TRAVELS of "HELIOPAUSE"

We decide to stay here in Oswego for a couple days for a break….and pickleball. There are great courts not far, a well stocked wine, beer store and grocery store available. We figure more boats may show up as there seems to be a front closing in on us which may stop our journey for a few days.

As it turns out we are here for 4 days with a wall full of boats. It’s chilly but we still have lots of docktails and meet new friends. Next Chapter, Sunshine State of MInd, Trouvaille, Gold Dust, and so many others join us for a fun filled few days waiting out for a crossing of Lake Ontario

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It is easy to do so many locks in a day on the Erie Canal. Today was a lock day. We headed out for the journey to lock 22 to stay the night. It is a beautiful stop with lots of birds and quiet at night.

We left early this morning to catch a ride with the tide. The Hudson River has a 2 knt current, or more, because of tides so catching it going your way for part of your journey is beneficial. Cruising through this area we are so happy to be back in the fresh water. I washed the entire boat while at Rondout and the wash water was black and salty. Scott spent the time uploading the pictures we have accummulated from pushing through these nice weather days.

We are passing beyond the Catskills today and leaving with the mountains covered in fog and rain clouds to our north. The journey up the Hudson is a nice leisurely cruise with the twists and turns of the basin. Shoals are more present so many more old lighthouses still stand. Although not manned anymore they are still used as an entrance beacon and fog light when needed. Looking at our marine app we find our old friends from Inked Mermaid are coming toward us. They are hanging out in the Hudson a few more days and seeing the sights before the big pig roast at Shady Harbor. Traveling with us today are Yolo and Taylor’d by 2 who we have not met personally yet but know there boat name from our marine app.

Scott notices that the starboard pod needs gear oil change. It has been plaguing us with a monthly change as the seals are leaking. It is our plan to get the entire boat lifted and seals changed out in the fall but until then a monthly change of oil is on our agenda. The electronics are flaking out a lot more now too. Scott needs some time to research alternatives. Our anchor windless needs an update as he doesn’t trust what we have even though the specs say it is fine for our new anchor.

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It will be a long day today. With the excitement of seeing the Statue of Liberty, crossing our wake and cruising the Hudson along New York City we are hoping the day the time passes quickly. The tide will be against us as well making the journey of 50 plus miles take longer.

Leaving at 7 am we travel back up Sandy Hook and turn into the NYC harbour. The entrance to the harbour is already busy with commercial tankers, ferries, all us early risers, and barge tg traffic. We pass the West End Lighthouse, go under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and can see the city still in the distance. It is a hazy day too. Passing by Brooklyn to our port and New Jersey to our starboard we see the Statue of Liberty standing tall in the morning sun. Even her flame is bouncing light off and looks to glow. As we approach the base Scott puts our boat on Skyhook to keep her in position. Skyhook keeps us in place by monitoring our GPS position and using the engines to keep us stable without a captain. It works brilliantly and we are impressed with its ability. Taking photos of us crossing our wake with our new platinum flag is an unexpected accomplishment. Covid created us doing the loop again and here we are now complete.

As our day continues down the Hudson River we pass many famous sites. Battery Park on the east end of Manhatten, the new Freedom Tower in place of the twin towers, Rockefeller Park where many a movie has been filmed, the retired SS Intrepid aircraft carrier, Empire State Building, Harlem, Washington Bridge and so many more. The river has much traffic moving from one place to another but it is less than we have seen in the past. As we leave the city the Peekskill Mountains begin. The beauty of these ancient Mountains with the new bloomed leaves along the blue/brown of the Hudson is spectacular. We are traveling these waters with several other Loopers who left their various NYC marinas.

At Half Moon Bay Marina we find there are over 30 Looper boats and more coming. The marina is tight but doable. Be sure to radio the dockmaster before getting into the harbour. It is a one way, one boat situation. We are up front on a T head. The marina is close to restaurants, trails and the train to NYC to explore so many of these Loopers will stay longer periods of time. The staff is very helpful and helps us slip in. Heading out for a dock walk to meet the other loopers we are invited to a docktail. We are both tired and need a down day so we stay home. I made stuffed green peppers, checked my next grocery list and Scott rinsed the boat. We made new friends with our slip neighbours, DeeDee and Jon of War Eagle. We hope to meet up with them in a couple days when they head towards the Erie Canal too.

