Brace Brace Brace

Day: 25
Cruising Day: lost track, think its about 15
Course: still on the Hudson River, it's either north or south
Sea Conditions: non existent, it's a river
Wind: also not an issue, it's a river
Distance Run:  back and forth to NYC 4 times at 43 miles each
Croton to Newburgh: 32 miles, we really dont pay much attention on the river as we get there when we do and no fog, wind, seas or much traffic to be concerned about.

 As I write this, it is six thirty in the morning ( that's 0630 for those with a nautical bent) and I am watching ducks feed on whatever they eat, quacking happily while the sun rises over Haverstraw Bay at Croton-On -Hudson, NY.  While the days continue to pass on this adventure to somewhere, it seems more apparent each day this time is about the journey, not the destination.

PM and I had the pleasure of Sam Merrell's company this past weekend. He arrived on the 11:30 AM train from "the City" and we met him at the station.  Isn't there a song with those lyrics? Having guests aboard always changes the pace and dynamic, an occasional welcome event.  We spent the day catching up with mutual news, having a great meal on board with PM's friend from High School, Melinda, consuming much too much wine and bourbon.  The next morning, as the sun baked our dew soaked deck dry, we cruised from Croton-On-Hudson to Newburgh, NY, found a lovely marina where the dock hands were "eye candy and competent", as PM describes them, and had phenomenal barbecue at Billy Joe's Ribworks or something similar, (and if anyone is interested in a slam dunk business idea, opening a store selling short shorts and tank tops would work in Newburgh). The only snag at Riverfront Marina was live (and loud) music that played from 11 to 3 Thursday through Sunday.  We arrived on July 4th., a Thursday.  This was unfortunately more an issue for our crew as the captain and his mate were safely ensconced in the master suite with the AC on.  Sam was treated to the full effect taking place about thirty feet from the V-berth. I think he gave in after awhile and went to the foredeck to be even closer to the stage and watch the 20 somethings cope with their social games.

Returning to Croton the next day, we stayed one night after an interesting landing at the dock.  As VELOMER was within 10 feet of making another perfect docking maneuver, the engine died. and we heard a loud, "BRACE BRACE BRACE" from the foredeck where Sam was preparing to handle bow lines.  Whoops, but all was remedied with a little fiberglass polish and an apology to our marina host at Half Moon Bay.  VELOMER is a tough boat and hardly noticed the collision, which to be fair was at about 1 knot.  The cause of this engine stop is still under investigation, but I suspect we encountered the mud bottom and this was sufficient to slow the engine RPMs, at idle at the time, just enough to stall.  I dove off the swim platform to check for anything wrapped around the shaft or wheel- no damage and nothing left of any line, but I di confirm the depth as VELOMER's bottom was about 1 foot above the river bottom.  .

The next morning was Sunday, and PM desperately wanted to see Sam's honey, Suzie Aronoff, her college friend from Kirkland many many years ago.  Susie was working in Manhattan all weekend, so we took Sam back to Liberty Landing in Jersey City and Suzie took a  ferry across the Hudson (another song about that?) from the Financial Center in Manhatten.  Another amazing dinner with less wine but still lots of bourbon was enjoyed as we chatted non stop till 10.  As we exited the restaurant, a somewhat notorious rock star was sitting just outside on the patio.  Sam noticed "Pink" in her characteristic short dress, form fitted bodice and killer platform heels.  I noticed too, but had no idea we were being treated to stardom sparkles.

We had VELOMER back to Croton the next morning after a very relaxing cruise up the Hudson with 2-3 knot tidal flow working in our favor.  After a soft landing this time, we tied to the 40 foot dock next to a 60 foot Searay Sundancer.  While VELOMER is certainly not the largest boat in the roaming fleet we are part of, she is definitely the most attractive, and I would add the most appreciated by her owner.  We are often reminded of her beauty by dock walkers at the marinas, and even occasionally by one of the superyachters.

So today is a catch up day, a quick trip to the dentist to reattach a crown for PM and file off a small tooth chip for me, some maintenance on VELOMER-- it is time(100 hours) to change engine oil and filter--, and a bike ride to restock fresh veggies and fruit, Polar Seltzer, Pinot Gris and chocolate.

