Update from George for Week 4 June 10, 2011

0500 June 10, 2011; I was advised by several boaters that the winds on Lake
Oneida can get very strong and that I should leave early to cover the 30 mile lake
before the winds pick up. Well, we were off by 0530 on a very cool morning and
as soon as I left the harbor protection, I headed into mild northwest winds coming
straight at me and making a medium chop on the lake. I had to endure these
not so pleasant conditions for the next two hours and even put on three wind
breakers. Yes, my hands were cold!

As I approached the end of this 30 mile journey, the sun started coming out and
the lake became calm. I entered the channel to Lock 23 and started calling the
Lock Master. By the directions on the chart and my GPS, the lock was only a
few miles up the canal but a few miles on the chart made out to be 30 more cool
minutes before I reached the lock. The Lock Master was a something else! He was a great
guy.  He gave me coffee and some cookies for my morning trip. He was also
very interested in my mission and took a filer to make copies and pass out.

From Lock 23 to Lock 1 on the Cayuga Seneca Canal it’s 5.5 hours of the most
beautiful canal / Seneca River scenery you can imagine. It was close to what
you see on the Waccamaw River in SC or the Dismal Swamp in NC. I passed
through Lock #1 at 1230 hours, after 7.5 hours of travel with 2 more hours to go
before I reach the lake house. Just before I entered Cayuga Lake for the final
stretch, Jason, my son-in-law called to tell me that the lake had north to south
winds with a mild chop in my favor. As I started into the lake, he was right on
and I set my GPS as meth straight down the lake to my location.

At 1530 hours I was tying up at my dock. Wow, I was at the lake house, what a sense of relief and
a long moment of thank you’s to the Creator and Mother Nature for taking me on
this wonderful 27 days of beautiful weather, adventurous and challenging boat
ride. No more long boat rides for another 3 weeks

Update from George for Week 4 June 9, 2011

0700 June 09, 2011; We pushed off into another beautiful cool day after the
result of the storm that passed through last night. I had another 11 locks ahead
of me if I was going to meet Carol and Phil Jones at Sylvan Beach, Lock 22, that
afternoon. Well, one Lock lead to another and then another and by noon I was
only passed Lock 17 with five more Locks or five hours ahead of me. My cell
phone went dead because of it trying to stay connected in a very limited use area
and I had the Lock Master’s at Lock 17 & 19 to call Carol and advise of my delay.
At Lock 21, the Lock Master called Carol and I got to talk with her. She had left
her cell phone at home and they had been waiting over 3.5 hours at Lock 20 for
my arrival.

I arrived at Lock 22 at 1830 hours after another very long day. At Lock 20 and
21, you start down hill after being raised over 300 feet by the preceding Locks.
Also, the canal in this area becomes a canal and not the Mohawk River and it’s a
straight as you can draw a straight line. From Lock 19 to 22, I had a strong wind
in my face and the glare of the sun. In several places, I hit debris and had to
stop the boat to clear the engine.

Carol was waiting for me at Lock 22 Canal Wall where we tied up for the evening.
She took me to the local gas station, run by the Seneca Indians, and we topped
off with cheap gas. We then went to dinner and shortly after Chase and I were
zipped in for another night.

Update from George for Week 4 June 8, 2011

0600 June 8, 2011; we shoved off at 0630 and entered Lock #1, The Federal
Lock at 0655. All locks on the Erie Canal open at 0700. I was followed into the
lock by two trawlers and two sail boats with their mast taken down. You cannot
sail across the Erie Canal because there are too many low bridges.

We passed through the “5 Steps” of locks that raise you 165 feet from the
Hudson River to the Mohawk River in about 2.5 hours. The Locks in this section
are only a few minutes apart but passing through each lock takes about 30 – 45
minutes each. The Lock Masters are very good about having the Lock ready to
receive you and the doors are open or opening as you approach the Lock.
It took all day of beautiful cruising to travel through 11 Locks. After passing
through Lock 11 at Amsterdam, NY, I tied to the wall and kicked back. Chase
loved chasing the Geese and ducks back into the water. I met the Lock Master,
Howard, and he was very interested in the boat and my mission. He took
several pictures of the boat and a flier that he was going to make copies of at the
American Legion to pass out.

After settling in and getting Chase fed, I went across the RR to a local Italian
Restraint, called Russo’s, and had a great Lasagna dinner. After dinner, I made
it back to the boat to baton down the side curtains and wait for a very powerful
thunder storm to blow by. The storm came in and moved out like a freight train
and only rained for a minute or two but the wind made up for the rain! Yes, we
got a little damp but not soaked.

