06-21-09 Kingston, NY

We departed Haverstraw Bay Marina at 0930 heading for Kingston, NY. The ride was a tad bumpy. We compare it to Topsail Sound with a Nor-Easter, some white caps, but not miserable. We average 17 mph.

We passed West Point, The US Military Academy. It is very impressive from the river. I cannot understand why Benedict Arnold wanted to give it to the British before the Revolutionary War. Prior to 911, one could stop at a dock at West Point and tour the facility, but not now. No docking allowed.

We also passed hundreds of houses on the high hill on both sides of the river. Some were very impressive, basically mansions. The scenery was as advertised, beautiful, lush forest, high cliffs and hills on both sides. A wide river and no boat traffic.

Since there has been so much rain, we had to be on the lookout for debris in the river. In fact, we saw several trees in the river along with many branches and other stuff. The entrance to Kingston, a stretch of about a mile from the river, was full of logs and other flotsam and jetsam.

We passed some very impressive lighthouses. They are all different, yet interesting in their design and layout.

The town of Kingston, NY has had a sort of rebirth. Twenty years ago, a huge (8000 employees) IBM plant closed and destroyed the economy and community. Today, the town has been able to rebuild and beautify the waterfront, restaurants abound, and several marinas are here, including the Kingston City Docks where we are staying. There is a local Maritime Museum and a quaint welcome center. The whole waterfront is a walking path, with benches, memorials, and other points of interest. We would encourage anyone in the area to visit this town.

We will stay here for two days, and on Tuesday go to Waterford, NY, the entrance to the Erie Canal. Look out Canada, here we come……