Rejoining civilization

We knew that when we arrived back home it would take some time to get back to “normal”. This was proving harder than expected. During our time away I forgot how to multi task. I was almost paralized the first day I had to get the kids ready for school. Making lunches was a difficult task. It is hard to explain, we spent so much time only having to do the basics that when you through in a schedule, fixing up the house, finding new renters, new jobs, and all of the other things we do as second nature at home it was overwhelming. That is why there was a few months gap in the posts on the blog. It only took about 4 months to feel like we have settled back in.

The boys seem to have settled in to the schedule well and Garth is doing better than I am. We are all missing the boat life and wish we could find away to go again very soon; but for now we need to work and save.

 

Thank you everyone for your interest in my blog. Thanks to all of you I now have a journal of sorts to read in the future. There were times when I wanted to quite writing but I knew how much some people looked forward to my posts and I did not want to let you guys down.

 

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THE END

Peterborough to Penetangushene

Once we finally made it out of Peterborough we were half way up the Trenton River. During the next few days we stopped in a lot of little town like Buckhorn, Bobcagen, and Fenlon Falls. It was interesting to see the small towns and the tourism they have. There is a house boat rental that you can use to vacation on the river for a week.

After 40 locks we were out in Lake Simcoe (our home lake). We were so excited to be so close to home. It was actually bitter sweet because we did not want this adventure to end but I was also ready for a little more freedom. We called our marina only to find out that the water was too low at the travel lift and we would not be able to pull the boat out of the water. We had been discussing moving the boat up to Georgian bay in the next couple of years so we figured the time was now, we had already paid for the rest of the locks and we still had a few more days to get there before the locks closed for the season, so we pushed on.

We had needed a pump out and were going to get one at the marina so we stopped at the Narrows marina and got one, I just about fell over when they told me it would be $30.00 for just a pump out. It was half that in The Bahamas. Just one last reminder to ask for the price of something before you say “go ahead”.

Our first night on our extended trip was spent at lock 42. We were greeted by my parents and a bottle of champagne to celebrate our accomplishment. This lock is within walking distance of our house so we walked home to check it out. Garth had not seen the house in over a year but it looked just like we left it.

The next morning I put the kids on the bus for school then we decided to get the boat moving. We had considered unloading some of the stuff since we were very close to the house but we also had to keep moving because the locks were going to close in 3 days and we still had 5 locks to clear. The hours of operation were 10-4 so we only made it to Port Severn that day. We called Barb (a friend of ours that live close by) and she had us over to her place for dinner.

We needed to figure out where we were going to take the boat since this was a last minute decision to head north. Barb was nice enough to spend a whole day driving us around to look at marinas and do a couple of more errands. After a long day of driving around we settled in f or our last night aboard Dabulamaniz.

 

We locked through Port Severn when it opened and headed west toward Penetangushsene Harbour. We had decided on Hindson Marina. It is a nice marina at the end of the bay. We arrived there around mid afternoon where Jenny and our friend Darcy met us to take us home. Because it was the weekend we went down to see the kids at Garth’s parent’s house.

We had made it home just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. We were grateful for everything we had experienced in the last year and we were grateful to be home.

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Lake Ontario to Peterborough Lift lock

We had found the perfect day to cross Lake Ontario. It was a nice 5 knot wind with small waves. We were trying to decide if we should cross 60 miles to the Murray Canal or only 40 miles and tuck in at Prince Edward point which would add 2 days. By the time we got through the last lock in Oswego we had to take the shorter crossing and add a couple of days to the trip.

Our first sight of Canada in over a year.

We spent our first night back in Canada in Pinyer Cove; a very nice little cove near the Bay of Quinte. We called customs and they told us to call tomorrow when we were a marina. The local people in the cove were all very nice and welcoming.

Pinyer Cove

The next morning we went to Picton because this is the nearest port of entry. We tied up to the Picton Marina and called customs again; this time they asked about 10 questions and said have a nice day and welcome home. This we a relief because we had heard the Canadian customs was the most difficult to clear. After we cleared in we went up to Hungry Bay for the night. This was a well protected large anchorage. One of the last it we would come across for a long time.

