Hudson River Guide (2014) Lawrence Zeitlin

The relatively short Hudson River, reaching from tiny"Tear of the Clouds" lake in the Adirondacks to New YorkCity, has a disproportionate importance in US history.Many of the early battles of the Revolutionary War werefought for domination of this critical waterway. TheColonial forts at West Point, Garrison, Stony Point and FortMontgomery were situated at narrow bends in the river toallow cannons to bear on British warships trying tomaneuver in tight quarters. It can be truly said that if theBritish had managed to wrest control of the river from theColonials, we would all be playing cricket and drinking teawith our scones.

In 1608 the Dutch East India Company hired Englishexplorer Henry Hudson to find an all water route to Asiathrough North America. They provided a ship, the HalfMoon, and a crew of 20 Dutch and English sailors. Hudsonlanded on the coast of Maine in 1609 and traveledsouthward along the Atlantic coastline. He explored bothChesapeake and Delaware Bays. Eventually he concludedthat both were dead ends. He thought he had found thedesired route when he entered what is now New Yorkharbor and sailed upriver to Albany only to realize that theRiver of Mountains was a dead end as well. On a latervoyage his crew mutinied and set him adrift in what is nowknown as Hudsons Bay, Canada. Hudsons voyage led tothe Hudson Valley being settled by the Dutch as NewAmsterdam.

The designation Hudson Valley is loosely applied tothe river and shore side communities within ten miles ofeither side from the Tappan Zee Bridge to Albany. Duringthe summer and fall the Hudson Valley is full ofcelebrations, festivals and events. Experience the HudsonValley (845-463-0051) publishes a seasonally updated freepocket guide listing restaurants, lodging, and plannedactivities. Copies are available at most locations catering totourists. A complete listing of all activities is availablefrom: www.experiencethehudsonvalley.com.

The lower portion of the Hudson is a tidal estuary thatbroadens into Tappan Zee, a brackish inland sea startingabout 25 miles north of New York City. From Peekskill,south to New York City, the Hudson is a few inches belowsea level. Salt water from the ocean mixes with river water,constantly refreshed by tides and upstate rain. The Hudsonestuary is among the most biologically productiveecosystems on Earth. The constant exchange of salt andfresh water and the diversity of marine habitats make it aprime breeding ground for marine life. Over 200 species offish and shellfish use Haverstraw Bay as a nursery andfeeding ground. These include the American short nosedsturgeon, the Atlantic sturgeon, striped bass, white perch,eel, bluefish, herring, alewives, largemouth bass, tom cod,and sunfish. Oysters, clams, and crabs are among theshellfish in the bay.

Above Peekskill, the gateway to the HudsonHighlands, the Hudson River narrows to conventional sizebut is tidal all the way to Albany. The river is part of theNYS Canal System extending up the Hudson Valley fromNew York City to Troy just above Albany. There the canalsystem bifurcates, becoming a series of controlled waterlevel rivers and man made cuts, one branch heading west toBuffalo with side spurs to Syracuse, the Finger Lakes and

Lake Ontario, the other north through Lake Champlain, tothe St. Lawrence River. A trip up the river at trawler speedsusually takes an easy three days. With stops to visit theHudson Valleys many historic sites and scenic wonders, itcan, of course, take much longer. Cell phone coverage isvery good along the river and most marinas offer wi-fi.Free wi-fi is available at many locations in the towns alongthe route. Public libraries, Starbucks, McDonalds, andmalls and convenience stores offer this service.

For cruisers a good source of current information onthe Hudson is a monthly free magazine called "Boating onthe Hudson" published by Beacon Publishing Corp. inVerplanck, NY. Their web site is:www.boatingonthehudson.com/. The magazine has annuallistings of the best anchorages, fuel stops, and restaurantsalong the river. I have included an edited and annotatedcollection of the listings in Appendix 1, Dining Along theHudson, Appendix 2, Fuel Guide to the Hudson andAppendix 3, Hudson River Anchorages. The editor, JohnVargo, might be willing to send you future issuescontaining updated information if you will contact him. Histelephone number is 845-401-2699.

The best book about the Hudson and its environs is theHudson River Guidebook by Arthur G. Adams,published by Fordham University Press. It coversgeographic and historic facts about the river on a mile-by-mile basis. Another book, the "Cruising Guide to LakeChamplain," describes the waterway from Montrealthrough Lake Champlain to New York City. It is availablefrom the Lake Champlain Publishing Co. in Burlington,VT. .

Restaurants lodging, and tourism in the Hudson Valleyare listed in www.experiencethehudsonvalley.com. Theorganization also publishes a free pamphlet several times ayear describing each activity and location.

If the Erie Canal will be part of your trip, call (800) 4-CANAL-4 for a free set of charts and canal informationfrom the NYS Canal Corporation

Distances along the Hudson, like much of the ICW,are measured in statute miles with New York Citys Batteryconsidered to be the mile zero starting point. On the otherhand, tidal currents are usually described in knots. This isdesigned to exercise your mathematical skills. For thosequantitatively impaired, a pocket calculator provides auseful support.

Years ago New York State published The NorthwestPassage cruising guide to the Hudson and LakeChamplain, including a bound copy of river charts. Thename refers to Henry Hudsons futile hunt for a short cut toChina. The guide was useful but the charts wereexceptional. They were enlarged portions of NOAA charts,each page covering only about 10 miles of river. Theyshowed the details of sections of the coastline that are oftenlost in charts of more moderate scale. Local boatersreproduced the charts to use as gifts. Although dated, thecharts are still useful for planning. Fortunately the shorelineand town dock locations change little over the years. A fileof these charts is available at: .

New York State has released a new set of smallercharts as a companion volume to the NYS CanalCorporation Cruising Guide to the New York State CanalSystem. It is currently available at marine supply stores inthe Hudson Valley or can be ordered from the NYS CanalCorporation. The state also publishes a Hudson Riverwaterfront map and travel guide listing marinas, dining,attractions, and accommodations. A free copy is available ifyou call 1-800-232-4782 or log on to. Skipper BobPublications offers excellent guides to New Yorkswaterways in Cruising the New York Canal System andAnchorages Along the Intercoastal Waterway.

NOAA charts covering the river are #12343 NewYork to Wappinger Creek, #12347 Wappinger Creek toHudson, and #12348 Coxsackie to Troy. The MaptechChartbook Hudson River and New York Harbor has allthe necessary charts. After Troy you enter either the ErieCanal or the Champlain Canal. Charts are of little use ineither canal but the NYS Canal Corporation guide presentsvaluable information on distances between locks andavailable facilities.

North of New York harbor the Inland Navigation rulesapply. Of these, the most important is Rule 9, the NarrowChannels rule. Essentially this rule states that a vesselproceeding along the course of a narrow channel shall keepas close as practicable to the starboard side of the channel.While most recreational boats for whom this guide isintended can travel freely around the waterway, large craft,seagoing ships and tugs with heavy tows are constrained tofollow the relatively narrow deep water channel.

The Northern Edition of the Waterway Guide has a listing of marinas andfacilities along the river and the Erie Canal. Local harborcharts are included. It is very informative but highlycommercial. A full set of Richardson bound charts of the riverand adjoining waterways costs $69 more or less at WestMarine. These charts cover the Hudson, the Erie andChamplain canals, Lake Champlain and the Finger Lakes.Serious cruisers should certainly have a set. All charts of theriver must be used with caution. They are updated infrequently.Waterfront areas along small Hudson River towns are notNOAA's top priority. Because the river bottom changes littleby little, local knowledge is essential when leaving the big shipchannel.

A tide and current chart is essential for sailing or trawlercruising. The tidal range is only about 3 feet but the tidal flowgenerally overwhelms the fresh water discharge from upstate.Current flows in both directions following the ebb and flood ofthe tide.

"Muhheakantuck", the Indian name for the river, can betranslated as "the river that flows both ways." The tidal currentin the more constricted portions of the river can reach almost 3knots. The speed of the ebb and flow currents are so nearlymatched that it would take a bottle dropped in the river atAlbany almost half a year to reach New York harbor, 153miles downstream. If you time it right, you can get a tidal liftfor several hours in either direction. Indeed, 18th centurysailboats often used the tidal flow to make progress againstunfavorable winds. They would ride the current in the directionthey wished to travel, then anchor and wait until the next tide.The tidal crest moves up river at nearly 15 miles an hour, hightide at Albany occurring 10 hours after high tide at New York'sBattery.

If you are a member of the AAA you can download adetailed TripTik from the AAA web site. Just enter the towns and cities nearyour route. The printout will contain lodgings, restaurants,attractions and scheduled events. This listing is useful forboaters in the New York and New England area and the ErieCanal since highways parallel coastlines, rivers, and canals.While not intended for pinpoint marine navigation, anautomobile GPS is a surprisingly useful adjunct to positionlocation. Most cities and towns in the northeast wereestablished adjacent to navigable waterways. The bulk of NewYork States population lives within a few miles of LongIsland Sound, the Hudson River, or the Erie and ChamplainCanals. Google Earth on a laptopcomputer will also give a graphic representation of thewaterway as well as identify nearby points of interest.

