LOOP TRIP THAT ENDED FAST
WEEK 1
MIRIAM & I (GEORGE GRAFER ) DEPARTED MT.SINAI, LONG ISLAND, NY ON 6/14/06 TO START THE GREAT LOOP. AS WE PULLED OUT OF OUR SLIP I NOTICED I HAD NO FOWARD OR REVERSE ON THE STARBOARD ENGINE. OUR SHAFT HAD BECOME DISCONNECTED. AS IT JUST HAPPENED TO BE OUR FRIEND JOHN WAS ON THE DOCK & CAME OUT TO REINSTALL IT.
THIS ALL HAPPENED AFTER WE PUT OUR NEW 6HP MOTOR ON OUR DINK AFTER WE COULDN'T PUT THE LOWER UNIT BACK ON THE MOTOR ( THE DRIVE SHAFT WAS FROZEN TO THE ENGINE ).
THEN ON THE WAY TO LIBERTY PARK WE DISCOVERED A HOSE LEAK ON THE STARBOARD ENGINE. WE WATCHED IT ALL THE WAY EVERY 1/2 HR TO MAKE SURE IT DIDN'T GET WORSE.
AFTER A RESTFUL NITE AT THE ANCHORAGE WE WENT TO A MARINA THAT SAID IT HAD THE 1 1/8 HOSE, BUT THEY LIED THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY. WE THEN CALLED UP JULIUS PETERSEN MARINA IN NYACK. THEY SAID THEY HAD THE PART ON THEIR DESK, SO WE PROCEDED UP THE HUDSON TOWARD THEIR MARINA ( IT WAS BUMPY WITH A NORTH WIND BLOWING ). ON THE WAY THERE OUR PORT ENGINE WATERPUMP LOST ITS PULLY. WE CALLED PETERSEN BACK & TOLD THEM WE NOW NEEDED A WATERPUMP FOR OUR VOLVO DIESEL ALSO. THAT WAS THUR. 6/15, TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT AFTER GETTING THE PART OVERNIGHTED WE WERE FINALLY BACK ON THE WATER TUE 6/20 AT 230 PM ON OUR WAY TO MARINERS REST.(FREE DOCK) ON THE HUDSON ABOUT 4 HRS. AWAY. NYACK WAS A VERY NICE TOWN ONLY 1 MILE FROM THE MARINA, GOOD REST. & SHOPS.
THAT EVENING OUR GEN DIDN'T WORK RIGHT BUT WE CLEARED THE PROBLEM. ALSO OUR VACUFLUSH HEAD IN THE MASTER STATE ROOM WOULDN'T SHUT OFF - WE FIXED IT THE NEXT DAY. MARINERS REST. HAD GOOD FISH & CHIPS. MIRIAM HAD SOME SORT OF VEG SAND. WHICH SHE SAID WAS VERY GOOD.
NEXT DAY THUR 6/21 WE MADE OUR WAY TO KINGSTON, JUST MISSING THUNDER STORMS ON THE RIVER WE STAYED AT THE TOWN DOCK & TOURED THE AREA. WHILE TAKING THE TROLLY BUS TO THE HISTORIC AREA UPTOWN A WOMAN IN A RED JEEP RAN A STOP SIGN & INTO THE BUS RIGHT WHERE I WAS SITTING. I SAW HER COMING & HELD ON TIGHT. MIRIAM & I WERE NOT HURT. THEY TOOK THE BUS DRIVER & THE OTHER DRIVER TO THE HOSPITAL. KINGSTON HAS A VERY NICE HISTORIC AREA WHERE THE FIRST NY SENATE MEET WHEN KINGSTON WAS THE CAPITAL OF NY AROUND 1788.
ON THUR.6/22 WE HEADED UP RIVER TO CATSKILL POINT REST. ( FREE DOCK ). ON THE WAY I NOTICED A WATER LEAK FROM ONE OF THE PARTS WE HAD INSTALLED THE OTHER DAY. WE HAVE CALLED PETERSEN MARINA & THEY ARE GETTING A NEW PART & WILL SEND A MECH.TO INSTALL IT. SO HERE WE ARE AT CATSKILL TILL THE WORK GETS DONE AGAIN. THERE WAS A FREE OUTDOORS COUNTRY CONCERT IN THE PARK NEAR US VERY NICE.
THATS ALL FOR NOW
POSTING 2
Hi All,
This is just an update from the last time we wrote.
On Saturday we were still at Catskill, on June 24, and there was a nice Farmer's Market right next to the pier where we were. Saturday evening there was a fireworks display right next to the pier.
Sunday night about 9:15 the owner of the restaurant came out to the boat and said that "Due to the rise of flood waters we would need to turn the boat around 180 degrees". He and one of his workers were there to help us and we were able to turn it around in the without starting the motors up.
On monday at noon the mechanic from Petersons came to the boat and repaired the cooling system. He was done by 2:30 and by that time the weather began to get worse and the wind and rain were upon us. We decided at that time to stay one more day because it was getting late and the weather was poor, at best. Tomorrow would be a better day to start out early. Unfortunetly at 4:00, with the wind howling at 25 knots, the owner of the restaurant came back out at stated "Unless we leave, our boat and his dock had a great chance of washing into the Hudson River", all due to the expected flood water rushing through the creek. Last year that did happen to boats that were attached to docks there. With much distess, to say the very least, we pulled out against the hight winds and went into the Hudson River. We looked for a place of safety and shelter, winding up about 20 miles up the Hudson at Castelton-on-the-Hudson. We spent the night at their Boat Club docks and it was a nice little town. We used their Laundramat and Pump Out facilities.