Update from George for Week 4 June 7, 2011

0600 June 7, 2011: Wow, after 9.5 hours I arrived at the Troy, NY City Dock.
The day started a little late after yesterday’s trip but went very well. It’s my 24th
day of perfect cruising weather!

I had to cross the Hudson River to fuel up and I met John P. who owned the fuel
dock. Just two hours together and we were like Bro’s! He took me to the local
market to get a few things and while I was there his wife gave him Rosaries to
give to me for my travels. He also gave me a special gift that kept me going all
the way to Troy. You can figure what that gift was? I departed his fuel dock
at 0900 and arrived in Troy at 1830 hrs. The Hudson River has always been
special but today in a magnificent sunny day it was something else. I just sat
back and road the waves.

My only concern was that the motor ran a little rough last night and this morning
with fresh gas it ran perfectly all day. Also, on my way up the Hudson, I kept
running into large sections of debris. There were tree limbs, 2x4’s, large boards
with nails, mucho seaweed and more sticks than you can imagine. You could
spot some of the debris by the birds sitting on the logs and floating down stream!
I had to stop the boat more than five times to clear debris from the engine.
However with all of that to contend with, the river was flat with a south wind
and tide pushing me north and the main reason I made the trip in such good
time. One thing I found out about an hour into the trip is that you must follow the
markers. Even though it’s the wide Hudson River there are muddy and sandy
shoals and shallow spots. I never touched bottom but came very close. Once
again the GPS kept me on a true course.

I passed by Mike’s Matera’s home on the Hudson and gave it a custom wave.
There was a cute little light house in the middle of the river near by and of curse
I went around the wrong side and the bottom came up pretty quickly, but no
touching bottom.

I pulled into the Troy City Marina, a 500 foot floating dock along the seawall in
downtown Troy with several Restraints and Bars above looking over the boats. I
was advised by one of the boaters that several boats were robbed last night and
to be on watch. It was hot, muggy and I was very tired after a very long trip. I
had Chase by my side and no one came near us.

We will be up early once again and head for the 1st of many locks on the Erie
Canal tomorrow. The weather is supposed to remain warm and muggy.

Update from George for Week 4 June 6, 2011

0530 June 6, 2011; we got up to the most beautiful morning with very calm seas
around us. I packed up and headed out at 0600. It was low tide and my first turn
into the channel I hit the bottom. Wow, that came up fast and reminded me to
stay between the sticks and in the middle of the channel.

Unless you were there, you cannot imagine how beautiful and calm the waters
were through the marsh lands heading north from Atlantic City. I was like in a
dream the water was so calm the air smelled so clean and the sun shine was
so brilliant. I came to a place on the ICW where the sticks were gone and once
again if it wasn’t for my GPS I couldn’t have found the pass.

About an hour up the canal I came to a place that was a spitting image of Cape
Coral, called Manahawkin Bay, but the homes were a bit more expensive than
on the Cape. I next came to Barnegat Bay and it’s HUGE but the waters still
remained calm. However the ICW markers were over a mile apart and I had to
set Way Points on the GPS to stay in the track. All the way across the waters
remained extremely calm.

In the last part of the ICW in Northern NJ you cross through the Pleasant Canal
that takes you further up the intercostals before you enter the Atlantic. The canal
was far from pleasant for the river draining out was hitting the incoming tide and
the canal was churning. I came out of the churning canal and headed for the
Atlantic. Before going out I topped off my tanks and asked the attendant how the
water was on the Atlantic. I don’t know, just go out and find out and then hit the
gas.

Well, I entered the Atlantic at 1200 and it was almost dead calm with a little roll
from the south. I took the gas attendant’s advice and hit the throttle and headed
north for 30 miles of open Atlantic Sea. I stayed 200-300 yards off shore and
beat feet. I felt like I was traveling up a lake coast line with mucho beautiful
homes and hotels along the way. I made Sandy Hook in two hours and what an
awesome sight to see the Verrazano Bridge and the NYC Skyline ahead of me.
I crossed the bay between Sandy Hook and the V Bridge in 45 minutes and
headed up the Hudson River past the Statute of Liberty and downtown New
York. The worst wave conditions were in the NYC harbor from all the Ferry
traffic coming passed me in every direction. Once past the Navy Air Museum
and the Intrepid Air Craft Carrier I had very good waters all the way up to the
George Washington and the Tappan Zee Bridge. I was on the water 12 exciting,
beautiful, exuberating and exhausting hours today and I wouldn’t have had it any
other way. Oh yes, the Creator, Mother Nature and all the Guardian Angles were
with me to make this journey as remarkable as it was.

As I passed under the Tappan Zee Bridge, two Sherriff’s pulled up to me and
we had a nice chat about the boat and my adventure. They couldn’t believe I
have come so far in a pontoon boat. They advised me where the Half Moon Bay
Marina was located and I headed up river another 10 miles.

