Wednesday, May 7, 2014 Let's Dock & Dine Tonight at Highland, NY!

We left Nyack Boat Club around 7 am.  The winds are still coming out of the north but light and variable this morning and the sun is going to be shining all day.  I can feel today’s going to be a great day on the water!  It was much easier to leave this mooring area than it was entering the field last night with the sun glaring in our eyes.  So, we’re soon out in the river heading north.   Early on, we see a bare-poled sailboat heading south.  I don’t know about Chuck but I’m excited to actually see another vessel besides a barge with its tug.  The blow boats on the other side of the river and even with binoculars, it’s difficult to tell the size or type of sailboat.   I’m speculating that he’s heading to the Nyack Boat Club since there’s not much else in this area.

West Point Academy

What a gorgeous day!   I am just amazed by the beauty of the Hudson River. Wow, I don’t remember passing the Sing Sing Prison on our way south, but there it is…sprawled out on a hill on the eastern shore of the river. There’s actually an anchorage in front of it !  Not exactly where I would like to stay!!  A little further up the river, we  motor by West Point and the Bannerman Scottish Castle.  Today, the view of both of these landmarks is just breathtaking.   When we got close to Storm King Mountain, a 1900 acre park with  trails, we could see about 20 bicyclists peddling up the steep side of the mountain.  They were at various stages along their leg-killing climb.  I’m tired just watching
them.  We are seeing more boats along our way but they are fishing boats and not cruisers.   The river in the Newburgh-Beacon area must be a great fishing spot.  We had to dodge these boats because there in our way…imagine that!  One fisherman had to lift his stringer of fish so we could see his 2 huge, chubby strippers.  Cool

Storm King Mt.

tug pushing 4 barges at one time

Bannerman  Castle on its own island

docks don't look too good but sturdy!

ducks & carp eating bread from the deck

Mariner's on the Hudson Restaurant

We decided that our stop tonight will be at a dock & dine at the
‘Mariners-on-the-Hudson’ Restaurant.  That’s if there is room along their face dock…I called and there is!  Good.  This restaurant offers the use of their dock just as a courtesy for eating at their restaurant….no electric or water but that’s okay.  This will make our day a bit shorter...only 48.5 miles in 8.5 hours!  Before we shower and eat,  Chuck wants to change the oil and oil filter on the engine.  That's fine because it gives us some down time. When we walked over to the restaurant, it wasn't too busy.  We got to sit out on the deck looking at the  view of the river as well as the two bridges we had just motored under...the Mid-Hudson Bridge and an old RR Bridge that has been converted into a walking/running/cycling path.  I really wanted to walk on it because the view has to be something.  Once we ate, we walked to the road that would take us up to the bridge...no way....it was so steep and curvy and without sidewalks that we both agreed that we better walk the road along the river instead!

walk-over bridge behind out docked boat