EverGreen

Here is a map to give you an idea of the first days.. Paul went from Albany to Schenectady with Jim....then for Schenectady to Amsterdam with Geff where he picked up Helen, and on day 3 they went from Amsterdam to Ilion...map II.

And today, we will cross Lake Oneida....which as it happens, we are doing as I write this.

Today our goal is to cross Lake Onieda, which is about halfway across the distance of the canal. It is 11:00 am., and we have completed Lock # 19.

Today's pictures include two shots of the tallest lock on the canal....# 17, which we completed yesterday.  It has a 40.5 foot change in canal elevation from one side to the other....the lock does not have gates, but rather we had to sail under a concrete wall, that was lowered after we went into the lock.  Threre would be too much water pressure to be able to use a gate with that much water to hold back.  After they started letting the water in...(in every case, we come into a lock on the low side, they have to raise us up and then let us out into high water...)  the water turbulence was mighty....it kept pushing the boat against the wall of the lock, and all three of us were very busy keeping the boat off the wall as much as we could.

So here is the view as we prepared to go under the concrete wall...to give you perspectice on the size...our boat right now is just over 16 feet from the water line to the top of the bridge....and we sailed under the concrete wall with ease....

Here we are at the top of the lock, looking back, you can see the treetops of the trees below the lock

We saw some families doing some rapelling on the granite walls that showed the signs of blasting from the original days of canal construction..

We have seen only a handful of boats traveling.....going in our direction we know of two boats, and coming toward us, we have encounted maybe one-half a dozen boats over the three days.....could it be the gas? Take care....Helen

We are underway and have gone through

two locks already.....the first day....Jim and Paul went through 7 locks (there used to be 27 locks on that part of the original canal...now there are only 7 biggggggggggg ones...meaning that you still have the same drop in the river height....and so therefore the locks are very deep...so as they left Albany, they experienced a rise in the Canal of 237 feet to get to Schenectady.)

Jeff Geltz and Paul left Schenctady on Sunday and traveled through 3 locks (a total rise of 56 feet) and pulled up to a park in Amsterdam for an overnight.  Helen arrived at Albany airport at 11:05 pm and when she told her taxi driver she didn't have an address....he was a bit perplexed....she told him our destination was a purple bench on Route 30, located on the right side of the road just after you go over the canal bridge.  Well, this took a while to digest..."No address...no street?"  he said.  "No", I said....."You don't have a street?" he repeated. "No, just the purple bench on Route 30....do you know how to  get to Route 30?"  "Yes," he said....so he put on his Lebonese music and the GPS and off we went into the night.  For you Harry Potter fans...it had a familiar feel...

So it is Monday morning and we have fair weather and a little wind, which makes canal lock passageway a little tricky....you sail into the lock, they close the gates and you grab on the algae covered lines and try to keep the boat steady and off the wall of the lock wall so you don't scrape up your fenders or the sides of your boat.....and the water comes in....and the wind blows.... and with a little work with the engine, the bow thrusters and rope handling you finally reach the level of the water on the other side of the lock, the gates open and you are on your way.  

Here is one of the locks today....

Here according to Jeff is his wife, Elizabeth's final retirement home on the canal

and a little news from home.....Janeen dropped by one morning in her Southwest Co-pilot uniform...so proud mom snapped a picture...

We are coming up to lock 5 for today....so I am up to take the helm...Captain Bob....I am getting lots of "crabbing" practice today....

May 20^th 

After staying an extra night in Tarrytown, NY to catch up on our sleep, we headed north on the Hudson River.  The interesting thing about the Hudson is that it has tides all the way from New York City to Troy, 160 nautical miles north of NYC.  As a result, there are two high tides and two low tides each day, which results in the current changing direction four times a day.  When headed up the river, it is prudent to leave at low tide and plan to travel for approximately 6 hours while the tidal current is going north.  Thus, we only planned to travel on the river for six hours each day. After leaving Tarrytown, the river took on a character of it’s own, with tall granite hills on each side of the river, and a feeling of being in the wilderness.  One can almost imagine being an explorer 300 years ago, and seeing this wilderness for the first time (pic 1).   

 The military academy at West Point (pic 2) was one of the few reminders that civilization had arrived.  It was built around a fort which had been built on the river, and many of the new buildings take on the architectural lines of the original fort. We spent the night at a marina in Marlboro, NY, which was about as picturesque as the logs and driftwood we had been dodging all day in the river. 

May 21 

We had another pretty day on the river as we approached the Catskill Mountains.  For the night, we stopped at the Catskill Marina in Catskill, NY.  The marina was about .75 miles up a narrow, windy creek off the Hudson.  I think this marina had more charm than any marina we have been in on the entire trip.  It was also a short walk into town, where we ate dinner at La Conca D’Oro, an Italian restaurant with the best value for meals we have had on the entire trip. 

May 22^nd & 23^rd 

We arrived at the Albany Yacht Club, and plan to spend two nights here while we get the boat ready to transit the Erie Canal. 

