The crews of Coda, Saga, and Legacy heading out with us to the next set of locks.
The day’s trip took us to Amsterdam, NY, which required us to traverse through four locks. The theme for the day was Hawaiian. However, we didn’t get good pictures of the outfits though you can see Steve sporting his Hawaiian shirt.
After arriving Steve wanted to bike up with me to the Home Depot and Walmart. Many loopers told us it was not a bikeable journey because of the hill and recommended Uber. Being the stubborn people we are, we biked up and made it. It was very uphill so took a while. Steve had a huge advantage of using an electric bike.
On the way back the trip was crazy fast as it was all downhill. We stopped by G’s Famous Lemon Cookies to grab some goodies.
While we were out, the others checked out the park near the mooring wall and walked over to the castle. The park with bridge over the canal had some great artwork and a 9/11 memorial as well.
The AmsterdamCastle
The group decided we’d head out for dinner. Mayli had packed a tiara so where else would you go to dinner but a castle. Built in 1894, the original purpose of the Amsterdam Castle was as an armory for the National Guard. It was decommissioned in 1995, and of New York’s original 100 armories, it is the only armory converted into a private residence. It now also includes the restaurant and hotel.
There were a lot of loopers waiting to start the Erie Canal in Waterford, so we opted to not be first in line and were off the wall for the second locking. The destination we set was Mohawk Harbor Marina in Schenectady, the sister marina to Shady Harbor (Pig Roast).
Traveling with us were Saga, Coda, and our new friends on Legacy.
We had studied lock E2 so knew what to expect from the upcoming locks. All the Erie Canal locks have prehung ropes that you come up and grab. And most of them are really gross. We definitely recommended wearing gloves.
The trip took us through Locks E2-E7, so we did 6 locks. Most of them were very close to each other. We’d leave one and could see the next a short distance away.
Mayli had fully prepared for the locks with costumes and all! Up first, pirate theme of course!
Fondue & Wine
After a bit of relaxation, we had a restaurant called The Shaker & Vine on the radar. It was an amazing place. They had a self-serve wine bar where you get a card and then fill your glass with whatever wine you’d like. Everyone had a great time trying many different wines.
Then we had the fondue. How can you go wrong with melted cheese. Delicious.
Schenectady
Tonia and I walked around to see what Schenectady had to offer. We found a block labeled Little Italy that had a lot of history and still has an Italian bakery and a few restaurants. We popped into the bakery for some Italian cookie treats to share with the crew.
While walking around we decided we should find an ATM and get some cash. That led us to city hall of all places. They did indeed have an ATM and the building itself was very interesting.
Outside city hall they were setting up for a farmers’ market. One of the venders was selling roasted nuts so we picked up a couple packages and some local produce.
Here are a few more random pictures from town.
Bowling
Down the street was a bowling alley that we had walked by earlier. When we threw out the suggestion as an afternoon activity, everyone was in, so we headed over for a few frames. It was a blast!
Tonia & Barbara Happy Hour
Before we left, Tonia and Barbara decided to treat themselves to a little ladies’ happy hour just to have the Peachy Keen cocktail from our fondue night at The Shaker & Vine (they had a lot of fun-sounding drinks). It was a drink and dessert in one! In case you are wondering, here’s the drink rundown: Van Gogh Vanilla Vodka, Crème de Pêche Liqueur, Rumchata, House-Made Cinnamon Syrup, Fresh Lemon Juice, French Vanilla Ice Cream, Puff Pastry, Peach Slice. Yes, you read that correctly — ice cream with puff pastry where the fruit garnish typically goes and a yummy peach slice to boot!
It was our final day on the Hudson. It took us up to Albany, where we had to make a quick stop for fuel, which was at the Albany Yacht Club. Founded in 1873, they are one of the oldest yacht clubs in America.
View of Albany as we passed by
Once fueled up, we did a short trip up to Waterford. Just before Waterford is Troy and the Troy Lock—the first of many locks we will be doing over the upcoming weeks.