The Hudson can be done without charts if you keep to thebuoyed big ship channel. However if you do that, you willmiss many of the best sights and shore excursions. Parts of theupper Hudson are quite shallow outside of the channel but ifyou don't mind picking your way with a depth finder, mosttown docks are approachable. In the early spring, rapid runofffrom snow melt sweeps shore side debris and fallen branchesinto the river. Keep a sharp lookout for partly submergedbranches. Although the relatively infrequent commercial shipsand barge tows travel the river 24/7, it is best not to cruise atnight.

The Appalachian mountain range makes a formidablebarrier between the northern cities on the East coast and thenations interior. During Colonial times transport of people andgoods was possible only by horse and wagon over dirt roads.By a quirk of nature, with help from an ice age glacier, theHudson River carved a gap in the mountain range and opened awater passage from New York City to Albany. The originalErie Canal in 1825 provided a water route from New York Citythrough to Buffalo and the Great Lakes and opened the interior

of the country to commerce. Many of the cities and townsalong the Hudson and Erie Canal were settled to providevenues for canal services and manufacturing.

Because of this access to water transportation, theHudson Valley was the nation's industrial heartland until theend of the 19th century. The river and the associated ErieCanal and Lake Champlain waterways were the main avenuesfor commerce for the Northeast. Passenger and freight carrierssailed the Hudson on a regular schedule from New York Cityto Albany, first with large sailing sloops then with sidewheelsteamships. The last steamship, the Alexander Hamilton,ceased operations in 1971. These were huge river boats. TheAlexander Hamilton was over 300 feet long with a beam of 77feet, capable of carrying 3000 passengers.

The Hudson Valley is an area rife with interesting andhistorical sites. If you have bicycles on board you can roamseveral miles inland from each stop. This puts you within easyreach of a shoreline filled with an extraordinary concentrationof National Historic Landmarks and romantic places. Mostriverside towns support a well established, if aging, marineinfrastructure. Many have public docks. Supermarkets, drugstores, welding shops, and marine chandleries are usually nomore than a few minutes walk from town docks.

Near this short stretch of waterway are Rockefeller'sKykuit mansion, with its wonderful private art museumwww.hudsonvalley.org, The Croton Dam, a 19th centuryengineering masterpiece in the same league as the Pyramids orthe Great Wall of China, Xavier's restaurants, near the top ofthe nation's top ten, George Washington's headquarters, WestPoint, the Vanderbilt and Roosevelt homesteads,www.nps.gov/hofr, numerous vineyards, the Culinary Instituteof America, and the Rhinebeck antique aerodrome where youcan take flights in a WW 1 Fokker or Spadwww.oldrhinebeck.org.

Locals are fond of joking that the area reached itseconomic zenith during the Civil War and has been goingdownhill ever since. As far as appearance goes, they are right.Once you get a few miles north of New York City you have thefeeling that you have sailed a century back in time. TheAmtrak passenger rail line runs close to the water on the eastside of the river. Just about every town is a stopping point. Bya happy coincidence the town docks and most marinas arewithin walking distance of the stations. This makes itconvenient for picking up and dropping off passengers thatmay accompany you on part of the trip. Albany and New YorkCity are major rail junctions connecting with the rest of thecountry. Any point on the river is only a few hours distantfrom either location. Commuter trains travel the line hourlyand much more frequently during rush hours. For traininformation call 212-532-4900, www.mta.info.

Airports serving the Hudson Valley are:Albany International Airport, www.albanyairport.comWestchester Cty Airport, http://airport.westchestergov.com.Stewart Int. Airport,JFK Int. Airport, www.panynj.gov/airports/JFK.html/La Guardia Airport, www.panynj.gov/airports.laguardia.html.

Adding to the feeling that you have sailed back in time isthe possibility of seeing Henry Hudsons vessel, the HalfMoon or singer Pete Seegers 90 Hudson River sloopClearwater ghosting by. These are not hallucinations, butrather faithful replicas of historic craft. Each has a sociallysignificant function. The Half Moon cruises the river andserves as a key attraction for town and village waterfrontcelebrations, the Clearwater serves as the centerpiece of theannual Great Hudson River Revival. Other classic ships ply theHudson as well. Local residents have a tendency to preserveany old craft that floats.

It's taken me a long time to wrap my head around the ideathat the best way to see the sights along a waterway is notalways by boat. Very often the thing to do is treat your boat asa floating hotel room, cruise to a marina near some interestingspots, then rent a car or use some form of public transportationto explore the region. A trip of 50 miles, a day in a trawler, isonly an hour in a car. The best way to visit many of the placesmentioned in this guide is to rent a car for a day and explore.Dont restrict your sightseeing to what can be seen from thewater.

On a trip up the Hudson, I suggest that a boater stop inCroton or Haverstraw, rent a car and explore the lower HudsonValley. Take the commuter train to New York City to partakeof the pleasures of Gotham. Then cruise up the river toKingston, stay in one of the marinas along the Rondout, andexplore the mid-Hudson sites. Finally stop a day near Albanyand explore the Egg, the gigantic ovoid NYS office buildingthat was constructed at the behest of Nelson Rockefeller. If youare an intrepid biker you can do much the same thing but yourrange will be limited.

Hudson River towns are located about 10 miles apartfrom New York to Albany. This was a convenient half workingday's sail in the Hudson River sloops, which carried both cargoand passengers.

Despite the beauty of the land around it, the Hudson wasone of the nations first ecological horror stories. The river wasover fished to provide cheap food for New York Citysimmigrants. Logging from upstate and manufacturing activitiesfrom river towns polluted the water. With the advent of therailroad, the riverfront was allowed to deteriorate as docks andfacilities decayed. Rich folks built their houses on the heightsaway from the shoreline. The river turned into an open sewerby the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Fortunately a consortium of the wealthy saved it. Not outof public spirit but to preserve the view from their hillsideestates. Up river forests were purchased and the Adirondackregion was turned into the Adirondack State Park, a foreverwild state park greater in size than Yellowstone, Yosemite,Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon and the Great SmokyMountain national parks combined. Thanks to the Roosevelts,the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, the Harrimans, etc. the riverbegan its comeback. New state laws curbed pollution of thewaterway. Many industries moved to the South or to the banksof the Mississippi where a bit of environmental degradationwas tolerated in the name of progress. My own region lostdistilleries, chemical plants, smelting, brick making, and paintmanufacturing. Even the Crayola crayon company moved toPennsylvania.

The consequence is that the river is much cleaner now thanit was in the early 1900s. Despite the romantic recollection ofold timers, it never was crystal clear. Even in colonial timesthe river probably looked much as it does now. Sedimentwashes into the river. Tidal flow currents stir up mud. Anabundance of algae and tiny marine life colors and clouds thewater. In fact the abundance of plants and organisms contributeto its fecundity as a biologically productive estuary.

Unfortunately as the river began its comeback, theriverside communities suffered economically. Towns likeNewburgh, Peekskill, and Poughkeepsie saw their industrialbase vanish. The people stayed but there was less work.Buildings and infrastructure deteriorated. The riverfront isbordered by decaying factories that are slowly being replacedby upscale housing. The industries that remained are those thatneed water transport. The guidebooks don't tell you but rockcrushing, cement making, gypsum processing, atomic energy,fuel depots, and resource recovery (garbage burning) are themajor industrial employers in the lower Hudson Valley. Thebig Haverstraw Marina is adjacent to an offloading dock forone of the largest makers of gypsum wallboard in the country.

In unfavorable breezes a cloud of gypsum dust wafts from thedock and the plant and gently envelops the marina. It dulls boatwindows, but don't worry. The view across the river is of anatomic energy plant and a garbage burning facility. Most of thetime it is clear but I want to warn you. Expect a little hazesometimes.

However, the changes in the industrial base were not badfor everybody. Technology and service based firms moved tothe Hudson Valley to fill the vacuum left by manufacturingindustries. IBM, GE, PepsiCo and others establishedadministrative and research centers. The railroad lines alongthe Hudson offered rapid commuter access to New York Cityand Albany. The process of transformation from blue collar towhite collar is well underway. The visible evidence of thechange is evidenced by the upscale housing developments andmarinas that dot the shoreline from New York toPoughkeepsie.

So take guides to the Hudson, including mine, with agrain of salt. The river is once again a marvel of beauty.The highlands of the Hudson, where the river cuts throughthe mountains, are arguably the most attractive cruisinggrounds in the US. But facilities are generally old, towndocks, with few exceptions, have not been upgraded sinceexcursion riverboat traffic ceased a couple of decades ago.But all is not bleak. A number of marinas have improvedtheir facilities and new ones have been constructed.Riverside towns have come to realize the economicimportance of an attractive waterfront. Particularly notablein this regard is Kingston, a very boater friendlycommunity.