The first night here, we walked three miles out, and three miles back to get groceries.  On the morning of the 23^rd, Peter,the young man who works in the marina office, stopped at Home Depot on his way to work, and got us some lumber which we will use to build a tripod to help lower the mast,  The mast is too tall to go under some of the bridges.

May 25^th 

Sorry, there were no pictures today.  Jim and Paul left The Albany Yacht Club at 6:45 AM, and passed through the Troy Lock on the Hudson River about a half hour later.  Shortly thereafter they entered the Erie Canal for the trip west to Lake Erie.  They had six locks to transit on the Erie Canal today, and they are the six tallest on the entire canal; a total rise of approximately 200 feet.  It is not easy holding a 50,000 pound boat off the lock wall in swirling water as the lock fills.  Both guys were very sore and tired by the time they reached Schenectady.  EverGreen will lay over at the Schenectady Yacht Club for a week.  Jim is leaving on Tuesday, and Jeff Geltz will be arriving on May 31^st to help with the Transit through the canal.  Paul is anxious for Helen to rejoin them on June 1^st, at Amsterdam, NY.  The SYC is a $20 cab ride from the nearest grocery store, and Reo’s fresh greens have just about run out, so she is enjoying fresh dandelion leaves which grow abundantly on the YC grounds.

Here is the picture of the river above Terrytown....which, by the way, is the area which is home to Sleepy Hollow fame....Washington Irving lived and wrote in these hills...

And this was our view as we passed West Point....

May 14^th 

After waiting several days for good weather, EverGreen left Annapolis at 6:40 AM to head north to the C& D Canal which connects the north end of the Chesapeake Bay to Deleware Bay.  Favorable tidal currents made for a quick trip, and EverGreen arrived at Chesapeake City on the C & D Canal at 2:30 PM.   

May 15^th 

Today we wanted to travel 54 miles down Deleware Bay to the southern tip of New Jersey, so in order to have favorable tidal currents to make a speedy trip across what can be a very treacherous body of water, we left Chesapeake City at 5:40 AM, as soon as it was light enough to see.  We were lucky, and had very calm waters on Deleware Bay, so the crossing was very comfortable.  We spent the night in Cape May, NJ, where we planned to stay until we had good weather to travel in the Atlantic Ocean up the coast of New Jersey.  Regretfully, the next day was rainy, with very poor visibility, so we opted to stay in Cape May an extra day. 

May 17^th

 Strong west wind greeted us on Saturday morning, but the threat of rain seemed to be minimal, so we headed up the Jersey coast towards New York City.  With about 145 miles to reach NYC, we knew we wouldn’t make it before dark, so we decided to drop an anchor in the bay behind Sandy Hook, NJ (about 8 miles south of the entrance to New York Harbor).  During the trip up the Jersey coast we had 20 – 30 knot winds blowing from the west, so by staying within 2 miles of shore, we were able to keep the waves to 3 – 5 feet.  We arrived at Sandy Hook in rain about 11:30 PM and were approaching a shallow anchorage area in the middle of the bay, when a Coast Guard boat approached us from behind, and requested that we slow down so that they could board us for an inspection.  Three men in their mid-20’s boarded and went over the entire boat and ship’s documents.  After half an hour, they gave us a clean inspection report and then they were gone, as quickly as they had arrived.  The young men were very polite and professional………a credit to the Coast Guard and our country.  We didn’t get anchored until 1:00 AM, and wanting to enter NY Harbor at first light, didn’t give us much time to rest. 

May 18^th 

The entrance to NY Harbor is under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the lights of which we could see from where we were anchored at Sandy Point.  At 4 AM, there were a lot of large ships entering and leaving NY Harbor, and not wanting to get in their way, we delayed hauling anchor until 5:00 AM.  We were still able to arrive at NY Harbor at first light as we had planned.  Note the Narrows Bridge in the early morning haze (pic 1).  As we came into the harbor, Manhatten appeared in the early morning light off to our right (pic 2).  We felt lucky to be arriving early on a Sunday, as we only had to share the harbor with a couple of barges, one Statten Island ferry, and a cruise ship.  Our timing went just as we had planned, and we cruised by Lady Liberty (pic 3) as the rising sun hit her full on.  Like so many immigrants, who passed her this same way, we felt lucky to be here; and the euphoria made us forget how tired we were. 

We headed up the Hudson River where we plan to meet the Erie canal in less than two weeks.  Sunday night we stayed in a small marina in Tarrytown, NY, just north of the Tappan Zee Bridge, the longest bridge over the Hudson River.  The Hudson River is magnificent to view from the water, with high cliffs on both sides of the river. 

VERAZANO BRIDGE AT DAWN....AND THEN, FROM THE PILOT HOUSE, A PICTURE OF THE CITY....

AND THEN, OUR LADY LIBERTY AS DAWN BROKE UPON HER....

GOD BLESS EVERYONE.....HELEN

After sitting in Annapolis for two days because of weather, Paul and Jim are off to Chesapeake City.

Remember last post when I said seas were calm and we were off to St. Michaels?  Well the wind changed and the seas went to 5 feet and rolling and until we found the land shelter in the channel to St. Michaels, I got pretty "green"....and spent most of the time drinking ginger ale...

