Sept 27, 2010 Monday

Okay....got the electric blanket out last night. It was cool in here. Pics 2 & 3 are of the old Eric Canal lock that the boat club now uses as a boat lift. They closed off the end with cement and wood. Pic 4 is a lift gate on the canal. They use this for flood control. You have to call ahead for them to lift up for you. A boat heading down had already called and it was up and waiting for us. Pic 1 is again of the beautiful fall colors we are seeing. We made it thought locks 9, 10 and 11 today. 42 feet higher and 15.4 miles closer to our winter destination. We cannot get pulled out until Oct 6th and we only have a total of 150 miles on the Erie to travel so we are taking our time and only traveling a few locks a day. It is raining so we ate on the boat, We are tied on the upper wall of lock 11 tonight. In case you are counting locks, there wasn't really a lock #1. Lock 1 is Troy lock on the Hudson. Erie canal starts with lock #2.

Sept 26, 2010 Sunday

Went to farmers market before we left. Traveled through locks with another boat heading up to their marina named Lee Ann. Bet we confused the lock masters...Lee Ann and Annie Lee!. We had to purchase a permit to travel the Eric canal. $50.00 for 10 days. Pics 1 and 3 are of the locks. A few were so close you went out one and into the other. We went through six locks, traveled 12.6 miles and went up 197 feet in three hours. Pic 3 shows just how pretty the trees are getting up here. Stopped a Lee Ann's marina and got a pump out. They have part on the actual Erie Canal behind the marina and now use part of an old lock as a pull out for the boats. I''ll include a pic on next blog. Went through lock 8, another 14 feet and another 12 miles, tied off for the night on the upper wall of the lock. Another free night. No electric. Nights getting a little cool.

Sept 25 2010 Saturday

Beautiful day today. These are a few pics I took yesterday. Pic #2 is a side step lock. Many years ago, the boats cane down these locks. Door are gone now but you can still see the "steps" of each lock. Zoom in on pic #1. Warning about not eating the fish in the canal. We were told that many moons ago, local factories dumped chemicals in the waters that will never go away. We got the bikes out and road from one end of town to another. They were having a community yard sale. Jeff learned why you don't take me to yard sales. I purchased some antique brass flat ware. Box has three layers with 144 pieces. The challenge was to get it back to the boat on the back of our bikes. He put on the back of his and made it with out any mishaps. I carried the tools he purchased. We finally ran out of places to ride so had a pizza delivered to the boat and spent another (free) quiet night. Getting ready to head west/north on the Erie canal.

Sept 24 2010 Friday

Isn't she cute! Frizz was laying on the back of the flybridge just watching the world go by. You can see in the first pic how the free docks are laid out. Really nice area. Mike and Laura left around 7:00 this morning. They are driving our car back to Richmond. Jeff and I walked to the grocery for a few supplies. While Jeff took a nap, I took a walk and took some pics of the lock. We ate on board. We went out the night before and had left overs to get rid of. Jeff and Mike went to NAPA looking for a sending unit for the boat the other day and Jeff was kind enough to leave some red paint on the bridge guard rail by the lock from his vehicle so they have something to remember us by. He was busy looking at the canal instead of where he was driving!

Sept 23 2010 Thursday

See this big ship. It sailed right by us when we were still tied up at the marina. It was very close but put out very little wake. Other picture is of a lighthouse close to the marina. We took a walk into town and had breakfast. Fueled up at Castleton Boat Club (315.00) and sailed on north up the Hudson. Temps today were in the low 70's but tonight it is suppose to be close to 49. Went through the Troy lock which is the end of the 150 miles of the Hudson River. When you lock through you can go right up the Champlain River or left to the Erie Canal. We went to Waterford, NY.. Erie Canal. Free dock and electric. Annie Lee is setting to the right of lock #2 which is the first lock onto the Erie Canal.

Sept 22, 2010 Wednesday

We left Stony Point Marina at 6:45 a.m. Get a good look at this pic because I don't get to many sun rises. We are heading north, up the Hudson. Weather is warm when you stop but cool when under way. We made it to Catskills. Took a walk through town. They have cat statues all over that people have decorated. They auction them off for up to $7000.00. We had supper and then headed up to Hudson Yacht Club. $1.00 a foot.

Sept 21, 2010 Tuesday

We took Mike and Laura up to New York City by water this time. Pic #2 is a lighthouse on the way there and pic #1 is a train that passed us as we were heading to Hells Gate. I saw this stretch of water the day we drove to the city and about peed my pants when they said we were bringing the boat up to it. The boats out there looked like they were on a roller coaster. We had to go on the Harlem River to get there. Jeff planned it so were were going with the tide so it was a fairly smooth ride. We took then around Miss Liberty and Ellis Island. In other words, we turned left at the Washington Bridge off the Hudson River and looped Manhattan Island by doing this. Got back to the marina just as the sun was setting.

