A Day in Kingston, NY

September 6, 2012 Thursday

Kingston, NY is a historically rich city.  "Uptown" is the Stockade District with it's historic stone houses from the Dutch settlement that was founded in 1658.  These stone houses, made from limestone and material hauled from the fields, are unique to Kingston and the surrounding area and are NOT found anywhere else in North America.  The most famous of these stone houses is what is called the "Senate House".  The home was owned by a merchant, Abraham van Gaasbeck.  To make extra money he opened his house to the state's Senate as a meeting place.  The government of New York state was born within it's walls in 1777.  Kingston became the first state capital and hosted the Senate, Assembly and Constitional Convention.  The British attacked the rebellious town of Kingston and burned most of the city.  The stone houses survived all but their wood components and were easily and quickly rebuilt.  We had lunch at the "Hoffman House", built prior to 1679, now restored as a restaurant.   "Stockade District" refers to the 1200 feet by 1300 foot wall that was built in 3 weeks by the settlers, from tree trunks pounded into the ground, inteded to protect them from the Esopus Indians.  It was not very effective.
Uptown Kingston also houses the historic "Old Dutch Church".  This church was founded in 1659!  The present structure was built in 1852.  The church cemetery was most interesting with gravestones dating back at least 1712 or earlier that were readable.
"Downtown" is the waterfront on Rondout Creek.  "Chasseur"was docked at the Maritime Museum on the Creek.  The museum hosts a lecture series.  We attended one of the "Follow the River" lecture series, titled "Who'll Weep for Me:  The Rise and Fall of the Poorhouse System in New York, a discussion of the evolution of the social welfare system.  A great intentioned program with some very sad history.  We have a better understanding of the concept of "poorhouse".  Poorhouse residents were buried where what is now the fair grounds.  No markers for the poor, just mounds throughout the fair grounds.  We did not leave the lecture uplifted, but better informed.

Abraham Van Gaasbeek's home, 1676, AKA "Senate House"

Senate House, front entrance (tour guide in apron)

Anachronistic photo (Look it up), Terry thought this was funny

How the Dutch brought light into the home, glass from wine jugs in the door.  this helped beat the taxes on home owners for  the number of windows that one would have .

Inside the Senate House, Room where the senate would meet

Stone house ruins from the British burning

Anthony Hoffman House, 1679,  restaurant inside where we had lunch

Terry trying to clear head in doorway of the Hoffman house

Old Dutch Church

Old Dutch Church

Old Dutch Church Cemetery, these gravestones dated 1712 and 1713

Down the River to Kingston, NY

September 4 - 5, 2012  Tuesday - Wednesday

It took a several days in Catskill Creek to get "Chasseur" back to her "sailboat" form.  The weather cooperated long enough to finish the work . The remnants of Hurricane Isaac were upon us. The weather report had up to 3 inches of rain coming to the area. We were sitting in the Catskill Creek, which receives three quarters of  the runoff from the Catskill Mountains.  If it rains heavy in the mountains we could get a bit of excitement here on the Creek.  Local knowledge says that the Creek can get a Maelstrom effect.  That is like being in a whirpool like current that can get up to 8 kts at 90 degrees against the keel.  If that were to occur we are told we should take our boat out of the marina and anchor in the Hudson River.  Just the beginning of dealing with hurricane season.   We are watching the new tropical storm brewing over Bermuda as well.   We were fortunate that the rain was minimal during the day, but we did get a hard rain during the night. Nothing unusual in Catskill Creek this time!
Wednesday morning the sky's were clearing and rain was long gone.  We decided to shove off for Kingston, NY.   The Catskill Mountains were a beautiful sight the whole way.  The River was really quiet, no traffic. We had the Hudson River entirely to ourselves!  It was a peaceful afternoon. Best of all, We Sailed the Hudson! We will be taking our time down the Hudson to sight see and enjoy the history.

"A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this life."  Joseph Addison

Scenes along the Hudson River to Kingston......

Catskill Mountains

More Catskills

And some more Catskills....

"Chasseur" enjoying her "clothes" again

Saugerties Lighthouse, Saugerties, NY

Clearing the Kingston Bridge.... "Whew!!"