The lock was a bit different from the ones we’ve done in the past. It had fixed poles running vertically. The lock master instructed people on the radio to tie a bow and stern line and then run it behind the pole. So, you only have one point to tie onto mid-ship. Most people in the locks just tied a line around the pole to their mid cleat.
Waterford
In the afternoon, we walked around the town to check out the sites. The main attraction for us was the first Erie Canal Lock (E2)—both the new and old, original locks.
It’s a pretty cool park area and has remnants of the original lock system that predated the current locks. If you look at the pictures, you see a few that looks like rapids between two walls. That is the old lock system. We would not have been going through those!
Dinner with Legacy
We met Carol & Gary on Legacy at the Pig Roast in Shady Harbor when they were moored at the end of our dock. We quickly became acquainted with Barbara wooing Carol with her harp playing. We all took the next step of starting their Fomo Fleet indoctrination at dinner in Waterford. Certainly, an indication of many good times to follow.
Peebles Island
After dinner we decided to get in another walk. We crossed the single-lane bridge and explored Peebles Island. The island was made a park by New York in 1972. Prior to that it was a private island that contained a large factory dedicated to making material for shirts. According to the signs it was the largest manufacturer of material in 1940. However, by 1960 the factory was too small and closed down.
The island had many trails and allowed us to stretch out our legs. And we saw many deer!
It was also a good photo opportunity with Legacy, Lil Sudden, Coda, and Saga all tied up to the wall just off the Hudson and before the lock.
After Ossining we made our way up the Hudson and anchored in the river just north of West Point. The rivalry was clear with “Beat Airforce” on the top of one building. We had a nice dinner of charcuterie and skewers with local wine-like beers (interesting though perhaps not the hit we’d hoped for) and Barbara’s homemade cherry crisp.
Bannerman Castle
Just a further bit north of our anchorage was Pollepel Island with Bannerman Castle, which isn’t a castle we’d typically think of as it’s actually an abandoned military surplus warehouse. It had quite the interesting history. It wasn’t open when we were there, so we poked in closer to take some photos as we cruised by.
Kingston, NY
Next up we anchored outside of Kingston, NY. Mayli voluntold me I was going with Boris into town to walk the dog. We took the opportunity to stroll around and grab a beverage at the local watering hole. Neat little area. Reminds me a bit of La Conner back in Washington.
Pig Roast @ Shady Harbor / New Baltimore
The plan was to stop in Catskill. However, Mayli’s FOMO (fear of missing out) got the best of her, and we revised the stop to Shady Harbor in New Baltimore to join the annual Looper Pig Roast.
As late arrivals they put us up on the restaurant dock. A bit on the shallow side but enough to get us in for the weekend.
If I remember correctly, there were about 40+ loop boats in attendance (check out the boat tracker map below). It was a fun meeting everyone and getting to hear the stories of the East Coast travels.
The weather was great, and we got a bit of pool time in. They had a bonfire and the girls had fun participating in the vodka tasting. And, of course, the main event was the pig roast. Love roasted pig. Tasty!
We decided to stay an extra day after the festivities to rest up. Coda who had stopped in Catskills to get Toni back to the airport arrived and we had a nice docktails with the remaining boats. Barbara even broke out the harp to serenade us.
We were having such a good time we got only a few photos.
The wildfire smoke had set in while we were at the anchorage by the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The next morning it was worse, and we had a haze that stuck with us. All our photos have an orangish hue because of it. The trip up the beginning of the Hudson River was busy by New York and then calmed down to a nice relaxing afternoon. The destination for the day was Shattemuc Yacht Club in Ossining.
Our last glimpse of Lady Liberty before turning around to head up the Hudson.
Still taking in the sights along the way passing NYC up the Hudson.
Underwater tunnel entrance
Coda playing Frogger with a BIG cruise ship.
Thank you NYC for the great times!