You know your in Ontario when the markers are mounted on exposed rock

This “island” moved across the river. We had a hard time figureing out what side to take it on.

After another 30 miles we entered the Trent-Severn Waterway. The Trent-Severn is a 180 mile long stretch of canals, lakes and river that connect Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. There are 45 locks in the whole system. Most of them are still run as they were 100 years ago; the staff manually opens the gates and valves. There are 2 flight locks that I thought were very interesting. They are a double chamber so you enter the bottom chamber and the top chamber emptied into the bottom. Then you move your boat forward into the top chamber and it fills from the river above.

There are also to lift locks. The principal of a lift lock is very basic; it is a big teeter-totter. They add a foot of water to the top basket and that is enough to cause gravity to take the top one down and bring the bottom one up. Due to the fact that boats displace their weight in water they essentially weigh nothing. They control the movement with hydraulic pistons that control the speed of decent. This whole process is accomplished with no electricity only gravity and water.

Along the waterway we stayed at lock4, Campbellford, Hastings, Campbelltown, and Peterborough. Campbellford was a nice small town with a great dock on the canal. We went out for dinner and did some laundry. Hastings was another quaint small town. It rained most of the day we were here so we had a very short day to Campbelltown. This is a large wooden wharf provided by the government, it is well out of town but there were a lot of hunters and fishermen.

Now that’s a duck blind

We had made arrangements to have the kids taken out of school and brought to Peterborough so they could go up the lock with us. We had talked about this lock since the beginning of the trip and they had asked about it several times along the way. Of course the morning they were coming the boat decided it was too cold and would not start until 12:00. We were 3 hours away and they would be arriving by 1:30. Once we got moving I called the Visitors Center at the lift lock to see if they would let Garth’s parents know we would be late. The lady was very kind and helpful. When we arrived at lock 19 the boy were there waiting for us and the staff had all gotten ready for us to transit to the top of 21 even though we would be keeping them a few minutes late. I guess while they were waiting Judy and the boys told them why they were there and the story of our trip. We piled the boys on the boat and tried to head for the next lock but the boat would not start. After a couple of minutes Garth got the boat going and off we went. We thought that we would not make it but the ladies at the next lock held the lock for us and up we went in lock 20. Lock 21 is the largest lift lock in the world and the one the kids came to see. Thankfully we made it to the top and the kids (and I) were so excited. It was like going on a ride in an amusement park; a very slow ride but it was fun. We tied up at the top and had a visit and some dinner with the boys and Garth’s parents.  It was sad to see them leave after dinner but we knew we were only a few more days from home.

In the morning Garth and I went to the Visitors center and looked around. They have a good display of information on the system as a whole as well a specific to the lift lock. When we were ready to leave we had trouble with the motor again only this time it would not go at all. We were stuck at the top of lock 21 for 3 days trying to figure out what was wrong. We tried a new starter because the old one sounded weak, we changed a fuel line that seemed to leak a little, we spent 9 hours the first day and 6 hours the second day trying to figure it out. Finally it was time to call the mechanic. He was too busy to come to us but he was very helpful with suggestions on what may be the trouble. It turned out that we only had 1 good glow plug and the wire connecting it to the rest of the glow plugs was almost broken in two and when Garth touched the wire it broke; this was about mid day on the 3^rd day. We decided to stick around to make sure it would start in the cold in the morning.

The staff at lock 21 Ed, Rob, and Taylor went well above and beyond in trying to help in any way that they could. We can’t show our appreciation enough for what they did.

Thank you guys

 

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The Erie Canal – Waterford to Oswego

Waterford is a great cruising town. The town provides free dockage for up to 48 hours with WiFi and washrooms.  The grocery store is a short walk away and the stores allow you to take the carts back to the dock, then they come and pick them up once a week. The lighthouse liquor store is a bit farther than the grocery but they will drive you back as long as there is more than one staff working. The local diner Don and Paul’s serves a $2.00 breakfast and a full (greasy) menu the rest of the day at a very reasonable price. We spent our 48 hours here with Raptor; Jamie and I were even able to sneak away for some chocolate beer one afternoon. When we arrive in Waterford the dock was almost full and a nice boater pulled their boat up so we could fit. It was a boat named Whisper (and this shows how small the boating community is) they were a boat we met in the North Channel a year earlier. They are from Wisconsin and normally travel in the North Channel. They are headed south for the first time and we happened to run into each other again.

