Coxsackie, NY

We decided to take the morning of Wednesday, June 21 off from cruising in order to visit the Olana State Historic site, a house museum and landscape in nearby Greenport, NY.  We found a driver to take us there (surprisingly, Uber and Lyft are not much available in these parts).  What a wonderful “find” Olana was for us!  It was the home and property of Frederic Church, one of the major figures of the Hudson River School of Landscape.  He bought the property in 1870 and over time acquired 250 acres where he designed “landscape paintings” throughout the grounds.  He planted thousands of trees to create wooded areas that would open up to fabulous meadow and river vistas that looked just like the scenic paintings of the Hudson River School of Art.  

Church also designed and built a fabulous Persian-inspired home on the site. It embraced a variety of architectural styles with every room positioned to provide another grand view of the grounds. Each room was filled with his and other artists’ works and it was furnished with all the original furniture.

We took a guided tour of the house and grounds led by a very knowledgeable guide who considerably enhanced the experience. We highly recommend a visit to Olana!

Upon our return to Zendo we ate leftover pizza for lunch and left the marina at 2 p.m. bound for Troy,  NY. It was the longest day of the year and we knew we had plenty of time for the five hour journey. But just after an hour on the water, Jonny realized that he had left his credit card at the restaurant the night before. What to do? We could cancel the card or we could return and retrieve it from the restaurant.  For a variety of reasons, we chose the latter option and returned to Hudson much to the surprise of the other boaters there.  Jonny and Archie quickly walked up to the restaurant, grabbed the errant card and we took off once again - this time at 4 p.m.

This change required us to revise our planned destination for the day and we decided to go to Coxsackie (pronounced Cooksacky), a village on the west bank of the river.  It was described as having a free town dock and a farmer’s market on Wednesdays.  What more could one ask for!  So we took off following the current that was in our favor and reached pretty Coxsackie by 4:45.  We were the only boat on their long and easily accessible floating dock next to a big, lovely, grassy park. As promised, the park was hosting its weekly farmer’s market where we happily stocked up on escarole, snow peas, strawberries and cherries.

Archie enjoyed being able to run through the park’s extensive grounds and managed to indulge me for a quick photo op!

We wandered through the charming town and eventually made our way to a riverside restaurant for drinks and nibbles.  The place was hopping and a band was playing nearby. It was quite enjoyable. 

Back on board Zendo, Jonny spent time inflating additional fenders since we would be going though twelve locks in the next couple of days.  We ate a few more nibbles for dinner and had a quiet night onboard.  A gaggle of teenage girls in their bathing suits were celebrating the last day of school jumping off the dock to go swimming. It was a joyful sight!

Hudson, NY

We took our time leaving Marlboro on Tuesday, June 20 because I had a Spanish lesson and Jonny took Archie for a long walk.  We had a shorter cruise planned for Hudson, NY, on the east bank of  the Hudson River, so we left at 10:50 for the five plus hour cruise.  It was another beautiful day, sunny with perfect temperatures in the 70’s.  And how relaxing it is not to have to worry about rough seas!

We passed a couple of the unique Hudson River lighthouses along the way.

And periodically, long trains sped along the river banks on both sides heading back and forth from NYC to the many towns lining the shore.

We arrived by 4:10 and pulled up to the dock of the Hudson Power Boat Association with the help of some friendly boaters there.  The current on the Hudson is strong and all the marinas are right on the river so it can be a little tricky to dock when the current is at its peak.  As indicated by the name, all the boats were power boats, not a sailboat in sight.  The guys were super nice, all “regular” guys, an adjective that Jonny makes fun of me for using but I feel is very descriptive!

The vice commodore, a fellow named Frank, was eager to show us his trawler and invited us aboard to regale us with some of his boat purchasing adventures.  He was the president of his union and originally from Queens. He now has a home in Hudson as well as one in Fort Lauderdale where he owns another good sized power boat.  We invited him onboard Zendo and had a fun time talking with him.

Once we got settled we walked into the town of Hudson which is really quite impressive. Our original plan was to briefly explore the town, have a drink and then return for dinner onboard. But we were so entranced by Hudson, its architecture, leafy streets and attractive shops and restaurants that we took our time exploring.

We walked all the way up to the lovely town green which was surrounded by very impressive churches and the town hall.  

We were especially intrigued by the name of this one -  Rock Solid Church.

