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