July 12th, 2016
Lock 4 Schaghticoke, NY
I enjoyed a quiet dinner on my private island last night and then I headed to bed just after sunset hoping to get a lot of rest before daybreak. I drifted off sometime after 9pm and awoke in the middle of the night to a humming sound. It sounds like the noise you here as you approach most factories on the water, just a low, constant moaning. No highs or lows, just that low constant one note sound. I knew what it was immediately and contemplated getting out of the hammock to take some pictures. Since I was nice and warm and the air outside the tent was cool, I stayed in and just watched it pass. A huge Tug pushing a giant barge was passing just feet from my little island. As far as sounds go, it’s rather quiet for boats, but it is unmistakable.
I drifted back off while wondering if they are still called Tugs when they push and awoke again around 5am. The river was completely fogged in. It was quite a site, but decided it was to early and too damp to get up so back into the hammock I went.
By 7am, I was up, breakfast was on and I was packing up my gear when a twin engine Pontoon Boat came cruising by. I’d seen it yesterday back at the Marina and it struck me as odd. I’d never seen a small Pontoon Boat like this with twin engines. Then I realized what it was. Everyone on board was wearing orange life jackets and hard hats. When I saw them later that day, my suspicion was confirmed. They were taking soil samples for the PCB’s in the land that became exposed after they took down the Hudson Dam, which dropped the level of the Hudson River.
I paddled off the island and headed south enjoying the nice weather and gentle breeze along with the interesting homes along the riverbanks. A little while into my paddle I heard another Tug. I turned around and saw the Waterford from yesterday approaching me. I turned on my radio and said Good Morning to the Captain. We had a nice brief chat and he passed me on by. He’d be docking in Mechanicville, NY tonight so I’ll probably see him on the return trip tomorrow.
The river had opened up a bit when a Seaplane flew overhead, circled around and came back. I waved my paddle in a WigWag fashion at him and he waved his wings back. Then he circled again and landed on the Hudson. I paddled over to where he docked and had a nice chat with the man. It’s a circa 1945 Seaplane and he’s been flying it for 65 years. His father flew it before him. I was amazed at that history. Wishing him well I paddled off the shore.
I found a nice little park in Stillwater, NY to have lunch at. There is a nice kayak launch and covered picnic tables along with a manicured lawn. I got to meet a fisherman there who was originally from Yonkers, NY. He has family who lived in my hometown of Yorktown, Heights, NY. Such a small world.
I was up on the picnic benches lying down when I heard that droning sound again. I jumped up and ran down to the launch as I had only pulled the nose of my kayak up on the shore and I arrived there just as the Lucy H Tug, the same one from last night, was motoring past with its empty barge. I grabbed the kayak to stop it from getting knocked over by the big waves about to break on shore. With that, the Lucy H stopped and stopped quick. Running empty, that Tug sure can manhandle the barge. I radioed the Tug to see if he was waiting on Southbound traffic as I was going to launch now, but he told me he just had to do some routine maintenance and would just be a minute. As quickly as he stopped, he started and within minutes, he was out of sight. I launched and paddled south.
Shortly after leaving Stillwater Park, I came across my first wildlife on the riverbank. A beautiful deer stood at the waters edge with its ears up in curiosity as I paddled by. As I got closer, he moved back from shore until I passed. Aside from birds, that is the only wildlife I have witnessed so far.
Rounding the bend and closing in on my stop for tonight at Lock 4, I began to see flashing lights on the shoreline roads and then a helicopter. I was approaching the Chanel and the helicopter was above the water. There were Police and Firemen all along the shoreline and on the opposite shore; they were launching an rescue boat. This wasn’t good. I had been paddling without my PFD on but quickly got into it and zipped it up as I paddled into this mess. With that the helicopter flew overhead and its wash nearly knocked me off my boat. My hat blew off, but stayed secured to me due to the straps, but the air was hitting me so hard I could not keep the boat stable. I paddled hard to get under the bridge and out of its air wash. I waited there and chatted with one of the officers. Some kids had been jumping off the bridge above and one didn’t come up. I hugged the shore to stay out of the helicopters wash above me and to look in areas the boats could not get to, but knowing full well he was not floating above the water, but rather was on the bottom somewhere. I asked the next police boat if the divers were close by because I had Snorkel gear aboard. The channel is only ten feet deep and though the water was murky, I would go in if asked. They thanked me and said the divers were on the way.
Pulling up to Lock 4 I radioed the Lockmaster to find out that the lock was closed until they could find the body so I tied up to the shoreline and set up camp. This was where I had planned to camp anyway, but not under these circumstances. Now sitting in the Lockmasters office, I got to work on my blog and recharge my devices.
It was right around 3pm when we heard they found the body. I can’t imagine what that family and his friends are feeling right now. Water, though wonderful and life-giving, is also dangerous and can and does take life. I can only offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends of that young man. It will be a somber night tonight for many.
Tomorrow will be a short day. Stopping in Waterford to meet up with Arlene and hopefully my friends from back at Chipmans Point on Lake Champlain and Whitehall.
Here is the story on the boy
http://cbs6albany.com/news/local/dive-teams-searching-hudson-river-in-stillwater-for-15-year-old-boy
Enjoy the pictures (well, most of them)
