Marlboro, NY

Our mornings are taking on a similar pattern of late with Jonny taking Archie in to shore while I squeeze in some exercise time. But by 8:10 on Monday, June 19 we were ready to leave our mooring and resume our cruise up the Hudson. It was a beautiful, sunny day with temperatures in the 70’s, just perfect.  This part of the Hudson is very scenic as the river curves along hilly, forested banks.

We passed West Point, high on a granite cliff on the west side of the river, as well as a castle nestled into the shore on the river’s east bank.

We chose to stay in Marlboro because it was recommended by one of the cruising guides as having several good vineyards nearby with tasting rooms. There weren’t any good anchorages so we called a local marina and the Marlboro Yacht Club to see if they had a slip for us. The yacht club was more inviting (and cheaper) so we chose to stay there.  The members couldn’t have been more friendly and welcoming.  The current was strong and they helped us tie up and we decided on our plan for the afternoon.  The club has been undergoing a lot of upgrades including beautiful new docks, a lovely swimming pools and apparently even new signage!

The hamlet of Marlboro is located on a steep hill above the river and the marina.  The vineyard we chose to visit was 2 miles away. Although we could have walked it, trudging uphill did not sound like fun, so we called an Uber - a good decision (as was leaving Archie onboard).  The Benmarl Vineyard was lovely and very busy given that it was a holiday - Juneteenth.  (We were surprised to learn how many employers now give their employees that day off, which goes to show how long it’s been since we were in the workforce!)  We sat outside surrounded by gorgeous views and enjoyed our wine flights.

When it came time to leave, we called both Uber and Lyft but neither of them responded with an available driver. So we walked the two miles back to Zendo which wasn’t as bad as it could have been since it was all downhill! On our way back we passed a bar called The Falcon that is known for its popular musical acts.  A man standing nearby encouraged us to walk down a path behind the building to a beautiful waterfall and ravine that was completely hidden from the road.  It was a cool little discovery. From there we only had to walk a little further down the hill to arrive back at the marina.

The marina’s friendly commodore came by to introduce himself and we learned from the dockmaster that his boat had recently been used to film an episode of Pokerface, a very entertaining show on Peacock that we had just finished watching. The episode was filmed at this marina on the dockmaster’s boat  (Knot Appropriate) and it was interesting to hear all about what goes on when filming an episode on location.

That evening we finished the majority of our leftovers and planned for the next two days of our journey.  Next stop will be Hudson, NY.