Lady Liberty versus The Jersey Girls

Thurs August 21: New York/New Jersey



After two and a half days of whirlwind touring, we were both done with the crowds of New York City. Bill was concerned that we still had lots of work to do before leaving the next day, but wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I told him to go ahead and I'd get things done. Kind of wanted some alone time, if you know what I mean. Anyway, I worked all morning doing several loads of laundry, cleaning and cooking up our dinner in advance. Then I took the ferry over to Jersey City to get provisions, but FIRST, to get a pedicure. Hey, the princes needs her monthly pampering to keep her crown, ok? Anyway, our two stories follow below.


HE SAID:
I rode my bike over to the terminal to catch the quick ferry ride over to Ellis Island. The ferry ticket to Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and back to Liberty Park (where we were docked) was only $12...best deal so far!



Ellis Island was really interesting with all the history of immigrants that had passed through. I looked up my maternal great grandfather, Alois Geiger, who had immigrated from Germany. I found 14 of them! I think the one who came through the gates in 1914 was him. Tried to look up the Coogan's for boop, but didn't know a first name, so no luck there.

The entrance to Ellis Island.

The registration room in Ellis, the first room all immigrants passed through. Made me think of all the souls that passed through this room...sets you back.

After Ellis, I took the ferry to Liberty Island. Found it very interesting, as well. Was amazed to learn the American people did not really embrace the gift from France until WWI, when she became a symbol for freedom. At that time, it became customary that all the troops leaving or returning to NY harbor would tip their hat to Lady Liberty. Upon our departure of NY harbor, I did the same.


Facts you may not know:

The tablet she holds reads: July 4, 1776.

The broken shackles around her ankles represent breaking the bonds of tyranny.

The seven points on her crown represent the seven seas and seven continents.

The back side of the statue.

All in all, it was a great day. When I got back to the boat, I set to work washing down the deck and refilling the water tanks. Then boop showed up...but I'll let her tell you that story.

SHE SAID:
As I was busily working around the boat, it got pretty hot and I got pretty annoyed with my hair falling in my face. Finally, I got so aggravated that I took the kitchen scissors and CHOP...end of problem. Now, I did not cut my bangs in the wispy fashion that my Dayton hairdresser and best friend, Linda had taught me. Noooooooo. I cut them straight across...Chatty Cathy style. Almost immediately I thought, hmmm, maybe that wasn't such a great idea.

Anyway, I finished up all my work, got my backpack and shopping list and headed for the ferry over to Jersey City (just across the channel). I thought, hey, you know what I need? I need a pedicure to relax. Found a little place that did a fabulous job. I then asked them where I might find a hair salon to fix my, um, spur-of-the-moment haircut. They directed me down the block and around the corner. Wouldn't you know that my sister Sue called me. We talked for a couple minutes then she said she had to check out of the grocery and would call me back. And wouldn't you know that at that EXACT point in time I was standing next to a little outdoor cafe. Hey, it's 2 pm and I haven't had lunch yet. I'll have a little glass of wine and a salad while I wait for Sue. So that's what I did. Sue and I chatted about a book I'd just finished re-reading called "Eat, Pray, Love" (a most excellent book that I highly recommend).

When I got off the phone a young lady at another table turned and said she was reading it as well. We started chatting it up and I believe a second glass of wine was involved. Her name was Ashley and she was at lunch with her mom, Cynthia and her mom's coworker Sylvia. From henceforth known in the boop lexicon as The Jersey Girls! I asked their opinion about what to do about my hair "issue." Should I just get the bangs fixed or should I cut off more of my hair? Turns out Sylvia teaches cosmetology and she emphatically stated the Jersy girl anthem, "Oh honey, you need some volume!" She even offered to go to the hairdresser with me to tell them what to do. Ok, I'm game. After all, this hair has been driving me nuts, always blowing in my face. I'd taken to pretty much just wearing it in a ponytail anyway.

We walked down to the hair salon and wouldn't you know, she KNEW the hair dresser! (I just love coincidences/signs like these.) They discussed my locks as I sat there in a daze. Soon he was chop, chop, chopping my hair down to about 3 - 4 inches all over my head. What a difference! It looked terrific. I loved how much lighter it felt and I gotta say the volume DID help! I walked back up to the cafe to be met by a full round of Jersey Girl applause as well as another round of wine. Then I came up with a brilliant idea. Why don't they come back with me to see our boat? They agreed, even though poor Ashley was on crutches due to recent surgery on her ankle. As she hobbled down the 3 blocks to the ferry, I ran ahead and got the groceries then met them at the dock.

