07/23/21 – Hudson River Maritime Marina in Kingston, NY, to Donovan’s Shady Harbor Marina in New Baltimore, NY

Posted on by Kristin

Day 315

We left the transient wall at the Hudson River Maritime Marina in Kingston, NY, on Friday morning, 07/23/21, at 9:30 am, since we had a short travel day ahead of us. We lucked-out and sneaked past the weather gods, because we found ourselves cruising in perfectly, calm, clear conditions. Skies were partly cloudy with brilliant sunshine and the air was haze-free, thanks to the low humidity.

Beautiful morning leaving the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s marina in Kingston, NY, on Rondout Creek, the morning of 07/23/21.
The mouth of Rondout Creek, from Legacy’s stern, as we re-entered the Hudson River.
More examples of “creative” custom live-aboard boats…

Cruising farther northward up the Hudson River, we passed the riverside villages of East Kingston, Barrytown, and Annapolis-On-Hudson, NY, and slipped underneath the Kingston-Rhinecliff (NY Hwy 199) Bridge. In this very clear air we could fully appreciate the lush green rolling hills and bucolic countryside that covers both sides of the Hudson River for miles.

Bucolic Hudson River Valley…

We passed Tivoli Bays, Falling Waters Preserve, the Saugerties Lighthouse, and the small hamlet of Glasco, NY. Next came Malden, Bristol Beach, West Camp, and Cementon, NY, to our port, with Germantown to our starboard.

In this blog post’s first prize picture winner, is the Saugerties Lighthouse on the Hudson River, originally constructed in 1835, and was completely restored to its present state by the Saugerties Lighthouse Conservancy in 1985.

As the morning progressed, we cruised through the expansive Livingston State Forest to our starboard, as we approached Catskill, NY, just a little ways up Catskill Creek to our port. And then we passed underneath the Rip Van Winkle Bridge.

The majestic Catskill Mountain range is always a back-drop to the lower Hudson River Valley.
Approaching the Rip Van Winkle Bridge over the Hudson River, aka New York Highway 23 bridge.

The weather continuously improved all morning, with skies clearing and the sun shining more and more brilliantly. Temperatures were in the mid-70s. Couldn’t have been more perfect! We passed Athens, NY, to port, and Hudson, NY, to starboard, as we approached the long, skinny island called Middle Ground Flats, right there in the middle of the Hudson River. On the far southern end of Middle Ground Flats, stands the Hudson City Light Lighthouse, warning mariners about the ground directly in front of them.

The Hudson City Light Lighthouse, sometimes called the Hudson-Athens Light, located on the southern end of Middle Ground Flats, was originally constructed in 1872.

In many places, the Hudson River is surprisingly wide – much more so than either one of us had expected. Toward the end of today’s journey, we passed Vosburgh Swamp Wildlife Refuge, Coxsackie, Newton Hook, and Stuyvesant, NY, before reaching New Baltimore, where Donovan’s Shady Harbor Marina is located.

Approaching Donovan’s Shady Harbor Marina, on the Hudson River, in New Baltimore, NY.
Donovan’s Shady Harbor Marina enjoys quite a reputation with Loopers, provided us with excellent service during our long stay with them, and hosts a well-known annual pig roast every June for Loopers passing through the area. We arrived too late to make this year’s event, but heard it was a rousing success in 2021, as in years past.

We arrived at Shady Harbor about 1:30 pm this afternoon. After refueling and a pump-out, we cruised over to our slip for the next several days. To our surprise, we saw Captain Crusty and his wife, Dorothy, aboard their trawler, Magic, tied directly behind us at Shady Harbor. Small world!

After settling in and showering, we walked up to Shady Harbor’s very own marina restaurant, The Boathouse Grille, for early dinner and libations.

Where we first ate on 07/23/21, and on many evenings afterward, as the Boathouse Grill was both tasty and convenient.
Many of our meals were enjoyed outside on the Boathouse Grille’s expansive waterfront deck, as the weather during our stay there was almost always perfect for dining al fresco.

Position: N 42° 27.078, W 73° 47.206

Distance traveled:  41 SM

Total distance traveled: 4404 SM

Total marina nights: 292

Total nights at anchor: 23

Locks today: 0

Locks Total:  28