#1: The Story So Far

Monday, May 24, 2012

This summer our Lord Nelson Victory Tug, Sally W, will take us up into Canada, following a popular route called “The Mini Loop”; roughly 1,100 miles, starting and ending in New York City.

• North, from New York City, up the Hudson River to Waterford, NY – 1 lock
• West, across the Erie Canal, to Three Rivers, about 2/3 of the way to Buffalo – 23 locks
• North, a quick hop up the Oswego Canal, to Oswego, NY – 8 locks
• NE, crossing Lake Ontario to the Thousand Islands
• Continuing to Kingston, Ontario
• Follow the Rideau Canal from Kingston to Ottawa – 44 locks
• NE on the Ottawa River to Montreal – 2 locks
• East, on the St. Lawrence River to Sorel, Quebec
• South, on the Richelieu Canal to Lake Champlain - - 10 locks
• South on the Champlain Canal – 11 locks
• South on the Hudson River to New York City – 1 lock

We have allowed three months to make the trip. Around September 1, when we return to NYC, our hearts and mother nature's hurricane whims will determine whether we turn northeast to return to New England, or head south to Church Creek, MD for the annual East Coast LNVT Rendez-vous on September 21-23. And yes, that would mean working our way back up the coast even later in the season.

Our tug spent last winter at Midway Marina (Damar Marine) in Haddam, CT. On May 15, she was moved from the shed to the Connecticut River.

 






She sat at the dock for two weeks, in front of a popular local restaurant, The Blue Oar.

During that time we attended a Land Rover reunion, celebrated our birthdays, cleaned out the fridge, and said goodbyes. Unfortunately, we DIDN'T SPEND ENOUGH TIME checking out the boat's systems, particularly the new ones: Vaccu Flush toilet, DuoCharge battery combine, and refrigeration.

We also didn't spend enough time learning how to blog. On Tuesday morning, May 29, as we were closing up the house and loading the car, both Pedr and Poppet gave us yet another tutorial. Got it! But until now, we've not found a working WiFi.

We celebrated Allan's birthday on the boat that night. The next morning, Wednesday, May 30, the Vaccu Flush tech came to troubleshoot the system's unnecessary pumping, supposedly due to a mysterious leak. Actually, he couldn't find a leak. But reassured us, “They all leak.” He consoled us with the story of an Italian immigrant friend, whose family started with nothing, and built a thriving business. Through decades of the usual economic ups and downs he persevered, using this motto: “Justa keepa go.” And so, we adopted this credo as we freed the lines and headed for adventure, replete with unsolved mysteries.

We headed down the Connecticut and turned west into Long Island Sound, with plans to stop at the Branford Yacht Club to see long-time family friends, Walt and Peggy Bacon. Three hours out, Allan noticed that the DuoCharge wasn't working; the starting and bow thruster batteries were not getting charged. Phone calls to Damar, Balmar, and the Bacons. We decided to continue and lined up a mechanic in Branford to investigate the next morning.

When you are with the Bacons it is always great fun. They've always owned a boat for their 67 years of marriage, including ten years as owners of a tug like ours. Walt is our mentor, protector, and reality checker. He is a first class mariner, ingenious beyond words. He gratefully handed off his stack of LNVT papers, full of ideas, inventions and cruising articles. Peggy is the perfect companion, funny and fun, ready to go with the flow. She doesn't take life or Walt too seriously. Their kids are primo, and it was fun catching up. We dined at a local seafood eatery, and were the loudest table in the joint.

The next morning, Thursday, May 31, we motored a mile upriver to Dutch Wharf, passing by a mama osprey catching a fish for her brood waiting in the nest for breakfast. 

The good guys at Dutch Wharf decided that a loose serpentine belt was most likely preventing the batteries from charging. We sat tied to the dock, admiring how people personalized their boats. (See below)

It was the only truly sunny day so far, and we waited patiently for a new belt to be delivered. Naturally, it arrived after quitting time, so we installed it ourselves. Not an easy feat; hammer, wrench, screwdrivers. There's a reason for the name “serpentine.” Unfortunately, that failed to solve the problem. With the engine running, Allan checked fault codes in the engine room and NOTICED SPARKING. Long story short, the installer had failed to make a tight connection. Bingo, problem solved and we walked up the street to celebrate with a dinner of fine local fare.

