We went 25 miles and
had a fairly easy day today….locks 10, 9 & 8 and called it a day @
1:30….beautiful blue sky.
Brad the dock master
at Schenectady (skin-neck-ta-dee) YC was there to welcome us, took our lines
and said he would move us as far forward as possible as they were expecting a
63’ power cruiser anytime. We wandered
down the dock a little to the diesel pump area….where Brad pointed out a spider
that sent me running for the spider spray.
See picture……this was by far the biggest spider we had ever seen.
We got settled, Julie brought her laptop up to the deck
where wifi was available to continue discussions with tech support on her
Samsung S3….it was a very lengthy call. We visited with Brad. Brad finished his education, was finishing
his thesis – Arizona wildlife…came home 3 years ago and never pursued it,
working 80 hours a week on the gas dock at Schenectady. There was our boat and 2 other boats that
needed fuel that day….what a shame. Estimated 20 gallons to fill up for the run
down the Hudson.
Our friends we met the previous day, Don & Connie on
Schiffli (meaning 'little boat), a beautiful Monk 36 (trawler) told us that they were stopping at
Schenectady as well. They also came out to greet us when we arrived. We met Don & Connie in Amsterdam where
Don helped us dock and we chatted for a while…they invited us over for happy
hour on their boat that day. Today, happy hour was on the deck of the dock
masters office….where we sat in the shade of some big old trees. Don
& Connie are a very nice couple with a wealth of information that was of
great interest to us…transiting the Erie Canal and the Hudson River They shared
with us that next July they hope to revisit one of their favourite spots…Lake
Champlain to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary!! When I asked
what their secret was….Don replied with the following: 1) “Whenever I’m asked anything…I say yes”.
2) “But…that doesn’t mean I’m gunna do it”. 3) “I don’t answer”. 4) Ultimately, the admiral rules”. We enjoyed our time spent with them….some good
laughs were had J
They have travelled the locks several times – including the
Trent system and Lake Champlain. Don offered to travel with us the next day for
the remaining 6 locks. This would be of
great help to us because what we’ve come to figure about our difficulties
grabbing the ropes in the locks is that when the lock doors are closed
immediately behind us, this causes a push of current that prevents us from
being able to get the ropes in a timely fashion. With Schiffli following in
behind us, we have a lot more time to grab the ropes before the doors even
begin to close. All 6 locks went very
smoothly. We also chatted about the ebb & flow of the tides that we will
encounter on the Hudson River and possible locations to anchor on our way down
the Hudson.
We decided to order
Chinese food for delivery and share the rest of the evening with our new boat
friends. Just after dinner it was
now dusk which meant the mosquitoes were coming out. We coordinated a time for
the morning departure and both retired to our respective boats.
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