11/13/12

Sailboat Pie

We always leave home in the fall wondering what we’ve forgotten.  Nothing noted…until we arrived in Kingston and started digging out the parts to make Persephone into a sailboat – sails, blocks, sheets, halyards, battens….battens?  Where are the battens?  We have 4 battens ranging from 3 feet to 14 feet essential to the performance of our mainsail.  They were stored in Brian and Deb’s attic back in Pennellville in the spring of 2011.  Thanks to Brian who found and transported our battens to Albany and thanks to Vince of Hideaway Marina who loaned us his fancy truck to drive to Albany to retrieve the battens.  

Sailing the Hudson - Bear Mtn. Bridge around the next bend

Looking back on West Point

We're passed by a classic "Justice" on Havestraw Bay, Hudson River

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With the fully-battened sails up we sailed and motored the Hudson River from Kingston to NY City starting and finishing in the dark.  The high water from Sandy’s storm surge was evident.  Boats that broke loose from moorings or docks floated 8-10 feet above the river bank and were stranded on the banks when the water receded.  Marinas all along the Hudson had a mess of boats that were stored on shore and floated off their stands during the surge.  New York Harbor looked unchanged from our view other than a few new buildings. 

New York City

 

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The lack of ferry traffic buzzing around us made a smoother-than-usual transit through NYC to an anchorage behind Liberty Park.  The winds continued to howl most of the night.  

Verrazzano Bridge

 

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We had a spectacular view of the Verrazano Bridge from our anchorage.  The arches of the bridge lit up the night outlining tomorrow’s exit point to the ocean.  Off in the morning in the dark with NW winds at 20 knots – NW is a great wind direction when you’re heading south on the coast.  Great winds from behind to push and the waves don’t have a chance to build as we scoot along the NJ coast.  

 

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With binoculars we saw the wreckage of homes along the shore and the roller coaster at Seaside Park in the water on the beach. 

Sailing along NJ Coast

 

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Onto Barnegat to anchor for the night and then our sprint south to arrive in the Chesapeake before the next storm system arrives.  To Cape May, NJ then up the Delaware Bay where we smacked and pounded our way along.  Just doesn’t seem right to be sailing north when we want to go south.  The 50 pounds of apples in the v-berth may well have been applesauce if the Bay had been as rough the entire way as it was the first two hours.  We sped along making tracks – when Jerry hears snow in the forecast he’s on the move.  We dodged the storm.  Although the temperatures have been downright brisk we have not  had any snow on the boat.  Sailing south on the Chesapeake in blue skies, good NW winds,, and sunshine would have been perfect if it were a little more than 40 degrees out.

By the time we arrived in Deltaville, VA to visit our friends Ryan and Kari the temperature was up to 60 degrees.  And sunny!  Ryan and Kari live aboard “Valkyrie” currently in Fishing Bay at Chesapeake Boat Works.  Conversation, dinners together, reminiscing, games, it’s all good when we spend time with Ryan and Kari. 

Valkyrie on the left, Virginia on the right, Persephone in the background at anchor.

The excitement at the Chesapeake Boat Works was the arrival of the 115’ schooner “Virginia”.  The marina has a railway system to haul large boats.  Crowds gathered to watch the all day affair as “Virginia” was tugged ashore atop a platform on rails.  Divers assisted to arrange the blocking on the hull under the boat.  It was quite a sight.

Divers hammer supporting structures for Virginia

Halfway there!