July 14th 2016
Waterford, NY
No, that isn’t a mistake, I’m not much further south than last night, but instead of a nice cool hotel room, I’m back to camping in 90% humidity. So we packed up this morning and headed back to the kayak at Marina One. Loaded up Lex-T-Sea, said Goodbye to Arlene again and off I went straight into the wind. I paddled down to Lock 1, the last Lock on the Champlain Canal and Arlene watched from above. The doors opened and away I went.
It wasn’t long before the wind grew in intensity and though I was making time, the surf was up and it was rough out. I passed some folks doing soil samples on the shore and more from a little runabout and the closer I got to Downtown Waterford, the worse the conditions got. With the bridge in sight, I saw a Barge headed toward me so I pulled to Port and got out of the channel. It was shallow outside the channel, even for me. I was hitting bottom with my paddle often.
Before I had entered the Lock, there was a group of guys launching a Pontoon Boat all wearing their safety Orange PFD’s. I knew they were official; they must be working for some agency of the DEP or DEC. As the Barge was approaching me from the front, they were approaching me now from the back though they pulled to Starboard. Just as the barge got to us, I heard a large BANG. I stopped paddling, which meant the wind was now blowing me backwards and as soon as the barge was past us, I saw their boat immobilized. I got on the radio and began calling them. Their engine was now up and someone was checking the prop. One of the guys radioed back and I check to make sure they were all OK. They think they hit a log or something. I’m sure they hit ground, but either way, the impact knocked the engine cover off and into the water. It sunk immediately. The prop was OK though and they were going to continue on. Knowing they were safe, I got back to the task at hand – Paddling into this wind and surf. For the record, if they were immobilized, I could have rendered aid. While I could not tow them, I could have secured a line on shore and pulled them out of the channel. I carry a hundred and fifty feet of line on board. Using their anchor and my line, it would have been OK. We have to watch out for each other out there.
By the time I made it under the bridge, it was almost Noon and the first potential Thunderstorm was due to hit at 2pm. I decided to take a break and come up with a game plan. I had to make sure I could find shelter fast in the event of a direct hit. I pulled up onto the Waterford City Dock and tied off. There I met a couple of Sailors, Roger and Lynne from Seattle, WA. We checked the storms and some points where I could camp. One of them was the Federal Lock below me so Roger called them for me. They said No. No camping at the Federal Lock. Turning around I saw a couple of people I had seen kayaking earlier setting up a tent on shore. I went over and talked to them. Turns out, they just kayaked down a portion of the Erie and are now headed North to Burlington, VT. I asked if I could camp with them and they said sure so my mind was made up. I was staying right here. Right here where we had dinner. Right here where we walked along the waterfront. Right here at the City Dock.
Within minutes I had met a few other sailors and was feeling right at home. I knew I made the right decision. Rick on Songi d’Oro met me at my kayak and took me out to lunch in town. We shared some stories and nice conversation. He’s doing the Loop in his 27’ Coronato.
Then I met Jim and Barbara aboard Blue Jay. They are coming out of Charlotte, VT and headed to southern NY. As we were talking, the big storm finally blew in and they invited me inside their beautiful Yacht. I must admit, it’s a bit roomier than the 43’ Sailboats I’ve looked at. We chatted for a while and then the storm broke. Once it did, it got hot and humid again. This humidity just won’t break.
Since it was a short day paddling, I figured I’d touch on another subject; the people whom for without, I’d not be able to do this. Here are my Thank You Notes to date. PS, Their links are on the left (or below if on a Mobile)
Arlene Simone.
You hear me mention her often. Arlene and I go way back to 1995. We dated for over 12 years and have remained best friends ever since. Arlene is also Lexie’s Mommy and that is a title she will forever hold. Arlene has spent countless hours, more like weeks, driving me all over to get my gear and it’s not like she was local. She’d have to drive 4 hours just to get to me. Arlene is also the person who drove me in a storm to the Canadian Border and helped me launch. She’s never asked for gas money and has bought me lunch and dinner on many occasions during the preparation and now the expedition. Without her help and support, I could not be doing this. Arlene is also an Associate Broker for Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate in Jefferson Valley, NY so if you are thinking of buying or selling a house in Northern Westchester or Putnam Counties, please give her a shout. She’s an awesome Real Estate Broker and you’d be helping me by helping her.
Aaron Neilson-Belman aka Hippie Van Man
Without Aaron, you’d not be reading this. Aaron is responsible for building and hosting my blog. If you need a website built or host for your blog or website, please reach out to Aaron. His story is every bit as interesting as mine.
Tom at TopKayaker.net. Tom is the first Sponsor from the Kayak Industry to get behind me.
Scottish Inn, Warterford, NY. They are the first hotel to offer me a bed and hot shower for the evening. It’s a little tiny hotel in Warterford and the room they gave me room was very nicely updated and clean.
To all you readers who have contributed to me, I truly thank you. Your contributions are helping me make this adventure a reality. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.
Last, but not least, the many people who have opened their home and yards to me and welcomed me in. You are truly making this journey a wonderful one.
Day 13 Done
Be well all and enjoy the pictures and videos from Waterford, NY
Love it videos are a great . And I too would like to thank all that are helping you on your journey, without them none of us would get to enjoy it with you . BIG THANK YOU TO ALL!