Sunday morning we left Catskill NY and made our way up the Hudson River. In the town of Troy we passed through our first lock of the trip. Once through the lock we turned off the Hudson onto the Mohawk River to the town of Waterford. Waterford has an excellent free city dock and the …
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The Erie Canal is Open
The Erie Canal wasn’t supposed to open until August 7th. Sue and I took an Amtrak train to Chicago for a two week visit while we waited for the canal to open. We made it back to the boat Wednesday afternoon. Thursday afternoon, we get an email from the canal authority that locks 16-20 will …
Erie Canal Opening
There are three routes connecting the Great Lakes to the oceans: the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Illinois River to the Tenn-Tom water way, and the Erie Canal. Any of the three are great for going to the ocean. This year, the Erie Canal is the only practical way back. The St Lawerence Seaway, which is …
Croton-on-Hudson
We left Sandy Hook and headed up the Hudson River towards Half Moon Bay Marina in Croton-on-Hudson. This is the same place we stayed at last year when we visited our friend John. We woke at first light so we could catch the flood tide. I was nervous to do the Hudson River again and …
Return to New York
After leaving Norfolk, we decided to skip the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays and sail nonstop to Sandy Hook NJ. If we hugged the shoreline, it would be easy to duck in somewhere should the weather become rough. The first day out we had nice winds and were able to sail. That evening, the winds died …
Norfolk
After leaving the town of Great Bridge we made our way north on the Elizabeth River. I was surprised by how little boat traffic there was compared to last fall when we made the trip south. I’m glad because this trip was more relaxing and I could enjoy the sightseeing along the way. Last fall, …
Birthday dinner in Coinjock
After we left Belhaven we continued north on the Pungo River to the canal that connects the Pungo to the Alligator River. We continued north in the Alligator until we reached the Alligator Swing Bridge which is just south of the Albemarle Sound. It was near the end of the day so we found a …
Belhaven NC
We spent an extra day at Cape Lookout due to weather. Initially, it looked like we were going to have to spend close to a week waiting for the winds to die down so we could make the 10 mile trek from Cape Lookout to the Beaufort inlet. This trip is out in the ocean …
Cape Lookout
After we left Beaufort we made the 10 mile trip across open ocean to the Cape Lookout Bight. It’s an anchorage inside the Cape Lookout National Seashore park. We use ActiveCaptain, which is the Yelp for boaters, to find marinas and anchorages. Several reviews on ActiveCaptain described this as the best anchorage in the US. …
More Beaufort
Sue and I enjoyed our week in Beaufort. We stayed at Town Creek marina, just on the edge of town. The more popular marina is Beaufort Docks which is in the heart of downtown and the center of the show, but we prefer to go to the show instead of being the show. Besides, we …
Beaufort NC
We had a nice sail from Palm Beach, Florida to Beaufort, North Carolina. It was a 550 nautical mile trip that took 79 hours, with an average speed of 6.9 knots. If you followed us on the map you may have noticed we didn’t sail a straight line, instead we made an S. The reason …
Time to head north
For the last month, Sue and I have been enjoying our time in the Palm Beach area, but our month is up and it’s time to start heading north. The first tropical storm of the season has already passed us, so we need to get north before more and bigger storms come. Our plan is …
Back in the USA
We had a wonderful sail from Rock Sound to Palm Beach Florida. It was 250 nautical miles and we did it in less than 48 hours. Conditions were great and we were able to sail 75% of it. There was a period of no wind between the Berry Islands and Bimini where we motored. Other …
Time to head home
We wanted to stay in The Bahamas until mid May, hoping conditions in the US would improve by then. On April 14th, The Bahamian government published its Protocols for Foreign Boats Moored in Bahamian Waters. Further restrictions have been placed on us and at this time, we believe we’re better off in the US. Plus, …
April 11th Update
Last Thursday started a 5 day complete shutdown in the Bahamas. Only hospitals, police, and utilities are allowed to operate. We’re not allowed ashore unless there is a medical emergency. We’re also not allowed to move the boat unless it’s to go home. The other day, Sue was out paddle boarding and went near a …
Kurt & Sue Sail 