Tuesday, June 27, we left the Boat Club and headed north on the Hudson once again. That day we went through the Troy Locks which were quite difficult for us since it was the first lock that we ever attempted. When we came to the 112th Street bridge, just after the lock, we were not sure if the clearence was enough for us to get under, due to rising water that we were unaware of. We radioed back to the Troy lock asking them what the vertical clearance was at that time, but they weren't able to give us an answer. As we were approaching the bridge slowly the lock master radioed back telling us he could see us throgh his binoculars and we did indeed have enough clearance. We arrived at Waterford at 4:00 just east of lock 2. Boaters at the dock helped us tie up and them we received the bad news that everybody had to leave this dock by tomorrow morning.
As we spoke to them we could see the water rising and thought that if we waited till the next day we would not make it under the 2 bridges before lock 2. George went looking for the dockmaster to get some answers and found John Calahan, who was supervising the boating. John went on the computer and told us that we had enough clearance to get under the bridges at this time. He then called the lock tenders and told them to open locks 2 and 3 for us. This was the safest area for us to be in on the lock system.
We were the 5th boat to arrive here at this dock and 8 more joined us the following morning.
By Thursday the waters at the Waterford docks, where we were first docked, had risen over the docks and were 3 feet high inside the Visitor Center building.
West of us, there are people on the canal that were at docks, within the canal system, that were evacuacted from their boats by EMT's in an air boat and brought to the local firehouse for shelter and food. They are still there as of this message.
There are locks west of us that are badly damaged, control houses destroyed and others flooded. 45 out of the 57 locks are closed at this time.
Although we are "stranded" at the Lock #3 Yacht Club, as they call us, life is not bad. We are within walkind distance from town, restaurants, food stores. Workers here as well as residents continulally offer us rides to whereever we need to go, as well as any assistance we need.They have supplied buses & even had a pizza & wings party with wine & beer at the upper level of the visitors center for us. We in turn went into town and helped in the clean up at the docks of all the trees & branches.
One woman brought us all kinds of fruit thinking we might be in need. Management at the supermarket and beverage center offered to drive out purchases back for us if we need that done.
There was a news conference here Friday, June 30 and Camilia, the director of the Canal System, stated that the assessment of damage would not be completed until after the 4th of July, as the waters recede.
No one knows when or if the locks will reopen, we will just wait it out with the other 12 boats.
Today is Sunday, July 2nd and we have a pot luck dinner planned that we will hold on the upper deck of the canal work boat - Grand Erie.
Thats all for now.
We will update in the future.
George and Miriam Grafer "Time Out" - 43' Med Yacht - Shoreham, New York
POST 3
HI ALL,
TODAY IS WED. 7/12/06.
ON 7/3 WE ATTENDED A PRESS CONFERENCE AT LOCK 10 WHICH IS IN REALLY BAD SHAPE. GOV. PATACKI WAS THE SPEAKER AND AFTER GREETING THOSE OF US FROM THE LOCK 3 YACHT CLUB STATED THAT LOCK 10 WOULD NOT TO BE ABLE TO OPEN FOR 2 MONTHS. THAT ENDS OUR PLANS FOR DOING THE LOOP THIS YEAR. NEXT YEAR IS ANOTHER YEAR.
OUR DAUGHTER LIZ IS EXPECTING A SON VERY SOON SO WE DECIDED TO GO BACK TO LONG ISLAND AND BE WITH HER FOR A MONTH OR SO INSTEAD OF A COUPLE OF DAYS AS PLANNED. THEN OUR DAUGHTER-IN LAW WILL BE HAVING A SON AT THE END OF AUG.& WE WILL BE THERE FOR HIS BIRTH.
WE WERE ABLE TO LEAVE LOCK 3 ON THUR 7/6 AND WENT TO WATERFORD FOR THE EVENING. WE HEADED OUT AT 6AM THE NEXT DAY FOR THE TROY LOCK, WITH THE VERTICAL CLEARANCE ON THE BRIDGES BACK TO NORMAL. WE TRAVELED TO MARINERS ON THE HUDSON FOR ANOTHER GREAT MEAL AND A FREE DOCK, 10 HRS. ON SAT.7/8 WE DEPARTED THE DOCK AT 6AM & TRAVELED TO LIBERTY STATE PARK TO ANCHOR FOR THE EVENING, 9 HRS. SOME SECTIONS OF THE HUDSON HAD ALOT OF TREES & BRANCHES IN THE WATER. ON SUN. MORNING @ 7:30AM WE DEPARTED & HEADED HOME PASSING HELLS GATE 1/2 HR. BEFORE SLACK CURRENT, NO PROBLEM & ARRIVED AT MT. SINAI AT 2:30 PM, 7HRS.
OUR PLANS ARE TO STAY HERE @ HOME PORT TILL SEPT. & THEN START HEADING SOUTH FOR THE WINTER. MIRIAM SAYS IF YOU WANT TO HEAR GOD LAUGH,TELL HIM OUR PLANS.
WE WILL KEEP YOU POSTED WHEN OUR TRAVELS CONTINUE.
GEORGE & MIRIAM GRAFER
TIME OUT
43 MED YACHT
SHOREHAM,LI,NY
posted by GEORGE AND MIRIAM GRAFER | 7:20 AM
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