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On our last open ocean voyage we are heading into the Sandy Hook area of New Jersey. Our friends from Sunset Delight whom we met in Marathon, FL live here. They suggested coming into Atlantic Highlands for a stop and a different view of New York City. Thank goodness the journey was another light wind day. How did we ever get so lucky to have had such calm winds from Portsmouth, VI? Since we started this entire journey has been dictated by the unpredictable winds, changing plans and aborting some of our journey. We welcome the stable air but it seems odd given the weather has been all over the map for months.

We settle in and find a pickleball court at the marina. Too bad they are so bad that the rubber asphalt stops the ball from bouncing properly. These courts will never be used for pickleball. Tennis, maybe but not pickleball. The ball barely bounces properly. Too bad because they look new and well taken care of but they were constructed wrong.

So we join up with Sunset Delight crew, Evelyn and Clark, and head out to dinner at the marina restaurant. It is an outdoor venue with a great menu. Scott had the salmon and I had an amazing burger. It is always such a great experience meeting up with loopers later on in your journey. New friends that become old friends in such a short time. After dinner the four of us went for a walk in the downtown area and then a nature walk in the highlands. It would be bike ride for another time. As we said so long to Evelyn and Clark we headed back to the boat to prepare for the next part of our journey. We will meet the Statue of Liberty and cross our wake ending our gold loop and becoming a platinum looper.

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When checking when to leave Schaffer’s Marina check the currents of the Delaware Bay, and not the C & G canal. The currents will be against you while in the C & G but will become favourable on the Delaware which is a much longer transit. You want to time your exit along the canal to be in your favour heading to Cape May. We decide the best time to leave is when the C & G is against us and the Delaware is going to be against us for about 1/4 of the way. Then it will be in our favour and we will have a push from the tides heading out all the way to Cape May. It is still a long day at 8 knts. Scott decides to pick it up for about an hour while we transit the Delaware just to save some time but also the engines have not worked hard in a long time. We need to blow out some carbon. The bay is fairly flat water. We feel very lucky having so many days in a row to cover the Chesapeake and now the Delaware. Yes, this is the same Delaware that George Washington traveled. There are not many areas to duck in along the coast on the Bay so a good weather window is imperative.

A chop starts to build as we get closer to Cape May but it was still very reasonable. We are heading into Utch’s Marina. It is a bow in only as it is too shallow for stern in. The marina entrance is being dredged and we find 5 feet at the channel. It does deepen upon entering the marina. We find our slip and now I can’t get off the boat. Scott finds a step where I climb over the bow rail, find my footing at the step 3 feet away and then climb down the step. I won’t be getting off often.

At the marina we find so many loopers. We meet several at docktails. It was a fun night getting to hear everyone’s journey and where they are from. Cheers to a great night. We all headed back to the boat at 7:00, Looper’s need down time at home too.

It’s also my birthday so we head out to the nearest restaurant. Lucky Bones has an array of menu options at a reasonable price. Scott had the rack of ribs and I had an amazing cabbage and brussel sprout salad. We even treated ourselves to a chocolate chip cheesecake. After dinner we headed for a short walk and then back to the boat.

We did find pickleball and some folks to play easily accessible with an Uber. Great courts with okay competition but we are happy to have had a few games.

We are excited to be taking a break at a great marina in Kent Island. Bay Bridge Marina is directly at the foot of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. It has a tight channel to get into but the depths are good even at low tide. The marina is a well protected marina with large cruising vessels throughout. There are a lot of boat larger than ours and all are well taken care of.

There is a pool and Scott found pickleball nearby that we can ride our bikes to. This is the reason we came here. We had reached out to the representative for pickleball but not heard back. So after we slipped in and caught our breath we headed out on our bikes to find the park. It was a nice ride for about a mile to the courts. The courts are under construction. There are no lines but a fresh coat of asphalt has been laid. There are 10 courts, at least, just waiting on lines. Oh dang. So we hit the ball a few times and jump back on our bikes to head back to the boat.