Sept 20, 2010 Monday

Today Mike and Laura took our car to Waterford, NY where they will get off the boat at the end of the week. They rented a car to drive back to Stony Point. Jeff washed the outside of the boat. I cleaned the inside and got things put up and ready to move tomorrow. Weather is really nice today. This is a picture of a subway express car. Really! It was all painted up like a little house. The other car looked like a brick house. We were surprised at how clean the cars are in the subway. The subway itself is hot a dingy.

Sept 19, 2010 Sunday

We got in the car and drove to NY city. Parked in a garage for $30.00 for the day. First on the list was brunch. We found a little deli with very good food. We started in the Empire State building. This is a pic of the Hudson River from there. We then headed to the subway to go down to Pier 17. From there we walked to China town and had supper. Then to Little Italy and back to the subway. The ride home was entertaining. The driver (initials JC) took a wrong turn out of the garage and then we (the girls) talked him into turning left after he was in a left turn only lane which took us to the tunnel and by dark we ended up in Queens. Mike added his two cents by telling Jeff to stay in a lane that took us back on the interstate. We all had a hand in getting lost! We finally made it back to the marina. We had the GPS but she was as confused as we were.

Sept 18, 2010 Saturday

Here is a pic of the four of us at Green Turtle Bay last year. Today the girls went to the grocery while the guys did .... not sure what they did but they stayed at the boat getting things settled. We developed a slow air leak in our dingy earlier in the trip that we can not find so we have decided to pack it up and put it in the car to take back. We think that the water beating it seperated a seam some where. We had supper at the marina club house. Really good meal. Frizz is happy Uncle Mike and Aunt Laura are on board. She has two other people to play with her. Weather is warm but not to hot. Fall is in the air. We saw some trees changing colors on the ride here.

Sept 17, 2010 Friday

We made it back to Stony Point around 11:30 p.m. This time, Mike & Laura Lytle will spend about a week on board with us. We ran into three traffic jams in a row. Make for a very long day. The hi point was when the GPS told me to turn right and that our destination was 200 ft...we have arrived at our destination.....where? We were in the middle of a block of houses. Where was the marina????? We were in a bad part of town and remember that it is Friday night. Captain put the right address in the GPS and the wrong town! We had a good laugh. He set it for Haverstraw which is about 5 miles from our boat. Thought you'd like to see a picture we took in New York on our last trip. A pub in and old chapel.

Sept 5, 2010 Hurricane update

Hurricane Earl....We talked about this storm and decided that Jeff should get the boat moved up the Hudson River just in case. A few calls and on Tuesday 9-2-10, Jeff, Norm Carpenter and Jim Fletcher headed for Jersey City around 2:30 in the afternoon. They arrived at boat around 2:00 on Wednesday morning. After a few hours sleep and only a refund of $700.00 on our slip, the guys toured the harbor and then Captains Jeff and Norm headed up stream while Jim drove the car to the marina Jeff had found. Annie Lee III is now setting in Stony Point, NJ safe from strong winds and rain. That is about 30-35 miles up stream from New York City. Better to be safe than wish we had moved her.

Aug 27, 2010 Friday

We left the boat around 9:00 this morning. We have a vehicle full of stuff we are taking home. We stopped in Columbus Ohio where Heather lives and celebrated her birthday. Took her a New York Cheese cake. Just wanted to share a photo of our 23 year old baby girl and her baby, Tucker. We will be back on board in three weeks.

Aug 26, 2010 Thursday

Happy Birthday Heather! Today Jeff flew back to Hampton, VA to pick up the car. He should be back at the boat around 1:00 a.m.

I got things ready to leave the boat. We will be off for three weeks. I am ready to go home. My brother had a heart attach on Wednesday. He didn't get my memo that nothing can happen while I am gone. He is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. We should be home tomorrow night. We have been gone for five weeks now. First picture, if you have ever been in NY, you know that every one honks. I saw this in China Town. No one was honking. The next pic is also in China Town. I guess the main entrance is around the building but if you look at this really quick, it looks like entrance is right here. Bars on the window? We thought it was funny.

Aug 25, 2010 Wednesday

We went into the city again. Today we went to ground zero where they are building the new Freedom Tower. We visited the museum there. A tear or two is hard not to shed. This is someplace I think everyone should visit. It really makes you more in touch with what happened that day. We then ventured down to Times Square. I don't think the Captain was impressed with this. We stopped at Bubba Gumps and he had a beer ($8.50) and rested his feet. There is a lot to see here if you have never been. It's a fun area of NY. Sorry, no ships or boats. We were going to go up into the Empire State Building but the clouds were to bad up there so we will go when we get back next month. We walked through Macy's. Fastest I've walked through any store.