Kingston Lighthouse

1890 Steam Tugboat "Milthida", on the hard next to "Chasseur's" dock space

Catskill, NY

September 1 - 3, 2012 Saturday- Monday

"Chassuer" is now in port for her "Reconstructive Surgery" after her "Mast-ectomy" 14 days ago.  We are at "Hop-O-Nose" Marina in Catskill, NY.  We had to wait our turn while "Cool Hand" was getting her mast back on.  The wait allowed us to meet the people in the marina, hop around town and learn more history.
We have really enjoyed the state of New York.  It is quite beautiful and the people are delightful and fun.  Everywhere we walk, when we get to a New York port there are historical markers.  It is interesting to see how the locals just take it all for granted, and in contrast we are so excited to experience the site of this and the site of that, clicking photos.  The town of Catskill is not short of historical markers.  Across the road from the marina is what once was the home of Samuel Wilson, AKA  "Uncle Sam",  the official symbol of the United States.  It is also the home where our 8th President, Martin Van Buren, was married in 1807.  The house was built in 1787.
The town of Catskill is the home of the fictional character Rip Van Wrinkle.  Walking through town we saw lots of townsmen that resemble Rip, with long hair and beard.  A carving of Rip is prominent in the middle of the road up Main Street .  The bridge that crosses the Hudson River here is the "Rip Van Winkle Bridge".
If you have ever been to Sturgeon Bay in Wisconsin you will see throughout the town artistic sculptures of  the Sturgeon fish on pedestals.  If you go to Ocala, Florida (the world's capital of horse farms), you will see beautifully painted horses scattered about the town.  Here in Catskill, yep, you've got it, there are "Cats", beautiful colors and style cats everywhere.
Sunday afternoon was a hot day and the marina pool was busy.  We took a break to cool off.  Sean Meagher, the owner of the marina and restaurant was grilling next to the pool.  He is the chef for the restaurant and not only does a great job re-stepping masts, but is also a great cook.  He was grilling fresh Little Neck Clams and steaks, accompanied by salad and Thai Linguine for the guests of the marina.  He invited us to partake.  This was one of the best meals we have had this whole trip.

Our neighbors at the Hop-O-Nose dock, Andy and Donna Marie, were party animals. They and most of the other boaters on the dock gather at the outside bar of the adjacent restaurant to the marina, drinking and heckling anyone that offers material for them. "Chasseur", being a sailboat without a mast, provided them lots of material.  Sunday night we were their victims.  They were harmlessly funny.  We decided that if you can't beat them, to join them.  With their persistent encouragement we went up to the bar. They were very intent upon getting us drunk buying us drinks. We both  had to keep our glasses full to avoid refills .  This is one happy marina!  

Hop-O-Nose Marina was badly damaged from Hurricane Irene last year.  Sean and friends have done an incredible job bringing the marina back to life.  All the docks had to be replaced, the water levels were so high that boats on the hard floated away, and even landed on top of cars in the parking lot.

Monday, Labor Day, "Chasseur" finally had her mast re-stepped.  Sean and Tim did a great job. Terry spent the rest of the day re-rigging and tuning the rig.

"If you want to get along, go along."  Sam Rayburn

"Uncle Sam" and President Van Buren's Marriage home

Catskill Cat

Another Cat

Rip Van Winkle

Sean grilling up clams and steak

Yummmmm!!

Our Heckling Friends

Moving "Chasseur's" mast to the well

Lining up the mast for "Chasseur's 

Sean and Terry putting her back together

Tim attaching standing rigging

Hudson River

August 31, 2012 Friday

Today was a landmark day. After 1248 nautical miles, through 4 Great Lakes, many canals, and 39 locks, we were finally moving SOUTH!!!  We were on the Hudson River!!  This was very exciting for us.  "Chasseur's" experiences with tidal waters began after the Federal Lock in Troy, NY.  We left Waterford at high tide, and arrived in Catskill, NY at high tide.  It was a 9 hour transit with a 45 minute stop in Albany for diesel and pumpout.  We made way nicely with the current and tide early in the day, picking up an extra 2 kts on the GPS , then had to deal with the incoming tide, losing 2 kts.  It was a beautiful day with plenty of beautiful sights. There is a lighthouse smack in the middle of the Hudson River , "Hudson Athens Lighthouse", an architectural gem built in 1874.  As we approached Catskill, NY the Catskill Mountain range came into view in the west, postcard picturesque.
Friday night was a "blue" full moon, which means it is the second full moon in a month.  It will not happen again until 2015.

