Through Hell Gate to Haverstraw

The times were not convenient for transiting Hell Gate. If we waited for a favorable tide, we’d face a real slog up the Hudson. So we compromised and left such that we got to Hell Gate with a 2 kt current against at the end of the flood. With that strategy, we had current with us up the Hudson until the Tappan Zee bridge.

However, we met no less than six tugs with barges in tow going through Hell Gate and the east river. With AIS I knew they were coming and I met one of the bigger ones right under the bridge at Hell Gate. He rounded the turn coming out of the east river and skidded like a sports car driver on a dirt track as he made a right angle turn towards Hell Gate (photo). The skid was right towards me as I crept along the right side of the channel (don't worry, he's turning, even though he's aimed right at me and I have no where to go, isn't he turning? Hard water on the right as tugboat captains would say, finally his bow is no longer pointed at me., whew...). Ann was a little nervous about getting so close to shore and yet I had to give the barge some serious room!

Coming into the Hudson we did have our flood tide but then started to encounter a lot of debris and had to be on the lookout in the drizzle, making it hard to see. I thought that with the lack of rain, the river would be clear, not so. We got to Haverstraw too late to use our Cove what with a drain tide and such so we just anchored at Croton Point on the north side since we had a southeast wind. Friday we head north and should get to PYC late in the afternoon.