 

Many of you may not know that pizza was invented in the US, in New Haven, CT, which is in close proximity to Branford. Since Sally grew up in that area, she is a pizza snob, and will tell you that the correct word is “apizza”. Needless to say, the little neighborhood restaurant served a perfect rendition. We found it a nice reward for a day of patience and success.

Friday, June 1

During the night, Allan, in his inimitable way, decided that the DuoCharge problem was not completely solved. After breakfast, he checked the schematic and discovered it was not grounded, etc! He made the fixes, and we left the dock at 8 am. (He still thinks it needs a wire running directly from ... oh, never mind!) Under overcast skies, we headed to Flushing, NY. During the next three hours, skies thickened, and wind and wave heights increased. By late morning, we gave up and headed into Bridgeport, CT to wait out the storm for the rest of the day. The Bridgeport waterfront provided yet another amusing visual experience.

 



At Happy Hour the strains of steel drums lured us to the dock's watering hole. The steel drum band was a one-man affair enhanced by a synthesizer. 

 Typical Friday night with the locals. Sally was the only one present wearing a wedding ring. 

We turned in to the sounds of the wind, pelting rain, and faithful little Vaccu Flush pump. 







Saturday, June 2

The rain ended during the night and we decided to make a run for New York, trying to reach the infamous Hell Gate on the East River by 3 PM, when the tide changed and the current would start to go against us.














By the time we reached the Whitestone Bridge, it was a almost sunny, and a real thrill to pass under such an awesome structure. Allan reminded me that tug captains get paid extra for towing under bridges.

We reached Hell Gate just after three and the current started to turn against us. Allan upped the RPMs to 2000 as we passed a tug pushing three barges of sand (?!) upriver.








If we were going with the current, we would be enjoying a nice push, upping our normal speed from 7 knots to 9-10.

But with the help of the extra 200 RPMs we still made forward progress at 6 knots.

The last two bridges going south.

Obviously the issues of the past few days have retreated.





What a ride - and a privilege.

Rounding the tip at the Battery and entering the Hudson River on Manhattan's west side, we thought of the differences between this cruise ship and our little tug; and the people aboard.

Our destination, and one of our favorite spots: Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City








Why do we like it? The view is so different from our cornfield in Vermont and the rocky coast of Maine. It puts it all in perspective.

There are mariners here from around the world and everyone is friendly and engaging.


We ended the day with a visit from longtime friends Sandy and John Bulcroft, who live relatively nearby. It was good to catch up, amidst the commotion from hoards attending a polo match in Liberty Park, and a bunch of sailors on nine boats doing a 'round the world race.

Sunday, June 3: HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLARA SEYMOUR

More friends! We spend the morning with Glen Davis and his wife Merrill. Boaters always appreciate rides. We go to breakfast, and pick up some supplies. They show us their new digs overlooking the Manhattan skyline. We catch up, share jokes, and then say goodbye. Today we stay put, doing wash and getting acquainted with the neighboring boaters. The rainy hiatus is over for now.

 Monday, June 4: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDY WILLIAMS and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO KATE AND JUSTIN LAMPROPOULOS

We plan to head up the Hudson. Up early and over to the fuel dock. A captain from one of the idle ferry boats chases us down. "This is the most beautiful boat I've ever seen," he says. My my. We give him a tour, show him the LNVT website, and the list of our tugs for sale. This is not the first time on this trip that we have become hospitable tour guides. Life's too short to own an ugly boat.


We leave Liberty Landing and head upriver in the rain. This is a time of intense concentration for Allan - lots of commercial river traffic. It's miserable conditions for taking pictures. We pass under the GW Bridge; a few miles later, the Tappan Zee. And the tension slowly drains away as river traffic disappears and scenery becomes bucolic.

The radar picks up a ship ahead. And soon, like a ghost ship, The Bounty emerges from the fog.

We decide to head for the Half Moon Bay Marina in Croton-On-Hudson BECAUSE THEY HAVE WIFI. The pressure to produce this blog has been lifted.

And so, we are up to date.

And oh yes, Allan made calls to the marinas who installed the Duo Charge and Vaccu Flush.

To be continued.