Montrose, NY to Kingston, NY
We waited for the tide to rise a bit before leaving Courtlandt Yacht Club, as the water in the marina was shallow at low tide. A friendly member of the yacht club suggested we cross the Hudson River to fuel up at Panco Marine who offered a 10-cent-per-gallon discount for BoatUS and C-Tow members. Always on the lookout for a good deal on fuel, we decided to wait for the tide and then fill-up, which delayed our departure until 10:00 AM.
Our scenic route took us past the historic United States Military Academy at West Point. During the American Revolution, both sides recognized the strategic importance of West Point for controlling the river's shipping routes. The S-curve in the river, which forms the "west point," made it a prime location. General George Washington had fortifications built there in 1779, later known as Fort Clinton,
though they didn’t even purchase the land until 1790! In 1802, under President Thomas Jefferson, the United States Military Academy was established and it is still thriving today, making it the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. From the river, West Point looked every bit the imposing fortress, with the blend of old and new buildings that make up the campus and military post.
As we continued along the river, we were treated to dramatic cliff faces, mountains, charming towns, sprawling mansions, marinas, trains winding around the shoreline, and lighthouses, each with its own unique character. A particularly interesting sight was the ruins of Bannerman Castle, perched on Pollepel Island (commonly called Bannerman Island). Frank Bannerman, originally descended from Scotland, built this faux
Scottish castle in the early 1900s. After the Civil War, Bannerman purchased surplus stock at government auctions, and later he collected arms from the Spanish American War. The structure and its surrounding grounds were a secure storage site for his collection of arms, and the remnants of the castle still stand as an eerie symbol of that history.
We reached Rondout Yacht Basin in Kingston, New York, before 3:00 PM. The inside of the marina was a bit tight, and Cam had to skilfully spin the boat to dock us, with our bow jutting out a bit. It was a double corner well, with just enough room for us, and it would certainly not accommodate a second boat with us there. Next door, a quirky bar featured a funky sculpture of monkeys stacked on top of one another—unfortunately closed.
After settling in, Cam tackled the usual chore of cleaning the boat's exterior while Heather cleaned the interior. Then it was time for dinner, and we called it an early night.
We began the day on Tuesday with a light breakfast, then took the dinghy into town for a special treat—fresh, homemade donuts from the Half Moon Espresso Bar. The smell in the café was heavenly, and we couldn’t resist ordering 3 powdered sugar and 3 cinnamon sugar donuts, made fresh while we waited. The warm, sweet aroma was so tempting that it was hard to wait until we got back to our boat. Then, despite our best intentions, we devoured three donuts each! They were delicious, but, as we realized later, maybe a bit too much!
The rest of the day was spent catching up on chores—laundry, cleaning, and general boat maintenance. Just as we finished up, the boats Caribbean Dream and JEMA arrived, followed by the marina owner who generously offered us his large truck to borrow. Cam drove the large pickup truck and Heather, Kathie, and Elaine joined him on the trip to Walmart for groceries and engine oil. We got back just in time for a refreshing swim before the pool closed. That evening, we all dinghied over to Ole Savannah’s for a lovely dinner out.
The next morning, Heather and Kathie took a dinghy trip into town to check out the shops, but most of them didn’t open until noon or were closed during the week. Kathie managed to grab a few donuts to bring back for her and Ken—though, wisely, she exercised more restraint than we had the day before!
Meanwhile, Cam worked on the boat, varnishing the teak and helping Jim on JEMA with his bow thruster. Afterwards, Heather and Kathie took a long walk through the hilly town of Connelly where the marina is located, which sits across the river from Kingston. The town has an interesting history—it was once slated to be annexed by Kingston, but the residents fought to remain independent. To ensure their status, they had to meet some requirements, like maintaining their own fire station with a full-time firefighter, and a working siren with a sound level of at least 85 decibels. The town’s siren? An old air-raid siren that, when tested every day at noon, rings out at an ear-shattering 140 decibels!
