ERIE CANAL - WE'RE GOIN' IN

Saturday, June 13

We left Poughkeepsie late morning, waiting for the wind to die down - it was blowing 10-15 knots from the north and causing 2-3 foot waves in the river. The flood tide was coming in, and when the wind and the currents are in opposite directions,waves are often the result. The forecast was for decreasing wind, so we left the marina, expecting a bouncy ride for a while, then smoothing out. We stopped for fuel just above Hyde Park at a very exposed dock which moved around a lot as we were fueling. Another hour or so, we decided enough was enough and ducked into Kingston Creek, looking for some relief from the chop. We went upstream a couple of miles where the water was very quiet, anchored and relaxed over lunch for an hour or so. It looked like the wind had died down a bit, and the tide had changed, so we went back out into the Hudson and conditions were very pleasant.

Sunset from the bridge

We anchored for the night in Esopus Creek. What a fantastic anchorage! It was very protected, no wind, no current and a cute little village. The anchorage area was small - we were the second boat to anchor there, and there was not much more room. We explored the creek a bit in the dinghy, then went ashore to explore the village of Saugertie. We ran into a nice tavern with a deck overlooking a very picturesque dam and cliffs, so stopped for a beer.

Lighthouse at Esopus Creek

Back on the boat, it was barbecued chicken for dinner, then a relaxing evening on the bridge watching the sun go down. The weather was perfect, no wind, not too warm, not too cool and no bugs!

Sunday, June 14

After a relaxed morning routine of coffee and reading the Sunday newspaper online, we weighed anchor and found a smooth, calm Hudson River with just a bit of wind from the south. We rode the flood tide for a few hours then slowed a bit as the tide turned. It was a relaxing day, listening to music on the flybridge and viewing beautiful scenery as we cruised up river.

Hudson River Valley

Troy Lock overflow

We were so relaxed, we kind of forgot we were coming up on a lock just above Troy. We had to wait several minutes for another boat to lock downstream, so had time to get fenders and lines ready for locking through. Shortly after that lock, we entered the Erie Canal Inlet at the little town of Waterford. The town is very supportive of boaters and provides a very nice free dock with a nominal charge for electricity. We filled out the appropriate paperwork and walked up to the first lock to purchase our canal permit, a $75 charge to use any and all New York locks for a year - one of the few bargains left these days. We then walked through Waterford and helped out the local economy a bit by having a couple of cold ones at the local Irish pub. Tomorrow morning we’ll start the journey through the Erie canal with five locks in a row. We’re going in…