#2: Kingston, NY

Docked in Kingston, NY

We've been here for two days enjoying this town which was the capital of New York during the Revolutionary War. It was surprising to learn that a canal pre-dating the Erie Canal was built between Kingston and Honesdale, PA; 108 miles long with 107 locks and 22 aqueducts. This made it an important transportation and commercial center. It closed in 1904 and we suppose Kingston fell on hard times.

Today, many boaters use it as the stopping point between NYC and Albany. The town has done a nice job making it attractive, with parks, museums, shops and restaurants.
 




We decided to stop here particularly to see something we are passionate about: the John J. Harvey, a restored NYC fireboat. She is spending the week here docked at the Hudson River Maritime Center Museum. 

 

School kids are treated to rides on the river, complete with water pumping fanfare. Restoration was just beginning when the Harvey was pressed into service on 9/11, pumping water for 80 hours until water to hydrants was restored. She was honored with the 2001 ship of the year award by the Steamship Historical Society of America. We knew about her from a book, My River Chronicles: Rediscovering the Work that Built America, by Jessica DuLong. It's a great read.

You can learn more about the wonderful efforts at www.fireboat.org

Our journey to Kingston revealed an unexpected beauty on this historic waterway. Above Haverstraw Bay, the widest part at 3 miles across, the Hudson Highlands cut through the backbone of the Appalachian Mountains. It felt like entering another world as we passed under the majestic Bear Mountain Bridge.

 The view of the West Point complex, stretching a mile along the shore, was awesome. During the Revolutionary War, a dogleg turn in the river and high hills made this an ideal place for cannons to prevent the British from sailing upstream. A chain was also stretched across for further impedance. These strategies apparently work well.

The Highlands end just beyond West Point, at a spot called “World's End”, the river's deepest section. 

Things open up again into Newburgh Bay. 

We passed the ruins of Bannerman Castle, built by an enterprising Scotsman who bought up military surplus from the Civil and Spanish American Wars. When New York City no longer welcomed his munitions warehouses, Bannerman built one on Pollepel Island, resembling a medieval castle. And guess what? Mother nature didn't take kindly to the idea either, using her lightning weaponry to ignite fires and explosions until it was all gone fifty years ago.

The weather this week has been cool and wet. But who could have predicted that we'd encounter boating conditions on the Hudson River similar to Penobscot Bay!

 

  

And lighthouses are not just seen along coastlines. The Esopus Meadows and Kingston Lighthouses are enjoying preservation efforts. Every mile of the trip delights.

During the day, tug friends Dave and Vicki Howell texted, wondering where we were heading. They were en route to Boston, with a loose schedule, so we invited them to come to Kingston ...and they did! These Air Force retirees have just returned from a two-month cruise exploring the Exumas on their LNVT “Nellie D”, with Dave's brother and co-owner. Nellie D was their grandmother.

We spent the evening talking about our tugs and the owners' association, of which Dave is president. It would be inaccurate to say that Vicki is just Dave's wife. She is extremely active and knowledgeable as well. We have dubbed her “co-president”. With these two at the helm, our organization couldn't be in better hands.

Check out the website www.lnvt.org

Whenever we spy another of our tugs, we turn into blithering idiots whose sole mission in life is inspection for purposes of tug comparision. Since Dave and Vicki hadn't seen our tug, the evening was spent talking about dead chickens. (Just checking to see if you're reading this.)

We share passions for our fleet, welcoming new owners and bemoaning tugs which have fallen off the radar. One tug, “Bodacious,” fell into this category. We consulted the captain's list and discovered an address near Kingston. Whoa Nellie! Dave called the listed owner and reached an answering machine at a boatyard just down the dock. Whoa Nellie! The next morning we set off, walking no more than 500 yards, and found her, sitting on poppits, tightly shrinkwrapped. Friendly boatyard guys said the owner had died and his wife was pondering next steps. Funny thing.The previous owner suffered the same fate. We suspect poor Bodacious hasn't splashed in almost a decade.

After solving the mystery we retired to a fabulous surplus store and spent an hour … well, you can guess. Pictures are worth a thousand words.

 

We spent the afternoon taking a tour of the fireboat, mostly in the engine room. Time flew and the Howells stayed another night. They left early in the morning. We hung around for most of the morning and then headed upriver for more adventure.

The trip so far: Personal Reflections

• It's all about meeting people. The best times are those spent with others.
• It's nice not to have to secure everything in anticipation of the high seas
• Since starting up the Hudson, we've seen more commercial vessels, i.e. tugs and barges, than pleasure boats. The solitude is delightful. And no lobster pots to dodge!

• We didn't expect the Hudson to be so spectacular.
• Food supplies are not as critical because we take what's good at local grocers and eateries
• Our daily trips are much shorter - maybe 40 miles per day.
• Local marinas are grateful for the business. Many are recovering from Hurricane Irene.