In the afternoon, we pulled our boat to the other side of the slip to pump out the waste tank. Then we went for a dinghy explore, heading west under the railway bridge to investigate what looked like a castle in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an old schoolhouse from 1870—complete with a weather vane in the shape of a bird in flight. It had once been the office of the Fitch Brothers Bluestone Company, but is now a private residence.
We wrapped up the day with a swim at the marina pool with Jim and Elaine and then gathered at Ken and Kathie’s boat for docktails.
Connelly to New Baltimore, NY
We departed from Rondout Yacht Basin at 8 AM, leading a flotilla of four boats—Caribbean Dream, JEMA, PharmLife, and us. As we exited the creek, Cam executed a 360-degree turn to allow Heather to snap photos of the iconic Rondout Lighthouse. He knows she loves her lighthouses and the lighthouses along the Hudson are uniquely beautiful, each one with its own story to tell. The Rondout Lighthouse was the third lighthouse built at the entrance to the Rondout Creek and this one was built in 1915. We made our way up the river, a scenic and calm stretch of water, as we picked up more boats along the way turning into a total of nine boats.
As we were cruising, Ken from Caribbean Dream radioed ahead to warn us of a fast-approaching boat that had been waking all the boats behind us. Heather radioed the boat and requested a slow pass. The boater, somewhat defensively, agreed—"If you slow down, I’ll slow down"—and we avoided being waked. Heather was especially grateful, as she had a cake baking in the oven and didn’t want to deal with a rocky ride. Usually it is the boat in the rear doing the passing that hails the vessel ahead before passing, but clearly this captain was not doing that. Once we docked at Donovan’s Shady Harbor, several other boaters complimented Heather on her cool-headed radio call.
It was a hot day, so we quickly took care of our chores before hitting the pool for some relaxation. That evening, JEMA and Caribbean Dream joined us for drinks on our boat before we all headed to the Boathouse for Kathie’s birthday dinner. The food was good, though the service was slow, but the evening ended on a high note when Ken ordered a round of "little beers"—a smooth shooter with liqueur at the bottom and a thick layer of cream on top. We finished the evening on our boat with a "wakey" flourless chocolate birthday cake.
The forecast called for rain, but it didn’t arrive until the evening. We started the day with a long walk through town before breakfast. After some boat work—Cam tackled a repair on the toilet seal (yuck!)—we joined other boaters for a "docktails" meet-up at the marina. Diane from Journey gave us a couple of cards: one for her boat and one for her book, Waiting on a Part. What a great title! Heather couldn’t resist purchasing a signed copy. It’s always fun to read books about places we’re travelling through, whether fiction or non-fiction.
Later that day, the rain arrived, and it stayed well into the next day so we hunkered down inside for chores, video editing, and blogging. Then half the power went out to the marina. With no power to the pumps, the water was out too. The issue was resolved in a few hours. By 1:00 PM, we headed into town to do some shopping—stopping at Shop and Save, CVS, and the Friendship Beverage Store, where we provisioned well for our journey ahead on the Erie Canal. Cam even managed to get a haircut.
That night we went to the patio for a rib BBQ put on by Mike from the boat Pickette’s Pub. He had slow cooked nine racks of ribs on their boat and everyone brought something to share. The ribs were absolutely mouthwatering! The crews of Journey, Caribbean Dream, JEMA, Hazel K, PharmLife, Wine Speed, and Sea Clef were there along with the marina owners. It was a fun evening!
We would be shocked to learn that just a week after we left, a microburst from a storm hit the marina, severely damaging the fuel dock and parts of the north and south docks. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and damage to the vessels was minimal, but it was a stark reminder of how quickly things can change.
Click on the photos below to view the images in slideshow mode. You can also watch our videos on the area including The Best Donuts on the Loop and A Stay on the Hudson at Donovan's. Next up, we start the Erie Canal with the Flight of Five.
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