You are not likely to go hungry on a cruise in theHudson Valley. A confluence of high quality agriculturalland, specialty farms, culinary talent, and affluentdemanding customers has made the region a gourmetsnirvana. If the truth must be told, you probably will not geta Michelins four-fork meal at any of the restaurantsassociated with marinas along the waterway. These servegenerous portions of food that is popular with the weekendboating crowd. Steaks, seafood, burgers, fries and beer tendto dominate the menu. The food is filling and satisfying butnot the best that the region has to offer. But within walkingdistance of many of the marinas are some of the finestrestaurants in the country. Ill mention those I found to beparticularly good, but your best guide to this culinaryabundance is a copy of the current Zagats Survey ofWestchester and Hudson River Valley Restaurants. Everymajor bookstore can get you a copy for the price of acouple of Big Macs. If you like to eat, never boat theHudson without it. For real gourmets, a free monthlymagazine, The Valley Table, presents a listing of culinaryevents in the Hudson Valley. The electronic version isavailable at (http://www.valleytable.com/).

So much for eating. Now about the boatingexperience. I've cruised both the East Coast and Caribbeanand find sailing in the Hudson Valley both attractive andchallenging. Summer boating in the Tappan Zee area of theHudson is much like boating in the British Virgins, minusthe accents and cheap rum of course. Cruising distances arecomparable to those in the Virgins too, just long enough fora day trip with attractive destinations in most directions.Sailing the river is never boring. The surroundingmountains channel the predominantly westerly winds intounusual patterns, sometimes punctuated by violent, shortsummer storms. When combined with the tidal flow and theoccasional whirlpool cruising becomes interesting.

Diesel fuel prices are high along the Hudson and theErie Canal. Many yacht clubs and smaller marinas on theHudson stopped selling fuel when the government requiredseparate tanks for commercial and recreational fuels. Thecoup d'grace was EPA rules requiring tank certification toassure that there was no leakage. Fortunately there is a lotof commercial traffic on the Hudson and a number of fuelsuppliers remained on the waterfront since their suppliesare generally delivered by barge. Places that sell fuelidentify themselves by a large oil company sign (Texaco,Esso, Mobil, etc.) easily visible from the water. Volumediscounts are available. Just ask. Boat US and WaterwaysGuide members get a discount at many marinas.

When you stop to buy fuel take the opportunity toempty your holding tank. Five riverside communities stilldraw their municipal water from the Hudson. Water fromthe fresh water region of the river can be used to augmentthe New York City water supply in times of severe drought.Indeed there is a pumping station near Poughkeepsie whichchannels river waters into the NYC reservoir system. Thisstation has not been activated in more than half a century.

In 2004 the entire river from the Battery to Albanywas declared a no discharge zone. By 2010, the nodischarge status was extended to the entire New York StateCanal System. This is ironic since dredging for PCBs in theupper Hudson and legally permitted municipal sewagedischarge contaminate the river far beyond the capabilitiesof marine heads.

There are a number of pump out stations in the TappanZee/Haverstraw Bay area. Most are located in the northernportion of the bay near the large concentration of marinas.Here is an updated list of pump out stations on the Hudsonand Erie Canal. Many of them at state and municipal

facilities are free.

Holding tank pump out stations in the less inhabitedportions of river are few and far between. The no-dischargerule is very strictly enforced in the Finger Lakes and inLake Champlain. All sewage discharge facilities must besealed or disabled. In Lake Champlain the connectionbetween the head and the discharge valve must be entirelyremoved. Both New York and Vermont local police andsheriff's deputies can inspect on a whim and the fines areconsiderable.

Until the PCB scares there was an economically viablefishing and crabbing industry in Tappan Zee andHaverstraw Bay. Several of the towns along the shore wereoriginally fishing villages.

In the 1800s the region was one of the world's primarysuppliers of quality sturgeon caviar. The last caviarprocessing plant on the river closed down in the late 1940sbut there is a going fish smoking industry near Kingston. Afew of the old timers still remember how to process thecaviar and every once in a while a pregnant sturgeon iscaught in a snare. Hudson caviar was said to rival the bestBeluga caviar. The few times I have had it, it was excellent.

Since the river has gotten much purer as industriescleaned up their act or moved to less sensitive areas, the bluecrabs have returned and sturgeon are making a comeback.Unfortunately during the 1800s and early 1900s both the riverand its associated canals were treated as open sewers by theindustries that bordered their banks. The discharged toxicwastes have not entirely dissipated.

Dredging of the upper reaches of the river has releasedlarge amounts of buried toxins. There are enough PCBs andheavy metal residues in the water that the NYS Dept. of Healthhas placed temporary restrictions on the consumption ofcertain Hudson River fish. Striped bass, American eel andshellfish should not be eaten at all. Consume no more than oneserving of other fish per month. Eat no more than six bluecrabs per week but dont eat the green tomally. Pregnantwomen and young children should avoid river fish entirely.The bigger fish at the top of the food chain accumulate themost toxins. If you are brave enough to eat river fish strip awayas much fat as possible. Pan frying concentrates the toxins.Additional information is available from the FishingRegulations Guide issued by the New York State Dept. ofEnvironmental Conservation (914-255-5453) or the NYS Dept.of Health www.health.ny.gov/fish (1-800-485-1158 ext.27530). These restrictions are not likely to be lifted for severalmore years.

The Federal government, under the Stevens-MagnusonAct, mandated that, beginning in 2010, all anglers fishingcoastal waters must register with Federal or State authorities.Aiming to keep license fees local, New York lawmakersapproved a new state recreational fishing license covering theCoastal District.

Persons 16 years of age and older need to acquire arecreational marine fishing license if they are: 1) fishing in theMarine and Coastal District or, 2) fishing any water such as theHudson River, Delaware River, or Mohawk River and theirtributaries where the angler is fishing for migratory fish fromthe sea (such as striped bass, American shad, hickory shad,blueback herring, alewife).

The Marine and Coastal District includes all the waters ofthe Atlantic Ocean within three nautical miles from the coastand all other tidal waters within the state, including the HudsonRiver, up to the Tappan Zee Bridge. Recreational marine

fishing licenses are offered for sale as part of DEC's automatedlicensing system (DECALS) and will be available at alllocations where hunting and fishing licenses are offered (mosttown clerks; many bait and tackle shops; sporting goods stores;DEC regional offices in Albany, Allegheny, Buffalo, RayBrook, Stony Brook, and Watertown). You can also purchaseyour licenses via telephone 1-86-NY-DECALS (1-866-933-2257) or online by visiting the DEC Internet Sporting LicenseSales page.

Because there is no longer an exemption to therequirement for a license to take fish from the Hudson Riversouth of the Troy Barrier Dam at Troy, anglers will need tohave a fishing license when fishing the Hudson River. If youare fishing downstream from the Tappan Zee Bridge, you areconsidered fishing in the marine and coastal district and do notneed to have a NYS recreational marine fishing license. If youare fishing upstream from the Tappan Zee Bridge and arefishing for non-migratory fish (such as largemouth bass,smallmouth bass, catfish, carp, walleye, and perch), you willneed to have a freshwater fishing license. If you are fishingupstream from the Tappan Zee Bridge and are fishing formigratory fish from the sea, striped bass, American shad,hickory shad, blueback herring, or alewife, you need to acquirea recreational marine fishing license in addition to a freshwaterfishing license.

Be aware that New York State has some strict regulationson the use of PFDs while fishing. Anyone who fishes from aboat less than 21 ft. LOA (including rowboats, canoes, andkayaks) while underway must wear a securely fastened PFD.Any outboard that has its propeller in the water is consideredunderway. Even if the engine is not going.

Unless you are a dedicated angler, it is advisable to forgofishing on a Hudson River cruise and satisfy your craving for afish dinner at one of the many excellent restaurants along thewaterfront. Commercial fish are usually taken from saltwater

and these tend to be less polluted than river fish. If you mustfish, check with the NYS DEC for the regs.http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife.pdf/wfregsguide12.pdf

Long time river town residents consider the waterway tobe a functional rather than a recreational asset. As a result, theriver is under utilized for recreational boating. Except on majorholidays or midsummer weekends we find only a few boats outand facilities are uncrowded. Moorings are relatively cheapand dock space for the summer is less costly than in coastalareas. You can anchor for extended periods along the shorelineas long as you dont interfere with boat traffic. Most townsallow reasonable free use of the town docks.

The Hudson Valley is a historians delight. Every townhas its Revolutionary War battle, or hero, or place whereGeorge Washington spent the night. A large group of historybuffs devote their summers to reenacting the RevolutionaryWar events that took place along the Hudson, Champlain andMohawk Valleys. The reenactments generally take place on theoriginal sites where battles were fought.

The crucial campaign of the Revolutionary War was notWashington crossing the Delaware but the failed plan ofBritish General Burgoyne to move his army south from Canadato Albany and meet up with General Clinton's army movingnorth from New York. If successful, this plan would have cutoff the belligerent New England colonies from the rest of thecountry. Burgoynes defeat at Saratoga was the turning pointof the war and brought the French into the war on theAmerican side. Almost all of the early battle sites, are adjacentto either the Hudson, the Erie Canal, or Lake Champlain. Yoursummer cruise may well take you into the middle of a battlereenactment. So don't be alarmed if you see the flash and hearthe boom of black powder cannons. They are not shooting atyou, merely trying to reenact a moment in history. To get alisting of battles, Google NY revolutionary warreenactments.