St. Michaels is a very pretty town....the Marina was terrific.  Friday night Lynda and I tried our hand at the wooden mallets and crab picks on a few blue crabs...then Paul continued his quest for the perfect crab cake....Saturday morning we shopped and visited the Maritime Museum....makes you appreciate the conveniences we have today....

The trip to Annapolis was smooth on Saturday....we had drinks at sundown as we watched boats cruise "Ego Alley"...which is a narrow strip of water that used to be  part of the main harbor in Annapolis...boats can tie up to the pier on either side and their crew can come ashore for waterside dining, or the boats can just cruise up and back, saying "See how cool we are?".... this was followed by some light shopping on Main street and the best dinner so far on our trip....the calories were off the scale....

Sunday we took a trolley tour of Annapolis and then Lynda, David and I took a ride to Baltimore Airport for our planes home....

We are back on the water this morning.,...and it is another gray day.....lots of rain last night.....a big storm came through, with threats of tornados, but we only had one big flash of lightening and one long crack of thunder......then back to gentle rain.

David and Lynda arrived safely.....and we are off for St. Michael's for dinner....seas are very calm....marine forcasts had predicted 3 foot waves, but it is just flat....which is fine with all on board....Hug and smile a lot today.....Helen

We arrived at the Solomons last evening.....Ariel followed us in....the harbor is beautiful.... 

As we left Deltaville, Ariel missed a marker and ran softly aground....but was off the mud quickly and we were on our way...as I said, yesterday started out foggy, but cleared with a great sunset and the farewell dinner....Ariel left for home this morning and we will stay  in port for two more days....Kieth will leave us tomorrow, and the Zacher's will join us late in the evening....

 So it was a great catch up day....the boys shined up all the stainless steel and I went for groceries in a old but reliable loaner Mercedes diesal engined car with over 200,000 miles on it....many marinas have loaner cars to help out visiting sailors....Deltaville didn't have a loaner car, but the grocer, the drug store and most of the restaurants in town will come and get you and bring you back to your boat...

The girl who picked us up to take us to Taylor's restaurant brought in a bag of groceries for one of the diners....she shopped for him while he ate....now there is a town who takesw personalo swervice to a higher level....

 Anyway...we all ended up napping this afternoon....and it will be movie night tonight....Love...Helen

Why "Gray"?  The fog was gray, the water was gray, and after the fog lifted the shoreline was gray....and it still is gray at 2 pm in the afternoon.

We are headed for Solomans Island today.  Paul's neice and her roommate will meet us for dinner and an overnight and they will take Keith Baldwin back with them to Washington Airport tomorrow morning.  Helen and Paul will stay in the Solomans until Wednesday night when they will be joined by Lynda and David Zacher. 

The plan is to then cross the Chesapeake, it isn't very wide at that point, and visit the eastern shore town of St. Michaels.  We will then cross back and land somewhere near Annapolis to explore there for a day.  On Sunday, Helen and the Zacher's will leave and Paul will be joined by Jim, who will sail with him up to the start point of the Erie Canal.

but.......back to our travels yesterday.

Norfolk is a very busy place...both for shipping and for the Navy!  We woke to the sounds of early morning cadence calls as drill instructors worked out the sailors on a track just across our channel....

 

As we are about to enter the James River....a small aircraft carrier is suddenly on our stern....we gave him lots of room...

Then in the same river channel...a freighter comes in from the other direction....and her name is EVERGREEN....she is loaded with lots of EVERGREEN containers and appears to be nose to nose with the aircraft carrier in this shot....(they really had lots of room)....

and for those of you wondering how the condo is coming....the hole in the ground you saw last December now looks like this....

We are on the 12th floor....not up yet!

Take care....smile a lot and love each other....Helen 

Last evening happy hour took place on EverGreen....we had 13 in the salon...and the girls decided that we wanted to shop in Fernadina so we set the departure time for this morning at 7:30 AM....We have been rolling into port about 4 or so each day and thought we should get in a little earlier.....so the boys cooperated and we were all away by 7:15....

 We did not get into St. Augustine, but several things made it special....as we passed the old fort on the waterfront, they shot off the cannons and we are sure it was just for us.....

Then after dinner, fireworks started going off near what appeared to be the downtown waterfront, and we all went up to the bow for a wonderful view.....and again we decided it was just for us.....isn't St. Augustine wonderful?

The marina was very nice and there were many boats that just made our Krogens look small....

So a few pics for the day.....first is the eagle that was just sitting on a small rise on the edge of the marshes...

Next is a picture of those at the party....left to right....Lee and Barb Fosset, Barbara Boykin, Helen, Pat Edmonds and Al and Susan"s daughter and son in law, who came down to meet them for dinner.  As you can see, the food is almost gone...

In the next picture, you see Al and Susan and their grandaughter.  On the right is Pat's husband Ted.

This last picture was taken as we went under an 80 foot high bridge...there were two girls sitting on the piling platform at the water line with no connection to the land...how'd they get there....they had a great close up view of all the boat traffic....hope their ride home shows up.

I get up at 3:3O AM tomorrow to make a 6 am flight out of Jacksonville to go back to Boise....so sad......