Our Maiden Voyage
It was a dark and stormy night and the rain was… hold on,
that’s not really true. This is my first sea story and I wanted it to start out
pretty cool with a nice dramatic flair.
To be honest, it was a beautiful sunny day. We had two days of sunshine
and great weather before the rain found us, and boy did it ever rain!
This whole trip started with stuffing our friend’s minivan
with all of the gear we thought we would need for our 450 mile ride home. We
barely left enough room for the four of us to sit. Me, I could have ridden on
the back bumper and been happy as could be. We were going to get our new, to
us, boat! Yay!
I asked our friends to accompany us on this trip for a
couple of reasons. First, we needed a ride there, simple enough. Secondly, they
are accomplished boaters and I knew I could rely on their experience to help us
out of a jam if a situation arose. So, I asked them to be our “road crew” and
follow along our route. They were there to provide ground support for parts run
or other “emergencies”. You know, like if we ran out of bacon or needed more
napkins, stuff like that. A trip like this needed a back-up team and ours
performed brilliantly. Even though we had the boat surveyed and were pretty
confident in her mechanical soundness, I thought it best to have a plan. I
asked for and received maintenance documents showing what had been done to the
boat. Regardless of what the broker and seller say about a boats seaworthiness
and readiness to take on a 450-mile journey, we really did not have first hand
knowledge of the boat. It’s not that I didn’t trust the broker and the seller,
well, Mark was the sellers broker and they were trying to sell a boat after
all. In hind sight, it turned out to be everything they said it would be and
more. Mark worked with us and made the purchase as easy as could be expected. I’ll
go to Mark Kasanuch at Holiday Harbor in Waretown, NJ when I get ready to buy
again.
We boarded the boat around 12:30 and immediately began a
thorough systems check. We turned on all the systems, flushed the water tank
five times, flushed the head, and turned on the reverse cycle heat pump to the
heat mode first and the ran it in cool mode for a while. Melissa stocked the
refrigerator after we determined it to be functioning properly. After two and a
half hours of inspections and systems checks we accepted delivery and signed
the paperwork. Kachina was ours. Mark said the boat was fueled up and ready to
go. We untied the dock lines and eased into the fairway and began our six day
journey home.
Day one.
We pulled into Barnegat Bay and headed north to the
Manasquan Inlet. We stayed on the inside for this part of the trip because we
wanted to get a feel for the boat and stay close to marinas and help, just in
case. We stopped at a marina in Manasquan to top off the tanks, just in case.
We put in $18.00 and couldn’t get more fuel in the tanks. Bonus points to Mark
and Holiday Harbor. We headed out the inlet, that sounds kind of funny, and
made a port side turn and pointed the bow to New York City. Driving under the
Verrazano Narrows Bridge was amazing. Well, the views were amazing, driving
under a bridge is pretty much a nonevent in a roundabout sort of way. Pretty
mundane if you ask me. Anyway, Melissa and I were having the time of our lives
and she was all smiles. She took pictures of everything! She had contacted a
college girlfriend and told her about our pending arrival in NYC. She and her
boyfriend walked down to a pier and took pictures of our boat. They yelled to
each other and screamed in delight. The fishermen on the pier were screaming
too, not to sure there was much delight in their voices though. We moved on. We
passed through the ship anchorage that is NY Harbor and passed the Statue of
Liberty. Wow, what a sight. How fortunate we are to pass her on our own boat.
We took the obligatory photos and pulled into Liberty Landing marina for the
night. Wow for two reasons. First, it is in a beautiful location in the city
and the views are spectacular. Secondly, the price was also just as
spectacular! However, we were still on our happy high as “new to us” boat
owners and seeing Lady Liberty on our boat. We were hanging out with the big
yachts in NYC! How cool is that? Methinks pretty cool!
Day two.
We pulled out of the marina after breakfast and headed
north. We cruised the Hudson at 2600 RPM’s, approximately 15 mph. We only had a
few days to get the boat home before Melissa had to get back to work. So, this
was a delivery trip, no time for a slow cruise to visit the sights on the way
home. Bummer. The Hudson river is steeped in American history and I would have
loved to stay in the area longer and visit the sights. Next time we pass
through we will be traveling a lot slower and take the time to “smell the
roses”. Sigh. We did pull over and out of the main navigation channel for a
lunch break. We pulled into the Albany Yacht Club for the night. The name gives
a false sense of expectation prior to arrival. We cooked dinner and dined on
the dock that evening. We toasted our good fortune of weather and problem free
travel.