Lighthouse buffs will get a full measure of enjoymentfrom a Hudson River trip. Once there were 13 lighthousesalong the river, strategically located to warn skippers of sloopsand steamboats of shallows and sharp turns. Of these onlyeight remain but several are masterpieces of nineteenth centuryarchitecture. A few now hold museums. One offers overnightaccommodations and is a favorite for maritime themedweddings. Although their function has been supplanted bymodern aids to navigation, a couple still warn of rocks andshoals ahead. Ill mention the lights from time to time.

New York harbor is an exciting experience for boatersused to more tranquil waters. There is an enormous amount oftraffic but there is also a lot of sailing room. An alert skippershould have little difficulty. That is if he (or she) can keep eyeson the water and not stare at the buildings, bridges, ferryboats,and Statue of Liberty.

Marine historians are fond of reminding us that the Statueof Liberty was once a lighthouse marking the southernentrance to the Hudson River. In 1877 Congress acceptedFrances gift of the statue both as a work of art and as anavigational beacon. The U.S. Lighthouse Board was itsoriginal caretaker. The problem was that even with newfangledelectric arcs, the best light sources of the time were unable tocompete with New York Citys building and street lights. TheStatue of Liberty was abandoned as a functioning lighthouse in1902.

The illumination problem in NY harbor still remains. Atnight there are so many lights that it is difficult to separate thenavigation markers from the neon lights and taxicabs ashore.Radar doesn't help much either unless you are a true virtuoso atthe console. It would be a very good idea to transit the harborduring the daytime especially if you are not intimately familiarwith the waterway.

Keep out of the way of the large, orange Staten Islandferryboats. They travel much faster than you think. Be awareof the many Safety and Security Zones in New York Harbor.Vessels need to stay at least 25 yards away from facilities thathave posted Security Zone signs on their waterfront, as well asall bridge abutments and tunnel ventilators. Boaters may notcome within 100 yards of any naval vessel. For up-to-dateinformation check the United States Coast Guards homeportwebsite. http://homeport.uscg.mil/newyork

If your Hudson River cruise will include a trip to NewYork City for shopping, dining, or visits to the theatre ormuseums, it is my personal opinion that you should not stay ata New York or Jersey City marina. These tend to be expensiveand some are in high crime neighborhoods. Stop at a marina inGreat Kills, Staten Island or further up the Hudson inTarrytown, Ossining, or Verplanck. There is convenient publictransportation into New York City. It is a short bus ride from amarina in Great Kills to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.

The free 20 minute Staten Island Ferry ride intoManhattan is a unique boating experience. The ferry debarks atthe Battery in the center of New Yorks financial district. Ashort walk takes you to the South Street Seaport, an attractionnot to be missed by boaters.

The marinas on the east shore of the Hudson inTarrytown and Ossining are adjacent to the Metro Northcommuter rail line. Trains travel the 40 to 50 minute journeydirectly to Grand Central Station several times an hour. Dontrent a car to drive into the city. Take public transportation.Street parking places are hard to find and parking lots arecostly.

Twelve bridges, two tunnels and several high speedferries cross the Hudson between NYC and Albany. Thebridges make convenient navigational reference points. Mostare spaced about half a day's leisurely cruise apart at trawler

speeds. The first bridge, and the generally accepted entranceportal of the river, is the massive and beautiful GeorgeWashington Bridge. This double deck bridge carries the bulkof vehicle traffic from the rest of the continental U. S. to thelands east of the river. Wave nicely to the 16 lanes of bumperto bumper traffic as you cruise tranquilly below.

The Little Red Lighthouse of childrens book fame wasoriginally the Jeffreys Hook Light. This cast iron light waslocated at Sandy Hook, NJ but was moved to nestle at the baseof the George Washington Bridge. It is now run as a historicalexhibit by the New York City Park Commission.

Once through the harbor and past the George WashingtonBridge, eleven miles north of the Battery, the Palisade Cliffsborder the west shore and the commercial boat trafficdecreases. Yonkers, the states fourth largest city, is anextension of New York. Yonkers is known as the home of theOtis elevator, the device that makes high rise buildingspossible. It is the also setting for "Hello Dolly but most of theexterior scenes depicted in the movie were filmed further upthe river. Yonkers has several boat clubs but most travelersstay further north along the Hudson. Dockage may be availableat the Yonkers Yacht Club (914) 969-9325, the Palisade BoatClub (914) 737-9515, or the Yonkers Corinthian Yacht Club(914) 376-3183.

The Village of Hastings, a few miles north of Yonkers,has few amenities for cruisers. Transient berths may beavailable at the Hastings Pioneer Boat Club (914) 478-9702 orthe Tower Ridge Yacht Club (914) 478-9729. If, by chance,you stay in Yonkers or in Hastings, be sure to check outHudson River Museum (914) 963-4550(http://www.hrm.org). The museum is located in twoclassic 18th century mansions and features both modern artworks and the works of Hudson River School artists.

The Tappan Zee Bridge, at the 28 mile point, connectsTarrytown and Nyack and marks the start of the realcruising area. A mile south of the bridge, a spur of landsticks out from the western shore. This is the Piermont Pier,the old terminus of the Erie Railroad. The Tappan ZeeMarina (845-365-1985) is several hundred yards north ofthe pier. Stay away from the south side of the pier. It isshallow and there are hidden deadheads.

Piermont, at least the pier area, has become an upscaleart and restaurant center. Xaviars at Piermont, Chef PeterKelly's restaurant (845-359-7007) is the best place to eatin the Hudson Valley if not one of the best in the entireNew York area. Zagats rates it 29 out of a possible 30. Thetab will be high, but if you want to treat yourself royally,this is the place. Xaviars companion restaurant, TheFreelance Caf and Wine Bar (845-365-3250) is right nextdoor. The Caf is much lessformal, the prices lower, and no reservations are required. Thefood is just as good as Xaviars since they share the samekitchen.

Above the Tappan Zee Bridge, connecting Nyack andTarrytown, the Hudson widens out into a four mile wide, 18mile long, salt and tidal inland sea. The average depth isrelatively shallow, 15 ft. or so, but there is a broad clearlymarked channel for deep draft ships and barges. WashingtonIrving said that Tarrytown was named by irate Dutch farmwomen who complained that their husbands tarried too long atthe village tavern after depositing their goods at the wharf.

Apocryphal as the story is, there is no doubt that theinfluence of the early Dutch settlers still pervades the HudsonValley. Many of the towns bordering the shore and the creeksflowing into the river bear Dutch names. The Dutch word forcreek, incidentally, is kill. This accounts for the frequent

suffix to many local place names such as Catskill, Peekskill,and Fishkill. The Dutch word for sea is zee. Tappan Zee isnamed after the Tappans, a local Indian tribe.

The Tappan Zee Bridge itself is on the majortransportation route crossing the Hudson above New YorkCity. The bridge and its approaches are almost four miles longand eight lanes wide but population growth in the area hasmade the bridge inadequate to support the daily commute.Traffic jams stretch for miles. The bridge is scheduled forreplacement in the near future. This monumental constructionproject will disrupt river traffic for a decade to come.

Nestled at the foot of the bridge on the east shore is thevery pretty cast iron Kingsland Lighthouse. The lightfunctioned from 1883 through 1965. After the light wasextinguished, the building was turned into a museum showingwhat family life was like in a lighthouse more than 100 yearsago.

In the Hudson Valley and the Mohawk River area mostyacht clubs belong to either the Hudson River Boat and YachtClub Association (HRBYCA) or the Mohawk-Hudson Councilof Yacht Clubs (MHCYC). Clubs in the two associations havea reciprocity agreement, usually offering a guest slip for onenight. A few may require you to pay a moderate fee. You arerequired to contact the destination club in advance (a phonecall will do) to determine if they are a participating club in theagreement and if space is available. Usually there is noproblem getting a berth during the week but on holidayweekends space may be tight.

In all, there are 55 yacht clubs from Keyport, NJ to Troy,NY and along the Mohawk that are party to the agreement.Other yacht clubs outside the area may extend reciprocityduring less crowded periods but there is no guarantee. If youlike the social scene and can afford it, yacht club membershipis fine. It is also convenient if you regularly cruise an area like

the Hudson Valley. But if you are just passing through it is farcheaper to pay for a night at a marina, or, better yet, anchorout.

Summer marina rates in the lower part of the HudsonValley have gotten moderately expensive, especially nearattractive sites. The cruising amenities attract many boatersfrom surrounding areas. Since the high season is only sixmonths long. Dockage and fuel sales during the summer mustpay for the entire year. Still the rates are only a fraction ofthose charged on Long Island Sound and the Jersey shore.

The Tappan Zee/Haverstraw Bay area has boat clubs andmarinas along both shores capable of handling almost anyservice or repair. Most have transient slips, usually with fullmarine hook ups. If you need any boat work done, the largestfacility on the river is the Julius Petersen Boatyard (845-358-2100) in Nyack on the western shore of the river. The yard isjust north of the Tappan Zee Bridge.< http://www.juliuspetersen.com/>

If you want to visit NYC on a Hudson River trip it is wiseto choose a marina on the east shore of the river. The railroadline to the city hugs the shoreline and you can board the train atalmost every town from Yonkers to Albany. If you stay on thewest shore, you have to find a way across the river. In theTappan Zee/Haverstraw Bay area north of Tarrytown, theHudson is nearly 4 miles wide, probably too far to dinghyacross.

