We left Liberty Landing in Jersey City on a sunny day and said goodbye to the Manhattan skyline. We left later in the morning so as to travel with the current up the Hudson River. This leg of our trip to the Erie Canal is about 138 miles subject to tidal changes of up to 5 ft with the current about 2 mph and the current changes every six hours or so. The Hudson River is very deep, 200 ft in some sections with cliff-like walls, like a canyon.
We just couldn’t have hoped for better weather as we did our own private cruise excursion, getting fantastic views of the historic skyline of New York while traveling under all the bridges that connect to Manhattan.
Upon leaving Manhattan, we were impressed with how beautiful the Hudson Valley is and felt it was definitely under-sold. It was one of the most enjoyable legs of our journey. We were surprised that as we roamed the river we saw the natural beauty of the tree-lined bluffs, the waterfalls, and a variety of lighthouses. West Point and Bannerman Castle have a boatload of history as well. We even crossed paths with the Maiden crew! We expected more commercial traffic but saw none.
For the first night, we pulled into Half Moon Bay marina at Croton-on-Hudson. We try to find the good in every stop and this was no exception. There were 22 Loopers docked at Half Moon, we were on a face dock with about 10 feet of our bow hanging out into the fairway. Nice that they didn’t want to turn people away but let’s just say things were a bit tight for some boats getting in and out.
The town itself had a fantastic fresh market, a bakery, UPS store, Post Office, and everything we needed. I even managed to get a free bang trim at a very nice salon. We spent two nights here and then headed up the Hudson for historic Hyde Park.
One of the many waterfalls you can spot along the way on the Hudson River.Bannerman Castle, 50 miles from New York City, was built 1901-1908 by Francis Bannerman. Modeled after an old Scottish castle with the purpose to store ammunition from his military supply business. The house on the island was the family’s summer home. Abandoned since 1950 as the ferry boat that serviced the island sank due to a storm. In 1969 a fire destroyed many of the buildings. However, tours are available and the property is owned and maintained by the Office of New York ParksLocated right on the Hudson River, West Point was established as a military academy in 1802, it had a major role in our nation’s history during the American Revolution when it was used as a fort with gun batteries, canons, and a 65-foot iron clad chain across the Hudson to block the British. West Point was never captured by the British despite Benedict Arnold’s attempt to turn over the garrison to the British in 1780.Hudson-Athens LighthouseRoundout Light HouseEsopus MeadownLighthouseAlong the Hudson River there are seven lighthouses, some still active, some available for tours a sight to behold because of their architecture and legacy. Waved to the Maiden Crew who was coming back from where we are headed, still on their World Tour fundraising for STEM education for girls.Hyde Park Marina was just a dock to tie up to with water and electricity, but walking distance to the Culinary Institute and with transportation to other sites in the area.Hadn’t seen a gas pump quite like this one. This marina was in need of some attention but the price and the location was right.Typical dinner on Flying Colors, after a long day of cruising, sometimes it is nice just to throw something on the grill and enjoy being on the boat.We see some of the best sunsets from the bridge of our boat, we just happen to catch a beautiful Hudson Valley sunset tonight.
Reimanns 'round the loop in 2022 