Traveling the Hudson River

As we were traveling up the Hudson, I wondered how it got its name. Well.....

Henry Hudson was commissioned by the Dutch East India Company in 1609 to find a passage to the “islands of spicery” that would eliminate the lengthy and expensive voyage around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. Provided with the eighty-ton ship Halve Maen and a crew of twenty, Hudson embarked on his journey in early April of that year, and in September he traveled as far inland as present-day Albany, on what was later named the Hudson River in his honor. Shallow waters eventually convinced Hudson that the river wasn’t the fabled passage.

There are many lighthouses along the Hudson. It is interesting looking them up and reading their history. They seem to follow a pattern of being constructed in the mid 1800s and early 1900s.  Later in the 1960s the Coast Guard  began automating the lighthouses which caused them to be abandoned. Some of them have been rescued and restored and some have not. 

Here are the ones we have seen so far.

Esopus Meadows Lighthouse

There was once a meadow in the middle of the Hudson River near Esopus, big enough for cows to graze on its green grass at low tide, but the river changed, and now the meadow is underwater at any tide.

The original Esopus Meadows Lighthouse , the “Maid of the Meadow,” was constructed in 1839 for a sum of $6,000 to warn mariners of this submerged mudflat and safely guide river traffic to the east side of the river to avoid the dangerous shallows.

The current Esopus Meadows light house was rebuilt in 1871.  In 1965 the lighthouse was automated.  After many years of neglect, a small, dedicated group of people formed the Save Esopus Lighthouse Commission to restore the light house to its former glory days. Tours are available as the restorations continue. 

Roundout Creek Lighthouse

The Rondout Lighthouse is the last of three lighthouses marking the entrance to the Rondout Creek. Still fully operational as a navigational light, the Rondout lighthouse is one of only seven remaining on the Hudson River. 

This brick lighthouse, completed and lit in 1915, is accessible only by boat. 

The lighthouse was automated in 1954.  Owned by the City of Kingston and operated by the Hudson River Maritime Museum. Both the interior and the exterior have been restored and it is available for occasional public tours and or a wedding if you feel so inclined.

Saugerties Lighthouse

The Saugerties Lighthouse, built in 1869 is a landmark beacon on the Hudson River. 

Saugerties Lighthouse was considered a plum assignment due to its proximity to town. 

The lightkeepers were friendly with their neighbors and even enlisted their help. A neighbor downriver would hang a bed sheet out their window whenever they saw the lighthouse tender coming upriver, giving the lightkeeper about a half-hour notice before the inspector arrived.

The lighthouse has been painstakingly restored and now stands proudly as a Living Museum and a renowned Bed & Breakfast. 

Saugerties Lighthouse furnished in 1920s décor, is now open to the public and welcomes overnight guests as a bed and breakfast. Visitors can walk to the lighthouse along a one-half-mile-long trail through where they will be greeted by a modern day resident keeper who runs the bed and breakfast and maintains the lighthouse.

Hudson Lighthouse

Hudson lighthouse was built in 1872 and was featured on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post Christmas edition in depicting the lighthouse keeper, Emil Brunner, bringing a Christmas tree home to his family at the lighthouse. 

The lighthouse  interior has been restored to represent life in the 1930s, when the Brunner family lived there. Many authentic pieces donated by the Brunner family are on display, and the original fog bell, which still has its clockwork mechanism, is mounted outside on the tower.

We finished the day anchored in front of the Hudson Yacht Club (NY) and took Abby for a walk by dingy around the clubhouse. It rained again for most of the day.  We are growing fungus between our toes!  When will it stop?  I need to see the sunshine. Tomorrow we will go through the Federal Lock at Albany which marks the end of Salt water until we get to Mobile AL next October/November.  The boat will get a good washing to get all the salt off and we will switch from fresh water flushing in the toilets to water from the rivers.  This should save us about a hundred gallons of fresh water a week.

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Rough night on the anchor

We left yesterday in the sunshine but the clouds moved in again as we traveled up the Hudson. It was a gray day but I did get a picture of West Point as we went by.

West Point Military College

This is our anchorage last night. The anchorage was advertised as protected from south to south west winds.  Well the wind was coming straight off of the right point and was blowing pretty good.  The combined wind against the current put up some pretty good waves and then when the tide changed  we were laying broadside to the waves.  It really rock and rolled for a while and then calmed down by the time we went to bed. . Good local TV reception and I enjoyed watching the Coke 600 from Charlotte that finished about 12:30 AM. We are working hard at reducing our liquor and wine inventory before we cross into Canada in a few weeks.  So far we have started drinking wine with lunch and dinner, might have to add breakfast too if we can't catch up!!

