Arkansas Traveler

In their inevitable flow to the ocean, the five Great Lakes all empty eastward, converging their waters and currents into the St. Lawrence River. At the top of the river, over 1,800 islands lie within the first 50 miles. Some of these are inhabited, but most are not.   Some belong to Ontario, Canada while the others are part of New York State. Some sport castles and others claim only a lighthouse.   Many islands are maintained as public parks.   Most hold secrets and a promise of adventure.

If you leave the main shipping channel, you enter a maze of fascination; beauty is around each bend. These are well-charted waters with many opportunities to anchor and explore. We only spent a few days cruising through the Thousand Islands. Not nearly enough time to fully experience the area, but certainly enough to gain a deep appreciation of the value of this gorgeous waterway.

The view from our anchorage in Bathtub Bay, Picton Island, Thousand Islands, NY.

These are all small islands dotted with coves of solitude to anchor in.

Many of the homes on the islands are built and landscaped in keeping with the terrain.

There are islands upon islands to explore.

Singer Castle

A lighthouse to lead the way

After a long hiatus that included a visit home to see grand children, we are back onboard and loving the Triangle Loop adventure. The triangle starts at Brewerton, NY and heads north to Oswego and Lake Ontario.  From there, head NE to the St. Lawrence River.   The journey continues through Montreal (with a long stop for some croissants) to Sorel, Quebec, and thence south through the historic Chambly Canal, Lake Champlain and Waterford, NY, at which point we turn west into the Erie Canal and back to Brewerton.

The Oswego Canal was built shortly after the Erie Canal to help with transporting goods and people from the popular Erie route north to Lake Ontario.   The towns along the way are great places to visit and the townspeople love to receive cruising visitors. As you head north from the Erie, eight locks lower boats from the inland heights to the level of Lake Ontario.

An old lock house at Phoenix, NY adorns the shore.

A Double-crested Cormorant lifts off from the surface of the canal

The town of Mineto happily receives cruisers.

Overnight docking with electricity is provided at no charge.

The lighthouse at the port of Oswego guides mariners into the channel as they approach from Lake Ontario.

Serious Lakers were encountered during the crossing of Lake Ontario.

Our view of the Lake. The weather was very kind to us with following seas, wind and current.

Most folks skip over Lake Oneida as they cruise the Erie Canal. It’s a 20-mile run over open water and few see it as a destination in its own right.   We had an extra week in Brewerton in late July and rather than spend it at the dock we wanted to spend it on the hook where we could also tend to some varnishing chores on the flybridge teak.

We spent 8 nights among three separate anchorages, choosing the spots on their merits of protection from the expected winds. For the first night, southerly winds were expected so we anchored in Maple Bay, located on the south shore, west of Lakeport.   It was a great night, but the tall grasses tangled in the rode and it took over 30 minutes to bring the anchor in.

For the next anchorage, we moved to the north side of the lake in Bernhard’s Bay, east of Clough Point for protection from the northerlies.   After two nights there, the wind shifted back to the south and we headed to South Bay for the last five nights of our sojourn in Lake Oneida.

Several times a boat cruised close-by to see if everything was okay with the Traveler.  He offered to take us to shore for provisions.  I suppose that we could have taken the dinghy and gone ashore especially in South Bay, but the weather was uncooperative and any time that it wasn’t raining we were on deck, varnish brushes in-hand. When it rained there was meal prep, eating, and books to read. We love the time at anchor and enjoy each other’s company, stories, and dreams.  We watch the birds, the water and the trees, rocks and shoreline features.   All is well.

Lake Oneida

Sunset on Maple Bay.

Long strands of water-grass collected on the anchor as Bob raised it.

Sunset on South Bay.

Sailboat race in our backyard!

The captain on deck.

An afternoon storm brews up. It is one of many.

Sailboats cruising by are an added attraction on the lake.

A common tern joins the neighborhood for a brief visit.

Ann holding the bow line to keep the Traveler safe during a lock passage.

I take a turn at the helm.

The famed Lock 17; one of two locks in the Americas where the lower lock gate raises above incoming/outgoing vessels. The other is in Canada. Yes, we actually passed under that concrete gate which then lowered behind us.

A train crosses over the bridge as we pass under it.

Tie-walls, just before or just after a lock, can be a great place to spend the night. It doesn’t have all the freedoms of an anchorage, but it is free, and often there’s an electric post available to plug into. And, being securely tied has its advantages; no need to worry about the anchor dragging, no oozy mud or seaweed balls to clear from the anchor (more about this in another post), and no need to worry about the anchor being stuck in a hidden rock crevice or irretrievably caught in a sunken tree.   But if you’re not worrying about those things, just what will you worry about?