"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort."  Franklin Roosevelt

Rowers on the Hudson 

USS Slater,only restored WWII Destroyer Escort afloat in America, Albany, NY

Sharing River with a Panama ship, the Titan

Hudson Athens Lighthouse, 1874, in the middle of the Hudson River

Catskill Mountains (background)

"Blue" Full Moon

Catskill Creek River Cruise

Waterford, NY

August 29 to August 30, 2012 Wednesday - Thursday

The finish line....the Erie Canal Completed!  We had to lock through what is called "The Flight of Five"  and final locks just before Waterford.  They come one right after the other (within a span of 2 miles) with a combined lift (or drop) of 169 feet.
We stopped for two days, in Waterford, NY (where the Erie Canal meets the Hudson River), to clean up our cabin of Canal "stuff", charts and grit, and a little rest and provisioning.   We hooked up with cruisers, Daniel Frigon and Nycole Dube from Montreal and Harry Baker and Linda MacDonald also from Canada.  Harry is very experienced in cruising the East Coast, and was willing to share his knowledge with us.  We met at Daniel and Nycole's boat with Harry giving us chart reviews, anchorages and marinas to look into along the Hudson River as well as the Jersey Shore.  It was very valuable information.  Suzanne took copious notes.  Harry made the Hudson and Jersey Shore seem so easy. Later we all walked up to town for dinner together.
We did a little provisioning at the local market.  The grocery store lets you take the shopping cart to the marina so you don't have to carry your groceries.  We walked the bridge over the Hudson River with our shopping cart.

"Accept the challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory."  

Gen. George S. Patton

One of the "Flight of Five" locks

Scenes along the Canal to Waterford

Hudson River Planning

Harry Baker and Linda MacDonald

Crossing the Hudson River for groceries

Amsterdam, NY to Schenectady, NY

August 28, 2012 Tuesday

Schenectady Yacht Club is a full service marina with a swimming pool, but that's not why we stopped there.  Terry likes the name and likes to say it so that's why we stopped in SKA-NEC-TA-DEE.  Glenn Bruyn is the dock master and he was great.  The yacht club has utilized the old Erie Canal as a boat lift.  We walked down to see it.  There was a 100 year old boat that was just pulled out of the water for a small repair.  The owner, Clarkston , 91 years old himself, was happy to pose for us next to his boat.  The boat was built in 1912 and used as an inspection boat on the Canal.  Clarkston is still navigating her with help through the Canal today.
As we come to the end of our Erie Canal journey we thought it was time to share some "Canal Facts" (complimentary of Skipper Bob publications).
The Erie Canal was a real engineering marvel in it's day.  Originally 363 miles long, it connected the Hudson River with Lake Erie and the other Great Lakes.  The canal opened the entire population in the center of this country to shipping to and from the rest of the world.   Construction began in 1817 and was completed in 1825.  The original Erie Canal was very different from the Erie Canal today.  It was designed as a ditch filled with water.  Mules and horses could walk beside the ditch on a towpath and pull the boats through.  The Canal was normally a ditch dug alongside the river.  When it came time to cross a river or creek, it was necessary to build an aqueduct across the river or creek to carry the canal water and the path for the horses and mules.  The original canal was only 4 feet deep.  Today the minimum depth is 12 feet from Troy, NY To Buffalo, NY.  The Canal rises and falls and rises from sea level at Troy to 565 feet above sea level at the Niagara River.  There are a total of 34 locks on the Erie Canal (Buffalo to Waterford).
We completed the eastern half of the Erie Canal. Our lock completion included, Welland Canal with 8 locks, the Oswego Canal with 7 locks and the Erie Canal with 23 locks.  These are all part of the New York State Canal System.  There is one lock in Troy, on the Hudson River that is a Federal lock.  Including the Federal Lock, we will have completed 39 locks!!!!  We started at 577 above sea level in Lake Michigan, and when we complete the Federal lock on Friday we will be at sea level in the tidal waters of the Hudson River.

"The great accomplishments of man have resulted from the transmission of ideas and enthusiasm."  Thomas J. Watson

Glenn Bruyn, Dock Master 

Old Erie Canal used as boat lift

Boat Lift

Clarkston , 91 y.o. and his 100 y.o. boat