While we prepared to leave Riverview Marina in Catskill we couldn't see much beyond our docks due to heavy fog that floated by us. We showered, then settled in with a hot cup of coffee to wait out the weather. There was a 100% chance of rain again. We hoped to make it to Castleton-On-Hudson before the precipitation started.
The fog lifted quickly and allowed us to head up the Hudson. We passed several small river towns including the Village of Coxsackie. It had been hit hard by severe weather earlier in the week. We saw massive trees downed and debris everywhere. The area reminds us of the St. Croix River. It's very scenic. We hit more logs, a constant concern; but managed to move the 24.6 miles in just under 5 hours. Of course, the rain began as soon as we arrived.
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| Hudson Athens Lighthouse |
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| Hudson Power Association Docks |
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| Smoke stacks, from brick building era, line the Hudson |
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| Hudson Power Association |
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| Osprey family at marker 191 |
We slipped Mystic along the long face dock, tied off then walked up to the Castleton Boat Club (CBC). There are train tracks sitting parallel to the dock we are on. We are surprised at how fast the trains zip through town without stopping. We would hear the rumble of the tracks long before the train blew it's warning whistle. The sound is alarming and grabs our attention every hour when they pass.
Trains Racing Through Castleton
CBC is a yacht club member owned. Every single person we passed greeted us with "Welcome to Castleton". We entered the captains lounge and met Rob, Marion, and Craig, the bartender. Craig poured us a beer as he got Dave started on the paperwork for dockage which includes the use of their crane to drop our mast. Marion was so excited to talk about the Great Loop, one of her bucket list items. We chatted for hours! CBC is very welcoming and friendly. It was a great spot to drop our mast. There isn't much in town beyond a gas station, but the members of CBC were willing to take us for groceries and errands. If you are willing and able to drop your mast yourself, this is the place to do so.
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| Mystic on the dock at CBC |
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| View looking aft on the dock at CBC |
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| The CBC crane |
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| Mystic along the dock |
It is surprisingly easy to drop our 40 foot deck stepped mast. There is a lot of prep work involved beforehand. As we began this work, we saw a catamaran working it's way into the dock. We stopped to help Jeremy and Mary aboard Panacea with their lines. We first met them at Half Moon Bay when Jeremy helped us with our lines coming into the docks in a storm. They are here to drop their mast as well. Running into boaters you already know is delightful. We are all part of a community on the water.
The first thing on our preparation list was building the custom cradle. It consists of three parts; a bow, mid ship and a stern cradle. We use ratchet straps to secure our mast to the cradles once they are placed on the deck. Next, we had to remove our sails, fold and stored them on board then loosened all of our stays, which hold the mast in place. Dave marked each turnbuckle with tape to show where they were tightened to so we can rig her back where she originally was.
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| Dave building mast cradle |
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| Bow cradle in place |
We walked Mystic back until she was directly in front of the crane arm and secured two ropes to the mast. The crane cable hooks to these two ropes. As the crane is lifted, the ropes slide up to the spreaders and locks in where the crane will lift from. Just as we were about to attach the cable a barge came into view south of us. Two CBC members came running down to the dock and told us we had to move away from the crane. Although the barges are moving slowly, they throw a huge wake. We were at risk of hitting our mast on the crane arm. Between the four of us, we pulled Mystic out of the way of the crane until the wake passed.
A ton of debris was flowing south on the Hudson. Much of it made it's way over to us at the docks. We were painfully aware of every log that made contact with us.
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| Debris on the Hudson |
When we were ready to step our mast, I worked the crane remote control while Dave handled the mast. Once the two ropes were secured under the spreaders, Dave carefully removed the stays then loosely tied them to the mast. As I raised the crane, our mast slipped up out of the boot. It naturally swung the top of the mast backwards. The crane moved very slowly so it took a while to lower it down. Dave guided the bottom of our mast to our bow then our mid ship and finally to our aft cradle. We spent the rest of our day securing our rigging and ratcheting the cradles to our deck. Dave removed the wooden spreaders to allow for us to get around easier. Some sailboats leave their spreaders in place but we find it creates a maze to maneuver around in the locks. We will store ours during our trip through the 36 locks of the Erie Canal.
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