In the end, we prefer anchoring.  We like the freedom.  We like the motion of the Traveler when she is tethered. We like finding protected coves to duck into when the weather warrants a safe harbor. We like the mathematics of anchoring. We like being securely grounded to the earth while yet afloat and free to swing with the wind. And the view of nature is spectacular from the hook. It’s camping on water with fewer mosquitos and for the most part, you stay dry.

On the planned last night of our journey with Carl and Ann, we tied to the wall at the top of Lock 21. The next morning we would be dropping through two locks toward Lake Oneida and then crossing the lake to Brewerton, NY. At 0800 we entered the lock and then motored on to Lock 22, the last lock on this part of the trip. At both locks we saw significant damage from the tornado that came through the area a few days before.

The weather forecast was for thunderstorms and westerly winds across the lake; we were heading west, into the wind and waves. Recent lightning strikes affecting boats had us wary of storms on these waters and as we crossed the lake, we decided to find a safe anchorage to ride out the storm.   We threaded the shoals and entered Fisher’s Bay on the south shore of Lake Oneida. There, at 1100, we anchored in 12 feet of water with plenty of room to swing.

Another storm was behind the first one so we decided to stay the night in Fisher’s Bay. The bulk of the storms eventually tracked to the north of us but we were being prudent. While surviving storms and winds and waves at sea makes for a great story and a fantastic blog post, in the end, you risk boat damage and a seasick crew. We wanted none of that.

As a reward for the conservative choices, we received a gracious sunrise and a calm lake to finish the crossing.  And we got to play an extra day on the water!

Sunrise after the storms.

Bob navigates.

Carl is on the lookout for buoys.

Frenchman and Dunham Islands on a calm Lake Oneida.

Leaving the lake in our wake.

At Winter Harbor Marina in Brewerton, NY

The Arkansas Traveler and her crew were ready for the first upstream opening of  Lock 11 the morning of July 11.  The crew was well tuned and we slipped through the lock effortlessly and continued west.

Just after the Lock 12, Schorharie Creek enters the Mohawk River from the south.  We entered the mouth of the creek and we dropped the anchor outside of the river channel.  We took the dinghy to explore one of the original aqueducts of the Erie Canal.  We then went ashore at a boat ramp on the south side of the creek and hiked to a museum.

Ruins of the aqueduct on Schoharie Creek. Note how it once bridged the creek.

This is a cross-section of the aqueduct. It was lined with wood and filled with water to provide passage for the barges when they came to the creek.

Just behind the upper walls of what was an original canal lock, is a portion of the 1825 Erie Canal. You can see that at four-feet deep, it was not much more than a ditch. This little ditch changed forever the economy and the history of of our country.

At 1300 we raised anchor and continued west to Canajoharie, NY.  At 1530 we tied up at the town wall.  We had traveled through three locks and a total of 24 miles.

We stopped early to leave time to view another piece of history – the exhibition of Winslow Homer’s visions of coastal and nautical themes on display at the Arkell Art Museum in Canajoharie.   The work of the day had been light but we were left with much to think about.

Looking south down the Hudson River from Waterford. The Erie Canal is flowing into the Hudson at the confluence.

The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, was 363 miles long.  It was four feet deep and the barges utilized 83 locks to get from Albany to Buffalo.  The present day Erie Canal covers 341 miles, is 12 feet deep and contains 34 locks to raise/lower vessels as they travel.  The original canal was a crudely dug ditch across the terrain while today’s waterway utilizes the Mohawk, Oneida, Seneca, and Niagara Rivers as well as portions of the original canal.  The canal portions are closed and drained during the winter months.  A series of locks and guard gates facilitate this.

The locks serve to raise (westbound) vessels the difference in elevation of 565 feet between Albany and Buffalo.  We tie to the lock wall either by a midship line wrapped around a vertical pipe or cable that is in a notch in the wall, or by hooking and holding on to one or two of the many lines that hang from the top of the wall.  We utilized the pipe or cable whenever one was available as it held the boat in a steadier position.  Strategically placed fenders and boat hooks helped keep the hull and rails off of the walls.

Towpaths were adjacent to the canal along its entire length.  Mules or horses, led by a hoggee (mule driver) walked the towpaths, pulling the barges through the canal.  Today the towpaths make great walking and cycling trails along the waterway.

Stone aqueducts were built to provide a bridge to carry the canal and towpaths across existing creeks.  They were lined with wood and filled with enough water to float the barges.  Remnants of these aqueducts exist today.

A rousing chorus of Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal, written in 1905 by Thomas Allen, best accompanies a cruise along the canal. The deck crew aboard the Arkansas Traveler gave a sporting rendition, as we headed west. To get a sense of the celebration, listen to Bruce Springsteen’s version of the song –  http://www.eriecanalsong.com

Approaching a lock #3…”Low bridge, everybody down” wasn’t just lyrics.  Carl and Ann had helped us lower the mast at Troy so we were ready for the shallow air draft.

