Friday, June 1, 2018

New York City to Poughkeepsie, NY

Southern Style left NYC on Thursday morning May 31st in cloudy overcast skies.

Lower Manhattan in the haze

Empire State Building

Chelsea Pier


Aircraft Carrier Intrepid


The Intrepid was launched in 1943 and fought in WW II surviving 5 kamikaze attacks and one torpedo strike.  The ship later served in the Cold War and Vietnam War.  Intrepid also served as a NASA recovery vessel in the 1960s.  She was decommissioned in 1974 and is berthed along the Hudson River in New York City as the centerpiece of the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum.  Ownership of the Space Shuttle Enterprise was transferred to the museum in 2011 and it is now housed in the enclosed structure on the bow of the Intrepid.

Just outside of New York City we passed this lovely vessel, the "Aviva" (30th largest privately owned yacht in the world).  There is a tennis court inside this yacht.  Looks like there are also multiple tenders underneath her.  She is 322 feet in length and was custom built for the owner by German ship builders Abeking and Rasmussen.




Soon we passed under the Tappan Zee Bridge.  It is being replaced with a new bridge and some of the sections of the old bridge are being taken off shore and submerged for artificial reefs.

Old Tappan Zee Bridge in the foreground and the new bridge in the background is named the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge


Old bridge being torn down, new bridge passing directly above Southern Style



We cruised north up the Hudson River about 40 miles to Haverstraw, NY.  Here we took on fuel and after quite a fiasco (long story, but the marina was not exactly knowledgable about where to dock a 60 foot Marlow) we were able to get a spot for an overnight.

We left about 7:00 AM Friday, June 1st and cruised north.  The weather again was cloudy with drizzle.  I am beginning to feel moldy with all this moisture.  And, did I mention how much I dislike fog.

View out front window Friday morning of the Hudson as we cruised

Lighthouse along the river in the fog and haze


The hills and mountains along the Hudson River are really cool.  This is not like anything we are accustomed to along the North Carolina coast.

Bear Mountain Bridge

Train along the Hudson


Boating in the mountains (per Dave Hawley)



Around 9 AM we passed West Point Military Academy.  We are scheduled for a tour there next week and I will give more exciting information about the academy then.

West Point






Just a few miles north of West Point is a small 6.5 acre island called Pollepel Island.  The main point of interest on the island is an old military surplus warehouse (that looks like a castle).  This was built on the island by Francis Bannerman VI and is known as Bannerman's Castle.  Bannerman emmigrated from Northern Ireland to Brooklyn, NY in the 1860s.  He started a military surplus business that was quite successful.  He purchased the island up the Hudson River in 1900 as a storage facility for the growing business.  The storeroom in New York City was not large enough to provide a safe location to store all the accumulated munitions.  The design of the building was done by Bannerman himself and served as a bit of a way to advertise his business.  He died in 1918 and in August of 1920, 200 pounds of shells exploded, damaging some of the complex.  Company sales declined over the years along with an additional fire in the complex and by 1950 the island was left vacant.  It is currently owned by New York State Parks but is mostly in ruins.  It is off limits to the public.

Bannerman's Castle


We arrived at Shadows Marina in Poughkeepsie, NY by noon.  Captain Keith picked up a rental car for the week and the sightseeing will begin tomorrow.  We have lots planned over the next 6 days.  Stay tuned.

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