The haze continues…
Friends!
We got close enough in the suburbs to meet up with our friends Shwetha & Vikas and their sweet daughter Anika. Shwetha used to work with Tonia and they moved from Seattle for Vikas’ new faculty position a couple years ago. We got to see Shwetha at Amy & Dave’s wedding in April and it was fun to reconnect again over an excellent Greek meal (highly recommend Piato Greek Kitchen). Their family is the sweetest!
Ossining & the Old Croton Aqueduct
We spent a couple days wandering around Ossining. The wildfire smoke was very heavy and thus we only did short stints outside the filtered air of our boats. Our K99 masks came in handy again, unfortunately.
By town there is the Old Croton Aqueduct that was built in the late 1830s to transport water down to New York City. The area is now a park and they’ve built a cool walking trail.
The Fomo Fleet spent 6 days touring around New Your City. Did we see everything? No! Though we did hit some highlights that the city has to offer. This is a big post that will be mostly pictures to tell the story so buckle in and give it some time to download.
We stayed in a mooring field in Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island. It offered awesome rates versus the mega prices up by NYC. The bus was very convenient and took us only about an hour each way to get to the city and back.
Times Square & Urban Hawker
The first stop on Day 1’s tour was to grab some grub as it was just approaching noon and we want to keep hangry tourists at bay. Boris had scoped out some must-try food spots. Urban Hawker, an Asian centric food court, was close to our subway exit and the vendor Ashes Burnnit featured the Roti John, a Singapore-style omelette sandwich, at this location. Boris raved about it so we had to give it a go and, indeed, it was tasty. Everyone else enjoyed their selections too from the various vendors. The place was packed when we left.
We then headed to nearby Times Square. We opted for that first since it was earlier in the day and less crowded. It was still crowded even for that time. We took in the classic sights and even watched as Annette’s made-to-order ~5 lb Reese’s PB Cup was constructed.
Take a spin around Times Square! Don’t get dizzy!
Grand Central Station
The next stop was Grand Central Station. It was fun to see all the cool areas and try out the whispering wall, which the kids loved. To clarify, the “whispering wall” is located with corners next to the bathroom signs so makes for some odd-looking whisperers!
Rockefeller Center & Top of the Rock
One of the recommended stops by our friend Holly, who moved from The Emerald City to The Big Apple, for seeing the cityscape was the Top of the Rock, which is the top of Rockefeller Center. The cool thing about it versus the Empire State Building is you can see the Empire from it and Central Park too. Lots of skyline to see!
Elevator ride down from Top of the RockTribute to Matt’s mom & grandma & their love of Hallmark movies passed down to him
Central Park
On Day 2 Central Park was on the list. Tonia, Mayli, the kids and I set off for the park. We probably only saw about a quarter of it, though it seemed like we saw a lot. We diverted out for a bit to grab pizza for Michael and me and hit up a great gluten-free cafe for Annette that Tonia and Mayli enjoyed too. There were horse carriages aplenty, wildlife, park and city views, a mini castle – Belvedere Castle that houses a weather station, and even a wedding! We also rode the Central Park Carousel, which has been in the park since 1871 with current carousel in place since 1908. It was both nostalgic feeling and perhaps a bit creepy as well since the non-horse characters were a bit scary. Fun nevertheless!
Chelsea Market & The High Line
After the park it was time to meet up with Boris. We decided we’d head for The High Line, which was recommended by our friend Suzanne who’s currently boating in Alaska. The High Line is an old, elevated train line that’s no longer in use and has been converted to a park and walking path with lots of artwork.
On the way there, we followed a sign to ice cream, which took us to the Chelsea Market. We stopped to have a gander and found some delicious pizza, gelato, and beer, plus some cool shops.
After we had our fill, it was High Line time. Just down from the market was an access point so we headed up and trekked north. The High Line park area is very cool to see.
Pastrami!
