Montreal to New York City

[tcft]

My wife and I are planning to cruise from Montreal to NYC towards the end of August in our 27FC. Does anyone have any info for us about good places to overnight, to eat, and provision? Also, is the Hudson River clean enough for swimming?

Tom T

[jleonard]

Yes you can swim in the hudson. We like Coeyman,s Landing marina as a stop. Good resturant and very friendly owners
Just north of the tappanzee bridge you can anchor in Haversraw bay
Rondout creek is also really nice. Anchor at the end or get a slip. Cool town and museum. Enjoy.

[tbnolin]

I second Roundout...a great stop over.
Lake Champlain is a Lake you can spend a lot of time in. We have stayed at Rousses Point, Burlington is a must. We've dropped the hook in Mallett's Bay for a weekend, also in Shelburn Bay. Spent a few days at Burton Island. Watched fireworks at Plattsburg. So much to see and do!
Just as you come out of Champlain, you have a free wall to tie up to in Whitehall. They have water and power free of charge (as of 2-3 years ago) and it's a short walk into town. Next stop going south for a free stopover is Fort Edward. Again, all the amenity's of Whitehall, but a bit bigger town. We used to go up from our marina for an overnight or weekend just for a change of scenery. If you skip Fort Edward and continue south, your next stop would be the Schyuler Yacht Basin. A marina with a park like setting. Sun yourself or sit in the shade under the large Maple and Oak trees. That's where we were for 8 years, on the island side, before heading south to Stuart, FL. A super nice marina where Judy and Phil welcome you like long lost friends. The town has a grocery store, a few shops, places to eat, liqueur store and fuel at the marina. Not sure what their rates are though. Your next leg will bring you to Waterford, the gateway to the Erie and Champlain Canals. A busy wall as you have travelers going north or south and east or west. Like the previous two walls, Waterford is also a freebie with water and power. Restrooms and showers are also available with a $5.00 refundable deposit for a key.. Again, we used to head down that way for an overnight just for something to do. A great place to visit with Great Loopers and summer travelers. A nice town and visitors center. Very friendly and helpful people. BUT... plan on arriving no later then 3pm!!! It fills up quickly!!
When you leave Waterford heading south, you'll come to the Federal Lock which will be your last on the river. From here on down is tide water.
The lock masters from Whitehall all the way south are really nice individuals who will try to accommodate you as best they can. They are in constant communication with each other and will try to lock you through with minimum delay.
Waterford is the last of the free walls. Coeymans Marina is a nice place for stopover. Again, real nice family run business with a fully stocked store and a tasty restaurant that specializes in calamari. They also have a mechanic on duty with haul out available. This is where we had our boat hauled and winterized.
Once you leave Champlain and travel through the actual canal to the Hudson river, you will greeted with a beautiful scenic ride down the River. We used to swim and water ski on the 14 mile stretch between locks. Many days 6 or 8 boats from the marina would go south a few miles and tie up for the day and make a day of it. Music, beverages, swimming...a grand time! I miss those days!!


Hope this helps you a bit in your planning. Give me a jingle if you need more info. You'll have a splendid time. Life on the water...soooo nice!

[Jack]

I have heard great things about Rondout. I've seen it from the shore but have not cruised there yet. There is a place just down the hill from West Point that is a terrible marina. Floating docks are actually sinking docks and there is no protection from passing ships and their wakes. Tempting to stay there to walk up the hill to tour the school. Also there is a train track about 20 feet from the slips. We paid for an overnight which was very cheap but bolted after touring nd headed south to a much better place.
In a storm I made an unexpected overnight stop at a marina just north of the Tappanzee Bridge on the east shore. It was great with a fine but affordable Italian restaurant on site. Easy walk to a grocery store too.

[jcollins]

<topic moved to cruising forum>

[DougSea]

Hi Tom,

I've made a number of trips up the Hudson from Long Island Sound.

While I agree you can swim in the hudson I'd start to rethink that based on the amount rainfall ahead of your trip and how far south you are. North of Newburgh you're fine most of the time. Newburgh down to Jones Point / Stoney Point still probably ok but again, rain can drive a lot of runoff.

I've gone as far north as Saugerties. You can actually stop at the lighthouse and tie up if there's room on the little dock. It was pretty cool. I pulled in to the harbor proper but just looked around from the bridge.

Kingston and the Roundout Creek is a very nice stop, with good restaurants and a nice little town.

Further south, you'll pass the two bridges at Poughkeepsie. The railroad bridge has been converted into a walkway. Just before that on the western bank is a restaurant who's name I can't recall. Small free dock. We've stopped for lunch there a few times. Decent.

As you continue down, still north of Newburgh, you'll come upon White's Marina on the eastern shore. This was my go-to fuel stop for all of my river trips. Always seemed to have the best price. They have a marine store as well.

Finally, as you hit Newburgh you really only have one option (at least that I'd recommend) and that's Riverfront Marina (http://riverfrontmarinanewburgh.com/) where I spent between two and four weeks for the last 5 years. LOTS of restaurant options all within a few minutes walk. Good staff, clean bathrooms. Free pump out. Can be noisy in the evening as there's a big rib place right next door, but with the cabin door closed and the AC on I never had an issue. If you go there ask if they can put you on an inside dock if you're spending the night. There are very big wakes that seem to come from nowhere that can bounce you pretty good on the face dock.

And that's all I've got. For me it was always a direct run from Newburgh to home, never stopped in anywhere south of that.

The Hudson is a beautiful river with many different faces. I always enjoyed my travels there.