Turf to Surf

 We left around 5:30 this morning….these early mornings😒 This upper part of the Hudson is beautiful, lots of high bridges and lighthouses. Through Albany, the state capital, if I’m not mistaken.  No marinas here…waterfront is very commercial. One lock today…..this is the end of salt water and the end of tidal waters. We have decided to take the Champlain Canal and head north towards Montreal. We tied up at this free wall in Waterford with these other Loopers. We walked over the bridge and into town to provision. Straight shot north. We enjoyed a night cap with Will and Joy on their boat.  We part ways in the morning…..they head west and we head north.  We hope to see them again this fall as they are also full time boats and they will be heading south again in the fall.         Good night 😴 

  We left at day break planning to avoid as much boat traffic as possible in New York Harbour. We have been to New York before so we decided to not stop, this time. Crossing the lower bay. Entering the narrows. Getting our first peak at the Manhattan skyline and Lady Liberty.  Great silhouette as the sun was rising behind The city. We didn’t get as close as I wanted and in a selfie she looks even further away, but we were close enough to get a good view of her. Pretty cool…. Manhattan  Across the river…. Good shot of the new tower. Further up river….. Leaving the city behind….. The scenery changes dramatically as we go further north. Rolling treed hills and tall bridges, it’s lovely cruising…. The military academy, West Point. Bannermans’s Castle on Pollepel Island. Espoused Meadows Lighthouse. 13 hour day, our longest and one of our most memorable. We anchored just south of Kingston.

 We left the Manasquan Inlet at low tide, we don’t have far to go today. We anchored just south of New York City, it’s a little rocky-rolly but that’s what we expected.  Great location to cross to the Big Apple 🍎 in the morning. Beautiful sunset accompanied by the sound of bugles announcing the end of the day from the military base that we anchored along side of.

  We got an early start leaving the marina and out into the Atlantic. It is only 4.5 hours away and you can see it in the distance almost the whole way. We booked 3 nights at the Golden Nugget Marina. We enjoyed our evening out, up past our usual bedtime. When we got up in the morning the forecast had changed and if we didn’t head out we would be here for the week…..so we headed out. The New Jersey coast is all beach and being the Memorial Day long weekend it was cover in beach lovers. We arrived at Hoffman’s Marina just before dinner. It is the last place you can stop before reaching New York City.  The place was hopping with weekenders. We saw several of these boats loaded with people going out for sunset cruising.  The marina was noisy with people partying until late…..🥳 To add to the excitement there’s a railroad bridge that runs right through the marina…..just on the other side of our dock. They sound an alarm before the bridge comes down. And it’s a commuter train so every hour,