Author: mghalpin

The groundhog has spoken and while I’m not sure what his/her record has been in predicting the next 6 weeks, they seem to have nailed the idea that we will be cold and snowy through April 1st. Nonetheless, April is not that far off and there is much to do for the planned May 1st splash and June 1st departure. Yikes, even as I write this, I am getting a sense that I am already behind schedule. Shopping lists have been made, supplies on order (Defender loves me), projects defined (bottom paint, waste lines flushed, Barnacle Buster soak for the engines, and so much more….). While daunting, it’s all doable assuming the weather cooperates. A snow storm on 4/15 would be a serious setback, but as you all know, flexible, adaptable, resilience,….. are hallmarks of boaters and better be for those planning a 6000 mile voyage.

The well know Chinese proverb states ‘every journey begins with a single step’. Our trip this year will begin with a step off the dock and a short voyage to Dutch Harbor. Retracing our steps from 2019, we will make our way through Long Island Sound to NYC and then up the Hudson to Shady Harbor, just short of Albany, NY. The plan, though not a schedule (as that is the most dangerous thing one can bring on a boat) is to make it to Shady Harbor for the June 13th Pig Roast!! This is an annual event put on by the Donovan’s to kick off the boating season and particularly the passing of the Loopers as they make their way north via the Champlain Canal or west via the Erie Canal. Which way we will go remains a question the Virus and Canadian Government will decide for us.

Our preference is to head to Lake Champlain and the Chambly Canal to Montreal though as of this writing the Canadian border remains closed. I have read that Canadians have been lobbying their officials to allow boaters with all the appropriate proviso’s in place. Georgian Bay is reported to be the Crown Jewel of the Great Loop and missing it due to Covid would be most unfortunate though it will ensure we take on ‘The Triangle Loop’ in 2022. My assumption is vaccination is a requirement and we will be past that hurdle by March 11th. I am hopeful, but also understanding of the need to make plans that do not include Canada. Writing this reminds me that I am weeks behind in the Babbel French lessons I invested in before the Holidays… Sacre bleu!!!

Next Blog will be on the day we strip the shrink wrap off and get started on the Spring projects. Stay warm!

If you read the last post, you know why we are where we are this summer. All that was mentioned in that post remains true except for the ‘explore the bay’ part. To date, we have only taken Aisling out twice this year. Sometimes it just happens that way. The work, repairs, weather (especially heat) just get in the way…. Comfort, especially cooling was the primary need for several weeks. It feels like that will change, as suggested earlier, once the weather turns and schools open.

Reports from those who have ventured beyond the marina have largely affirmed what we expected our experience to be, though there is usually a rosey portrait painted. What I hear is crowded locations, people not wearing masks, museums closed, restaurants difficult to access (and who would want to given they are a large source of increased infections according to the stat’s I have read) venues being closed due to ignored restrictions, plans changed due to state infection rates…. We made a very good call to not go to Maine. And frankly we made a very good call to avoid Newport, Block Island,…. as well. Perhaps September will be different? I’m not sure though. I expect that while the crowds will thin, but many locations will close earlier than normal, restrictions will increase as infection rates get worse… pessimistic and overly cautious perhaps. Yet it seems right given the circumstances and potential downside.

These last few days have allowed us to be more active on the boat. For weeks we lived in an air conditioned environment, Lyn working, reading, lounging, spending way too much time considering the weird state of the world. But just as the air dried out, and the temps dropped 20 degrees, the outdoor projects sprang to life! ( I have said many times I would never live n FL and the heat of this summer has mightily reinforced that opinion)

As for living on a boat full time. Actually, and I think I speak for Lyn as well, we are loving it! First, it’s our bubble and really very effective as that. We love to cook and have all summer long. Aisling has been most accommodating given the galley, two heads/showers and enough room to get away from each other as needed. The AC’s have struggled at times, but kept us cool. The view/environment in the marina almost rivals our Woodstock home (somedays it better…;-)) The sun rises are spectacular!