We took the ferry and as we were walking down the main dock toward our boat, we called over to Bill to say hi. He said he thought, "who are those women? If I start talking to them and boop shows up, she'll kill me." He did not even recognize me! We got to the boat and left Ashley on a stool on the dock while I gave the other girls a quick tour. When we came back out, our neighbor (on the power boat) had gotten her a lounge chair and a Margaretta. (Oh, to be young and beautiful again!) Our neighbor said, "man, Bill, you are so lucky. My wife is out on a walk right now. What are the odds she'll bring home 3 women?" Bill responded, "I have the best wife in the world. She goes out to get groceries and brings back entertainment." Needless to say, we all had a lot of laughs.

Here they are: from left to right: Sylvia, myself, Cynthia and Ashley.

Whooping it up with our neighbor. When his wife returned from her walk, she did not seem too amused.

I thought Bill was so great to embrace my new friends. Then, when I saw this picture, I kinda understood why. :-)

Ashley was tired out so we loaded her and her crutches in a dock cart to take her back to the ferry for the return trip home.

Once again, one of the best days was one that was totally unplanned. THANKS a million to my new best friends and hair counselors, The Jersey Girls!!!!! Gotta love 'em!

A whirlwind tour of NYC

August: 18 - 20: New York City

Boy, New York was a whirlwind tour! We got there Monday, the 18th around 4pm.

We stayed on the Jersey side at a place called Liberty Landing Marina. Nice place and very convenient, although a bit pricey. But, we decided to treat ourselves anyway. When else will we be in New York?





This is the marina office, believe it or not. It's an old lighthouse ship. They used to anchor them off the coast to serve as a floating lighthouse. In addition to the office, they also have showers and laundry in the boat as well as classrooms for the Offshore Sailing School. It's really cool to hear the boat creaking and moaning, like an old, old man. (I guess I should say woman, since boats are usually referred to as feminine...but for some reason, this boat reminded me of an old man...so there you have it.)





This is the view of the financial district of Manhattan as seen from the end of our dock. It's especially amazing at night. We tried to take pics but they didn't come out. If you'd like to see some, check out the ones on Liberty Landing's website. It also shows pics of their water taxi, which is right next to the office. Very convenient!



We got settled into Liberty Landing around 4pm and decided to jump on the taxi "just to check things out." It dropped us off in the financial district. The first "museum" we came to was one dedicated to the Irish (good sign, eh?). It's a hillside built on a ramp with all kinds of plants from Ireland and a boulder from each county. Yes, I touched the one from County Wicklow where my ancestors were born. Below is a shot of it, although not a great one. The bottom part of the museum was an actual stone cottage from Ireland. The walls leading into the complex had all sorts of quotes and facts about the thousands who immigrated to America during the potato famine. Very touching.





We walked by the site of the twin Towers and were amazed at how cramped everything in that area is. We couldn't imagine how terrifying it must have been for everyone who was at or around the site.

We finally found the subway station and figured out which subway to take into the heart of Manhattan. Let me just say that they print the subway maps in the most teeny weeny typeface possible so there's no guessing if you are a tourist or not. (As if our casual dress code and tennis shoes didn't give it away. But I digress...) I was excited about being in NYC so I suggested we hop on the subway and take a look around.



Times Square was loud and crazy with tons of people, blazing signs everywhere you looked and just general chaos run amok. I did not like it at all. Just toooooo much for me. Kind of like Vegas on steroids.

Judging from the map we had (again, tiny type and darkness do not make for easy navigation) it appeared that Rockefeller Center was not far off so we walked uptown to see it. Boy, it took a while! The photo above was actually taken the second day when we returned to the area. It was really beautiful at night. But by that time we were exhausted, having traveled a good part of the day to get to the city to begin with. We took a subway back to the financial district, wandered around a bit to find the PATH train to take us back to New Jersey (the ferry had stopped running), got a taxi back to the dock and were VERY happy to be back on the boat.

The next day we headed off again (like lemmings to the cliff). We skipped Times Square and went straight to Rockefeller Center. We took the tour of NBC studios which was really cool. Saw where they broadcast the evening news (did you know that Brain Williams writes or edits 80% of the news every night?) and Conan O'Brien.

Then we went to "the top of the Rock" for a great view of the city.

Looking at Central Park.

The Empire State building with the Statue of Liberty in the far distance.

After our tours we stopped by St. Patrick's Cathedral so I could light some candles and say a few prayers. It is just breathtaking! Tried to take some photos but they came out too dark.

