Hudson River Cuise

[RobGallagher]

Hello,

In July ''02 I am planning a cruise from Stonington, CT up the Hudson River to Catskill, NY.

My route will take me to the Hudson via LI Sound to the East River then up the Harlem River.

I am looking for information from anyone who has made this trip or a similar one.

I have plenty of boating experience, but I am new to sailing (I have completed the ASA courses in sailing and navigation). This spring I will be getting alot of shakedown time before embarking on my trip.

Rob Gallagher
C&C 30 "Trysail"
Pawcatuck CT

[SHIMSHON]

Great Trip but why not do it in the fall with the change of leaves--very pretty, especially Hudson Valley area (West Point to Tivoli Bay) You will find very little wind at that time of year and it will be very hot and humid. I don''t think you want to go through the Harlem River since there are special requirements and advance notification for bridge openings. Go down the East River and around The Battery and then up the Hudson--get to see a lot more ie. UN Plaza, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, South Street Seaport etc. Watch out for the ferry boats when going around the Battery. Lots of Marinas and plenty of anchorages. You should have reservations at the Marinas. Neat places--Bear Mountain, Garrison, Cold Spring, West Point, Norrie Point Marina,Roundout Creek (Kingston). Any other questions?just ask. There is also a very eclectic group of boats and people who usually stay at the 79th Street Boat Basin in the Hudson River-you might want to reserve a mooring there and it is a good stoping point going from the Sound and around lower Manhattan before preceeding up the Hudson (it is south of the GW Bridge).

[RobGallagher]

Hi Shimshon,
Thanks for the reply. My first plan was to go down around the battery, now I think I will go back to that plan. I make 3 trips (usually by car) every summer to stay near Catskill NY with friends. I can plan my cruise as late as september. I would like to use the motor as little as possible (or not at all!). Do you think September will give me better winds upriver? Do any really great marinas come to mind?

I''m guessing 2 days from the Battery to Caskill. Is this realistic considering light winds and current?

It''s going to be a long winter

Thanks again for your reply!

[SHIMSHON]

September should present you with some better opportunities for sailing. As I mentioned before, Norrie Point is a nice place to stay (aprox. 11 miles north of Poughkeepsie). If you are not adverse to anchoring-- just north of Cold Spring on the east side of the Hudson is a nice little cove with a view of the Storm King Mountains.
There is also a small marina in Garrison that you might want to consider. Garrison is a neat little village to stroll around in. Cold Spring has a great restaurant called the Hudson House that you might want to try.
A lttle farther north from Cold Spring and on the west side of the Hudson is the Cornwall Yacht Club which will take transients if they have the room--not much else there though. Good Luck!! In response to your question regarding time--if you pushed and motored most of the way, you could probably make it in two days. But you are talking about some long days since it is aproximately 75 miles from the Battery to Saugerties (Catskill). I think you would miss an awful lot that the Hudson has to offer.

[RobGallagher]

Hello Shimshon,

I will be allowing plenty of time to enjoy the hudson. But, because I will be meeting friends in Catskill, I might head strait up then take my time on the return trip. It depends on my schedule. The information you have provided will be very helpful. Thanks again for you input.

It''s 70 degrees and sunny today, I''m wishing my boat was still in the water.

[Cal28nbc]

My father is a member of Nyack Boat Club in Nyack, NY. about 1/2 mile north of the Tappan Zee Bridge on the west shore.
The NBC website has info and links pertaining to this stretch of the Hudson.

http://www.serve.com/jfmorris/nyack.html
Enjoy the trip,
V.Landers Jr. Cal28 (unnamed)

[Cal28nbc]

One more link of information for your Hudson River trip.

http://www.boatingonthehudson.com

[halyardz]

We produced a video cruising guide for the
Hudson, check under videos in the sailnet
classified. Shows passage from Battery to
Troy and all the major ports.

[RobGallagher]

Thanks for the interesting websights and I will look further into the video. Any thoughts on the best cruising guide to the hudson?

[SHIMSHON]

I need to correct my mail to you of 12/2/01. I gave you the distance from the Battery to Poughkeepsie. The distance to Catskill is aproximately 106miles. So, you probably have aminimum of a three day trip to get there. Sorry for the error.