To start off Day 3, we hit up the local Andrew’s Diner for some pastrami sandwiches. Perhaps not the Katz’s Deli that Boris was raving about though very excellent and VERY big — enough to share three ways! Their service and friendliness were top notch. They were so good Steve & Toni went twice!
Brooklyn Bridge
Next, it was time to venture to the Brooklyn Bridge and take a walk over. The Manhattan side is packed with venders and many more tourists. The Brooklyn side of the bridge had far less people and Steve could even do a photo shoot of Mayli. It was a nice stroll with a frosty beer and ice cream at the end.
9/11 Memorial & One World Trade Center
We also visited the memorial for 9/11. A very nice and somber tribute to remember that tragic day. The two infinity pools are meant to reflect the absence of those lost with the cascading water lending to tranquility over the city sounds while falling into a void to represent the physical absence left by those that are gone. There’s also a ‘Survivor Tree’ that made it through the attacks and replanted as a living memorial. Every day, a single white rose is placed on each name who would have had their birthday that day.
Steak!
Boris had spied an all-you-can-eat Wagyu beef restaurant called Hyun. And of course, it was on the top of the list to check it. There are rules however: We could only eat for 1.5 hours. And Boris, Mayli, and I did! Really tasty!
West Village
Day 4 was a split day for the group. Tonia and I headed up to NYC to the West Village to see our friend Holly. On the way we decided to mix it up and took the Staten Island Ferry (it’s free) getting a glimpse of Lady Liberty. Tonia scoped out eateries and we had lunch at the historic Fraunces Tavern where George Washington himself used to dine. The food was excellent, drinks refreshing, and the upper floors even had a museum that was only a dollar that day each to check out. Finally, we meandered up the Hudson River, taking in the sights, to the West Village to meet up with Holly.
Holly — Tour Guide Extraordinaire!
Holly had given us some great tips for sightseeing NYC and continued in person. In the West Village, Holly showed us the building from Friends, snapping a pic of us on the street in front of it — and alas, there’s no Central Perk there! We also went by the steps from Sex in the City and Holly treated us to some delights from the Magnolia Bakery where Carrie and Miranda indulged in cupcakes — let’s just say their cupcakes and treats are indeed super scrumptious!
That was all before we had a delicious meal with Holly at a fancy Italian restaurant and then topped it off with ice cream to end the night. It was an awesome evening and we made plans to hang out again before we left town.
The Bull & Bagels
Day 5 started with NYC bagels and the Charging Bull of Wall Street on our way to the Statue of Liberty. Michael was convinced of the superstition to get good luck by touching the bull, so he stood in line to give it a rub.
Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island
On this fifth day of touring, we had a major item left to do. The status of course. We took the tour boat over and spent a few hours touring around the statue and Ellis Island. It was awe inspiring to see Lady Liberty close up and moving to read the stories of what immigrants went through to start a new life in the U.S.
Last Day in NYC
On Day 6, the final day of touring, it was a foodie and culture day. We made our way from Great Kills Yacht Club, where our boats were moored by; grabbed some boba tea for the kids; and met up with Holly, who started us out at McSorley’s, one of the oldest ale houses in New York. You order a round of light or a round of dark, beer that is. Fun!!
Chinatown
We made our way to Chinatown to take in the shops, markets, and restaurants. We decided to hit up a couple options that overlapped on Boris and Holly’s suggested lists. The first stop was Tonii’s Fresh Rice Noodle for a selection of dishes to share. Next up was Wo Hop, which had a bit of a line though we got in relatively quickly considering our group of seven. Wo Hop is a third-generation restaurant open since 1938, the second oldest in Manhattan, and 2022 James Beard award winner — plus featured on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel TV show and visited by countless celebrities who have signed their headshots or dollar bills posted on their walls. We were seated in the downstairs area near the kitchen and shared family style so we could all try the dishes. We’d say best Chinese food restaurant outside of China! Then, to appease the kids (and satisfy the ice cream obsessed adults), we stopped at the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. They offered some flavors we hadn’t seen before. Michael even tried the durian ice cream (side note, durian is a foul-smelling fruit) and said it was actually good.
