Dalliance's Journey: Hudson River Rock and Roll

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<><><><><><><><><>MORE PIRATES!!

Rondout Creek Anchorage

Wow! It's been a very busy last two weeks. Belize was a whirlwind of activity and we got a great deal accomplished. Despite being slammed by tropical storm Karl we were able to open a bank account, meet with our contractor to review progress, purchase floor tile and bathroom fixtures and finalize the scope of the remaining work on our Casa. We also submitted our application for residency and we're relieved the government found no problem with the paperwork. If you knew Belize you'd understand this is very unusual. We returned to Dalliance at 3am on Saturday 9/18. Kris told everyone she talked to how we took a taxi to Poughkeepsie, a train to Grand Central, a bus to JFK, a plane to Belize and a car rental to Corozal. Of course we reversed this travel combination to return home. Pretty hectic but we had fun! We had packages mailed to the Roundout Boat Basin while we were in Belize. The packages contained much needed equipment for the Boat. After a few hours sleep Saturday morning we opened the packages to complete the installation of a laptop mount on our navigation station and a DC battery charger for the laptop. This last piece of equipment has created a big problem for us and is the main reason our "blog" postings have been delayed. We are unable to charge our laptop from the Boat batteries which means we can only use our laptop sparingly while underway. Most important is checking our electronic charts followed by important email communications. We've been posting to our "blog" when we get into port and are able to hook up to AC power.

The title of this blog is descriptive of the conditions we met on the Hudson River. We left Kingston on the high tide Sunday morning and made a run for Haverstraw Bay approximately 50 miles down river. This turned out to be the best run of the entire trip down river. We caught the tides just right and had a light tail wind getting to an anchorage called Dunderburg Mountain just north of Haverstraw Bay. The light tail wind and smooth current were the exception and the next day we found ourselves fighting 4-5' swells and winds gusting from the north at 35 miles per hour. I can tell you this made the passage under the Tappan Zee Bridge very interesting! On a high note we had our best sailing on the river going across Haverstraw Bay with the winds at our back. All in all we found the Hudson a challenge and we're happy it's behind us. Within 50 miles of New York City good anchorages are hard to find. Special anchorages are located along the east and west shores giving some protection from winds depending on direction. You won't find any that give you protection from all directions. Also these anchorages are exposed to boat wakes which can be very rough from commercial boat traffic. The epitome of our Hudson River Rock and Roll was the 79th street boat basin in Manhatten. Kris slept well that night by placing small pillows all around her serving as wedges to keep her from falling out of bed. Waking up in New York City on our boat was a great feeling. Even greater was the sense of excitement going through NY harbor past Ellis Island and the Statue Of Liberty. We did the crossing this morning and I have to tell you it was one of the highlights of my life. My family and a few close friends know that as a small child growing up in Clayville NY on the banks of the mighty Sauquoit Creek I'd spend hours throwing sticks in the water imagining them floating into the Mohawk River to the Hudson River out NY harbor to the sea. I told Kris this morning passing under the Verrazano Narrows bridge" I was the stick". What a rush!

We're now in Atlantic Highlands New Jersey on Sandy Hook Bay. We're taking on provisions, completing maintenance checks, doing a post to the blog and sending out mail through the US Postal Service. Taking advice from my good friend Sam now that NYC is behind us we've found a little Italian restaurant where we'll dine tonight and enjoy a bottle of red wine. You've got to take time to stop and smell the roses. Tomorrow we plan to leave early and weather permitting sail down the Jersey coast to Cape May. This will take approximately 22-24 hrs. We've posted up a number of pictures heading down the Hudson and NYC. The pictures of West Point are for brother-in-law Mikey. Enjoy and stay tuned for more adventures from Dalliance's Journey.