The Erie Canal is maintained  primarily by the State of New York. We applaud their efforts and the beauty of the waterway.

We transited five locks during the first two miles of the canal and then another four locks over the next 36 miles.  The locks in this portion of the canal close at 1800 and you must be there in time to transit and exit the lock by closing time.  At 1740, after 38 miles and nine hours of travel, we anchored in the lee of Davey Island, just east of Amsterdam, NY.

The evening was peaceful and nature rewarded us in the morning with a glimpse of fox running across the rocks.

Ann tends the stern line that helps hold the Traveler steady in the lock. The line must be continually adjusted as water enters the lock to lift the boat to the higher level.

Approaching a guard gate…

And passing under it.

At our anchorage the wind was still and the water was calm.

You could argue that we cruise only to drop the hook amid amazing beauty.

The moon rose against the backdrop of twilight.

The moon hung as an anchor light over the Traveler throughout the night.

Missing friends and family is the major downside to long-distance cruising. Thus, when friends from home come to visit, life is truly sublime.

Ann and Carl on the Traveler’s bow.

Carl and Ann met us in Troy, NY with the intent of spending a week aboard the Arkansas Traveler to transit the Erie Canal with us. I’m not sure that they anticipated working on deck through 22 locks, but then neither have ever shied away from work and if that work involves the out-of-doors, then all the better.

After a morning car trip to the New York State Museum in Albany, we untied our lines from the Troy City Marina wall and motored up the Hudson River through the Federal Lock and the four miles to Waterford, NY.

Traveling north on the Hudson River. Note the construction and protective draping on the bridge.

This sign, one of the few on the waterways, marks the point where the Erie Canal joins the Hudson River. We turned to port.

Bollards and cleats line the walls at designated spots along the Canal. These are free tie-up opportunities for cruisers.

In Waterford we found a space along the wall and tied the Traveler securely in preparation for the impending storm.

There is no charge to tie up in Waterford, only a refundable $10.00 deposit for the key to the showers and heads. After signing in and viewing the exhibits at the Welcome Center, we took a short walk to preview Lock #2 and to get a peek at the Canal.

Interpretive exhibits can be found all along the Erie Canal. They detail the canal’s history and its economic impact on the growing nation.

Our first look at the Erie Canal. This is the westernmost point of the Canal, just after Lock #2.

The early evening storm struck with a vengeance, dropping buckets of rain and darkening the skies. We didn’t know it at the time, but a tornado from this storm hit two locks 120 miles west of us.  We were to witness that damage three days down the Canal.

As it so often happens after a storm, the winds calmed and the river water was still, but for its ever-present current pressing downstream.

The clouds begin to break up as the sun sets.

Colors change as the sun perches on the bridge to Peebles Island.

The sun has set, promising a calmer day tomorrow.

The replica of a medieval castle on tiny Pollepel Island, built between 1900 and 1918 by Frank Bannerman, served as his summer resort and as a munitions storehouse. New York State obtained the island in 1967 and conducted tours there until a fire in 1969 destroyed the castle.

The ruins continue to deteriorate.

Attempts are being made to shore up the main structure.

Cruising north, the nineteenth century lighthouses keep our focus on the historic significance of the river.

As we pass the Saugerties lighthouse, we reach the 3,000-mile mark of our journey. The raging Tombigbee River and icy handrails seem like a distant era though it was only six months ago. I am so happy that we are taking this trip and to date, I would not change a thing.

The Esopus Lighthouse, built in 1872, marks the shoals of Esopus Meadows.

The lighthouse at Saugerties was built in 1869 and is currently a very exclusive and romantic bed and breakfast.

This lighthouse marks the shoals at Middle Ground Flats on the Hudson River, the scene of a fiery wreck in 1845 that killed 50 of 300 passengers on the steamboat, Swallow.

In Hudson, NY, we docked at Hudson Power Boat Association’s marina and clubhouse. The welcome was warm and the club’s members treated us as their own.   We ate in town at an Italian restaurant of casual appearance with upscale food quality. I could not have been happier.

As we approached Hudson, Bob whistled up an osprey from its nest. He often gets them to answer his call, but this one flew straight to the flybridge in response.

Hudson has a gentrified downtown district where folks from the City come to play. There are weekend townhomes, a reported 70 antique stores, art galleries galore, and great restaurants. The train station and taxi stand are close to the docks and in the morning we took a cab to Olana.

Olana was the home of Frederic Church, the eminent Hudson River School painter (1826 – 1900). The 250-acre artist-designed homestead also served as Church’s studio. It is considered one of the most important artistic residences in the United States as it embraces architecture, art and landscape. There is a substantial collection of Church’s work on display in the home as well as that of other artists of the Hudson River School genre. The artist’s Persian-inspired house is set at the summit, overlooking panoramic views of the Hudson Valley. All windows and pathways were placed to highlight the magnificence of nature.