Us then Whispers in front.

Garth taking our groceries back to the boat

The first section of the Erie Canal is the Waterford flight. It is 5 locks within 2 miles and we ascended 100 feet. By the time we got to the top of lock 6 (lock 1 was in Troy, before Waterford) we were done going through locks for the day so we went to the bottom of lock 7 for the night. We had only left Waterford at 2 pm and were done by 5:30. It was a lot of work holding the boat off the wall in the large locks. Day 2 we traveled up to the top of lock 10; this was a bit longer day we set out by 11 am and were done a 5 pm when the locks close. Andy and the kids started a bon fire after dark and Carmal called it the best boat night ever. We are really starting to miss the boys; especially with the Raptor kids around.

Tied up at the wall

a small tug

Waiting for the lock to empty

There are a lot of cool jets flying around all the time

The top of a lock

Our Bon Fire

The bright flashing green Raptor had to put up with

cool old factory

Day 3 we got moving a little earlier because I was starting to feel the time crunch of us getting home. It is mid September and we still had about 400 miles to home before Thanksgiving when the Canadian locks close. We pushed on to lock 15 and had a great pork chop dinner planned , however we ran out of propane half way through so Raptor lent us their cylinder so we could finish cooking. Day 4 was a hunt for propane, we decided to try Little Falls; it is a small town along the water that has a free day dock to tie to. I had called the gas station there and they said they do refills. I guess they meant you can bring your tank and pick up a refilled one. They only had exchange tanks there and we have a fiberglass tank so we would have had to buy a tank for $50. We were told there was a refill place about a mile down the street so we walked down there but we were in a small town that still closes up everything on the weekends and nothing was open. We decided to stock the fridge with food we don’t have to cook and hope that we could find some more propane along the way.

Little Falls New York

Lookhow tall that sun flower is

Main St. Little Falls

Lock 17 was an interesting lock to go through; instead of a set of doors closing there was a solid wall drop down to close the lock. This is the first time I have seen that. 17 was also the largest lock at 48 feet.

Lock 17 door

We continued up to lock 18 for the night. The nice thing about the Erie Canal is you can tie up free at any wall overnight. Garth had looked at the weather and Wednesday was our day to cross Lake Ontario so I had prepared to say goodbye to Raptor because we were going to need to start moving as far as possible to make our crossing. Jamie had found out that the town of Rome had a propane refill station so that was our goal for day 5. Raptor thought this was a good stop as well and got moving at 7:30 am with us (after Andy boiled us water for coffee).  We had made it to Rome by 2:30 so we had time to get the propane and visit Fort Stanwix. This is a replica fort from the revolutionary war that the National Park service re built in 1969. They discovered the foot print of the fort and got the original prints from the British, bought up all the land (a whole city block) and reconstructed this fort down to the hand cast iron nails. This is an impressive fort.

Inside fort stanwick

the lay out of the fort

What the city looked like before and after the fort construction

We had to keep moving the next day but Raptor stayed for the guided Ranger tour the next day. If we had more time we would have stayed as well; the rangers dress in period costume and have live demonstrations. We said our goodbyes and headed up to the Oswego canal. It was kind of weird because this was the first time in 9 months we were not traveling in the same direction and now there is no chance we will bump in to them again (on this trip). In lock 20 we reached the summit of the mountain in the last 20 locks we had ascended 420 feet. We literally climbed a mountain in our boat.

Now it was time to go down. We made it to Phoenix, NY; another great town dock. This one is run by the local youth club during the regular season. In season the kids come down to get you lines and welcome you with lemonade and coffee. There is a small museum there, they offer free wifi, power and water for up to 48 hours.  I think a lot of towns along the waterways can learn from the small towns on the Erie Canal. They offer a free place to tie up so you can go into their town and bring money to their economy.

