We awoke to a rainy morning after a VERY rainy night. It was nice just to lay and listen to the rain on the hatch. We still had some cleaning up to do after the mast stepping day and still had not processed some of the packages we received when we arrived at the marina. So we did a little modeling of our new foul weather gear. They were keepers.
After the mast stepping yesterday we had a mechanic stop by to help with what we thought was a quick engine fix. This turned into a new plan to head today to the Rondout Basin Marina in Kingston. Once there we would be hauled out, put on the hard, live on the hard, get the work done in hopefully 2 days, and then back in the water and on our way again down the Hudson. Ahhhh, but there is a little catch – the fixed bridge into Rondout Creek has a posted height of 56′ and we are 58′!!
But several individuals thought we could make it under the bridge if we went at low tide. Low tide was at 7:30ish in the evening. So the plan was to leave after lunch and then hang out at the bridge until low tide.
So, we set off after lunch. It was a pretty cold rainy day. The wind was coming straight up the nose of the boat. Sun did come out off and on – but it was still cold. Perfect day to try our new foul weather jackets. They worked great.
As we got closer and closer to Rondout Creek we began to get more worried about the bridge. I called the Kingston Municipal Marina as they were just beyond the bridge. After some back and forth calling – Patrick, who was really helpful, wanted to call around and see what the deal was with the height of the bridge. He confirmed the height was 56′ and there were no water level markings on the bridge. There was no one that could confirm at low tide we could make it under the bridge. There was also concern that at low tide, on the south side of the bridge (suspected highest point on the bridge) that we would get stuck because we draw 6′ and it is already a bit shallow there.
Ok, at this point it seemed a ridiculous risk to take. I could just see us wedged under the bridge – our instruments decapitated and not being able to move because we are stuck on the bottom!
So at the last minute we bailed and began calling other marinas just to look for a place to stay tonight. Patrick at the Municipal marina was helpful and connected us with the Hudson River Maritime Museum that might have room for our boat for the night. Patrick even offered to have their solar tour boat park at his marina if need be.
So happy we have a safe spot for the night. And this seems like a pretty cool place, of course the museum was closed during the week due to covid. Funny thing is that we were docked just yards from the 56′ bridge!!
Once we were checked in and settled we decided to explore the area. The waterfront area had a great promenade that wound down the Rondo Creek Inlet. The area had a old town feel to it as the buildings were very old.
We ended up at a taco bar where we picked up some guacamole and chips and headed back to the boat. It was a beautiful evening and the inlet was very calm and very quiet.
Well it was quiet until this started…
It was so loud and unexpected! We had front row seats to the entire show and it lasted a while. Once the show was over we made some dinner and enjoyed the view. Tomorrow we needed to make a new plan.