By this time, we were hungry as well as thirsty so we decided to stop for a light bite.  We were surprised to find that a number of restaurants are only open from Thursday through Sunday. Apparently, Hudson is a very popular weekend destination for NYC folks. Therefore, many restaurants take advantage of that phenomenon and limit the days they are open. We managed to find an appealing restaurant called Savona’s Trattoria and Bar where we had pizza and salad in their shady outdoor patio. Note the picture of the serviceman on the lamp post outside the restaurant.  The streets of both Marlboro and Hudson were lined with photos of service men and women who had lost their lives in the line of battle. They were very moving remembrances and we are becoming more aware of seeing them in other towns we’ve visited along the river. 

Afterward we had a comfortable evening onboard.  We had made plans to visit the Olana State Historic Site the next morning before continuing our cruise up the Hudson. 

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.

Nyack, NY

After a calm and restful night in Sheepshead Bay, Jonny got up early on Sunday, June 18 to take Archie to do his business while I exercised on board. Stephanie called to wish Jonny a Happy Father’s Day and to tell him about the gift he will be receiving - a sous vide machine, which he is very excited about!

We left by 8:35 and cruised up the Hudson on another beautiful, sunny day. We passed the Statue of Liberty, always a stunning sight, and the dramatic Manhattan skyline. 

 

It was a relief to travel on the calm waters of the Hudson River. The scenery as we left NYC was bucolic on both sides of the river.

We reached our mooring at the Nyack Boat Club by 2:35. After a short rest and a quick shower we contacted the launch which took us to shore. The clubhouse looks like a traditional Victorian style home - not at all what one would expect.

From there we walked all through the lovely downtown of Nyack stopping at restaurants to peruse their menus. The downtown is charming with lots of interesting architecture and shops, outdoor restaurants, shady trees and a colorful, friendly vibe.

Jonny was in charge of choosing where he wanted to have dinner since it was Father’s Day.  There were lots of choices, many of them ethnic, and he chose a Greek restaurant called Kavos Grill. It was a lively, local place with friendly staff and diners.  Sitting outside there were several tables with small dogs so it was definitely a fun and inviting atmosphere and the food was hearty and good.  We enjoyed talking to the couple at the table next to us.  It was a nice way to end the day. 

Afterwards, we headed back to Zendo on the launch whose driver used to live on a boat very near to us in Miami.  Such a small world!  Then we settled in for a quiet evening in our beautiful anchorage.

Sheepshead Bay, NY

After a blissfully calm night at our quiet anchorage in Barnegat Light, we woke up early on Saturday, June17 and took Archie for a walk through that tidy seaside town. There is a big dog park nearby but it is locked and only open to residents who always let us in. This time, as Jonny discovered last night, no one was using it. Instead, we walked across the narrow barrier island to the beach, but dogs aren’t allowed there at this time of year.

Returning to Zendo, we pulled up the anchor at 8:35 and took off for our long cruise up the Jersey shore to Sheepshead Bay Yacht Club in Brooklyn.  It was a beautiful day with relatively calm seas and the weather was welcome after our stormy day yesterday. As we approached New York City the sky became quite hazy and the smell of smoke from the Canadian forest fires was in the air.  All was calm until we were just outside of Sheepshead Bay.  All of a sudden, the skies clouded up and it poured rain.  Jonny slowed us down so we could linger outside the entrance to the bay until the storm passed.  And fortunately it was short lived and we were able to safely enter the yacht club and get our assigned mooring.

Once we were tied up, we took the launch into shore to take Archie for a walk. This is not an attractive part of town but we knew of a waterfront park a half mile away and we headed there.  Next to the park is a beach where we were able to let Archie off his leash for a walk.

There were less than half a dozen people on the beach.  Not surprising because it was strewn with tons of seaweed filled with what looked like deteriorating plastic bags. It was quite an astonishing site to see.  When we returned to the marina we asked one of the members why and and he explained that it was the result of storm drains in the surrounding area discharging garbage that ended up on the bay’s beaches. It’s another convincing reason for us to drastically reduce our use of plastic.

Jonny prepared our dinner of meatloaf, potatoes and broccoli and we had a quiet evening onboard catching up on the news and other entertainment. Tomorrow we continue our journey heading up the Hudson River.  Next stop, Nyack, NY.