The river is so calm

A deer crossing our tracks

Phoenix New York

Our next stop is Oswego another boater town and the last stop before Lake Ontario. We went out for dinner to a delicious Mexican restaurant with the people on 2 other boats that pulled in. We had a great time chatting about our adventures and hearing about theirs.

Oswago New York

Our last Lock in the USA

Some graffitti under the bridge in Oswago

Along the way we saw many east bound boats; it was disheartening to be headed home. Most of them yelled at us that we were going the wrong way; we agreed but what can you do. It was nice to see them all excited to be starting their adventure.

The Erie Canal is the most boater friendly waterway we have been on in the last year and I would love to spend a season going from one end to the other.

Next Lake Ontario and back to Canada.

 

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Playing Catch up

I know we completed our trip over a year ago but I have just found 10 min to post a couple of final stops along the trip. It is giving me a chance to look back. We really miss this lifestyle.

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New York City to The Erie Canal

We dropped our ball midday so we would only have to fight the current for a few hours instead of all day. We had a nice motor up the Hudson; it is amazing how the topography changes so quickly. We went from flat marsh in New Jersey to high cliffs and mountains basically right at the George Washington Bridge. The banks kind of remind me of home with the high sides and greenery.

George Washington bridge

We stopped a Corton-on-the-Hudson and anchored out for the night. The next day Garth and I both felt we needed a day to recover from our busy weekend in the city; so we watched movies all day and did nothing. It was kind of nice to be able to do that without having the kids interrupting; it has been more than a year since we have had time alone without the kids.

After our much needed day of rest we move a whole 3 miles across the bay because there was some weather coming in. On our way across we did stop to fill up the tanks so the day was not a total waste. It rained all afternoon and all night.

 

Once the rain finally stopped we pulled up the anchor and headed north to Poughkeepsie. We stopped at Mariners on the Hudson; a restaurant that offers free dockage with a dinner purchase. The food was good but the trains were very loud and the bar was loud all night. We were able to have a nice dinner out just the two of us.

 

A castle

Bridge near mariners on the Hudson

West Point Naval academy

A castle that had burnt down and is being restored.

A boat carrying a full peice of steel

A hotel on the hudson

In the morning we went up to an Island near Athens; we are only traveling half days to use the current to our advantage. It rained again all night and well into the morning. We were not able to leave until about 2 pm but that gave us plenty of time to catch the current and go up to Castleton-on-the-Hudson. When we got there Raptor was waiting to say hi. Andy offered to stick around and help us take our mast down; they had done theirs that morning. We made quick work of the prep work and then Jamie made us dinner. In the morning we were first up to use the gin pole. Within an hour the mast was down and we were ready to tie it down. Having a carpenter on hand (Andy) was helpful in getting all of the wood together for supports. By midday we were headed to Waterford to begin our journey up the Erie Canal.

The bathrooms at the marina

Our little friend that almost jumped in to the boat

Troy lock- Lock 1 on the Erie canal

Albany New York

Albany New York

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Quick Update

I am sure some people have been wondering what has happend to us for the last few months. We returned home just in time for the Canadian Thanksgiving and it has been non stop since we tied the boat up.

I do have the last 4 posts of the trip typed up but I am just looking for the time to attach the pictures to them.

Once we got the boat home we had to unpack a years worth of stuff and get it ready to close up for the winter. Garth and I found jobs and we needed to find new renters for half of the house. With all that and Christmas it has been a wild few months.

We all miss the cruising life style and I hope to share some of the stories of our re-entry into society.

 

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New York City with Adults

Now that the kids have gone home we have a unique chance to explore the city with a couple of friends.

The first day was taking our new company to see all of the sights we took the kids to but we also stopped to have some pizza and a couple of drinks. We were able to walk everywhere (accept down to the 9/11 memorial; that one is a little out of the way) and see it all in one day.

