Traveling with Bobbye and Jim Jackson

As most MPS members know, Bobbye and Jim Jackson decided to follow their dreams and take that trip. You well know that trip. This is their version what many a boat owner has said: "If I had the time I would just get on my boat and go ________________ . And that is exactly what they are doing. They fitted their boat, gathered their charts and guide books, and have headed for points south. Bobbye and Jim left Sandusky Harbor Marina over Labor Day Weekend, headed east on Lake Erie to then continue their journey down the Erie Canal. They are traveling in a Hunter 35-foot sail boat that will travel at 6 knots through the water. The Jacksons are keeping us posted on their progress by email and photos of their trip. Check back with us--you never know what adventures our intrepid sailors will encounter along they way. If you have thought about doing something similar yourself, this may give you the impetus to plan then embark upon your own version of that trip.

Sea-Fever" from Salt-Water Ballads (1902) by John Masefield

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

Progress
Week 1
Erie Canal Map
Week 2
Photos Wk 2
Week 3
Photos Week 3
Map of the Hudson River
Links
Week 4
Photos Week 4
Staten Island Map
New York City Waterways
New Jersey Map
Week 5
Photos Week 5
Week
Week

Hi All:We finally got out of Great Kills Harbor. There was a forty eight hour weather window starting Monday Oct. 10th. We left Monday afternoon 1630 hours and sailed all night arriving at Cape May N. J. Tuesday at 1430 hours. The weather started to change about an hour out of the cape. We had to work some to get in the channel. One boat behind us for some reason did not take his sails down or reef and had a knock down when the wind hit. e waited in Cape May until Sunday for the Delaware Bay to settle down. It was still nasty on Sunday we had head winds all day all the way up the bay.

We arrived in Chesapeake City Sunday afternoon and stayed until Tuesday morning. While there we met a couple who owned a bed and breakfast in the historical district. They were a very interesting couple, he was a retired navy captain.

On Tuesday we moved down to Annapolis, The area looks very different when there is not a boat show going on. The harbor is hard to enter as the navigation aids are not new or well maintained, plus there are crab pots all over the entrance. The Naval Academy is located right beside the the docks and has very interesting tours of the facility.

On Wednesday we moved to Oxford on the east side of the bay. There is not much there for a tourist with the exception of a private museum, (Cutts and Chase), of restored boats, English motorcycles plus many other types of engines. The owner is more then happy to show you around.

On Thursday we moved to Reedville on the west side of the bay. Our original plan was to go to Mobjack Bay but with the wind on the nose we ran out of daylight. It was still just after dark when we enter the harbor at Reedville. But the buoys to the anchorage were lighted so it wasn't to bad. This is the second time this has happened. The lesson learned is have a short distance location planned in case you need it.

On Sunday we started for Norfolk but the wind turned south so we turned into Mobjack Bay. At least we applied the lesson this time.

On Monday (today) we came into Norfolk. We are staying at the Waterside Marina in downtown Norfolk. The battleship Wisconsin is two blocks from the marina. We are considering staying one more day to enjoy the city.

Jim and Bobbie

Week 5

Hi all:

We are still at Great Kills Harbor on the east side of Staten Island. We are held here by high pressure of all things. The winds are from the east and southeast, causing high waves right on our nose and bad surf into any of the entrances down the New Jersey coast. We are waiting for the high to move east and allow the winds to go southwest or west. Five boats left two days ago and three came back, one with a hole in its hull from hitting a buoy.

This is a very protected harbor from winds of all directions.

We have explored the east side of Staten Island. It is a residential area with many different eastern European countries represented, very nice and interesting people to talk to.

Jim and Bobbye

Photos Week 5


Fog at 4 PM	Kmart next to Madison Square Garden	Madison Square Garden entrance	One side of small park by the Garden	Other side of Park


Empire State Building	Macy's--World's Largest Department Store	Ellis Island	Lovely LADY liberty	Truly the Lady of the Harbor

Week 4

Hi all

We are at Staten Island today waiting for the wind to change so we can proceed along the east coast in the Atlantic to Cape May, New Jersey. We spent the weekend in Manhattan sight seeing in the city.