There are several marinas that cater to transients justnorth of the Tappan Zee Bridge. The Tarrytown Marina(914-631-1300) is on theeast shore of the river. The marina is protected by abreakwater, sells diesel fuel, and has a good seafoodrestaurant, the Striped Bass (914-366-4455) on thepremises. The marina is very close to the Metro North

commuter railroad to NYC. The station is just in back ofthe marina parking area.

While convenient, the Tarrytown Marina has receivedmixed reviews recently. Dockage is tight and requirescareful maneuvering to avoid dings on your carefullypolished topsides. A resident flock of geese leaves poop onthe dock and walkways. Low voltage electric services havebeen reported. I suppose it existed in the past but since myboat is a light electrical power user I was never concerned.The Tarrytown Yacht Club makes the marina itsheadquarters.

Tarrytown is an affluent village with a variety of goodrestaurants and shopping. It is a fairly long walk toshopping in Tarrytown for resupply. The Tarrytown marinaarea used to be in an industrial zone next to a large GM autoassembly plant and an offloading area for sand and gravel. Inrecent years the area has been gentrified. The assembly plantoperations were moved to Mexico and the plant leveled. Itslocation is now occupied by a large upscale housingdevelopment. The gravel and sand offloading area is no longeractive. Probably the marina owners feel that their land wouldbe better used for housing or some other profitable commercialventure and are reluctant to refurbish an operation which willbe transformed into another use in a few years. This is acommon problem of marinas in desirable waterfront areasclose to big cities. There are alternatives to Tarrytown Marinaa few miles upriver which don't present the same problems. Attrawler speeds they are only about an hour further north.

The Rockefeller estate at Pocantico Hills is a short cabride from Tarrytown. It is a "must" stop for art lovers. Kykuit,the home John D. Rockefeller built for his family, is festoonedwith the modern paintings and sculptures that NelsonRockefeller spent a lifetime collecting.file:///

This is one of the great private art museums of the world.Admission to the museum and grounds also entitles you to visitthe Union Church of Pocantico Hills featuring stained glasswindows by Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall. You can alsostroll over the bridge at Sleepy Hollow following the footstepsof Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, and the Headless Horseman,all memorialized by Washington Irving. Indeed, if you havethe time, you can visit well preserved Sunnyside, WashingtonIrvings home on the shores of the Hudson.

The Palisades Park Commission owns much of the landon the western river shore north of Nyack. A paved footpathruns for several miles along the river in a picturesque woodedarea. We often see dinghy loads of boat weary children beingferried ashore to work off their surplus energy by joggingalong the path. Their relieved parents cruise their boats slowlyalongside.

There are several marinas in Ossining at the 33 mile pointin the shadow of Sing Sing penitentiary. Westerly Marina (914941-2203), has excellent enginemechanics. The marina sells fuel and has a quite well suppliedmarine store. The marina is close to the Metro North commutertrain station to New York and offers an alternative to theTarrytown marina for those wishing to take a train to the city.

The Up The River Sing Sing penitentiary is still usedbut it is now an abode of less dangerous white collar criminals.Since NYS abolished the death penalty the electric chair nolonger operates but older residents of the area still rememberthe lights dimming from time to time. Incidentally the originalname of the village of Ossining was Sing Sing but the townfolk voted to change it to avoid association with the prison.Incarcerated felons have a million dollar view of the river outof their cell windows. Perhaps crime does pay.

Croton Point, 35 miles above Manhattan on the eastshore, extending about a mile and a half into the river, dividesTappan Zee from Haverstraw Bay. This spur of land is theterminal moraine marking the southernmost reach of the lastice age glacier to cover the area. The melting waters of theglacier carved out the Hudson Canyon, a vast subsurfacetrench extending five hundred miles into the Atlantic. Thenorth side of the sheltering arm of the point provides the bestanchoring ground on the river. Eight feet of water covers ahard sand bottom. A dinghy ride to the town dock gives easyaccess to Croton-on-Hudson's stores, restaurants, and thecommuter railroad to NYC.

If you anchor at Croton Point visit Croton Point Park fora little exercise. This large county park has been called thejewel of the Hudson. It has hiking trails, a nature museum,athletic fields and basketball courts, a life guarded swimmingarea in season, and rental cottages. Using the park is free.There is a charge for parking if you come by car but no chargeif you dinghy in. There are no waterfront marine services at theCroton Point county park. But just about anything you requireis available at a nearby marina.

The Croton Point anchorage area is a favorite destinationfor weekend boaters. For boating solitude, it is best to planyour arrival on a weekday. The bay south of the point appearsinviting but is too shallow to anchor in for boats drawing morethan 4'. On the other hand, if you are a fisherman, this is thebest fishing area in the entire river. Dont cut too close toCroton Point when heading for either anchoring area sinceunderwater rock ledges extend for about 100 yards at bothupstream and downstream ends. The 508 acre Croton Park isthe site of the annual Clearwater Festival, named in honor ofsinger Pete Seegers 90 foot Hudson River Sloop replica. Ifyou attended Woodstock (or wanted to) you should not missthis festival. http://www.clearwaterfestival.org/

The Half Moon Bay Marina (914-271-5400), just north ofCroton Point, is a good place to stay. If you identify yourself asa Great Looper, you get a special discount. The marina offerstransient berths with full hookups and a pumpout but no fuel.However if you plan to stay near Croton Point, you might aswell anchor in the bay, dinghy in to the Croton town dock andavoid paying any marina charges. The train ride to NYC takesabout an hour. www.halfmoonbaymarina.com/.

Croton is a convenient place to resupply for a trip upthe Hudson. A large supermarket is a few blocks south ofthe Croton Dock. The town has some excellent restaurantswithin walking distance. There is a gourmet deli, Zetina's,adjacent to a CVS, a couple of nice taverns featuring craftbeers, a liquor store, a Dunkin Donuts, several bankbranches, a hardware store that carries a big stock ofmarine parts, a shop with decent NYC style bagels, aChinese takeout, and several pizza parlors.

If you have hardy appetites, or have teen aged childrenaboard, the Croton Colonial Restaurant features hugeportions, moderate prices, and an extremely varied menu.But if you really want a gourmet meal, the best seafoodrestaurant on the Hudson River, and perhaps the entire NewYork area, is Chef Brian Galvin's Ocean House Oyster Barand Grill (914-271-0702) on 49 N. Riverside Avenue, alsoabout one block from the Croton town dock. This tinyrestaurant, basically a converted diner, serves only dinnerfrom 5 to 9 p.m. from Tuesday though Saturday withspecial meals on Sunday. The Ocean House does not takereservations nor does it have a liquor license. What it doeshave is a selection of the best oysters and seafood fromNew Yorks Fulton Fish market prepared by a superb chef.Bring your own wine. The specials change every day.Zagat rates it 28 out of 30.

Croton has several other fine restaurants catering to avariety of tastes. Sushi and hibachi steak lovers will enjoyclashing chopsticks at the newly redecorated SamuraiJapanese Sushi and Hibachi Steak House on 352 S.Riverside Ave. (914-271-8988). The prices are moderateand the sushi is probably the best north of New York City.(www.samuraicroton.com) Just down the street the UmamiRestaurant offers an imaginative New Age menu. In caseyou eat too much, Croton also has branches of both theHudson Valley Hospital and the Phelps Memorial Hospital.

Travel writers are fond of comparing the HudsonRiver to Germanys Rhine. Like its European counterpartthe Hudson has vineyards on either shore. The oldestcommercial vineyards in the US were established in theHudson Valley during Colonial times. Old Norse recordsshow that Viking explorers roamed as far south as what isnow New York and the lower reaches of the Hudson. Thereis local myth that the area might have been the Vinland ofthe Viking sagas. Wild grapes grow plentifully on the riverbanks. Croton Point was the site of the Underhill Winery,the first commercial winery in the country. The ruins of thestone wine cellars are visible on the south side of the point.

Van Cortlandt Manor is a 15 minute walk from theCroton town dock. This was the family home of the VanCortlandt family, the Dutch settlers that owned much of theland between Croton and Connecticut. The home andgrounds have been totally restored and serve as a livingmuseum of the life and times of the landed aristocracyhttp://www.hudsonvalley.org/content/view/15/45/. Severalseasonal festivals are held at Van Cortlandt Manor showinghow major holidays were celebrated during Colonial times.They are well worth attending.

A three mile hike or a short cab ride up the CrotonGorge will take you to the Croton Dam. This dam is thethird largest cut stone structure in the world, exceeded onlyby the Great Wall of China and the Great Pyramid of Giza.It was built during the late 1800s to impound the waters ofthe Croton River and provide fresh water for the growingcity of New York. A gravity aqueduct carries the water 40miles from Croton to the city. http://village.croton-on-hudson.ny.us/Public_Documents/CrotonHudsonNY_WebDocs/HistoricalSociety/crotondam

Italian, Irish, and Eastern European stone cutters werehired enmasse to build the dam. Many brought theirfamilies with them or married local girls and remained inthe area after the work was completed. Quite a few of thestone cutters were closet sculptors and painters. Soon thevillage of Croton-on-Hudson acquired a reputation as an artcenter. Artists tend to be free thinkers so Croton became ahotbed of pre-WWI radicalism. Many of our native bornsocialists and Communists, including Max Eastman, DailyWorker editor Robert Minor, and John Reed, author of"Ten Days that Shook the World," lived in Croton. Today,however, it tends to be more conservative.