We have learned some limitations as well as our preferences and needs. I mentioned the AC’s, we now know to within a flush or two how many flushes and therefore how often our holding tank requires pumping, we know how long it takes to use 160 gallons of water (a week) and how long it takes to fill the tanks (a beer), we know that except for 1/2 hour of Lester Holt and 1/2 hour of some comedy (MASH or Big Bang Theory) while preparing dinner, we have little need for a TV. We also know that we can run both of our smartphone hotspots and a MiFi into the dreaded ‘throttled zone’ in under a month….

Tomorrow evening, given the forecast and our schedules, we will leave the dock and explore an anchorage off Goddard State Park for the night. It’s not far from the marina, but provides two activities we can not address here. Anchoring overnight and cooking on an open flame!

So much has changed since our last post….. The virus has and continues to disrupt our plans. The plan for this Summer was to head to Maine after our daughters wedding on June 2Oth. And without recounting all the details, the wedding was on, off, rescheduled and then rescheduled and downsized to meet the Covid restrictions. In the end it happened on June 20th and was a wonderful, if significantly smaller event than originally planned.

We had planned to leave for Maine on July 5th and I spent the Winter making reservations and researching ports and anchorages from Plymouth, MA to Bar Harbor, ME. This plan was in part due to the wedding and in part due to construction in the Illinois River that required boaters to get through earlier than usual or much later then would normally be the case.

Boating is an ideal activity for a pandemic…. if there can be such a thing. You can restrict who comes on your boat. We can isolate on the boat given we have two heads, two showers, Air Conditioning, a full galley…… But the idea of pulling into Plymouth, MA or Salem, MA or Bar Harbor, ME leaves us uneasy. Crowds of people vying for 50% of the restaurant seats, Covid non-believers and/or those who just don’t care about the impact their refusal to wear a mask might have on others….

So we will forego the long trip for now. Maybe September will be a better time assuming children go back to school and there isn’t a big second wave…. In the meantime, we are going to take full advantage of the body of water we float on, perhaps the second best body of water on the east coast (2nd only to the Chesapeake I think) and explore all corners of Narragansett Bay!

Posts and Pic’s to follow.

You might not be surprised to see that many of our photo’s are architecture, history and food. Occasionally we throw in some about boating as well…..;-)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/g1tUdyCb6aACjutW8

Not that we are done just yet, but as we drive toward our home port, I feel the need to document some of the highlights mostly so that I don’t forget them all. Lyn’s list could be different….

Best Bathroom – Safe Harbor Stratford. Close to the boat, Single person sink, toilet and shower. Clean, modern and recently renovated. Hey! Seriously, this is important!

Best view – Hard to compete with Liberty Landing especially because we happened (not planned) to be there on 9/11. The NYC skyline with the Empty Sky tribute was very special.

Best Oysters – Im a traditional New England oyster guy. Oysters are to be eaten fresh, directly after shucking, unadulterated except for possibly a drop of lemon juice or a tiny dollop of catsup/horseradish sauce. That said, we had oysters at the Breakers in Stonington CT that we amazing! Fresh shucked with tuna tartare, tobiko (fish eggs) and wasabi. Magical!!! Each ingredient was included in a very small portion. Just enough to add to the oysters briny perfection.

Best passages – We have had incredible luck with the weather and thus our travels have been largely, and appreciatively boring. Two exceptions; The East River, Hell Gate in NYC is a boiling caldron of water. I researched the heck out of how/when to pass through it. In both directions we had good timing with the current pushing us through ( 4 knots in some places!!) and yet you can’t escape the feeling that the water is allowing you through and can changed its mind without notice. Second; Pilots Point to Stonington was a relatively short 3 hour voyage. The weather forecast was nearing the limits of acceptability for wind and waves. It was the first time we had driven Aisling through such conditions and she preformed exceptionally well. One never knows or can be confident in an ability until it is tested. She was and we were as well, both the better for it.

Best new Tech on the boat – AIS (Automated Identification System) is a technology overlay for charts that gives you information about other boats. That’s as techie as I will get here…. Though if you want more, just ask 😉 I had ours installed a few weeks ago and it no doubt appeared to Lyn as yet another toy Marty had to have…. But both she and I did not understand just how much we would appreciate the valuable real time information it provides.

