July 16th 2016
Coxsackie Yacht Club, Coxsackie, NY
I woke this morning to one of the High Speed Amtrak trains zooming feet from my campsite. I lucked out that there was only one that passed through during the night. Other than that, I slept beautifully despite the humidity. It was just 6am and the guys already had the coffee on in the Clubhouse so I headed in for a cup and to make some breakfast. I got to chat with the morning crew here over breakfast and the company was nice.
As I was closing up I got to meet Katie and her owner Bill and Shelly. Katie’s a cute 12 yr old Yorkie who didn’t have the best start in life. Having been burned as a pup, she was probably not expecting the life she lives today. She got rescued by two great people and is now enjoying a wonderful life. After saying Goodbye to the morning crew: Dick, Bob and Tom inside the Castleton Boat Club, I hit the water running in a Slack Tide and with the wind at my back, I was making good time.
This section of the river is a bit different that the Northern part of the Hudson. Not only is there a lot more commercial traffic, they are much bigger and wider. A couple of the barges I passed were three wide, but the river is wide too so there was no reason to worry in fact, they throw a smaller wake than some of the Motor Yachts that past me by.
Around noon, I found a nice sandy beach to pull up on and enjoy a stretch and some lunch. By this time the weather had changed and it was unbearably hot and humid. The air, stagnant, I could hardly breath. I began pouring water over my head to keep cool as well as staying hydrated. Up ahead I could see light reflecting off the windshields of boats at a marina and I wondered if that was the Coxsackie Yacht Club. I’d been hearing about a party at this club for two days and I figured that I should stop in and see if I run into anyone I’ve met on the water. I paddled on toward the marina.
I arrived amid a sea of Motor Yachts in all shapes and sizes. I’ve never seen so many boats packed in so tightly in a Marina. This looked like a major party – and it was. I found a spot to tie off and I climbed up on the docks. I hadn’t been on the dock a minute when I met Katie’s Dad. Like me, he was surprised at how quickly I made it here, but running with the tied helped a lot. We talked for a bit and then I wandered around in amazement. After a while I decided that I should stay the night here and I enquired inside about staying. With a ticket to the party, I’d get dinner, drinks, music and breakfast in the morning plus camping and hot shower. It was a deal I couldn’t pass up so I stayed.
Soon after getting my ticket I met Sal, one of the members here. I was about to get my tent off the kayak when Sal invited me to stay on his boat. I jumped at the opportunity and joined in the party now in full swing. I ran into Sal again and he treated me to some lunch that I had missed before I even arrived. Like all my previous encounters, I felt part of the family again. Everyone here was just so friendly and I was glad I decided to stay the night.
I can’t tell you how many people are here, but this place is packed and when it was dinnertime, I saw this club of seventy-five members throw one hell of a dinner party. I’d say that this was the best catered event I’d ever been to, only, it wasn’t catered. It was staffed by the club members all volunteering their time. This party was top notch. From games for the kids, to raffles, live music, DJ and Three Bars. This party was great. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve been here, I’ve met so many people that I’m having to divide my time up amongst them all. I know, such troubles I face.
Well, the night is early, but the live music is about to start so I’m going to get back to the party and enjoy my new and semi new friends.
Day 15 Done
Enjoy the pictures and video.
