A Few Firsts

Ok - Ok - we know we haven't posted in a few days.  We've been told many times that we need to post frequently - sometimes life just gets in the way.  

We left Kingston for Shady Harbor Marina (New Baltimore, NY on western side of the Hudson) on Thursday and did our first laundry and had our first pump-out. If you don't know what a pump-out is - ask someone who does. When one is cruising there are lots of little things that need to be planned out or at least given some thought.  Where are we getting our next fuel, pump-out, water, and groceries? They aren't constant worries - just things that need to be factored into the plans.  It's a nice feeling when we can pull away from the dock and know that we have a "zero state" boat - one that is pretty much the way it was on the day we left.  

Shady Harbor was also the first time we were in pretty much of a black hole of communication.  Our Verizon hotspot didn't want to work and our cell phones on T-Mobile plans were also dark.  To top it off the marina WIFI was down.  We did manage to get out a few texts, but that was it.  

The weather was pretty foul for the last few days.  The cold front that passed over the Eastern US created lots of wind but fortunately not too much rain.  We had a bumpy night on the docks at Shady Harbor at a pretty exposed slip.

We were up early Friday - well at least by Egret standards.  We left the dock at 8 AM on Friday on our way to the Albany Yacht Club to pick up Chrisy's uncle Edgar.  What fun it was to have Edgar onboard to help us through our first ten locks over 2 days and provide us with some good companionship and history of the area.  

We currently are in Amsterdam, New York, having another "Chrisy Day". We are getting our bikes off the boat and hitting the Erie Canal bike trail this afternoon! It is a gorgeous Sunday of Memorial Day weekend!

Our first and last freighter encounter on the Hudson

Millie's first encounter with a rooster - Millie is just in front of Chrisy's right leg - it was a little tough to get Millie and the roosters in the same frame.  For some reason, the roosters didn't want to cooperate. 

Our first lock - in at the bottom

Out at the top

For those who may not know how a lock works - traveling upstream - you enter a chamber at the bottom and the doors close behind you.  The chamber is probably 300 feet long and 40 feet wide.  Once the doors are closed, the lockmaster opens a valve that allows water to flow from the upstream river into the chamber raising the water in the chamber and fortunately lifting the boat.  Once the water level is equal to the upstream water level the doors are opened. The whole process takes about 20 minutes from the time the doors close until the time you are released out the top side.  As the water is flooding into the chamber the boat tends to get pushed around a bit so we hold onto ropes that are suspended from the side of the chamber.  Each lift is about 30 feet.  On our first day, we went through seven locks which was a lot easier than it sounds. Most of them were pretty close together and the chamber was open when we arrived. 

Chrisy and co-pilot Uncle Edgar

Here's what a sailboat looks like on the canal. Mast down to clear through all of the low fixed bridges and lots of fenders.

 

Here's a map of the Erie Canal.  Just before Syracuse we take a right and head up to Lake Ontario.

Quick friends!

Here's our current location.