Croton on Hudson

We left Great Kills anchorage in the rain AGAIN. Seas the Day and our anchor chains were crossed so we had to do a little dancing to get the chains straightened out.  Seas the Day had a harder time and had to work hard to get their anchor unset. The waves were big and on the nose as we pulled out of Great Kills Bay to the exposed New York Harbor in an area that is completely open to the ocean. We took a couple of waves over the bow and got lots of spray and water hitting the flybridge enclosure.  There were lots of boats, freighters, ferries and barges as we cruised through New York Harbor. Visibility was not very good but with AIS and Radar we made our way through and did get a picture of the Statue of Liberty as we went by.

Here is a picture of one of my old boats Trojan F32 from 1993 in NYC  It was a nicer day.  24 years ago!

And Bill got a picture of us as we went by.  The last time I had done this was a much prettier day in 1995 on a Trojan F32

Our plans had been made almost a month ago that we would go for dinner at the CIA.  No not that one but the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park.  We needed to be in Croton on Hudson Thursday early enough to rent a car and drive for the hour and a half to Hyde Park.  We made  it with five minutes to spare and were treated to a three course meal with excellent service and food.  The waitstaff all rotate between the back of the house and the front.  Everyone knows each item on the menu intimately, having served it, made it and studied it. Bill and I had the lamb and Debbie and Sandy had the duck.  Appetizers were fois gras, frogs legs, lobster bisque and charcuterie, with chocolate torte and more chocolate and the Iles Flottant.

We were all very impressed with the quality, service and presentation of the food.

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is the premier culinary college in the United States. The CIA was founded with 50 students in 1946 by Frances Roth and Katharine Angell as the New Haven Restaurant Institute. In 1947. The name was changed to The Culinary Institute of America in 1951 to reflect the college’s national student population. 

Today, 2,900-plus students representing every state and 30 foreign countries are enrolled in the college’s associate degree programs in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts and bachelor’s degree programs in food business management, applied food studies, and culinary science. In addition, thousands of industry professionals and amateur cooks enroll in continuing education courses and food enthusiast programs each year.

The campus of the CIA is very beautiful.

We spent the next three days at Half Moon Bay in Croton on Hudson.  We caught up with boat chores and shopping, did laundry and rode our bikes to the Farmers Market Sunday morning.  Bill and Sandy headed off on Seas the Day to get up to Trenton, so they could partake of the lobster tour to Kennebunkport .  We have traveled together now for the last month and a half and will miss their daily company.  Abby will miss her Milk Bones and looks forward to meeting up again in Georgian Bay.

New York Visit Day Two

Day two of our New York Visit.  Up at six to take Abby for a walk and then the X1 express bus to Times Square.  We picked up our tickets and did the uptown tour in the morning.  Lots to see including the Dakota apartment building where John Lennon was shot, Central Park, 5th Avenue and many more sights

Another one rides the bus

One of Trump's places

This is the entrance to the Dakota Apartments.  John Lennon was shot and killed just  inside the arch.

The Apollo Theater in Harlem

The Empire State Building


Billboards unlike anywhere else

They are still doing carriage rides around Central Park














After lunch at a small Deli near Times Square we boarded the bus again for the Downtown tour.  Wall Street,, the Battery, 9/11 site, and the Ferry docks. We lucked out that it did not rain the whole time we were on the bus.




The Raging Bull.  Some people want a picture of themselves with the head and then some want a picture of themselves with the backend holding the eggs!



The Defiant Girl.  Next to the lady in the flowery outfit is a bronze statue of a little girl defying the bull

Metropolitan Opera House

Rockerfella Plaza where the ice rink and Christmas
tree is

When we got back to the boat we found that someone wasn't happy at being left alone for 14 hours.  At least thats all she did.  Abby did look somewhat guilty.

New York Visit Day One

There is so much to see in NYC.  We pretty much spent the first day at Ground Zero.  There are many heart breaking stories told of all the lives that were lost that day and it is a very emotional experience.  Some very tough to see and hear.  They have done a wonderful job of interpreting the day and it really brings it home as to the tragedy that it was. Lunch was a nice break and we walked around the Oculus in the latter part of the afternoon before catching the bus back to Great Kills.  Quick dinner onboard and then off to bed to get up to and do it again the next day

 An interesting looking hitchhiker

Our anchorage at Great Kills.  Finally the sun came out

Twisted beams from one of the towers

Very high Security all around NYC.  Lots and lots of police presence. Uniformed and not.  All well armed.  We spent about fifteen minutes talking to one of the officers and he feels there is always a threat out there and that the high security especially days after Manchester is warranted.

  A panoramic shot of one of the reflecting poo;ls with names of all the victims lost that day in the tragedy.  These reflecting pools are where the foundations of the buildings were.

The “Oculus” serves as the centerpiece of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, incorporating 78,000 square feet of multi level state-of-the-art retail and dining. The concourses emanating from the Oculus link the entirety of the site above and below grade. With an additional 290,000 square feet of  multi-level retail and dining space, the World Trade Center site is the focal point of Lower Manhattan.  

Pizza for lunch

Fire truck from 9/11

One of the electric motors for the high speed elevators in the towers

The Stairwell of Hope where many escaped the towers on 9/11