A heartfelt thanks to Holly for ensuring our NYC trip was extra special! We did ❤ NY!
Anchoring by Ms. Liberty
It was finally time to leave Staten Island. Before we took off, we did some quick provisioning at the Frank and Sal Italian Market. We found some great olives, meats, and cheeses for our next charcuterie boards.
We left our mooring balls and made the trek up to take the obligatory pictures as we passed Ms. Liberty and anchored on the side of Ellis Island. It was a bit rocky there though we managed by anchoring separately. Overnight the smoke from northern wildfires started coming in and, in the morning, we were in full-on haze.
Misc NYC photo dump
And here are a bunch of photos that we thought were neato from subway trips, including a rat sighting, to cool buildings and more. We even caught a band doing a great cover in the subway too (video clip at end)!
When people talk about issues with the Great Loop one of the items that comes up is open ocean crossings. A lot of it comes down to picking the optimal weather window. For us we had a great window on the morning of May 29. I will repeat morning as the issue was we knew that the winds would pick up after noon.
The day started beautifully. We got out of the marina around 5 am and saw the first peak of daylight hitting the Atlantic City Coast Guard Station. We also saw dolphins and a nice lighthouse just before 9 am. A seemingly good start to the day.
The trouble started around noon, as predicted. We spent the last two hours of the trip with 25+ knot winds out of the east, which created very large waves off our starboard beam.
I had planned to speed up if the weather started getting bad, except it was too late. The faster we went, the more water over the bow and thus more uncomfortable.
Tonia was pretty much in we’re going to die mode so, yeah, not fun. When we got close to Sandy Hook (the jog to the left on the map above Long Branch) she just wanted to stop and tuck in around the peninsula and anchor. Luckily, the waves “calmed” as we rounded the area, and I was able to convince her to complete the trip as planned to Great Kills Harbor. Thankfully Boris had Saga already hunkered down on a mooring ball and was at the ready in his dinghy to help us secure our mooring ball.
So why did we go? Because we had a perfectly good weather forecast and after that day the weather window would have pushed out over a week. Why didn’t you go faster? We didn’t have enough fuel to run up the coast ahead of the storm. Yes, I could have resolved that by taking on more fuel prior to departure. And in hindsight I probably would have chosen that option. A total cost versus comfort decision and this would have been worth the cost.
Unfortunately, we have no other pictures for the day since we were trying not to die as Tonia puts it.
It was a long day through the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic: 11 hours in total. Phew! The weather window to get up the coast was not promising later in the week so we all decided to do a marathon day, skipping Cape May. We also had heard mixed reports about going inland between Cape May and Atlantic City so another reason we went for the outside run.
Most of the day was comfortable with the waves picking up later in the afternoon when we were approaching Atlantic City and quite ready to be done. The short video below gives a brief idea of the waves when we were approaching Atlantic City and turning in.
The marina was a bit pricey and since we were staying multiple nights, we opted to anchor on the other side of the Absecon Inlet in Brigantine Bay. It’s a huge anchorage though it has one problem. The channel to get to there is shallow and very, very narrow. Luckily a local was going home when we arrived so we had the direct line to follow. A little bit of a pucker-up moment though and Steve wasn’t entirely happy on arrival. Boris and I were walking the dog and watching from the beach when he arrived. He made it through unscathed.
The next day the girls decided to get massages, so we all headed into town to check out the boardwalk. While Tonia and Mayli were getting pampered, us guys had a nice bite to eat and found the local beer hall. Imagine that. HB took me back to Oktoberfest!
After the girls finished up, it was time for happy hour. We were just in time to get in line before Dock’s Oyster House opened and snag some bar stools. It was highly recommended by multiple loopers for their Pommes Soufflé, which is a fancy potato chip. I thought the rest of the food was more delicious, though the Pommes were definitely worth trying.
