June 6, 2012  Day 26                                   Total miles to date:  615.07

Replica of Half Moon

Plans are flexible! We had planned to leave Kingston first thing in the morning, but decided to wait until noon. We used that time to tour the wonderful Hudson River Maritime Museum which was in walking distance of our boat. There is a large replica of Henry Hudson’s boat, Half Moon when you enter the museum.  Henry Hudson made his journey here in 1609. We briefly visited with Sterling Lady, platinum Loopers heading south returning to Florida.

Fireboat at Kingston

At 11:45 we departed with Rickshaw and Quest and made a short 8.8 mile trip to Saugerties, NY where we rafted together and anchored out.  We were delighted that Moor $tuff caught up with us and rafted with us also.  We all had dinner on Rickshaw and enjoyed Ricky’s (Quest) delicious taco soup.  With intermittent rain showers that cooled the temperature, it was the perfect meal!

When we left the inlet at Kingston we passed the Rondout Lighthouse which is now used as a Bed & Breakfast.  We will continue to Waterford on Thursday.

Rondout Lighthouse

June 5, 2012  Day 25                                         Total miles to date:  606.27

We departed Half Moon Bay Marina at 8:30am with Quest. Jim and Belinda, on Rickshaw, anchored nearby, also joined us. Moor $tuff stayed behind to venture into New York City again today!  We left under a mix of sun and clouds but we did have some rain showers during our 6 ½ hour ride to Kingston. We had the current with us so we made good time!  It was exciting to go by West Point by boat since we had just visited there yesterday. The view from the water does not disappoint! The Hudson River Valley is so scenic with hills and trees that line the shore.  We also passed the Esopus Light House built in 1872.  We will see more of these on this river.

We arrived in Kingston at 3:00 at the City Marina and were greeted by many ducks that call this water home.  We had dinner onboard our own boats and then enjoyed dessert onboard Rickshaw!  Thanks Jim and Belinda for the delicious pie!  All three boats will depart on Wednesday for Waterford, NY.

Trains follow the Hudson River closely

Crossing under Bear Mountain Bridge

West Point view from the Hudson River

Beat Navy is on the other side!

We passed the Mystic Whaler

Esopus Lighthouse

June 4, 2012  Day 24                                   Total miles to date:  511.67

We spent a fun today sightseeing with Quest and Moor $tuff.  We shared a minivan rented from Enterprise and headed north up the Hudson River Valley. We stopped first at West Point Military Academy and took a guided tour.  It is an impressive sight with its architecture and the hills that surround it.  We were especially impressed with the chapel.  After the tour we stopped in the West Point Museum which is the largest and oldest military museum in the nation.

West Point Chapel

We continued up to Hyde Park  and tried to tour Franklin Roosevelt’s home. We just missed the tour so we settled for a movie at the Visitors Center, and then we walked around the grounds of the home and gardens. 

Beautiful view of the Hudson River
from West Point!



Entrance to the CIA

From there we went to the Culinary Institute of America (the other CIA). What an amazing place. We did not have reservations for lunch but were able to have a delicious meal at the Apple Pie Bakery Café.  There are four other restaurants that are more formal in setting. We then took a guided tour of the college and thanks to our delightful tour guide, a second year student, we had a fantastic time.  We are in awe of the program offered at the Culinary Institute!  Tuition is at $34,000 a year!  

We stopped for groceries on the way back to our marina, then starting getting things ready for our boat trip tomorrow to Kingston, New York – a 57 mile trip.

June 3, 2012  Day 23                                   Total miles to date:  511.67



Today was spent staying on the boat at the marina doing laundry and other boat chores, and just trying to get some rest after our big day in the city yesterday.  We joined Moor $tuff and Quest for dinner onboard Quest and planned our sightseeing itinerary for Monday.  A late afternoon rain produced two beautiful rainbows!

One of two rainbows within the hour!

June 2, 2012  Day 22                                   Total miles to date:  511.67

Today was totally focused on seeing New York City with Quest and Moor $tuff. We took a 40 minute train ride from Croton to Grand Central Station, and from there took a subway into the Battery Park area.  We walked to the South Street Seaport area and spent the requisite wait time in line at TKTS to get tickets for “The Best Man”, starring James Earl Jones, Candace Bergen, John Larroquette, Eric McCormack, and Angela Lansbury.  Bill and Skip wandered down to the harbor on the East River and looked at boats while the rest of us waited in line! 

