Days Events:

Wx - cloudy, cooler, 64/86 forecast; a pleasant travel day.

Travel - left Croton at 09:30, cruised 3 hrs upriver to Newburgh, arriving at Riverfront Marina at 12:30. They had a wee bit of current [3mph] which made for some interesting docking but fortunately all went well - they placed us on the outside face dock, stern upriver [a 'face' dock means you can only tie up on one side, as compared to a 'slip' dock where you 'slip' between pilings or finger docks and have ties on both sides - face docks are used for bigger boats and for 'overflow' transients too - and generally easier to dock in a wind or current - at least for us].

We saw some neat things - West Point Military Academy was the most notable - see photos. It is an impressive campus on the South bank, first built in 1802. For anyone who doesn't know, West Point is the training college for army officers [accounting for about 20% of all active officers]; there are 580 teaching staff for 4300 students, on 16,000 acres. Women now account for 20% of cadets but make up 44% of honor roll. Cadets graduate with degrees in engineering, cyber technology, and international politics, among others.

Bannerman's Castle is on a small island just before Newburgh, abandoned now but had been used as part of a complex of buildings for military surplus warehouses, built by Francis Bannerman VI in 1901. Some of the buildings were damaged or destroyed by an explosion in 1920.

There were trains traveling both directions on both sides of the river - never dull. Many very long freight trains always to our west, and many commuter trains always to our east. Little boat traffic - one tow/barge which looked exactly like the two in the photo in NYC that were anchored.

Marina - Riverfront Marina is the center of downtown Newburgh; it has 120 slips, so a nice size. They pumped out the holding tank. Helpful folks, very accommodating. Only 20 spots are transient. There are 6 restaurants close to us - one of these will be providing us with a take-out tonight!

Photos - several of different views of the marina; the long-term slip renters keep lots of stuff on the dock.


Admirals Desk:

An easy trip. Weather, wind, waves and waking all quiet.

The scenery has switched from big city sights to beautiful green hills with small communities dotting the shoreline. Passing by West Point was definitely the significant event of the day. Architecture and history.

Another transition - we've progressed from "our bow sitting on the mud" water depths a couple of days ago to 130' today. A welcome change. Also welcome is the slightly cooler weather. Still on my first shirt.😁

We ordered seafood from a restaurant beside the marina. Excellent mussels for me, fish and chips for Rob. No cooking two nights in a row. My skills will rust!

As penance for not cooking 2 days in a row I cleaned the heads and washed the sheets. Washing sheets is no big deal, but getting the fitted bottom sheet back on a no-walk-around bed is an ordeal. That's all for today.


Maintenance:

Electrical - another eventful day which turned out positive! When we connected our 50 amp cord to their pedestal here, we had no power! But, we did show a Reverse Polarity light and the ELCI had tripped! Despite turning it back on, it kept tripping. So left ourselves on the generator, at the consent of the marina. Even with the generator, the Reverse Polarity remained on but only now for line 2. Didn't make sense but I thought it likely had something to do with the cord plug again, as it was the culprit last time, at Hoffmans Marina, and sometimes the folks connecting our cord, ourselves included, have to try and twist that devil to get it lined up correctly.

Took the plugs boot off and bingo - the white/neutral wire had pulled out of its terminal - again. Keen powers of observation revealed that the 4 wires were still looking 'unaligned' so I shortened both the black and green/ground a bit to be more like the white and everything seems better now and more secure. Sprayed the open points with T9 to improve conductivity and keep moisture out. Added some duct tape around the outside of the boot to cord to stiffen it and prevent as much twisting, etc. Tested it on the pedestal and we are back on shore power. Time for a beer!

'Housekeeping' - cleaned a couple of fenders and improved the inflation on one ball fender before leaving today.

Admiral ordered me to begin reporting on local beer sampling and that I had been derelict in my duties; will seek penance by reporting tomorrow.

Covid - no masking evident here at the marina, but staff in restaurants are all masked and there is obvious distancing of outdoor tables.

Travel Planning - we have outlined our stops along the Erie Canal, which we will begin at Waterford, and should hit Lake Ontario about Aug. 29 or 30. We wanted to ensure we were through the canals and locks a bit early because we have to be in the Thousand Islands, at Alexandria Bay, by Sept.15 because the boat is scheduled to be put into storage then.

That's all today.

Tomorrow - off to Kingston and the Rondout Yacht Basin, 32 miles. We will be going by F.D.R.'s estate and museum. Stay safe.


Comments:

Dd - 14 Aug 2020: Sounds wonderful