Part One

In order to get this blog started, we will have to skip quickly through the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal, and The Hudson River and to New York. We will add some of those pictures now, but most are unprocessed in film canisters (Yes, Wendy was still using her old 35mm film camera). They were put in a “safe” place and consequently couldn’t be found in time.

We would hate that people visiting this blog wouldn’t be able to see the BIG Rock or the OLD Tree on beautiful Beaver Island, Michigan. Then you might also miss the illusion of the floating trees and buildings on Lake St. Clair. Everything was closing (including most Marinas) on Lake Huron so, nothing there. And for Lake Erie, one of the best places we saw was Put In Bay, Ohio. Those pictures are also ....somewhere. You will have to take our word that the lobster bisque was excellent. We are glad to report that you will miss seeing pictures of the blizzard in Buffalo, NY because we left 2 days before it hit. Yikes! The weather was closing in behind us. Then, there was the section of the Erie Canal that went over a highway.

In a week or so, we will get out Part Two. That will have pictures of the Intracoastal Waterway to Biscayne Bay, Fl.

Bailey is sniffing the air at our first anchorage. The bay at South Manitou Island is beautiful. It was also very quiet as we shared the spot with only 2 other boats.

South Manitou Island lighthouse.

Beaver Island Lighthouse

The Big Rock on Beaver Island

We are approaching Grey's Reef as we leave Lake Michigan behind.

Mackinac Island

Windermere Hotel


Signs of things to come. The end of the season brings nearly empty marinas. Here is lonely Mérengue in a slip on Mackinac Island.

Passing through Detroit.

Detroit's downtown.

The other Detroit.

Detroit close up.

Put-in-Bay

Our mast had been taken down in Buffalo, NY for the Erie Canal transit. Thankfully, we missed the blizzard and 2 feet of snow in Buffalo and made it to a dock in Brockport.

Alternating green and red circles mark the nightly stops on the Erie Canal. More charts are below that mark the sailing legs from Milwaukee.

The Erie Canal can be narrow yet beautiful. Some areas seemed like we were on a lagoon in a city park.

Here is a Guard Gate on the Erie Canal that is used to control flooding down stream.

Sunrise on the Erie Canal.

Drizzle drizzle.

Sunrise in Rome, NY.

Early morning fog on the Erie Canal.


Our lonely dock in Little Falls, NY.

A home on the Hudson.

Here is one of the many waterfalls on the Hudson River.

Fall colors on the Hudson River.

This is one of many mansions on the Hudson.

And, another waterfall.

We are now at the Riverside Marina. This is the place where we will have our mast raised and finally become a sailboat again.

Night is falling and all the marinas are CLOSED for the season! There aren't any anchorages on this section of the Hudson. But, there is a restaurant before the bridge that will let us tie up overnight if we have dinner.

Merengue is undersail again near the Catskill Mountains and closing in on New York City.

This is the ruins of a "house" on an island in the middle of the Hudson River.

After navigating the narrow Hell's Gate, we pass West Point.

Fall colors just outside of New York City. The last bit of nature until we get to Central Park.

Hudson River to New York City....

The skyline of Manhatten.

OK, are we going to make the marina before dark?

Finally, we are in New York. Wendy can't believe she is steering our boat past Manhatten!

Leg 1

Leg 2 and 3

Leg 4 and 5

Leg 6

Leg 7, 8 and 9

Leg 10

Leg 10 and 11

Leg 12

Leg 9 - 13

Above are the stops along the Erie Canal.
Below are the charts marking Mérengue's route down the Hudson River to the Atlantic Ocean.