10/12/2015 South on the Hudson River

 To  45 24.477N,  73 52.317W    Off Montrose Pt,   64.6 NM
 

Sun rise on the Catskills as we depart

Layers of fog in the mountain valleys

Monday morning we were glad to see only a few wisps of fog on the water and were under way before sunup. It promised to be a pleasant day, warm, sunny and with light S winds. The ebb current would be with us until Kingston (not as long as we'd have liked) but little wind, that made for an easy motor. With the current high pressure sliding E, the wind would be from a southerly component until the next cold front arrives sometime Tuesday, not ideal, but fine so long as it doesn't build. 

Esopus Light House - the entrance into Saugerties

Middle Hudson Light House - 2 examples of light houses on the Hudson - this one marks a shoal in rather than an entrance

Being a sunny and pleasant day, we had more than our share of motor boats out on the water enjoying the holiday.  Their wakes, combined with wind (which was S 8-10 by afternoon) against the current, gave us a bit of a lumpy ride during the late afternoon as we continued south.  When we turned into the broader Hudson south of  Peekskill, the Captain decided he'd had enough wind against the current lumpy conditions, so we anchored by Montrose Point hoping the forecast would be correct and the wind (now in the mid teens) would die back with the sun since there was little if any protection from the waves. 

It would be another 10NM to Nyack where there would be slightly better protection, more than 2 hours given the conditions and would have been a 12+ hour day.  The wind appeared to be dying as we ate dinner, but we were still bobbing in a 2+' swell left from the current against the wind.  As the current switched, the waves gradually dissipated to a gentle rocking. With 40+NM to NYC, hopefully we'll get underway before the wind and waves build and have easier going.  In the past, the Captain hasn't been one to stop when the current is in his favor, but it is tiring and unpleasant to slog into waves, spending as much effort going up and down as forward.

We're trying to time our arrival in NYC to pick up our friend Deeter Dodge who will be joining us.  We met Deeter in the spring of 2003 when she was the loan officer at the bank who helped us figure out the logistics when we purchased Antares.  She provided a seamless, much appreciated transfer of funds for us, so we had one less worry.  As a fellow sailor, she was happy to help, and has been a friend ever since.  Several years back, we helped her deliver Thalassa to Jamestown when she moved, and had an enjoyable trip.  We miss seeing her on the lake and are looking forward to spending some time with her again. 

We're thrilled we could mesh our schedules and hope to show her some of the Chesapeake. Columbus Day was her last shift on the Jamestown Ferry for the year, so she'll arrive, via train and ferry, sans schedule - the best way to be when sailing.   We'll figure out the departure later (we'll see how she adapts to sharing the aft cabin with bikes and other gear).  We may be able to pick her up at the launch ramp at the anchorage behind the Statue, or else we'll slip into Liberty Landing Marina just to the N for the pick up.

The most recent check for weather windows to sail the Jersey shore indicated a possibility of leaving later in the day Wednesday into Thursday with a stop in Cape May to allow the next cold front to move offshore, and the winds to shift out of the NW.  We'll play it by ear and plan accordingly.