Day 2 we were trying to figure out what to do with ourselves so we took the bus down to Mc Sorely’s Old Ale House over at 3^rd Ave. and 7^th St.  This is the oldest bar in New York City. It was established in 1854. The bar is still run the same as it was then with one exception; in 1970 they had to start letting women in. When  you enter the bar it is like going back in time.

The interior is covered with old news paper clippings; we noticed one that was dated for 2 days after the Titanic sank. There is saw dust on the floors and the solid wood tables look like they may be original. The motto of the bar is “be good or be gone” Mr. Mc Sorely did not like people being drunk in his bar. When you sit down you are asked “What can I get you; light or dark?” those are the only options. When they bring you your beer, they bring 2 beers. We each enjoyed a few rounds of beer. When we left it was just getting dark and it was a very nice evening so we decided to start walking back to the boat and see what we could find.

It turned out to be a great adventure.

Darcy played chess in Union Square, we watched people play ping pong in Bryant park, we saw the city at night in a way I had not experienced it before.

Dar playing chess at union square

this is a clock near union square

Our 52 block hike across New York City was so much fun I would love to do it again soon.

 

Needless to say Jenny and Darcy’s last day was a slow start we only had time to take them to Ray’s for pizza and then say goodbye. They were headed for a long 10 hour drive home.

 

Garth and I went down to Battery Park to explore. After checking out the park we decided to walk up to the movie theater to catch a movie while we waited for the sun to set. On our way to the theater we walk through this great pedestrian walk with parks and a bike trail that runs 1 mile up the center of the financial district.

The globe from the center of The Word Trade Center.

After the movie we went back down to the park to catch the Staten Island Ferry. The ferry is free and runs all night long. We wanted to see the lights of New York from a distance; the ferry runs every 30 min so it took us about an hour round trip. It was amazing to see the skyline at night.

After the ferry we went back to the boat and got ready to move out in the morning.

 

New York was another stop that I was not ready to leave. The city is so full of surprises we found something new every day. I can’t wait to come back and see what else we can find.

 

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New York City

Today we got our first up close look at New York Harbor; our destination is the anchorage behind the Statue of Liberty. The wind was perfect we sailed off the anchor and headed towards the big city. We were able to sail all the way only turning the engine on once we were ready to enter the channel behind the Statue. When we went through the anchor field for the barges we were hailed by a tow captain who informed us that he was going to spin a barge around behind us.

There was a lot going on in the main shipping channel as well; we were as close to a huge freighter as we ever hoped to be and one came behind us and gave 5 blasts of his horn. When we looked up what 5 blasts meant we found out it meant danger, emergency, get out of the way or I may run you over; by then we were already well out the channel and his way.

 

On the way into the anchorage we got as close to the Statue of Liberty as you can without paying for the ferry to take you there. It is a sight to see; this huge Statue. I was a little surprised because I always thought you could see it as soon as you headed into the harbor but there is actually a point of land that blocks the view for quite some time. It was also interesting that the statue is technically in New Jersey not New York. We ended up spending 3 days tucked back in there; there is a great state park with a playground and amazing views of the city and harbor.

After our few rest days it was finally time to go to New York City. I had been looking forward to this stop since we decided to go on the trip.

We all sat out in the cockpit all morning while we took in the sights of the Hudson River side of Manhattan Island. Going up the Hudson is like making a rough ocean passage; between the mixing currents from the east river, The Hudson and the bay, as well as the 100 ferries that speed through there; we almost lost a few more dishes. The ferries are mostly city transit to move people from Jersey to New York or from the bottom of the island to several piers up the river. There are also numerous tour boats and the Staten Island Ferry.

 

The unique architecture is evident from the river as well; no two buildings are the same.

Ellis Island

Ferry terminal in New Jersey

Our home for the week will be the 79^th St Boat Basin. The moorings have a lot of wake from passing traffic but the price is right; $30 a night to stay on the upper west side that is cheaper for 10 days than 1 night in a hotel near the island. They also have free laundry and ice just to sweeten the deal. The facilities are a little run down but you can’t argue with the price.

Our fist day we walked up to Central Park so the kids could play; we found 2 parks close by so we went to both. On our way back we stopped to get a slice of New York pizza at Ray’s; it turned out to be the best pizza we have ever eaten.