One WTC under construction

One of the two pools with victims names inscribed in bronze on wall

From there we stopped for a quick lunch and then walked back to the World Trade Center. We had passes to view the 9/11 memorial at 2pm.  The memorial consists of two pools with waterfalls that are set in the original footprint of the Twin Towers.  The names of the victims are inscribed in bronze on the low walls around the pools. Construction continues on 1 World Trade Center which will be the tallest building in the US at 1776 feet. 4 World Trade Center and a museum that will preserve the history of the events are also under construction.  In the heart of the area by two pools is the Survivor Tree, a Callery pear, which was planted in the 1970’s on the original WTC site. After 9/11, workers found it in the wreckage having been reduced to an 8’ stump. It has been nursed back to health and stands 30 feet tall. It was returned to the site in December 2010 and remains a symbol of resilience. The beauty and magnificence of this memorial is hard to describe as it captures the incredible loss and survival of 9/11/2001. It will ensure that we will remember.

The ABC Network building

Times Square

We then took another subway into Times Square which on a Saturday was buzzing with tourists.  Restaurants, theaters, television stations, and shops, all seem to compete for the largest neon display of advertising.  It is an exciting, noisy, busy environment but we managed to find our way around and blend in with the thousands of other tourists.  We had 8pm theater tickets for “The Best Man” a political drama which we enjoyed!  After the play we literally made a dash through the crowds that massed the sidewalks to catch the subway back to Grand Central and from there a train to Croton. We arrived just before midnight and hailed two taxis to take the exhausted six of us back to our marina. 

June 1, 2012  Day 21                                   Total miles to date:  548.57

To catch the current that would give us a nice push, our trio of boats left our marina with the million dollar view of Manhattan and headed up the Hudson River, under the George Washington Bridge, then under the Tappan Zee Bridge leaving the skyline of skyscrapers behind at 7am.  The scenery changed drastically when we arrived in the Palisades area with rocky and tree lined bluffs defining the western shoreline of the river.  We arrived at Half Moon Bay Marina located in a lovely inlet at Croton-on-Hudson around noon.  There are several Loopers here with us: Moor $tuff, Quest, Rickshaw, Raydiance, and Gold Leaf.  We hopped a ride into the small town and shopped in the gourmet market – then we walked back the half mile.  Later in the afternoon we welcomed an old friend Dawn and her husband Mike Miklas who live in northern New Jersey.  We had a great visit with them on Carried Away, then they joined us, Quest, and Moor $tuff for dinner at Capriccio’s for pizza.  A stop at the local ice cream shop made our walk back to the boat complete!

The Palisades

Just crossed under the Tappan Zee Bridge

Half Moon Bay
Croton-on-Hudson

Friends Dawn & Mke Miklas
visited from New Jersey

May 31, 2012  Day 20                                  Total miles to date:  511.67

Carried Away meets The Lady!

Today was a highlight of our trip so far, as we had hoped.  We left Atlantic Highlands at 10:30 under a beautiful sunny sky and headed into the New York Harbor. Just before we crossed under the Verrazano Bridge, our three boats, Carried Away, Quest and Moor $tuff were met by police boats doing a Homeland Security check. They just wanted to know where we were headed and were very polite!  We continued on into the harbor and enjoyed the view: Manhattan skyscrapers, ferry boats, tall ships, tug boats, and of course The Lady!  It is such a memorable moment to see the Statue of Liberty in all her glory. She has stood there for 125 years and makes us proud to be Americans.  And right after we passed her we saw Ellis Island.  We headed to Newport Marina and what a view it offers! We were right across from the Freedom Tower and the financial  district of Manhattan. We could also see the Empire State Building from our boat.  The view comes with a price – the marina is greatly affected by all the boats passing by and we rocked terribly until about 8pm.

One of the Tall Ships

Police Boat

Barb & Skip are now Gold Loopers!

We had a shared dinner on board Quest, along with Moor $tuff, and Rickshaw.  Thank you Ricki for the delicious Crab Bisque! This was a celebration for Moor $tuff as they crossed their wake today passing under the Verrazano Bridge!  We were so excited to be able to see them complete their Loop.  Tomorrow we head north up the Hudson River!

Manhattan and Freedom Tower