We had a great trip down the Hudson River, stopping in the Catskills to put the mast back up, then anchoring one night at Haverstraw Bay, then into Manhattan and staying on a ball at the 79th Street Boat Basin. We are now anchored in Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island.

Photos Week 4


Waterford, NY	Checking a Bridge on the Hudson	Saugerties Lighthouse	West Point


West Point 2	West Point 3	West Point 4	New York Public Library	Chrysler Building


New York, NY	Times Square	Manhattan	Naked Cowboy of Times Square

Week 3

You sure ask hard questions. 35 foot sail boat, (Hunter), will travel at 6 knots thru the water. We are planning on staying the winter around Kennedy Space Center Fl. Because of insurance we cannot be below New Bern, North Carolina until Nov. 1st.

The route I hope to take from here is down the Hudson to New York, then the ocean to Cape May, New Jersey. After that up the Delaware Bay and river to the C and D canal which goes to the Chesapeake Bay. South through the bay to Norfolk Va. Then into the ICW to Florida. We completed the Erie Canal Friday 9-21 and are spending the day at Waterford N. Y. which is the eastern edge of the canal. We will start down the Hudson River tomorrow morning and get our mast put up Monday in the Catskills.

The canal is a great experience but we are glad to be past the locks. They are not hard to do just gets tiring after a while. We have done 36 locks since we left Buffalo, and have one more to do, the Troy Lock on the Hudson. It is run by the Army Corp of Engineers, and stops the tide from going any further up river.

We have the three boats from Ohio and one from Wisconsin traveling the same time we are.

The weather this week has been fabulous, a high has been parked over us.

Photos Week 3

Waterford, NY	Tug Restoration and the Jacksons at Waterford NY	The Jackson's Boat Mast Down

In the Tallest Lock on the Canal--40 ft.	Door on the Lock Goes Up, It Does Not Swing

Week 2
Thanks for your E-mail, I will send a picture or two when we are at a stop with wi-fi. Newark N. Y. was supposed to have it but it is not working. This week started with getting the mast lowered at Rich’s Marine on the north side of Buffalo. It took about three hours to get the job done, the guys just don’t work to hard. Dennis had his done after I did. We then proceeded down the Niagara River, I stopped in Tonawanda, at the beginning of the Erie canal, and Dennis continued on. On Tuesday we traveled to Medina which was a free dock and pump out. A nice town with a new dock for boaters. On Wednesday we went to Fairport, the dock costs $9.00 with free wi-fi. Fairport has a lift bridge that is in the Guinness Book of world records for having the ends at different heights and no two angles the same. On Thursday we traveled to Newark for another free dock with free laundry facilities. We are stopping here a couple of days to catch our breath. There are six locks ahead of us for the next leg. They are not bad if the wind is calm and no other boats have blocked them. The people are very friendly here and are trying to develop the area to attract more tourists. This would be an ideal area for people who trailer their boats to come and enjoy the canal as some of our members have found out.
Jim and Bobbye

Photos Week 2


Lift Bridge Up	Lock After Letting Down	Fairport Uneven Lift Bridge

Guard Gate	Lift Bridge Down

Erie Canal Map Source: http://www.nyscanals.gov/maps/index.html

To obtain a closer view of the various sections of the Canal System,
click on the area you are interested in.

Week 1

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Thanks for the E-mail. We are only a week into the trip so there is not much to write now but I will try.

It is the first part of September and I am in the Niagara River on the north side of Buffalo, it is a rainy Sunday, a good day to check the boat out and get ready for the next step, going east on the Erie Canal.

The trip this far has been great , we spent five days coming across Lake Erie, with stops at Fairport, and Ashtabula Oh, Erie Pa., Dunkirk N.Y., and Buffalo N.Y.. We had good weather all the way except for the last two hours coming into Buffalo when the wind was from the southwest with gusts up to thirty miles an hour. The mast is supposed lowered tomorrow. This is necessary because the height clearance is fifteen feet in the Erie Canal. We are looking forward to the canal because it is a very beautiful area.

Jim