It seems we’ve been stuck in places more often on this trip than the last, mostly because of uncooperative weather. Or maybe we’ve learned that being comfortable is better than making haste.
Eight years ago we left the boat to fly home three times in six months. We booked ahead and had a schedule to keep. This time we will fly home once in our eight-month trip and it’s a Southwest flight…no penalty if we have to change dates.
So we amble along, looking at the weather every morning, checking currents and wind. Saturday, we’d planned to leave Croton-on-the-Hudson, but the flooding current taking us up river would be opposed to a 15-20 knot wind, creating a heavy, boat-tossing chop.
We had one of those coming into New York from Raritan Bay with three-foot waves and troughs in rapid succession, tossing us around like a ball at Yankee Stadium. I had to sit below in the salon where the motion is less. Captain Mark had to stay on the bridge and drive. The experience is still fresh so we stayed another day.
Some of the places we’ve been stuck in have been pretty nice. We stayed an extra day in Charleston to avoid traveling in a heavy thunderstorm. Wind kept us an extra day in Annapolis, a delightful city, and an extra two days in Cape May where we used the time to tour. On our extra weather day in Staten Island, we took the bus into the City and saw Wicked.
Sunday was a perfect travel day with sun and a light wind blowing the same direction as the current all the way to Kingston. The next few won’t be as good, but after Wednesday, we’ll be in the New York canal system and less subject to wind and chop, We’ll still have to pay attention to thunderstorms, but Brewerton (near Syracuse) will be coming up soon.
We’ll leave the boat, hop on a train to Rochester, and then a plane to California. We’ll be stuck again…this time in Sonoma.
Another glass of wine? Yes, please.
Wave on your way by…I live very close to the Erie Canal. Taking your time and having room to let weather set the pace sounds like absolute bliss!