On day 2 we started the tourist walk. We took the subway to Time square where we found the biggest Toys R’ Us we have ever seen. Then we sat on some bleachers at one end and had a snack while we took in the sights and sounds of one of the most famous intersections in the world. It was surprising how quiet it seemed; even with all the people and cars it was eerily quiet. After the snack we walked to Rockefeller Center where Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Fallon, and many other shows are taped. The flag ship LEGO store is also here so we spent some time in there as well. The kids designed their own mini figure and the packaged it and took it home. They had a lot of fun. Our next stop was St. Patrick’s Cathedral; this church was breathtaking. The church was built in 1879 and is full is beautiful stone sculptures and stained glass.

 

Toys R’ Us

 

Time Square

This photo cost $5 and a whole lot of guilt.

Snack time

Rockefeller Center

 

St. Patrick’s Cathedral

outside

The organ

look at the detail

 

 

To round out our whirl wind tour of NYC is Grand Central terminal and the New York Public Library.  (see captions on photos)

Grand Central Terminal

whisper room. If you stand in one corner and speak normally the person in the opposite corner can hear you.

main lobby

 

Public Library.

Main enterance

main lobby. All marble

Gutenberg Bible. Beleived to be one of the firt ever printed in a printing press

third floor

ceiling on third floor

children’s section

 

After this very full day we went back to the boat to get rested up for the next day.

 

For our 3^rd day in the Big Apple we took the subway down to the 9/11 memorial and One World Trade Center.

The memorial is breathtaking and significant.

Oculous in fron of One Worldtrade Center. Oculous is a transportation terminal.

North tower memorial. There are 2 of these; each sitting on the original foot print of the buildings. The names of the victims are engraved around the edge.

Before we started back towards the boat we walked part way across the Brooklyn Bridge. Then on our way back up town we stopped at Madison Square Park so the kids could play in the park and water feature. Last stop today will be the Empire State building as per Jason’s request. We decided to take the bus back so we could see a little more of the city. When we were back at the dock we did a little laundry and the kids went with Garth to yet another park.

Brooklyn Bridge

Madison Square Park

Empire State Building

This is what Jason looked like when he got off the subway. He was looking for Ninja Turtles.

Day 4 was a slow moving kind of day. We left the boat late, once we were ashore I wanted to check out the Goodwill I spotted at 79^th and broadway. I was surprised to see one at all on the upper west side. I found some great back to school for both boys.

After the shopping spree we went out for lunch. My dad drove down from Ontario to pick the boys and myself up because the kids start school in a few days. So after lunch we met my Dad at the Museum of Natural History. This is the where Night at the Museum was filmed so we were able to find some famous artifacts.

 

After the museum we walked down to the bottom of central park so the kids could play some more and we found a huge water castle. While the kids played my dad went and picked up his car so we could go on a night driving tour of the city.

9/11 memorial at night

Empire State Building

I think it was about mid night when we got back to the boat.

Day 5 was a sad day; a few months ago Garth and I decided that the kids should be home for the first day of school weather the boat was back or not so we made arrangements with our parents to watch the kids and get them to school. We are fortunate to have such wonderful parents who would take our kids for an undetermined amount of time so we could finish our Great Loop. Anyhow the day had finally come for them to go home so Garth stayed in NYC with boat and had 4 days of bachelorhood living it up while I went home to get the kids squared away. We had a great drive home and a good visit with the family while I was home. Garth went to a movie, a Met’s game and wandered around the city.

Upon my return I brought our good friend Darcy and Garth’s sister Jenny.

 

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Cape May to Sandy Hook

Fortunately the weather looks really good for a direct over night to New York City; so we got up and headed out the Cape May inlet. We had heard that going around Cape May was going to be a difficult passage but we had no problems and had a great sail out. Our plan was to go towards Atlantic City and if we felt like continuing we would head up to Sandy Hook (just south of Manhattan). The sail was going very well; we had 15 knots on the beam and a nice gentle 9 second roll on the swells; so we decided to continue.