Then we ended the day in Little Italy with a fabulous dinner. Whew! A long, but great day.

Our second full day in Manhattan was spent bicycling through Central Park. We had to take a taxi to get to the top of the park (near Harlem) then rode all through the park down to 5th Avenue. To my surprise (and much dismay) it was not a casual ride. Turns out the rest of Manhattan is flat as a pancake but some joker must have thought it would be a great idea to fill Central Park with a bunch of lousy hills! As I was huffing and puffing up the 6th hill or so, I couldn't help but mutter, "I liked this park a whole lot more when I rode through it in a horse and buggy!" (Opps...just couldn't keep the spoiled princess in check.) We also stopped at Tavern on the Green for lunch. The place is beautiful but the service was terrible and the food ok. Wouldn't put it on my list again.

By this time, we'd had all the NYC fun and wedded bliss we could stand (did I mention that getting lost a bunch of times because you can't read a blasted map can really wear on your nerves?) so on day three we opted to go our separate ways. Bill went to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I went into Jersey City for some much-needed pampering. (I'll post the details on the next entry.)

In the end, I'm not sure if we took a bite out of the big apple or it wore us out to the core...but either way, it's another port we can check off our list!

We made it to NYC!!!

August 18: New York City

Ok, to really make this entry worthwhile, you need to start humming the song "New York, New York". C'mon...I'll get you started. "Start spreadin' the news...I'm leavin' today...I wanna be a part of it, New York, New York." (You can take it from here)

We left this morning for the 38 mile trip down to New York City. Oh my golly, I just can't believe this is really coming true!!!!! I get teary eyed just thinking about it. I can't tell you how many nights Bill and I sat in the hot tub and talked about what it was going to be like to see the Statue of Liberty come into view. And I have to report, the experience was even better than I imagined. I am just overcome with gratitude. I tell you, if you have ever dreamed of doing something, DO IT!!! Your dreams CAN come true if you just make up your mind and work toward them. Ok, enough of that stuff...let's get to the pics, shall we?

These are the 300-500 foot Palisades. "Composed of columnar basalt, this striking series of cliffs is named for its visual similarity to old wooden barrier fortifications," or so says the Waterway Guide. Personally, I kept thinking of the Beach Boys song of Palisades Park. Hey, Bill's the history buff, not me!

Several large container ships like this one were anchored in the Hudson on the way to New York. They look a lot bigger in person, believe me! They anchor out until they can load or unload.

Ok, kiddies, we're getting close now. This is the George Washington bridge. You can see the NYC skyline in the distance.



We went along the coast of Manhattan. Here, the Empire State Building came into view. Amazing. Just can't believe I'm seeing this from our own boat!

The Financial District, located on the tip of Manhattan.


And there she is...sniff, sniff...Lady Liberty!!! Ellis Island is to the right. This is where we turned in to get to Liberty Landing Marina, which will be our home port for the next few days.

Tune in for more details as the Ohio Bumpkins hit the BIG CITY!!! Should be some grins, eh?

August 14 - 17, Croton on the Hudson

Our good friends, Eric and Connie were going to be in the same neighborhood as us, so we figured out the closest marina that could accommodate us and pulled in. The marina was called Half Moon Bay, because it's in a portion of Haverstraw Bay that looks like, you guessed it, a half moon. DUH! Anyway, the place is really nice, right in front of some beautiful condos.

We took our bikes into town to get some dinner. The only place we could find was called Tapas (Spanish hors d'oeuvres). Bill was not a happy camper at all, since they advertise that they serve small portions. But we ordered a Mojito and a couple of dishes. One was a red potato type dish with some kind of sauce on it and the other was calamari. Turns out it was plenty and VERY yummy!

Eric and his brother-in-law came to pick us up the next morning. Toni and Jean (Eric's sister) have a beautiful home up on the mountain top, overlooking the Hudson River. Turns out they are practically across from West Point. We had a wonderful lunch and a great time visiting with everyone, including Eric and Connie's grandsons and daughter. They left to travel on to another sister's home. We stayed with Toni and Jean and talked more about the Chesapeake. Turns out they have a home on the water there in Maryland. They told us a lot about the area. Hoping to hook up with them when we get there. All in all, a wonderful day with extended family that helped to offset my homesickness. Thanks guys!!!

We spent Saturday and Sunday getting the boat cleaned up for her grand entrance into NYC and restocking provisions. Also got to take some dink rides to a nearby beach to enjoy the warm water. Really relaxing. I just love being on the water at sunset!

