New Jersey to Canada
July 5, 2024
Greetings from Canada!
We haven’t provided an update since New Jersey because we’ve been so busy working, moving and exploring.
We ended up riding the NJ ICW all the way to its end, which made for a stressful trip. This was the most difficult portion of the ICW for us because of the precise timing of tides needed to avoid ripping our mast off from all the bridges we barely cleared. Then near the end we had to navigate the inaptly named Point Pleasant Canal, where horrible currents can propel you toward two lift bridges. This canal is infamous on YouTube, where the curious can watch poorly prepared or behaved boaters dealing with the situation and each other’s tempers. Thankfully we timed our passage for a weekday to avoid pleasure boaters and we radioed Tow Boat US (the ones who would save us if we had trouble) to ask when slack current would occur.
Having successfully cleared the canal, we decided to stick our bow into the Atlantic via Manasquan Inlet to get a practice run for the next day. While we knew the conditions would not be placid, we thought we could see ahead and turn around early if needed. The gentle swell of the sea lifted Novella’s hull as we approached, lulling us into a false comfort. By the time we neared the end of the jetty, we noticed breaking waves in our path, but they looked manageable so we decided to go for it. At this point we were committed to exiting the inlet, because turning around between waves in a low powered boat is a foolish and dangerous endeavor. Just as things were looking good for our exit, the largest fishing boat we’ve ever seen, one that could carry upwards of 25 men on excursions, rounded the jetty inbound under full power. Its monstrous wake just so happened to merge with an incoming breaking wave, creating the largest and steepest wave Novella has probably ever seen in her 41 years. The bow pointed skyward and the captain leaned forward as the companionway doors and everything else in the cockpit crashed to the new center of gravity. We continued far enough out to escape the largest breakers and re-entered the inlet to anchor for the night knowing we’d have to exit the same way in the morning. Sweet dreams!
Thankfully we chose one of the best days of the year for our Atlantic hop up to NYC. The calm seas made for a magical day as we celebrated the milestones of entering the Atlantic and reaching the nation’s largest city in our very own boat. We began to see the skyline from 40 miles away, which only increased our excitement to arrive. It was unbelievable to think back to our splash day in Tennessee - two inexperienced “sailors” on a small day-sailing vessel. We actually made it.
We entered New York Harbor under relatively light commercial traffic and dropped our anchor in one of the few reasonable places to do so in the harbor - right behind the Statue of Liberty. It was truly a multimillion dollar view of Manhattan and Lady Liberty and we had it for free! The next day we moved to the most expensive marina we’ve ever stayed at and began our wild three day adventure in NYC.
Our mission was to see and eat all the things we missed on our first trip some years ago while revisiting our favorites. We ate the most incredible NYC pizza before going to our first ever Broadway show, “Illinoise.” We waited in line at the hottest new bagel shop. Chinatown was an eating extravaganza. Oysters. Thai food. Dominican breakfast. MOMA. Central Park. Strawberry Fields. A foreign film. The High Line. Impromptu concerts. We really crammed a lot into a few days and walked until we couldn’t move anymore - a classic city travel occurrence for us. Our first 2 days we averaged 24,000 steps each day. Our favorite NYC moment was when a thunderstorm popped up out of nowhere and torrential rain poured over Manhattan. We were under a construction scaffolding and there just so happened to be a diner there with outdoor seating. Instead of buying a cheap umbrella we opted to buy a beer and have a seat. Seeing tourists and locals of all walks of life screaming, laughing and running for cover while we relaxed was the most entertaining people watching ever.
With the city behind us and our bodies exhausted, we turned up the Hudson River and fought its incredible currents, at one point moving only 2.5 miles per hour. The Hudson is actually a tidal estuary for many miles, with the tides of the Atlantic flipping the current to run in either direction depending on the time of day, and it is a beast. Once we made friends with the current, we enjoyed a pleasurable cruise Upstate with unspeakably beautiful mountains rising from both sides of the river. This area is one of the best kept secrets of the entire US.
In Catskill the mast had to come down for the next leg of the journey due to low bridges on the Erie and Trent-Severn Canals. This is when the heat wave hit. It is no fun to work on the boat when it is 97 degrees.
The town of Kingston, NY was a highlight due to its thriving small business scene and we were able to stay for free at a restaurant dock if we ate there. In Troy, NY we tied to the free dock and met some colorful local characters and ended up hanging out with them for the night.
Next we entered the Erie Canal. What we envisioned would be an uninteresting ditch was actually a water staircase into the mountains. After countless locks we were in the charming town of Little Falls, NY. We stayed for a few days, working and riding our bikes on their gorgeous cliff-lined trails. The canal was ideal for budget travelers such as us- there are many free places to tie the boat for the night, which is especially welcome after the high marina prices in NYC.
Unfortunately the free walls set the stage for a cat-tastrophe. Many of them have grass lawns along the edge, which Tildy considers a delicacy. One such wall just above a dam must have had especially tasty grass, and she continually snuck over to feast despite our protests. In the morning we had untied from the wall and gave the boat a good shove when Tildy had an intense craving for one more nibble of the green goodness. She perched on the edge of the boat, did a super-charging butt wiggle and leapt for the concrete wall, now about 4 feet away. Her claws did little good to help her catch the edge and… splash!
We always wondered what would happen if she fell in. Would she instinctively know how to swim at this late age? Would she loudly mew to alert us she needs help? It turns out she is a good swimmer, yet frighteningly silent. Our fishing net was tied up out of the way but we worked fast to free it. When she realized she could not climb up concrete, she swam to the boat’s side and terrifyingly out of our sight. We frantically looked around the boat and eventually found her at the stern, right by the rudder. From the scruff of her neck she was pulled up and saved. She stayed inside the boat for the next few days, not even venturing on deck for her routine walks.
From the Erie we turned right on the Oswego Canal. In Oswego, NY we met up with some Looper friends who live in the area and received a grand tour and hospitality before casting off the next morning to cross the depths of Lake Ontario. Our goal was Canada but if the waves were too intense from the west we would turn to ride them to the Thousand Islands. Thankfully, after starting at 5:30am we were able to make a direct run. Once at a Canadian marina we called customs and checked in by phone before we were cleared to stay at least 60 days.
Today we are en route to the Trent-Severn waterway, which should be a gorgeous path to our most anticipated destination of the Loop - the crystal clear waters of the Georgian Bay! Bears, blueberries and a summer of swimming await us!