Best night sleep – Glen Cove Long Island. No trains, no halyards banging, nothing but silence. I thought we could only get that at home in Woodstock.

Best nap – Too many to choose…

As before, pic’s to follow. I don’t seem to have the right setup to effectively move large formats pic’s around from the boat currently. Hmmm, perhaps some new tech is in order???

Dorian was quite a dud (thankfully) though there was a Small craft advisory for 24 hrs. We left Stratford with Macks on board at ~1pm and had a choppy, but generally comfortable trip to Safe Harbor Capri. Capri is in Port Washington which is to say in the neighborhood of the well heeled….. Big boats (BIG!!).

The next morning was an early start to catch the flood through Hell Gate. Running the east River is seriously cool. So different form the open water cruising we had been doing. I had been monitoring Sunday morning traffic via the Marine Traffic app for the past few weeks and knew that most of what we would encounter would be ferries. A lot of ferries, and we were not disappointed. There were everywhere, in every direction, and moving fast, but also courteous mariners and easy to work with.

Hell Gate on the other hand was in no way respectful. First I have to set the scene as probably the most calm we would ever encounter Hell Gate. We were with the current, 1.5 kts, then 2.4 kts, then 3.6 kts…….. flying! The wind was from the west, across the river flow and light, so no waves to speak of. But the swirling waters are a sight to behold ( though tough to photograph) and a challenge to steer through. Twice the autopilot balked and I had to take control. It’s just a boiling mass of water!

We arrived at Liberty Landing early and thankful of that. On the way in, a 100 ft ferry docked perpendicular (this I now know is normal) to the narrow canal allowed me to pass then pushed our 40,000 lb boat aside with prop wash like we were a canoe…. By early afternoon, the marina was a NYC traffic nightmare. Every type of floating device from paddle-boards to 200 ft Statue of Liberty Ferries moving through this small canal at rate that clearly exceeded ‘no wake’.

But the view!!! We have the best view in the marina. And this is home for 4 days.

The navigation app made it clear, as did the marina welcome email. On the approach to the marina you could see the current on the buoys and I was flying along despite spending most time in neutral, so I was not unaware that entering the slip would be challenging. Yet despite all that, I was sideways to the slip in a heartbeat!!!!! Fortunately Aisling has both the power and grace to overcome my mistakes and she remedied the situation with a combination of both. I matched her assertiveness on the second pass and a third attempt was unnecessary!!

Dorian has been lurking all week. We have been fortunate to be able to continue with our original plans thus far. Today was/is a planned marina day and given the small craft warnings it’s right where we should be. With luck, the wind/waves will be within acceptable range by noon tomorrow and we will head to Safe Harbor Capri on Long Island as our staging location for Hell Gate and Liberty Landing early Sunday morning.

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Media loading slowness given our current internet bandwidth limiting our blogging. We will continue the story including info on the Stratford Icon ‘American Shakespeare Theatre’ when we continue….

Nuf said…

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and we are all having seafood!

‘Plans are useless but Planning is essential.’ – Eisenhower

As we enter the final month of prep for starting the Great Loop, our plans have changed. The thought was to take Aisling to Burlington, VT and leave her for the Winter picking up the Loop next Spring from there. Well that’s not going to work given Caty has planned a wedding for next June. So the new plan is to make our way to Waterford, NY, where the Erie Canal begins and then turnaround and head back to Warwick. This will gives us the opportunity to continue to maintain and upgrade Aisling while she is an hour away from our home versus 5 hours to Burlington.

This month we will test everything and fix all those things we find are not quite right. Provisioning for a month should be easy as this voyage will largely use Marinas in populated areas. We are tuned into the LNM (Local Notice to Mariners) for the areas we will be traveling to and through, following weather patterns and any named storms that develop. Studying currents approaching NY Harbor and in the Hudson River…

We have been prepping for this for 2 years and will soon be on our way!