The Half Moon Bay Marina is a private club that takes transients but they don’t
like dogs. Of course Chase, being Chase, went right up the ramp and took a
beautiful dump to the astonishment of the neighbors! After a long day, I was in
the rack by 2030 hrs.

Update from George for Week 4 June 5, 2011

0600 June 5, 2011; Last night was very cool when tucked in and were up to over
cast skies with the sun shine coming from the north. The floating docks rocked
and rolled till midnight caused by wakes of passing boats who must not be able
to read or understand the NO WAKE signs. I have only been in NJ a few hours
and so far I have found the most un-courteous boaters. They seam to rule the
waters with no concern for other boaters. Well, it’s 0700 and time to unzip the
pilot house and head north.

Grounded, or I at least hit the muddy bottom, just 50 yards out of the slip and
right next to the red stick. Tide is out and the guys told me to stay just inside the
sticks or in the middle. The next thing to greet me was the very cool weather. It’s
only 62 out and the wind is from the ocean. The skies still look like rain but the
wind seams to be keeping the clouds to the west.

The NJ shore line along the ICW is a maze of intertwining streams coming into
the main channel. Once again, it looks much like the Georgia and SC channel
and you must stay between the sticks.

The homes along the ICW are stacked onto one another and there is “0” lot lines
and I can imagine that the homes go in the $ high 500K. Most have hinged
ramps that rise and fall with the tide so they can get into their floating boat docks.
I could see the Casino’s of Atlantic City some 15 miles out and now I am in the
back channel cruising behind them. I can’t wait to see if the pictures come out.
I came upon my first draw bridge and had a fifteen minute wait and the second
draw bridge seamed to open on my command. Both bridges were connecting
roads that went to the beaches.

I had to cruise by Atlantic City to the north and come around a point past
Harrah’s Casino and then cruise down the ICW towards the Atlantic Ocean.
The turn into the Trump Casino Marina was just under a main bridge next to the
Coast Guard Station and the seas became very choppy. I noted that once again
I arrive in choppy seas and am very thankful to have a place to tie up. I pulled
into the Trump Marina which is now owned by the Golden Nugget. Dave, the
marina manager gave me a slot and asked the Director of Activities, Ms. Harris,
for the comp. I was advised later in the afternoon by Dave that she authorized
me a 50% discount. Not a bad motel room on the water for $35 a night and what
a place to take a well needed nap!

I fueled up, went over the charts and if the weather is right I will shove off for
northern NJ early in the AM

Update from George for Week 4 June 4, 2011

HMS Patriot
Great Loop Boat Log
Week # June 4- June 10, 2011

0500, June 4, 2011: 21 days on the water and starting my 4th week.
We awoke to calm waters in the harbor and the outer harbor of Charles River
Bay had a slight chop. I decided to head out and cross the bay to find calmer
waters. The trip across the bay was very fast even though I had a 3-8 inch chop.
I made it up around North Point Pelorus on the Eastern Neck and headed up the
coast line just half mile off shore. Once around the point the waters became flat
with a chop every now and then, I made great time and arrived in Chesapeake
City on the C&D canal at 1030. I was finely out of the Chesapeake’s grip after
five days and decided to push on instead of staying over because the waters
were calm and the weather was outstanding.
I made it to the Delaware River by 1130 and headed south. I had a slight
incoming tide that soon would turn and the wind and waves were behind me. I
settled in for the 4-5 hour trip down the Delaware to Cape May. I found the River
to be quite peaceful and all the negative reports were unfounded. However, I
believe the river could change for the worse the next day and I was going to take
advantage of this fine cruising day.
About half way down the river I came to a side river and two fishermen told
me there was fuel stop about two miles up the incoming river. I made the trip
through the Georgia wet lands type of landscape up the winding river to find
three marinas. I topped off my tanks and headed back to the river and my trip
south. Most of the river is empty of housing and there was one large nuclear
power plant. I did pass a few settlements but didn’t notice any road ways into the
developments. I must get a NJ map.
I made the last costal light tower at 1545 and started to cross the Delaware Bay.
The shore line on the other side had vanished a half hour ago for mouth of the
bay is over 12 miles wide. I kept the eastern shore line in sight and headed
straight to the Cape May Canal on my GPS for it was also out of sight. I opened
up the engine to 15 MPH and boogied. I had a calm rolling sea, tied and wind
with me and made it to Cape May at 1655. As I headed across the east west
canal to find a place to tie up a large car ferry came out to great me. Huge when
you are this small along side. The marina I am in is 75% full and no marina
manager to talk with. Oh well, I will be out of here early in the AM. The weather
looks like rain and I have put down the side certins for the first time in 21 days.