Atlantic City

About 7 mile passed Atlantic City I checked the weather again and there was a dense fog advisory in New York Harbor the next morning so Garth turned the boat around and we headed into Atlantic City; there was no way we were going to try New York Harbor with less than a mile visibility. We were a little disappointed because that was the last good ocean going weather for a few days. This means that we have to go up the New Jersey Intercostal waterway or wait here a week. We were going to avoid this section because it is known to be very shallow and shoaled in places to make it impassable. We took a day to look over the route on Active Captain (a resource we use every day for navigation) and we also called Tow Boat US and asked them if it was even possible for a 5 foot draft boat to make it through. They said to make sure we go on a rising tide and the water is very skinny. He also repeatedly said go slow be safe. So the next day we waited for the rising tide and off we went.

Harrah’s hotel and casino

On our way in to the ICW channel another sailboat yelled “be careful it is very shallow” a wonderful vote of confidence to try this out. We found out very quickly that our GPS and paper charts were useless. Since hurricane Sandy came through here they have moved the channel in places and the depths were not even close to our information. Our fist hairy part was where there were reports of a police boat running hard aground at mid tide. We made it through barely. The whole day was full of skinny water and white knuckle driving. Surprisingly we were able to carry the rising tide all day and put in about 50 miles. We decided we had had enough and stopped just north of Surf City. Even getting into the anchorage was a challenge; we had to go over a 4.9 foot section to get to the 10 foot area to drop the anchor.

Day 2 of the trip up the ICW was going to be even more interesting because it is charted 4 feet at low water and there are a couple of lift bridges to wait for in a narrow channel. Our biggest problem was that our cell phone died and would not turn back on or take a charge so we have no back up navigation and no  way of communicating with our families.

At the end of the day we decided to head up into Metedeconck River just before Point Pleasure Canal and the inlet to the ocean. About 3 miles up the river we saw a big screen set up on the beach. We had arrived just in time to watch Back to the Future on a big drive in screen.

In the morning we went ashore, we were lucky there was a farmers market there because we needed some groceries. I was able to get everything I needed and it was all farms fresh and homemade; I loved it. While we were ashore we also needed to figure out our broken cell phone situation so I asked a nice lady in the park where there was a Wal-Mart or Office Depot in hopes that we could get a replacement unlocked phone. I also had to ask her where we were. It was only at that moment that I realized we had no idea what town we were in or how far we were from anything. She told me we were in Brick New Jersey and that the Wal-Mart was 2 miles away. She gave me directions and the number for a taxi; she also offered to call the taxi several times but we had found a working pay phone so we could call on that if need be.

After some discussion we decided that Garth would get the bike off the boat and ride to Wal-Mart while I stayed at the park with the kids. He was gone for a few hours and when he came back he did not have a new phone but he was able to fill out the grocery list. The boys and I had a great day playing with all the kids.

We ended up spending 2 more nights here waiting for weather to go out and make a passage to Sandy Hook. During that time Garth miraculously got the phone to work again so we could contact our families.

Daily entertainment in the anchorage

sunset in the river

The last portion if the ICW was Point Pleasant channel and it has 2 bridges with a 4 knot current whipping through it. We called ahead to the first bridge and told them we were entering the canal. They were ready for us when we got there and lift the bridge; the water under the bridge was like white water rafting in the narrow canal. The second bridge was also ready to lift when we arrived. Last thing was to exit the Manasquan Inlet and head north. We had a nice motor up to Sandy hook and spent the night there. We could see the lights of New York City off in the distance.

All in all the trip that was supposed to take 24 hours took about a week and went well. We did not touch bottom once. I told Garth that it was a good thing we went down to the Bahamas through The Great Loop because if we had gone through this ICW first we may have just turned around and went back.   Going around the loop has given us time to test the boat and ourselves to see what we will bare. Before we left if the boat was in less than 10 feet of water it would be a white knuckle ride; it was rare to see anything more than 10 feet all the way up from Florida.

Once we dropped the anchor in Sandy Hook Jason came up top and said “this is New York City?” I had to till him it will be one more day.

 

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