Olana from the Hudson River

A close-up view of exterior detail on Olana

Paul and Bob resting on a bench designed by Frederic Church.

It was a true gift to tour Olana with Paul. He was our private docent and he filled in any gaps left by the tour-guide at the estate. Thank you again, Paul.

Paul left Arkansas Traveler to return to New York City by train, and we spent one more day tied at Hudson, resting and waiting on the weather. It was a quick trip (15 miles) from there to Donovan’s Shady Grove Marina where we stopped for one night to service the propulsion engine and to do the laundry. Servicing our Cummins 220 diesel involves changing the oil and the oil filter, changing the fuel filter, replacing the raw water impeller and renewing the zinc sacrificial rod that is within the cooling system. Doing the laundry after all of that is a snap.

The Traveler and crew enjoy the Fourth of July weekend on the hook in Shodack Creek as eagles, cormorants, and herons fish all around us. They provide our daily entertainment and at night we watch distant fireworks from further down the Hudson River. Tonight will be our third night at anchor in this peaceful creek. Would that I could bottle the solace of time at anchor; the breeze, the sunlight sparkling on the water, the solitude, and the lovely motion of the Traveler moving with the wind and currents.

A Great Blue Heron grabbing a wriggling meal at the creek’s edge.

A juvenile Bald Eagle flys across the Traveler’s bow.

The sky bursts into flames at sunset; just part of the inspiration to paint Hudson River landscapes.

Just north of the Tappan Zee is the area of the river known as the Hudson River Highlands. This area, made famous in the 1800s by landscape artists of the Hudson River School of Art, frames a beautiful waterway.

A village at the foot of Dunderberg Mountain.

Trains run along the river’s edge both day and night.

Paul, a friend who lives in New York City, came aboard in Croton on Hudson to join us as we traveled north. Paul is an art dealer and specializes in 19^th Century American art. He is the perfect tour guide for cruising through the Highlands.

Dunderberg Mountain marks the southern end of the Highlands and is rumored by the Dutch to contain a goblin that conjures up summer storms upon passing sailors. We did see an odd flashing light coming from within the forest as passed. We stopped at Bear Mountain and anchored for lunch.

After lunch and a quick trip ashore in the dinghy to the state park, we continued north under the Bear Mountain Bridge. This suspension bridge, completed in 1924, was the world’s largest of its type at the time it was built.

A family of mute swans come up to the Traveler while she is at anchor.

Arkansas Traveler at anchor off Bear Mountain State Park.

Bear Mountain Bridge is the Hudson River crossing for the Appalachian Trail.

Beyond the bridge is West Point, the US Military Academy that opened in 1802. Here the river is at its deepest; our depth sounder read 174 feet.

In the late afternoon we anchored off Pollepel Island, the site of Bannerman’s Castle. The weather was forecast to be mild and the wind to be calm.   Alas, we were under the influence of the Dunderberg goblin and in the shadow of Storm King Mountain; the wind remained brisk, creating white caps on the river, and the night turned too cool for dinner on the flybridge.

A view of Storm King Mountain (a 1,355 ft. peak) from our anchorage.

The wind and the currents tugged and pulled at the Traveler throughout the night.  We got up often to check our position as the tide changed and we made a large circle around the anchor.  But the hook held like a champ!

The setting sun silhouettes Bannerman’s Castle.

After a long afternoon nap on Sunday and a full night’s sleep to catch up from the Atlantic passage, we weighed anchor and set a course rounding the Statue of Liberty and heading north up the Hudson River past the financial district and the Manhattan waterfront.

It is time to bid au revoir to this most impressive statue.

Manhattan from the harbor

The wind and waves were behind us, but the strong tidal and river currents were against us. We were held to 6 mph for the first two hours of our cruise upriver.

We encountered many things as we navigated through the world’s busiest harbor…

My favorite wind chime: a bell buoy,

A family of geese,

Sailors,

Speeding taxi drivers,

Cruise ships,

Bustling ferries,

The brave,

And the foolhardy.

Eventually we moved past the commercial areas and entered the more bucolic part of the Hudson River with trees growing to the shores.  We were looking forward to a few days of rest, boatkeeping, and enjoying some of the river’s many treasures, using a marina as our base.

Finally the tide went slack and then reversed to flow upriver.  Our speed increased to 7.5 mph.  When the upriver tide gained enough speed to overcome the river current flowing downstream, our speed began to pick up and we were cruising north at over 9 mph.  Our goal was to reach a marina in Croton on Hudson which is located on the east bank approximately 40 miles north of Manhattan.  At 1600 we reached the Tappan Zee and at 1730 we docked at Half Moon Bay Marina.

Half Moon was the name of the ship that Henry Hudson sailed as he explored the river. Half Moon Bay is named after her.