Aug 24, 2010 Tuesday

Today we went back into town and started in the business district. Jeff wanted to see where all of our money has been lost! ?Then we walked to Pier 17 and looked at some old ships. No, not Navy ships,,YEAH. Then on to China Town, Little Italy, SoHo, NoHo, and finally Greenwich Village. I walked his butt off! When we were on Wall Street, there were SWAT there. They are there everyday of the week. Little China was interesting to see. The shops kind of remind you of someplace like Mexico. Shop after shop after shop. There wasn't much to Little Italy. Just afew restaurants. All we saw was about three blocks. I know Captain would rather be on the water instead of walking. He is being a good sport.

Aug 23, 2010 Monday

Guess what...yep! It rained again today. We stayed on board and got caught up on things around the boat. Since I am playing catch up on our blog, I thought I'd give you a pre-view of a few things we will be seeing tomorrow. These manikins line the streets. We found that rush hour starts around five in the morning until about eight. So, Frizz has another closet time. Still worth it. Captain Jeff has been having a blast with his charts and planning. I will say that he has done a great job getting us here and keeping us in as good of waters as possible. Just don't tell him I told you. No really, I am very proud of him and I know that this trip will be something he will talk about forever.

Aug 22, 2010 Sunday

See what you get for 1700.00. What a view! This is from our marina and I can set in the pilot house and see all of this. It rained again today but we decided to venture into the city anyway. We took the PATH (train) into NY and caught the subway. Boy are they a lesson. We got on the wrong one, going wrong direction. Got off and had to walk blocks to find the right one. Got to where we wanted to get off to go the the New York Museum and we must have looked lost standing there in the rain , very wet with a map because some very nice gentleman stopped and asked us if we needed directions. Museum was okay but I would not suggest it to any one unless you really are bored. Made it back to the marina without getting lost thanks to another person who got us on the right train back. So far, NY people are really nice.

Aug 21, 2010 Saturday

We moved on and Captain finally found a place that really made the first mate happy. We are in Jersey City right across from New York City. Right where I dreamed of being. Of course, it didn't come cheap. $1700.00 for a month plus electric. You only get to do this the right way once! Okay, so he is spoiling the first mate a little. The first pic is the sight you see just coming into the New York harbor. Of course everyone knows our Lady Liberty and you can't forget the sky line. You get a funny feeling in your stomach when you first see her and the sky line. My first thought was this was the view of all those poor people on the 9-11 planes. Then there was Ellis Island. It is now just a money/tourist trap for the city. Didn't look like you got to walk the whole island. Yes, it was over cast but I have yet to be in NY when it wasn't. We are staying at IGY marina and club. Michael Anthony's Italian restaurant is on the grounds. We walked to the grocery and got a few supplies. Around rush hour, 4-6, we get rocked by all the ferry's and water taxis. Frizz hides in the closet during this time but the rest of the day is wonderful compared to the rocking (with out a view) down at Sandy Hook.

Aug 20, 2010 Friday

Pull anchor around 7:30 and left ICW for the last time to the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. First pic is what we saw as we headed to open water. Weather was great. This was the first day I have laid out in the sun for a long time. Felt good. Smooth waters all the way. We saw the NY skyline around 1:00 and the captain played "New York, New York" over the I-pod as loud as he could. Kind of cute. We headed to Sandy Hook Bay to a marine he had made planes to be at for $400.00 for a month. After we got there, we found out why it was so cheap. The boat never stopped rocking. Not good for Frizz or me. We stayed long enough to re- group our thoughts and headed back out to find a different marina. The New York host for lopper's helped us find a yacht club for the night. We stayed at the SRYC for free that night. They invited us to dinner at the club house and introduced us to everyone after they lowered the colors for the night and sang God Bless America. Not the RSYC. They had a really nice club house, dinning room and bar. I about choked when they asked if we had problems with our food staff. Really nice people. We are making phone calls to marinas to find some place to leave the boat when we head home next week. I want to be closer to NY city but the captain is having a problem with the money end of it. Second pic is what the homes looked like across from the yacht club. This is one of the smaller ones.

Aug 19 2010 Thursday

We decided to leave Atlantic City and head on north. First we went by the Trump Marina where you can get a slip for 10.00 a foot plus electric. We paid $45.00 for our slip with electric. We just wanted to see what it looked like. It had everything there. We left around 10:00 and arrived at Island Heights NJ and dropped a hook in a cove in front of a boat club. The town no longer has free dock for boaters. Trying to stay ahead of bad weather because tomorrow we need to run on the outside. Inter coastal ends so to get to New York City, we need to run in the Atlantic for part of the day.