Next step: NEW YORK CITY!!!! "Start spreadin' the news...I'm leaving today..." :)

Saaaaalute to West Point!

August 13: Poughkeepsie NY

We left Riverview Marine Services mid-morning on the 13th, excited to start the second part of our journey as a sailboat once again. As we were pulling out, the dockmaster Mike yelled, "Hey, are these your bikes?" THANK GOODNESS! We would have been lost without having our bikes. So, we turned around, docked and got our vehicles back on board. We motored down the Hudson, expecting to stay at a different marina that night. But on our way, we noticed the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club to our port. We called and they said to come on in. Instead of paying high dock fees, we got a mooring ball for only $20! Steal deal. We rowed in on the dinghy (did I mention we finally have that operational as well?) and met the dockmaster who lives there. Great guy. He even opened the bar for us to give us a drink.The club was established in 1914 or so and they had pics of all the Commodores on the walls. Amazing history. It was great to be on a ball and grill out that night. Around 11:30pm we started hearing this very loud THUD. Turns out the tidal change and the wind were working together to push the boat against the ball. Wow was it loud thuds! Getting to understand the power of mother nature in the tides! Eventually, things calmed down and we got some sleep.

Poughkeepsie Yacht Club. Beautiful setting, nice folks.

Looking out at our boat on the ball in the Poughkeepsie harbor.

August 14: West Point!
On the 14th we headed down river towards West Point. We came around the bend and saw a bunch of buildings that looked like a university. Is that it? Turns out it was...just the newer section. As we went around another bend, we saw the traditional entrance to West Point. Soooo impressive! Looks like it is totally carved out of rock. In fact, we learned later that they did add on to the front part of the complex and had to bring in a stone mason from Italy to match the architecture. The river in this section is 109 feet deep! It's one of the deepest parts of the river. Sadly, we did not stop to take the tour...maybe on our return trip I hope.

Storm King Mountain...on our port as we entered the channel towards West Point.

Our first view of West Point...didn't look as old as we had expected.


Monument on a hill...hmmmm....I bet this is West Point.

Turned another corner and whaaa lahhh, there it is. Very, very impressive. A part of history since the Revolutionary War. In fact, this part of the river is so narrow that they put chains across it to stop the British war ships.

Overview of the front entrance area. They have mooring balls, but just for day visits. No more overnight stays since 911.

Another view as we traveled on down river. Saaaalute to one and all!

Changes in Altitude, Part Two...what goes down must come up

August 12 & 13, Catskill Creek

We finally got the mast all fixed up and back on the boat. The guys at Riverview Marine Services did a great job. We had to wait until full tide so we didn't get to step the mast until 2pm but we still got a lot done by the end of the day.



We had the mast on the dock for a couple days to run new VHF wiring, put in new bulbs and do some general fix-ups.


Another guy who climbs up like a monkey. Must be part of the trade.


They had to lift the mast off the dock...

Then carefully move it over to the boat.

Then lift it up and put it into the boat.

As always, I was nervous, but Jeremy, one of the crew said, "there is absolutely nothing to worry about" and guess what...he was right! All went smoothly. We spent the rest of the day and next adjusting the rigging, putting on sails, and running all the lines.

Finally, we are ready to start the second part of our trip down the Hudson to New York City. Yahooo!

We're on the Hudson River!

August 9-12

Wanted to let everyone know we did make it to the Hudson River at 11:23 a.m. on Saturday, August 9. Whew! Began to think we'd never leave the Erie Canal! The trip to the Catskills was great...no problems. We are at Riverview Marine Services where they are going to raise the mast today, August 12. Haven't been able to be in touch because our Verizon isn't working very well here. Somehow got a break this morning, so I'm posting.

The Catskills are great. They had a festival on Saturday night when we got here so we got to see fireworks again! Plus, they had a lovely wine tasting and lots of art studios open. Very artistic town.

Passed by Albany. (Can't believe it actually looks somewhat sunny here. It's rained a lot in New York. Didn't realize they had a monsoon season!)

The beautiful Catskill Mountains behind a lighthouse in the middle of the river.

Chris aka Banjo Boy was on CBS news tonight!

Chris was on CBS evening news tonight.

to watch the clip, click here.

We're so proud of our boy!

Pop, pop, pop...final set of 5

August 5 - 8: Waterford, NY

We stayed at Lock 8 on August 5 after covering 25 miles. The next morning we set off for the final locks of the Erie Canal.