A new recreational feature of the Croton area is theHudson Waterfront Park, a mile long beautifullylandscaped park extending north from the Croton towndock. The park has a paved walking and bicycle trail thathugs the shore of the river and offers attractive views of thewaterway. It makes a great spot to stretch your legs after afew days on the water. The park is one of a series fundedby the NYS Clean Waters Act. Similar parks will be builtextending the entire length of the river, eventually tobecome the Hudson River Trail National Park.

The towns of Haverstraw and Stony Point, on theother side of the river, have several very large marinas,including the Haverstraw Marina (845-429-2001), thelargest on the Hudson. The Haverstraw Marina site was originally an abandonedrock quarry in which much of the structure of the TappanZee Bridge was constructed. When the work wascompleted, a channel was blasted to the river and the bridgesections were barged to their final location. The formerquarry became a perfect protected marina location.

The Haverstraw Marina has full marine services, aswimming pool, a large marine store, an on site restaurant,and a fuel dock offering Valvtect gasoline and diesel. A wi-fi is available. The disadvantage of the Haverstraw locationis lack of ready access to stores and supermarkets andpublic transportation to New York City. A catamaran ferryruns from Haverstraw to Ossining where it connects to thecommuter railroad to New York City but a cab ride fromthe marina is necessary to get to the ferry terminal.

The Stony Point Marina (845-429-0100), in thehistoric town of Stony Point just north of Haverstraw, has400 slips and dry land storage. It offers a pool, tennis andvolley ball courts and a waterside restaurant. Certifiedmechanics are also available. Although Haverstraw andStony Point marinas have well marked entrances, there aresome shallow areas along this portion of the Hudsons westbank so check your depth finder when heading toward oneof these marinas. The Stony Point lighthouse, the oldest onthe river, still functions but is no longer considered aprimary aid to navigation.

The Tappan Zee/Haverstraw Bay portion of the rivergets choppy in certain winds. It is relatively shallow andhas a long north/south fetch. The river warms and coolsmore slowly than the surrounding shore so an offshorewind develops every evening, starting at about 5 p.m. andending several hours later. The wind can be strong butusually stops just about the time to drop anchor. Phantomwaves seem to come out of nowhere. These are wavesreflected from the riverbank by boat traffic miles away.

At the top of Haverstraw Bay, Verplanck, one of theold fishing villages, has several marinas that have berths fortransients. They are located in Greens Cove, on the eastshore just south of the village. The biggest of these isViking Boat Yard. (914-739-5090). It has transient berths,a large capacity lift, and a well-stocked marine store butdoesnt sell fuel. It has an attached restaurant, the HudsonBistro (914-737-9092). The cove shallows to 4 in low tideso follow the buoyed dredged channel.

Peekskill, a former industrial town, lies north ofVerplanck, just past the Indian Point Atomic Energy plantand the resource recovery (garbage burning) plant. Be sureto give these locations a wide berth. The Indian PointAtomic energy plant is one of the oldest and largest in thecountry. There are no giant cooling towers. Unlike mostatomic energy plants, this one is cooled by river water. Tothe chagrin of iceboaters, river water downstream of theplant is a degree or two warmer than upstream, inhibitingthe formation of smooth black ice in the bays along theriver. Indian Point can be easily recognized by its threebeehive shaped containment domes.

Through a monumental oversight by the site'splanners, the facility was constructed adjacent to theRamapo fault, an earthquake prone crack in the earth that

has been the source of several tremors. To compensate, theatomic reactors are mounted atop huge springs designed toattenuate the shock.

The west bank of the river, just opposite IndianPoint, was once the site of the U.S. Reserve Fleet, amothballed collection of several hundred surplus WW2Liberty ships. The ships were preserved by anointing allsurfaces with cosmolene and anchored side by side in neatrows adjacent to the shore. To prevent internal rust, thetanks were filled with cheap fuel oil. During the Koreanand Vietnam wars many were returned to service. A total of130 ships were used from the Hudson River fleet during theKorean War. Thirty-five ships were brought back intoservice when British and French ships were diverted fromtrade routes during the Suez crises in 1956. More than 40ships were used during the Vietnam War. In 1965 189 shipsstill remained. The ships were anchored in 10 rows andextended south from the fleet office at the Jones Point dockto the Lovett Orange and Rockland Power Plant. By thelate 60s the oil in the tanks was worth more than the valueof the old Liberty ships. Those remaining had their tanksdrained, and were then scrapped. The last ships were towedaway on July 8, 1971. Just a monument remains.

Peekskill has a varied history. A former industrialtown framed by some of the Hudson Valleys mostdramatic views, it was visited by President Lincoln, servedas the location of the Fleischmann distillery, hosted theinfamous Peekskill riots, and was the birthplace of Crayolacrayons. Teens of a couple of decades ago will remember itas location of the mythical girls school in the Facts ofLife TV sitcom. Now Peekskill is trying to make acomeback as an art center. Art studios abound along theshort main street. Peekskills riverfront park is beingrevitalized with launching ramps, picnic areas, and a

bandstands for frequent summer concerts. Anchoring ispossible in the bay just south of town. The anchoring areais north of the Resco Resource Recovery plant. It ispossible to dinghy in to the Peekskill Yacht Club or thePeekskill Town dock.

Peekskill has several very good restaurants, notablySusans (914-737-6624), the Division Street Grill (914-739-6380) and Zephs(914-736-2159). The latter can be hard to find. Ask fordirections when you call. Zagats rates the food as 27 out of30.

Just north of the Bear Mountain Bridge, at the 50 milepoint, is Dunderberg Mountain, home of the legendary DutchGoblin responsible for the infamous summer thunderstorms ofthe Hudson River valley. This is also the place whereWashington Irvings Rip Van Winkle was alleged to haveslept for 20 years. Sudden thunderstorms and occasional butshort lived squalls may produce very localized winds up to 60knots. The dark clouds usually give all but the most imprudentample opportunity to batten down the hatches. When combinedwith the current, storms in Tappan Zee/Haverstraw Bay can beas violent as any place in the continental US. The secret is toanchor your boat in extremely bad weather and wait it out.Holding near the shore is very good over the entire area.Fortunately the worst conditions are rare and don't last morethan a day. It's no accident that the tallest peak in the area isnamed "Storm King".

The Hudson Highlands are incomparably beautiful. Theriver cuts through the Appalachian range and mountainfoothills border portions of both shores. Many have called itthe most picturesque stretch of navigable waterway in theUSA, rivaling the Norwegian fjords. The Highlandsthemselves are the base rocks of the largest mountain rangeever to exist on the Earth. Half a billion years ago they reached

up over 40,000 feet, exceeding the height of Mt. Everest by acomfortable margin. Erosion and weathering reduced them totheir present size. The residual benefit of this hard rock layer isthat it forms the underpinning of Manhattan and offers aperfect foundation for erecting skyscrapers.

Cruising the river in the autumn is particularly rewardingsince the shoreline is ablaze with trees in their finest color. Thebest cruising area and the most magnificent scenery in theHudson Valley extends from the Tappan Zee Bridge toKingston, 90 miles upriver. It includes West Point, BearMountain, and the picturesque towns of Garrison and ColdSpring. The Appalachian Trail, a hiking route from Maine toGeorgia, crosses the river on the Bear Mountain Bridge. A bitfurther upriver are the Vanderbilt Mansion, the FDR home atHyde Park, and the Culinary Institute of America. Furthernorth are Rhinebeck with its antique aerodrome, and historicKingston with its restored waterfront. All have a veryhospitable attitude toward boaters and are certainly worth avisit.

The beauty of the Hudson was the inspiration for countlessartists. Landscape painting occupied a relatively minor place inthe roster of European arts during the 18th century. This waschanged, at least in the United States, by the emergence of theHudson River School, America's first homegrown, coherentand sizable group of landscape artists. The new country hadfew historical scenes or famous personages to depict but it hadan abundance of beautiful, dramatic and untamed scenery. Thepainters of the Hudson River School, worked in and aroundNew York from the 1820s to the 1880s. They depicted thelandscape in an almost idealistic fashion. The paintings becameso popular that the average art viewer thinks that Hudson Rivertype landscapes were typical of American art for the entireperiod of the 1800s. Enthusiasts can visit the home andgrounds of the founder of the Hudson River School at theThomas Cole Historical Site in Catskill, NY.www.thomascole.org.

But eventually tastes change. Photography could do theprimary job of documentation, and the style itself becameviewed as overly romantic and "old fashioned." TheImpressionists were on the rise. A file of Hudson River Schoolart can be found at:

Still, the inspiration of the Hudson remains. In recent yearsthe school has seen a revival as contemporary artists revisit theold sites and paint their Hudson landscapes with a freer handand more colorful palette. Judged by national standards, theHudson Valley has a disproportionate share of artists, artstudios, and museums. Every riverside town has several artgalleries and sponsors an art festival.

