September 2006
Lake Huron - Lake Erie - Erie Canal - Hudson River - New York
September started off with an excellent short sail down from Tobermory to anchor off Lyal Island with our back to the open lake in a light easterly. The easterly held for the following day's 88 mile sail across Lake Huron to Harbor Beach which we entered in increasing seas, in the dark and the pouring rain. Just to make it interesting the light characteristics were not as shown on the chart - always nerve racking. Harbour Beach is a grim place with a reasonable anchorage behind the breakwaters and a small marina. This was our first stop back in the US and we make contact with the appropriate US authorities but they didn't seem at all interested.
The following day was a rest day - the first one since McGreevy Harbour on 18th August. Of course the wind the following day died after a couple of hours causing us to wish we hadn't waited. We motored most of the way to Port Huron on St Clair River at the southern exit to Lake Huron to spend the night at the extremely friendly and hospitable Port Huron Yacht Club. Thanks to the members there who made us feel so welcome.
The next few days were spent motoring along the St Clair River, a night at anchor on Lake St Clair in very light airs, another motor down the Detroit River and into Lake Erie. We sailed across Lake Erie to Put In Bay on South Bass Island with a huge thunder head with lightning flashing to the north which luckily never quite caught up with us.
Lake Erie was the scene of a battle between the British Navy and the American Navy which the American's won - a fact about which our history books are strangely quite! Put In Bay is so called apparently because when the victorious American commander, Perry, was asked what to do with all the British ships he said "Oh, put em in the bay."
The next was another bright and thundery day across to Cleveland, Ohio were we took a slip in Lake View marina. This marina is right at the end of a city airport runway so yachts with masts over a certain height are requested to contact air traffic control! You can imagine how very noisy it was but luckily the planes don't fly all night. The following day was spent removing one of the head holding tanks which had begun to leak. Not a job I wish to repeat! We also went shopping here (its a long walk or bus ride uptown, but the bus was free) and found a good bookshop although we failed to find a good supermarket anywhere.
New crew arrived at 3.00 PM and we immediately set off to motor eastwards to anchor in Conneaut where we arrived at 01.30. The following day we mainly motored or motor-sailed to Erie Harbour (Presque Isle) so we had somewhere pleasant to sit out the forecast strong easterlies. Presque Isle is a great little anchorage well protected from all wind directions. Its possible to refuel in the main bay at the marinas there and to pay a small amount to tie up for an hour or two to re-supply in the town of Erie. We did poke our nose out of the harbour just to prove that we didn't want to beat upwind into 5 foot square waves all the way to Buffalo. Half an hour of that was enough so we sailed back into the main harbour and watched the races before going back to the small harbour where we holed up for the afternoon and evening. We were adopted by some sailors in the marina where we tied up the dinghy for a walk and given beer and a meal followed by funnel cake - delicious. Thanks guys!
The following day was a little wet but we had good wind for most of the 78 miles to Buffalo. Buffalo has to have the most depressing waterfront on the Great lakes and is in sore need of redevelopment. We spent a rolly night at Erie Basin Marina and in retrospect we'd have better of anchored behind the breakwater in the main harbour.
On again the next day to Wardell's Boatyard at Tonawanda where we were to have the mast un-stepped (an expensive $5 per foot) in preparation for entering the Erie Canal and also as a base to visit Niagara Falls. You can catch two buses from Wardell's to Niagara Falls (the number 56 and 55 if I remember correctly) which take you via a large mall in North Tonawanda all the way to Niagara. You don't need to go into downtown Buffalo to get a bus from there which shortens the journey by about an hour!
Niagara Falls were most impressive and well worth a visit. The US side is well laid out and easy to access on foot with a reasonable restaurant on a balcony with views across the falls to the nasty hotels on the Canadian side.
Standing on the edge watching the water accelerate downwards to loose its identity as a river into spray and mist is a magical experience.
Once back in Tonawanda we finished preparing the boat for the trip along the Canal. The mast was tied down side to side and for and aft on large wooden horses while the boom was lashed to the deck. That evening we motored the first eighteen miles to Lockport where we tied up next to the lock in a tiny space.
The locks and bridges were in operation from 07.00 to 19.00 on extended summer time and this year the whole canal system was free. The locks are very well maintained and the lock and bridge keepers friendly, helpful and efficient. There was little traffic as we were late in the season so most locks were open as we arrived having been contacted by the previous lock keeper with an ETA.
We passed lock 10, the scene of the flooding and major damage which closed the canal earlier in 2006. Luckily they had managed to repair it in time for our transit. We tied up each night at free town docks or on the free walls near the locks. Many of the marinas along the way are designed for power boats and too shallow for Gypsy Dancer, but you don't need to use them anyway. There are free pump outs and free water along the way, and some docks even have free electricity although as we were motoring all day this wasn't really the luxury it would have been if we were sailing. In Pittsford near Rochester they even put on live bands and a fireworks display to greet us!
There are many interesting birds along the canal - great blue herons, green herons and belted kingfishers to mention a few. We also saw turtles sunning themselves on logs. The western part of the canal is mainly a canal proper and the eastern part uses lakes and canalised rivers so there's often a current to help you along if you are going eastwards. The controlling depth is supposed to be 12 feet, but we often found 9 feet and some docks too shallow for or 6 feet draft.
The Erie Canal ends at Waterford on the Hudson River in upstate New York. However you have to travel a few miles south under a few low bridges before you can have the mast stepped. We chose Hop O Nose Marina on the south side of Catskill Creek to do the job and they charged a more reasonable $3 per foot (of mast). There's a really good restaurant at Hop O Nose Marina and shops and laundry a walk or a short taxi ride away.
We did a crew change here, the crews traveling by train from Hudson on the east side of the river to Penn Station, New York and vice versa. Hudson Station is a $12 taxi ride away from Catskill.
We ambled down the Hudson River stopping at Poughkeepsie Yacht Club to take in the euro/garish Vanderbilt Mansion and the disappointing Samuel Morse's house. Disappointing as there's very little information about his invention of Morse code and the telegraph and the house isn't really like it was when he lived in it.
Its no longer possible to visit West Point easily from the river in a 6' draft sail boat because of marina depths and security zones so we missed out visiting the odd collection of buildings that make up the military training base.
Our next stop was Tarrytown also known as Sleepy Hollow (the Sleepy Hollow) where I decided I was all mansioned-out and declined to visit the Rockefeller mansion, spending the day on boat maintenance.
Towards the end of September we finally arrived at 79th Street Yacht Basin in New York City. From this rolly mooring in the river we visited Manhattan where we all were very impressed with the Morgan Museum both for its contents which include Rembrandt sketches and etchings and for the building itself, especially the stonework and the library. (Note: some cruising guides say there is a tender service at 79th Street Yacht Basin. There isn't. You need a good outboard or good tide information to cope with the strong currents in the river)
On the last day of September we sailed down to Great Kills Harbour on Staten Island from where you can catch a bus to the Staten Island ferry which gets you to The Battery in southern Manhattan in about an hour.