Aug 18. 2010 Wednesday

Rained all of last night. Same forecast for the day. Pulled anchor around 9:15, called the bridge and got through. Headed north to Atlantic City, NJ. Arrived around 10:30 and got slip at the Aquarium. Took a "Jetney" to the boardwalk. We each spent 10.00 at the slots. Captain won 1.00 and I lost 4.77...yes, we were playing the 1 cent slots!

Walked the whole boardwalk in the rain. Sorry, no pics. My cameras don't do rain. Here is a pic of the water tower and the wind mills you see as you get close to the city. After Captain made the bus driver run a stop light because he was talking to him on the way to the boardwalk, he wasn't allowed to talk to anyone on the way back to the boat. We had supper at a little bar there by the boat. Very wet day. Lots of people in the casinos loosing money. Nothing else to do on a rainy day. Had a drink at a bar and I set next to a lady from Cape May. We talked awhile and she said was there with a bunch of women. Her husband died sooner than she wanted. Jeff and I both got a chuckle from that.

Aug 17, 2010 Tuesday

So many pics to share. We left Cape May after fueling (539.00) and headed up the Delaware. Captain had to clean the fuel filters. We have found that you can clean once or twice before replacing them. At 24.00 a pop, we are getting a few dollars tied up in filters. The Delaware River is like a snake winding through the marsh and has houses of all kinds dotting both sides. Pic #3 shows how close they are to the waters edge. They are on stilts. We found the local bird out if in force today. It is the green headed fly. These cannibals come out in July thru Sept. How lucky are we? They bite the crap out of you. For every one we killed, four more showed up. We were headed into a storm as you can see in pic #2 so we dropped anchor in the town of Margot, NJ. It got pretty bad. The tornado sirens went off but the captain let me know that it was no big deal. Men!!! Last pic is of the sunset after the storm. We were stuck there because the power was knocked out and the bridge could not open to let us through.

Aug 16, 2010 Mionday

We got our bikes out again today. We rode down to the Cape May Light house and to Sunset Beach which is the end of route 9 (I think). We than rode back to town to the beach but didn't go out on it because you have to pay to go on the sand. Really! The second pic is of another B&B right across from the beach. They like color! Again we peddled away the miles. Picked up a few supplies for the week. We had supper at the "Lucky Bone" and then walked down to the Lobster House Restaurant. I think there were at least one hundred people there and the line waiting to get a table was long. They were also a fresh fish market. We walked through and I think they had every kind of fish and sea creature you would want to eat there. Really a big operation. Got our bikes put away and getting things ready to pull out tomorrow. Slip was $67.50 per night. Not bad plus this included electric and water.

Aug 15, 2010 Sunday

We moved into our slip at Miss Chris Marina. around 8:00. Cape May, NJ is a well kept secret. It is a great little town. The first pic is a B&B in town. The other is three Osprey in one of the many nest they have set up as you enter the channel to the marina. We rode our bikes all day around this great town. It dates way back as a resort town. There were more old big homes than I could count. One was an old church that had been converted to three apartments. We probably rode 10 miles today. In the evening, we loaded all of our laundry on our bikes and rode to the laundry mat. Loaded four machines and went next door for a pizza. At $2.50 a load for wash and dry, I am starting to appreciate my own washing machines. It had been awhile since I could get laundry done. Not to mention that fact that again a lot of my clothes got wet in the bottom of the closet because sea water had come in at some time and we did not find it. Nothing like wet jeans, shorts and sweats. If you ever get chance to visit Cape May, do so. It is a very interesting town and a well kept secret.

Aug 14, 2010 Saturday

We left Chesapeake City around 7:40. It was a beautiful day with light winds. We did 14 miles of the C & D canal to the Delaware Bay. Stopped at Hancock Harbor on the Cohansey River to change fuel filters (again). Waited on the tide to change so we were not fighting it as bad before we headed back on the bay. We arrived at Cape May and dropped a hook just outside the town at 7:10pm. This is a pic from out boat that night of the sunset. We had lots of other boats around us as well as three big coast guard ships. Their training station is here. They (coast guards) played taps around 10:00 and the Star Spangled Banner when they took the colors down that night. I sure hope they don't have a drill or emergency in the middle of the night.

August 13, 2010 Friday

Captain walked Heathre back to the light rail at 4:45 this morning. She finally got out of Baltimore around 10:00. We headed out to Chesapeake City, MD. Weather turned a little overcast after we left. Water were a little rough. 1-3 ft waves and our port engine died (again). Captain needs to change the fuel filter again. Funny, ask me and I'm not afraid to say the waters were rough and ask Captain and he must be on some other boat because he says they were fine. He is getting high on the challenge of the waters. He loves it! We walked around the little town. Not much there to see. A few antique shops and a really nice marina that we stayed by. We were at the free city dock for the night. Fifteen dollars for electric and water. He says it's still free. Again, depends on who you ask.