Abandoned factory buildings in riverside towns have beenrecycled as art museums. One, the Dia Museum in Beacon, isone of the worlds largest, capable of displaying the biggestsculptures. Indeed, if one so wishes, a Hudson River cruisecould become an art gallery hopping adventure.http://www.artalongthehudson.com/.

The nominal entrance to the Hudson highlands is the BearMountain Bridge, 20 miles north of the Tappan Zee Bridge.The hills actually start about a mile downstream at Stony Pointon the western shore and Verplanck on the east. Here the rivernarrows to 1500 feet. For years there was a ferry service but itwas abandoned after the Bear Mountain Bridge opened. Thebridge itself was constructed by private funds during the '20sand for a brief period was the longest suspension bridge in theworld. The original investors chose the location well. Eventhough the tolls are moderate it has never operated at a loss.Eventually the state acquired the bridge and incorporated itinto the highway system.

There is an anchorage just south of the Bear MountainBridge on the western shore near the Bear Mountain StatePark. The water shallows rapidly from its 120 foot depth in themiddle of the river. Bear Mountain Inn (845-786-2731), a halfmile walk uphill from the anchorage area, is one of the largestlog buildings south of Canada. The luxury inn was built whenthe park was opened in 1915. The Inns lobby and guest roomshave been totally restored and the large banquet and diningroom will reopen during 2013. A gift shop and a nice casualrestaurant opened in 2012. The Overlook Lodge (845) 786-2731, is a smaller and more intimate version of the Inn. Thedining area of the Lodge offers an unimpeded view of beautifulHessian Lake. A local favorite festival is the Oktoberfestcelebration usually staged on weekends in September andOctober. Beer, knackwurst, lederhosen and German bandsgalore. http://www.visitbearmountain.com/

Take the opportunity to get rid of those excess calories byhiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail to Perkins Peak. Theview from the top of the peak is spectacular. On a clear dayyou can catch a glimpse of New York City 50 miles to thesouth and see almost as far up the Hudson to the north. If youplan to be in this area the weekend before the Fourth of July,the anchorage provides an unexcelled viewing location for theannual Palisades Park Commission fireworks show.

The Bear Mountain Inn plans to bring back some turn oflast century weekend festivals including gingerbread housemaking contests, chili cook-offs, Yule log burning, andWinterfests. Regrettably it has not been cold enough in recentyears for ski jumping or ice carving.

Iona Island, a large marshy area just south of the BearMountain Bridge, is a dedicated bird sanctuary. The island isone of the few nesting areas of Bald Eagles on the East Coast.If you are lucky, you can see one of these majestic birdsswooping down to the river to catch an unfortunate fish in itsclaws. Swans, geese and ducks are the other avian residents of

the marshland and regularly patrol the anchorage area in searchof handouts from moored boats. Landing on the island isprohibited.

Garrison's Landing is six miles north of the bridge on theeastern shore. Old maps show a net of roads leading to thewater's edge where a ferry crossed the river to West Point. Theruins of the ferry landing still exist. Garrison was the sitewhere Hello Dolly was actually filmed. Several nineteenthcentury buildings still exist and the town has remainedvirtually unchanged in looks since 1890. The small park nearthe water offers a good view of West Point and Storm KingMountain. At the end of the towns two block long main streetis a small marina and fuel dock next to a building that thelocals remember as Guinans Country Store. GwendolynBounds lovingly described this miniscule convenience storeand Irish watering hole in her evocative book A Little Chapelon the River. It is now closed because of the death of JohnGuinan, the owner.

If your boat is relatively small, say in the 30 to 40' range,you can stay for a time at the Garrison Marina fuel dock. If not,anchoring close to shore is possible.http://www.hvgateway.com/garrison.HTM The Garrison ArtCenter, about half a block from the marina, hosts art showsthroughout the year. garrisonartcenter.org.

The Boscobel Mansion can be seen on the east shore justnorth of Garrison. Boscobel exhibits the best in housing designand interior decoration of the Revolutionary War period. It ishow the ultra rich lived. Boscobel is built in the neoclassicalstyle (1804-1808) on a bluff overlooking the Hudson Riverabout fifty miles north of New York City. The mansion wasoriginally located in Montrose, New York, about fifteen milessouth of the present site, with views of the Hudson River atHaverstraw Bay. It was built by States Morris Dyckman (1755-1806), a descendant of one of the early Dutch families of NewAmsterdam. Dyckman profited greatly from the America

Revolution. He was determined to build his dream mansion onhis 250-acre farm. Dyckman expected to live as a"conspicuously well-fixed farmer, surrounded by objects oftaste...who did not farm too seriously." The house would serveas a tangible symbol of his prosperity and status and as anexpression of his refined sensibility. It was the finest house thatcould be built in the 18th century, furnished with the "best ofthe best." http://www.boscobel.org/

In the 1950's, the Federal Government took over the land inMontrose to build the large FDR Veteran's Hospital (theKorean War, remember?). The house was dismantled andmoved to its present location north of Garrison. Even if you arenot a fan of period architecture or furniture, Boscobel hosts theHudson River Shakespeare Festival every summer, attractingthe best of New York and London actors.http://hvshakespeare.org/content/home

The West Point military academy is a bit further north onthe west shore. West Point has been called the Gibraltar ofAmerica. A brief glance at the geography of the area explainswhy. The river makes a sharp dogleg turn to the west and isoverlooked by rocky hills. During the Revolution, cannonmounted on these hills could sweep the river and preventBritish ships from sailing upstream. To further impede theirpassage, an iron chain was stretched across the river toConstitution Island on the east shore. This barrier proved soformidable that the British subverted the forts commandant,General Benedict Arnold, to get him to hand over the fort.After Arnolds plan failed, the fort was never again threatened.

The huge West Point complex stretches several milesalong the river. There is an inviting looking boat dock in frontof West Point but since 9/11 it has been closed to all visitingboats during high security alert periods unless you can assurethe dockmaster that you are a retired general. It is best to callthe dockmaster (845-938-4011) to determine if docking ispermitted. Visiting West Point by boat is difficult but not

impossible. Self tours are not permitted but there are manyscheduled events, concerts, parades, and games that welcomevisitors. Organized West Point tours can be taken atwww.westpointtours.com. If you want to visit the Point orattend an Army sporting event, you can anchor at a nearbymarina and take a cab. West Point museums are a must forthose interested in weaponry or military matters. The ThayerHotel (845-466-4731), at the entrance to West Point, isnotorious for its fabulous Sunday brunch.http://www.usma.edu/visiting.asp

If you intend to watch an Army football game in the fallbe sure to make marina reservations early. The transient berthsin local marinas tend to fill up quickly. The rest of the yearthere is no problem. The football season at West Point runsfrom early September through the end of November. For theactual dates of the games, check with the academy athttp://www.goarmysports.com/.

In 2010 the Newburgh Riverfront Marina (845-661-4914)instituted a special commuter service for boaters attendingWest Point football games. Dock your boat at the marina and awater taxi will take you to the South Dock at West Point. Fromthere a free shuttle service takes you up the hill to MichieStadium. At the end of the game you are returned to themarina.

During warm summer months the professional MilitaryAcademy Band plays outdoor concerts at the Trophy Pointamphitheater. There is no charge. Guests bring blankets andlawn chairs and listen to music while facing the majesticHudson. The price is right too. For an up to date schedule ofconcert dates and programs call 845-938-2617 or visit thewebsite at http://www.usma.army.mil/band/.

Cold Spring, at the 55 mile point and slightly to the northof West Point on the east shore, is, in my opinion, the mostinteresting river town to visit on a Hudson River trip. It is a

magnet for artists, writers, and craftsmen. Local inhabitants saythat town was given its name because George Washingtonfound the cold water from the town's spring to his liking.http://www.coldspring.com/historical-attractions.asp

Today it is a well preserved 19th century village with anabundance of historic landmarks. The mile long main street islined with antique shops, bookstores, and all manner of storesselling odds and ends to fill the empty nooks and crannies ofyour boat. The town has several fine restaurants, most with aview of Storm King Mountain on the opposite shore. Threerecommended ones are The Hudson House (845-265-9355)http://www.hudsonhouseinn.com/dininghome.htm, the ColdSpring Depot (845-265-5000),http://www.coldspringdepot.com/ and Cathryn's Tuscan Grill(845-265-5582). http://www.tuscangrill.com/

Three blocks north, the Riverview (845-265-4778), aboutique restaurant and bar seating about 40 patrons, hasItalian, American and Continental specialties and the best brickoven pizza on the river. Locals call it the best restaurant inCold Spring. My favorite dish is the Mexican pizza. It is sogood that the memory of the taste makes my mouth water as Itype these words. The only catch is that the restaurant doesnttake credit cards. http://www.riverdining.com/

There is temporary dockage for smaller boats, maximumsize 30, at the Cold Spring Boat Club (845-265-2465). If youare tempted to anchor in Foundry Cove, the attractive bay justsouth of town, be aware that there are a number of hiddendeadheads below the surface. This is definitely a spot for localknowledge. The southern part of the cove has the deepest waterbut check your depth finder carefully before dropping thehook. The bay north of town is fine for anchoring, althoughexposed to wakes from river traffic. You can dinghy in andeither leave your dinghy at the park adjacent to the bay or atthe Cold Spring Boat Club.http://www.coldspringboatclub.com/

Overlooking Foundry Cove is a small Greek Revivalchapel that appears to be transported from the Acropolis.Designed in 1833 by a 16 year old architect, it was consecratedas the first Catholic church north of Manhattan. It wasabandoned in 1907 but has been fully restored as a chapel forpeople of all faiths and today hosts numerous musical events.http://www.chapelofourlady.com/

The Foundry Museum in Cold Spring memorializes thenow vanished West Point Foundry arsenal that made both thefirst iron ship in the U.S. and the Civil Wars Parrott cannons.The rifled Parrott cannon, invented by Robert Parrott,superintendent of the foundry, had a longer range and wasmore accurate than the comparable guns used by theConfederacy and was credited with winning the great artilleryduel at the battle of Gettysburg. A small one is displayed in thewaterfront park in Cold Spring, ostensibly to repel attacks fromthe river. http://www.castbullet.com/misc/parrott.htm

During WW2 Cold Spring was the site of the MarathonBattery plant, a large producer of nicad batteries. Efflux fromthe plant was dumped into the river. The bottom under the baysouth of Cold Spring contains so much cadmium waste that theEPA deems it illegal to put back a spoonful of mud taken fromthe bottom into the water.

