Fogged in at NYC!

Jersey City, actually, just across the river from Manhattan. We arrived here yesterday, fully expecting to leave this morning, to catch the slack tide to pass through Hell Gate and into Long Island Sound. But we awoke this morning to heavy, dense fog (you could hardly see any buildings across the river) and a forecast for severe thunderstorms in Long Island Sound. So we opted for an extra day here, at Liberty Landing Marina, which has state of the art facilities. The air conditioned showers and transient lounge are most appreciated! The extra day gave us time to clean the boat and work on charting our route into Long Island Sound. It has been a busy week. We left Waterford Sunday AM, after a nice visit with Larry on Saturday evening. On to Catskill, where we once again had our mast stepped at Riverview Marine Services. The marina sustained heavy damage after Hurricane Irene hit last fall, but all has been repaired, with some nice improvements. The staff here is excellent, friendly and skilled. Two days here to rig, put on sails, and get the boat ready for the trip down the Hudson. It was difficult to keep working in the heat (low 90's) and humidity. We enjoyed the company here of Alex and Charlotte, a young couple from France, who traveled down the west coast of France, to the Canary Islands, crossed the Atlantic, traveled through the Caribbean, up the East Coast of the US, and are now on their way to Montreal. Wednesday AM, we started south, and decided to anchor by Bannerman's Castle, by Pollopel Island, just south of Newburgh. This was our first time in this anchorage, and aside from the frequent and loud train traffic, it was a good anchorage. A bit diffficult to get the dog ashore, however, and he only got one trip. About 4:00 AM, Jonah decided he really had to "go," and finally became a real "boat dog." Breezy and showers the next AM, with forecast for severe thunderstorms, so on to Haverstraw, only a 3 houur trip, where we would have good protection from the storm. As it turned out, the storm didn't happen until about 7:00 PM, but when it came, it was amazing! Winds in excess of 60 mph, heavy rain, black, black sky, and then several more hours of rain. On down the Hudson to the NYC area the next day. We wanted to get some good local knowledge about the infamous Hell Gate, so we opted for Liberty Landing Marina instead of anchoring behind the Statue of Liberty. It has been 4 years since we were here, and the improvements are exceptional! Tomorrow, on to Long Island Sound!

Trefoil travels again!

After two years at home, We are underway again! This time we are headed to Maine! We plan to join a group of 18 other boats, all Tartans of verying lengths, for the New England cruise. Our goal is to meet the first boat in Stonington, Connecticut on August 2. From there we will follow an itinerary set up by the TONE (Tartan Owners of the Northeast)board, with stops in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine. Other boats will join the group at varying points. It is good to be on the water again, although it has been a very hectic spring. This year we decided to paint Trefoil's topsides. Wow, what a job! We are pleased with the final result, but it was an enormous undertaking. After launching on June 21, we took our pastor, Kirianne and her husband Marcus out for a two day trip, and then friends Carolyn and Charlie Unger for a day of great sailing. Then Karen flew to London to meet our brandnew grandson, Benjy, who was born June 25! It was wonderful to spend 10 days with Jane, Pete and Benjy. Mom, Dad and baby are all doing great! It was very cool and rainy in London, in sharp contrast to the weather we are having in the Northeast this summer. Karen returned on July 11, and one week later, July 18, we were underway from Van Slooten Harbor Marina in Port Henry down the Champlain Canal. We had taken the mast down 2 days before, and had gone home to pick up another load of gear. A storm with strong wind gusts hit just before we returned to the boat, knocking the front of the mast off its suport. Fortunately it didn't go in the water, and Harbormaster Dave had it back in place just as we arrived back at the marina! Three days from Port Henry to Waterford, at the end of the Champlain Canal. It is always nice to spend time here, the people are friendly, there are great docks to tie up to, with water and electricity, wifi, and a supermarket is nearby! A great place to catch up on a few boat jobs, get a little rest, and do a major provisioning. Also, our friend Larry lives about 3 blocks from the waterfront. Larry has been extremely helpful, in the past and again this year. We had ordered some last minute equipment, including a whisker pole, through West Marine. Larry picked those items up for us, and we walked to his house to pick them up! Thank you once again, Larry! Tomorrow we will move on to Catskill, where we will have our mast stepped and make the conversion from a powerboat to a sailboat! Last August we lost our beloved Colby. He had traveled with us from Lake Champlain to the Chesapeake, and then from Lake Champlain to Florida and back. We made friends all along the way because of his wonderful, gentle demeanor. Our new second mate is Jonah, a yellow lab puppy. He is 14 months old, and still has a lot to learn! He is doing very well so far, except that he barks at the aids to navigation and sometimes at people who walk down the dock!