The next morning Tonia and I kayaked over to the nearby beach for a little stroll. The beac is definitely a happy place for Tonia.
That afternoon it was back to town to check out more of the sites. We walked until we couldn’t walk anymore. Then hopped on the Jitney (Atlantic City’s shuttles) and headed out to the Golden Nugget for an obligatory buffet dinner. The kids loved it of course.
We had to check out Hell’s Kitchen in the Caesar’s Palace Casino. Boris, Mayli, Tonia and I weren’t able to get a table. However, like at Dock’s we were able to get seats at the bar, which turned out to be an amazing experience as the bartender was great to chat with, had excellent drink suggestions, and accommodated our dining requests.
We opted to share the tasting menu and it was a great meal!
For our last day and night in Atlantic City, Tonia and I decided to stay at the marina and take full advantage of the pool access offered at the adjoining hotel. Boris and Mayli joined for a bit (kids opted not to since pools were not heated and they weren’t allowed in hot tubs) and later Steve and Toni, who was joining our trip through NYC, came to hang out with us and have some poolside munchies.
The next stop on the trip was Delaware City. The morning voyage took us the remainder of the Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) Canal and brought us to the beginning of Delaware Bay.
The bonus for us is that the freight company that had our inverter called to arrange delivery in Annapolis and we were able to get them to keep it at their warehouse in Baltimore, which would make for a shorter hour and a half drive. Boris and I took an Uber to the airport, grabbed a rental car, and presto – we were back with a brand spanking new inverter.
Delaware City was a cute town. However, we had bad timing. Our visit was on Sunday and Monday. And Delaware City is pretty much a ghost town with nothing open on those days.
Tonia and Mayli walked around the town and found one shop, the Cake Sisters Bakery, that was open with a super friendly baker. They grabbed an assortment of pastries, though it was hard to pick as it all looked quick good, and indeed it was all really tasty! The Barbie cake in the order display case was pretty intricate. A definite recommend if there.
On the morning before the car had to be returned, Tonia and Steve did some provisioning at the local grocery store, which happened to be a Safeway under remodel. Steve thought the “do not stack” packing material made a good hat.
Random town pics…
This super-viny tree caught our attention. Upon closer inspection, the vines were wrapped around a light pole!
On the final night, Tonia and I walked around town to see it lit up. We walked by the old canal and lock that once upon a time had lots of traffic. Love seeing the old ways of commerce.
When we arrived at Chesapeake City, we found the public dock was free, so we jumped at the opportunity versus anchoring for the first night. The water by the dock was a bit shallow yet we were able to squeeze in with Coda rafted up to Saga. We had some helpful assistance from Hyde on the sailboat at the end of the dock; him and his wife June, on their boat Beluga, were heading south towards the Bahamas. Quite the nice couple.
One item on the agenda was to resupply. Boris and I got the bikes out and headed to Walmart. It was a bit of a ride being about 7.5 miles one way with a bunch of hills. Boris was not a fan of the big Chesapeake City Bridge. It was pretty high.
Before heading back, we had a beverage at Mick’s Crab House and that gave us the energy for the return trek. When we arrived back a hot air balloon was flying about and did a touch and go on the water in the cove.
Goofing off around town
We spent some time going around the town area and spent a couple hours at the Chesapeake Inn‘s Tiki Bar for safe arrival beverages.
While the guys were out getting supplies Tonia and Mayli checked out the quaint little downtown area and also headed to the Tap Room Crab House so Mayli could get all you can eat crab (they even let her take some home) and then some delish fruity drinks at the outdoor Rum Bar.
On the final day it was time to go out for a jog down the canal. It was a good time and nice to get moving. We capped off the run with a nice breakfast sandwich at Cafe on the Bay. Next stop is Delaware City so we can drive to get our inverter (fingers crossed).
Sudden Inspiration 