This life is so entertaining.

PM's Perspective -- Boat v. Car Driving

Operating a boat is like driving a car, only a lot different.  Driving a car requires the operator to know the difference between right and left.  This is something that I haven't quite learned yet, despite my vast life's experience. I know this because when I am giving directions to Bob while he is driving I will say right and point left.  Bob has learned through experience to go where I point, not where I say.  I think that the reason I still get confused is the English language has so many different meanings for the words "right" and "left."  For example, "right" also has the connotation of correctness and politically conservative and "left" also means remnant  or politically liberal.  No wonder English is one of the more difficult languages to learn.  With boating, the proper terminology is port (left) and starboard (right).  Fortunately, I don't get these two confused, probably because port means port and starboard means starboard without the politics.

I've been driving car-like vehicles since my dad taught me on the 3-speed tractor at the age of eight, and I've had my license since I was 16.  I took driver's ed from Fred Brooks at Croton-Harmon High School.  I learned that when driving, you drive the car in a designated right hand lane within the speed limit (for the most part).  Traffic is controlled by traffic lights, stop signs and other signage.  Directions are by route numbers and signs with arrows.  A car has a gas pedal and brakes and if you drive a newer model car, your car may have cruise control that adjusts your speed to a particular number of miles per hour.  Not so with a boat.

Velomer is 36 feet long, 14 feet wide and weighs 11 tons not including fuel, water, supplies and people.  When fully loaded, the weight is at least 12 tons.  A little bigger and heavier than a car.  Her draft is 4 feet meaning that we need a minimum of 4 feet of water to stay afloat.  (Why a boat is referred to by "her" and "she" will be the subject of another post!) Once the boat starts going in any direction, there is a lot of momentum and there is no break pedal!  Unlike car driving where you keep to the right, a boat can be operated on a waterway anywhere there is sufficient depth to support the vessel.  Also, unlike car driving, you are not required to have a license to drive a boat.  You don't even need to take any safety classes.  Needless to say, this situation allows for some interesting dynamics on the water.

Not that there aren't any rules governing the waterway traffic.  There are a great many of them.  The problem is that a lot of recreational boaters just don't know them.  Fortunately, commercial boat operators do know them and are fairly tolerant of nut cases on the waterways.  The one important rule is that really large boats such as barges, tankers, ocean liners and the like have staggering momentum underway and very limited maneuverability so they always have the right-of-way.  So stay clear!  When we motored up from New York to Croton, I felt like a chipmunk trying to cross a four lane highway.  

Velomer has a top speed of 12 knots (13.6 miles) with a full throttle, not very fast.  One of the boat owners we talked with has a top speed of 60 knots.  We burn one to two gallons of diesel fuel per hour depending on speed and the other boater uses at least 30 gallons of gasoline per hour.  That means the other boater gets 2 knots per gallon tops and we average about 8 knots per gallon.  I like our fuel economy better and I'm cheap which you already know.

The really cool thing is the auto pilot feature on the boat.  This means that you can set a course and the boat automatically steers in that direction at whatever throttle you decide to go.  No constant steering like with the car.  I like this feature.  When I'm at the helm (boat talk for driving the vessel), I can lean back in the captain's chair with my feet up, hands behind my head, taking in the scenery.  Of course, I need to keep my eyes out for other boaters, water hazards, and the like, but it is not the intensity of attention required by car driving.

On the water, signage consists of things like green cans, red nuns (not the religious kind) and day markers.  These indicate the location of the navigation channel and hazards such as shoals, sand bars and the like.  I have an uncanny ability to locate these markers from a distance.  The cans and nuns are numbered so that you can relatively easily find where you are on a paper chart which brings me to my last point.  When operating the boat, unlike a car, you are constantly trying to figure out where you are when you travel through unfamiliar waters.  I use four sources -- my eyes, the GPS charts, paper charts and my I-Phone.  My eyes typically are the most reliable.  If there is an object in front of you that is not on the GPS or paper charts, I believe my eyes!  The electronic and paper charts are great for plotting courses and getting a sense of where you are.  Unfortunately, these charts don't always include the names of the towns you are in and this is when I consult my I-Phone's maps.  I don't leave dock without it!

Who's Pink?