Kingston to Kingston
Just two and a half weeks ago we set sail from our home port of Kingston, Ontario. Because of this, it was almost a necessity for us to visit Kingston, NY and we’re definitely glad we did. After departing Catskill Creek as a sailboat (yeah!) under power (boo!) we made our way to Rondout Creek, where following Skipper Bob’s directions, we anchored at the far end of it.
The trip to Kingston started off with glass-like water but as has become tradition here in the Hudson, the south winds gradually built until at one point they were gusting over 15 knots. This had the effect of turning our glassy water into some wind-induced chop but now traveling as a sailboat, it didn’t concern us at all.
Glassy water and blue skies!
We saw several of these.
Not sure what this was for exactly, but it looked cool.
The chop was starting to build.
The trip was interesting as we passed a number of ships/barges being maneuvered by tug boats. Our AIS beeped at us on each occasion, letting us know where they were and where they were heading. Forced to remain in a tight section of the channel, one tug (shown in the pics below) came nearer than we would have liked, but it did afford us the opportunity to get some close-up pics.
The bridge worker waving at Rebecca.
That ship behind Rebecca is making ground on us.
He is pretty close!
Before arriving at the recommended anchorage in Rondout Creek, one has to pass under 3 fixed bridges. The first of the three could be a deal-breaker for some sailboats as it has a height of only 56 feet. Knowing that we would be heading here, we twice measured our air draft to see if we would fit. Having calculated this at around 52 feet, we knew (hoped!) we should be good to go. One thing we hadn’t considered though, as it is not yet part of our thinking process, is the effect of the tide on this. We are told the bridges are measured at high tide and without any planning on our part, we arrived at the bridge at low tide. In spite of this added safety buffer, it is still very hard to tell if you are going to hit. We were happy when the captain of a nearby docked ship stuck his head out the door and with the aide of a megaphone, yelled at us that we had plenty of room. Phew!
The entrance to Rondout Creek.
How much room would you say we had?
Several miles down the creek we came across our planned anchorage. Setting the hook amongst the mooring balls took two attempts before we were happy with our location and swing room. Although no doubt much noisier on weekends, the area was pretty quiet for us.
An added treat for this particular location was the opportunity to meet up with a couple of our blog readers, Tim and Diane. Apparently they live just a few miles from where we were anchored so they suggested that we meet at the Anchorage Bar, just a short dinghy ride away. The company was great and we had a lot of fun talking boats and traveling (they are sailors too) and the bartender Kenny was a riot too!
Anchored near the end of the creek.
Tim, Diane, Kenny and then us.
Nice morning view from the cockpit.
The trip to that bar unfortunately revealed that our dinghy outboard engine was once again, “playing hard to get.” This, and a list of some other boat chores, prompted us to decide to spend another evening at Rondout.
Wednesday morning was spent doing said chores. After several hours of coaxing and sweet talking, the outboard appears happy again. I also scrubbed the ugly waterline stain off ZTC, making her look pretty and white again. Getting all this done in the morning gave us the afternoon to explore the nearby waterfall. We had intended on swimming right beside it but the abundant crabs scared us into swimming from the dinghy a bit farther away. If only we had something to catch the little buggers we could have had some free dinner!
No, I’m not going to jump.
Pretty!
Not so pretty!
All cooled off.
Today we’re heading towards Poughkeepsie, possibly meeting up with a couple more blog readers. Hopefully our planned stopping spot will be available for us.
Note: When blogging in areas with crappy Wi-Fi connections, write posts offline as opposed to with the online interface. This is the second time I had to write this post as the first time, it disappeared into the ether. 🙁
Nice post Rebecca..Nice and detailed….What the hell was Greg Louganis (american olympic diver) doing going into the water….What type of entry was that
What? You didn’t bring those chicken wing bones back to catch the crabs? Shocking!
Kenny was too fast!
By the way, we went to Poughkeepsie this morning and tied up to a restaurant’s free dock (more on that in my next post). Just as we were untying our lines to leave Kenny showed up! We were sorry to have to leave as he was such a cool guy.
Ahhh but isn’t it Kingston, Jamaica that you are truly trying to make, mon?
Irie Mon!
Every ting is chrisst mon
O.k..you left with all those crabs in te water
You should have scooped them up, threw them in a pot with beer, Old bay, Vinegar and topped it off with corn on the cob !!!
Steamed Crabs I say!!!
Yummmmmmm. now I can’t wait to get back to the USA !!
That does sound good.
I am really enjoying following your progress, since we won’t be setting off for a few more years at least we can live vicariously through you two 🙂 For now our sailing ground is the Columbia River which has a lot of commercial traffic. It was intimidating at first but soon we got accustomed to keeping track of the channel they travel in and anticipating where they make their turns so we could time our tacks to cross perpendicular to their wake. It gets more interesting when they are coming from both directions but honestly I’d rather deal with them than some of the power boaters!
Yes, dealing with the big ships while under sail could be even more challenging. Sadly the winds have not yet allowed us to experience that here.
And my parents live near Kingston, Washington.
Good thing the people who look after boat names weren’t in control of city names or they would be called Kingston I, Kingston II, etc.
How nice to wake up with a view of the water, trees, and deer! So peaceful!
It was quite a nice place. Very protected too.
Awesome pictures!
I believe the unknown structure is a grain elevator.
I believe you’re right.