 7:30 AM.  The winds were still calm and seas were slight, but there was patchy fog and we really got socked in at Sandy Hook until we entered NY Harbor at the Verrazano-Narrows bridge.  After that it was smooth operations all the way to anchorage behind the Statue of Liberty.

Verranzano-Narrows Bridge coming out of the fog

I can see clearly now !

A "lift" ship anchored in NY Harbor 

The world famous Statan Island ferry

Lady Liberty