Takin' Care of Business

Wednesday September 10 We are on the home stretch to finish the canal and begin the new journey down the Hudson River. We got under way early but experienced some delays at the first few canals, which left us all looking over our shoulders expecting Yasumi to come around the bend. Captain Gary instructed his helmsman Tom Carroll to kick it up a notch so that we could make Lock 6 before 3:30. They call locks 6 through 2 the “Flight of Five” and once you enter lock 6, you must be able to clear them all before 5:00 p.m. We breathed a collective sigh of relief as we entered lock 6. I think I spoke for everyone when I said “I am SO OVER the Erie Canal!” Nick James picked the appropriate song for Video Update 2, it truly has been a lovely cruise, all the way through today which was absolutely gorgeous. But we are all very anxious to take care of business, and make it to the Statue of Liberty by Sunday. We arrived at Castleton Boat Club on the Hudson in time to tie up to a dock and have a Chicken Taco party before crashing early. Tomorrow is the big day when the masts are to be stepped and everyone is anxious. Thursday September 11 Mother Nature is really on our side. It is a sunny, beautiful, and most importantly calm day for stepping masts. The crew got busy in a hurry and the Mizzen was ready to go up in no time. Once it was upright, things got unnerving when it began to list sideways, and the two Toms became big time mast huggers. Everyone stayed calm and the Main went up next without a hitch. Guess who motored by ?? First Scott Free, and then……..Yasumi with masts still down!! I snapped a picture and Nick James will have to zoom in and see if Captain Tightass is visible. (The spell check changed it to Captain Tights on the last update.) We motored across the river and tied off on a mooring ball for the big Mast Stepping Celebration that I promised the crew “IF nothing got broke“. We splurged on Martinis, appetizers, Porterhouse steaks with sautéed portabella mushrooms, and a bottle of Clos Du Bois cabernet sauvignon. It was a fun, peaceful evening. Friday September 12 Howling wind woke Captain Gary at 4:00 a.m. Castleton warned us to keep an eye on the weather, since their mooring balls were not rated to secure a boat of our size in heavy wind. Gary decided to throw off the lines and take off, except the mooring ball was not visible! With the shifting current and wind, it was fouled underneath Tessa. After about an hour, it reappeared and we were able to depart. The weather continued to be miserable all day with rain, 30 knot winds on our bow, and strong current working against us the first half of the day. Late afternoon the crew was beat, so we picked the first marina that could accommodate Tessa. Captain Joe of Hyde Park Marina sounded friendly enough in a New York sort of way on the phone, until he told me his rate was ONLY $2.00 a foot. The big billboard advertised a restaurant, and red flags went off when he told us it burnt down in 2006. No problem, Captain Joe will drive us to a nearby restaurant, were we ready to go right away? Not without a few cocktails Captain Joe!! Never mind, Cookie will make Pasta with Italian Sausage. We watched a movie and stayed up later than ever, until 9:00! Saturday September 13 This morning is damp but very calm, so the crew got down to business taking Gary up both masts. It was a challenging three hour project ending with an Eggs Benedict reward. Then on down the Hudson toward the Statue of Liberty. Tom Carroll has been our helmsman every day, with George at his side as Watch Commander. This relieves Captain Gary to work on boat projects with the assistance of Sparky. It became more and more scenic as we progressed south. Lots of landmarks including West Point, which was really majestic looking. I began calling marinas for dockage overnight, and now the going rate is $3.00 per foot. We connected with a nice guy from Hook Mountain Yacht Club who invited us to anchor for free. The anchorage is absolutely gorgeous with the Tappan Zee Bridge in the foreground. The Toms and I explored a very cool town called Nyack. I spotted a fun looking spot called the Black Bear Saloon where the friendly bartender even bought our second round of beers. We ordered hot wings to go and added them to our BBQ chicken and pork for a protein fest. I don’t think George has injested more than 10 carbs in two weeks. I fully expect Jo to swoon when she sees him. The rest of us would also be doing well diet-wise except for Marlene’s XL jug of Crack. (Combination of M&Ms with other evil sweet and salty stuff. We call it crack because it is so addicting. I regret asking her to make it for the crew since I have eaten most of it! Tomorrow the big day we’ve been anticipating. The Statue of Liberty!!!