The final 5 locks are called the "Flight of 5" and drops one right after another, about 34 foot each for a total of 169 feet over a mile and a half. Our ears were popping! It's the largest drop in the shortest distance of any lock system in the world...or so says the guidebook.

Bill stylin' with his yellow gloves and matching yellow shorts.

Guard gate 2. On other parts of the canal, the gates are left open, but this one is closed. You have to wait to get clearance to go through the gate to then start the final series of locks.

Entering a lock that has been opened for us.

Tied up to the wall before the lock is emptied.

Looking back at Lonzo exiting one of the locks.


Waterford was celebrating their Heritage Days on the weekend. On Friday, they had a concert with an Irish singer, Kevin McKrell on the tugboat Chancellor. (Bill says you can't walk 5 feet without bumping into an Irishman in this place!) Afterwards, an impressive fireworks display. On Saturday, they had a parade and an antique fire engine competition.

Welcome Center at Waterford. The ladies from the Historical Society were selling baked goods.

FREE tie ups with electric, water and showers. Yahoo!

The parade color guard, in place and ready to go.

Aren't these kids adorable? Note, the owner of the local Irish pub is in the navy jacket behind them. We had a great talk with him. He's from Ireland and his brother Liam was over for a visit. Great folks!

Going down? Lock 17 and the 40 foot drop!

August 2 & 3: Ilion, NY

We left Sylvan Beach early in the morning to avoid thunderstorms. Went through locks 22 - 19. Had a good day, making 41 nautical miles. We finally stopped around dinner time at Ilion Marina. It's a nice place. Lots of green grass, showers, even a little restaurant where they had a free concert on Sunday to raise money for a local charity.

But the BEST part of Ilion was meeting Dawn and Jack (again, like a dope, I didn't take a picture, errrrr). Dawn is 72 and Jack is 75 and they have more spark and energy than a lot of 50 year olds I know. What a cute couple! They used to have a 27' O'Day, similar to ours, but that was back in 1975 - 80. Then in 1980 they moved up to a 40' Irwin. Jack said, "I owned my own company but had a couple fella's working for me that I knew could run it. I begged Dawn to just give me one year on the boat and promised that if she hated it, we could come right back. Well, wouldn't you know that we ended up living aboard for 22-1/2 years!" "You get hooked," explained Dawn. These two told us stories and gave us lots of great tips, since they know the east coast like the back of their hands. They said the best part about cruising is the ability to get up each morning and decide where you want to go...doesn't matter where. As Jack put it, "I don't care where I'm at, I'm there on purpose." And believe me, these guys are dedicated explorers! In 1990, they bought a motor home and shipped it to England so they could start spending the summers traveling Europe, and the winters traveling Florida and the Bahamas. Due to health problems, they are now restricted to just their motor home. They still have their boat and Jack refuses to sell it. I can understand. We invited him aboard but he said he just couldn't. "If I get on that boat, I just know I'll cry," he said. "I'm so jealous because I know you two kids are gonna have so much fun." (Kids? Did I say I love this guy?) We discussed the ups and downs of cruising, of course, emphasizing the ups. Jack says the trick to staying young is to follow your dreams. He summed it up best when he said, "If you’re not excited about your life, you don’t have a life!"

August 4: Lock 17 then Fonda, NY
On August 4 we got to go through lock 17, the deepest lock on the canal. Talk about impressive! I've posted some pics, but you really need to look at the video to get a feel for the massive scale of this lock. Bob, one of the folks who received word of our blog wrote to tell us, "when you come out of lock 17, you'll feel like you're coming out in China." No kidding!

The lock starts full but quickly drains out to reveal the 40 foot doors. This is looking behind us. Just think...those doors are the only thing holding back a 40 foot wall of water! gulp!

This is looking forward. Ok, I'm not exactly camera-ready, what with my lovely yellow rubber gloves. Maybe I'll start a fashion trend...NOT! I use the boat hook to keep the bow (and the overhanging mast) from hitting the wall as the water goes down.

Here's Lonzo coming out behind us. He had on his foul weather gear because the forward doors raise up, rather than swinging in like on the other locks. Consequently, you get a bit of a shower.

The following video shows the back gates, then pans over the wall to the forward gates.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-arPb4HOcLg

The following video shows the forward doors rising up. The shelf of white weights are the counter weights that are lowered in order to open the doors.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWTNxxTUe64

NOTE: I need video help! I have no idea how I got the little video screen to show up in the Q&A entry. I copied and pasted the embedded info to link to youtube but it didn't work this time. If anyone knows how to do this, please let me know at billandboop@yahoo.com.

thanks!!!