Day three.
We topped up the fuel tanks before leaving and proceeded to
the Federal Lock in Troy. After locking through we left the salt water and
tides behind. Kachina was destined for the “sweet water seas”, aka fresh water.
We entered the historic Erie Canal in Waterford, NY. After
tying up to the wall and waiting for the locks to open we were given the green
light to enter. As we pulled up to the wall inside that first lock and the
giant doors were closing behind us, Melissa turned to me and asked what I
thought about the name Providence. We had been discussing boat names for a few
weeks and we both immediately liked it. Before the doors were even fully closed
and secured we decided right then that Providence would be her new name. A
small reminder of our heavenly Father and the one true God. We continued up the
Mohawk River and tied up along the wall at lock nine for the night.
Day Four.
The rain found us. Melissa and I were shivering as we
motored along the river. She and Sophie curled up under a quilt that one of our
friends made for her as a boat gift. Sophie, our Pomeranian, was keeping her
warm. Well, as much as an eight-pound dog can anyway! Sophie is a great boat
dog. She walks around the gunwale as though she owns the boat herself. Woe unto
the unsuspecting goose or duck or potato chip bag that strays too close to her
boat! Her defense of Providence is indisputable.
We made or way through the locks on this rain-soaked day.
Good thing we had our matching yellow rain jackets! I wanted something to keep
us dry, Melissa wanted us to match. I guess we had to look good while standing
in the pouring rain holding on to wet lines at the bottom of the locks. Go
figure. I felt like a character from Hee-Haw with my boat hook in hand. We tied
to a dock near a closed restaurant near Canajoharie for Melissa’s last night on
the boat. Bummer, she would not be able to make the rest of the trip due to
work.
Day Five.
Melissa headed for home in the van while my new temporary
first mate and I made way down the Erie. We ran in the rain for most of the
morning. After we made the turn into the Oswego River at Three Rivers, in the
pouring rain, we were stalled at Lock 2 due to lightening. After a short wait,
for the front to pass, we were locked through. We made it to lock 4 before
tying up for the night. I took the first mate out for a steak dinner at a place
recommended by the lock staff. Great food and the restaurant was right next to
the lock. Pretty convenient eh?
Shortly after returning to the boat we spied a HUGE yacht
parking along the wall for the evening. This thing was massive. The crew was
playing loud music on the aft deck most of the evening to stay awake we
presumed. That didn’t keep me from sleeping soundly.
Day Six.
The captain was making a delivery so the big yacht went through
the lock first thing in the morning. We were a little slow in moving that
morning, must have been lethargic from all the steak the night before, so we
locked through a little later. We passed them later in the morning.
We felt the need to call on a friend to "help us across" Oneida Lake. We really didn't need his help but it made a good excuse to take him on a boat ride! He and his lovely bride surprised us with doughnuts at another lock! Yay!
We exited Lock 8 and entered Lake Ontario. The massive yacht
that we passed and had been following us began to slowly overtake us while we
were still in Oswego Harbor. The USCG patrol boat motoring in the area turned
on their lights and sped towards us. They called the yacht and notified them
they were being boarded for a “routine” safety inspection. Whew, glad they
didn’t call on us. The Coasties probably wanted to see the inside of the boat.
We merrily went into the lake.
The weather called for waves 1-3 ft with a westerly breeze
of 10-15 knots and a chance of showers. We stayed in the sunshine the whole way
across the lake but we could see a small storm cell about 10 miles away on the
radar. That little cell chased us all the way across the lake! We passed into
the mouth of the St. Lawrence river under sunny skies and high water. We had to
reduce speed to keep our wake low. The high water was causing significant
damage to property and docks all along the river and all of the Great Lakes. We
cruised passed the very familiar landmarks such as the Tibbits Point
Lighthouse, Rock Island Lighthouse, and the Thousand Islands Bridge. We pulled
into Providence’s new home shortly after 2pm. We made it! We traveled six days
and 450 miles and were finally home. Safe and happy and sad and excited and
overjoyed and… Well, I suppose I could go on and on with the adjectives but you
get my point. Did I say we were happy?