Pollepel Island, about four miles north of Cold Spring,holds the picturesque ruins of Bannerman's Castle. Bannermanwas an arms dealer who bought up much of the Unionsmilitary supplies left after the Civil War and all the militarysurplus of the Spanish American War. He stored them in awarehouse in New York City and sold them out of a New Yorkstorefront. Bannerman published a mail order catalog of thearms holdings and became the Sears Roebuck of munitions.Most of the world's rebellions from 1880 through 1910 werefought with Bannerman supplied weapons. Eventually NewYork's city fathers became uneasy about having a munitionsstore in mid-town and convinced Bannerman to move. He

relocated his warehouse to Pollepel Island. The warehouse wasconstructed to look like a medieval castle, although it wasmade of conventional brick and concrete. Bannerman and hisfamily moved there. Unfortunately the area is no stranger tolightning and the warehouse was destroyed by a series of firesand explosions by the late 60s.http://www.opacity.us/site54_bannermans_arsenal.htmBannerman's Castle is now a just a skeleton. Every majorstorm collapses a portion of its structure. See it before it is toolate. If you want to see what Bannerman's Castle looked like inits glory days see:http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/yasinsac/bannerman/bannerman.html

In the mid 70s my kids and I used to canoe the shortdistance to the island and hunt for Civil War memorabilia inthe ruins. All we found was a few belt buckles and minnieballs, but a more fortunate neighbor got a couple of single shotbreech loading rifles and a small field cannon. There is a fairlygood anchoring ground to the south side of the island but youneed a chart to avoid a submerged stone causeway to the shoreon the north side. The whole place is now being developed as astate park. For more information about the castle and tours ofthe site see: http://www.bannermancastle.org/

The Newburgh/Beacon Highway Bridge, 60 miles northof the Battery, marks the end of the Hudson Highlands area.The riverbanks, while still hilly, are no longer bordered by thestony peaks of the Appalachian range. The Newburghwaterfront has been developed over the last few years andthere are marinas with transient berths on both sides of theriver. The Newburgh Yacht Club (845-561-5255)http://www.newburghyc.com/ and associated NikolasRestaurant are on the west shore near the bridge. Call foravailable space.http://www.ohwy.com/ny/e/e0191629.htm

About a mile north of the highway bridge is thePoughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, now converted to a walkway.Located between the two bridges is the Mariners-on-the-Hudson Restaurant (845-691-6011), a long time boatersfavorite. Transient docking is available.http://www.marinersonhudson.com/

Hyde Park, at the 80 mile point and six miles north of thePoughkeepsie Mid-Hudson Bridge, is the site of both theVanderbilt Mansion http://www.nps.gov/vama/index.htm andthe Franklin Roosevelt homestead.http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/ You can visit the one mostcongenial to your politics although one ticket gains youadmission to both. Anchoring is not easy in this location. It isbest to get a transient berth in a local marina. Two favorites arethe Hyde Park Marina (845-452-3232)http://www.hydeparkmarina.com/ and the Rogers PointBoating Association. Both sell diesel.http://www.rogerspoint.org/

American iceboating began in this stretch of the Hudson.In the cold 1800s the river would start to freeze atThanksgiving and not thaw until Easter, creating a 100 milelong avenue of ice from Peekskill to Albany. John Roosevelt,FDRs uncle, founded the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club in1869. Iceboats were up to 70 feet long, some weighing asmuch as 3000 pounds. Commodore Roosevelts personal boat,the Icicle, was 69 feet long and carried 1,070 square feet ofsail. It had a top speed of nearly 100 mph in the proper windsand would race, and often beat, the Hudson River trains to thenext town. To the regret of many iceboating diehards, theHudson does not freeze like it did in the 19th century and goodiceboating days are few and far apart.

When in Hyde Park, take the opportunity to have agourmet meal at the CIA, not the one with spies but theCulinary Institute of America. The CIA is a residential collegedevoted to culinary education. The beautiful campus outdates

the school. Before it was home to the CIA it was a Jesuitseminary, St. Andrew-on-Hudson, built at the turn of the lastcentury. The CIA is like any other college, bustling withstudents, except they all dress in chefs white coats andchecked pants.

The campus houses five restaurants: the AmericanBounty, serving American and Hudson Valley regional meals;the Escoffier Restaurant, specializing in various Frenchregional cuisines; Ristorante Caterina de Medici, servingtraditional Italian dishes; the new Bocuse Restaurant, offeringmodern French cuisine, and St. Andrews Caf emphasizingfresh seasonal ingredients wrapped with Asian inspiration.Meals at the CIA are prepared and served by third yearstudents under the close supervision of their mentors. You canbe sure that the cooking and presentation are done right. Thestudents careers depend upon it.

Because of the CIAs popularity, advance reservations arestrongly advised (845-471-6608). St. Andrews Caf is themost casual of the CIAs restaurants and takes walk-ins forlunch. The CIA is partly responsible for the plethora ofoutstanding gourmet restaurants in the Hudson Valley. Manygraduates stay in the area, honing their craft before moving toone of the big cities.http://www.ciachef.edu/restaurants/default.asp

Three miles north of Hyde Park you will travel through awide portion of the Hudson known as the Esopus Meadows.The attractive Esopus Lighthouse, improbably situated in themiddle of the river, marks this location. It is there for goodreason. Stay to the east of the lighthouse. The river shallows along way from the shore and it is best to follow the markedchannel. If you draw 5 feet or less you can find a safeanchoring site on the east shore.http://www.esopuslighthouse.org/

The town of Kingston, on the Rondout Creek, anotherdozen miles north at the 90 mile point, was for a short time, thecapitol of New York State. It contains the mid-Hudson's largestconcentration of marine services and marinas. The Rondoutstone lighthouse on the north side of the breakwater marks theentrance to the Rondout Creek. This lighthouse is the last andlargest constructed on the river. Built in 1913 it was turnedover to the City of Kingston in 2002. Kingston partners withthe Hudson River Museum to run the lighthouse as an exhibitof 19th century river life. The light and machinery still function.

Turn left just before the lighthouse and follow the creekunder the highway bridge to find the town dock. RondoutCreek has been a center of boating activity since colonialtimes. The term creek is misleading since the first miles ofthe creek are surprisingly deep and should pose no peril toboats with less than 8 draft.http://www.kingstonlighthouse.com/

Boaters view Kingston as the primary stopping pointbetween NYC and Albany. The waterfront has beenrehabilitated and gentrified. Kingston offers a variety of finedining places just a stone's throw from the riverside park.Overnight berths, including electric power, are available at theKingston City Marina (845-331-6940) for a moderate fee.http://www.kingstoncitymarina.com/ The marina has waterconnection spigots on the shore but you need a fairly long hoseto reach your boat. The water is supplied at full town pressureso a pressure reducer is advisable. Either that or just fill yourtank and use the boat's own water for the duration of your stay.If you need other services, there are a half a dozen full servicemarinas on Rondout Creek.

The Kingston Town Dock is still the least expensive in thearea but prices have increased along with the amenities. In pastyears there was no electric service and no showers orrestrooms. The major advantage is that you can just step ashoreand be right in the middle of town. If money is tight, it is

possible to anchor in the Rondout Creek and dinghy to whereyou want to go. For a longer stay you might try calling thelocal marinas listed in Appendix 2.

Kingston is exceptionally hospitable to boaters. Becauseof its halfway house location, local boaters from up and downriver often choose Kingston as their weekend destination.Three favorite restaurants in Kingston are Mariners Harbor(845-340-8051 offering steaks and seafoodhttp://www.marinersharborny.com/, Rositas MexicanRestaurant (845-339-5372) http://www.rositasonline.com/, andthe Ship to Shore Restaurant (845-334-8887). The latterprovides diners a free shuttle service to any of the marinas onRondout Creek. http://www.shiptoshorehudsonvalley.com/

Summer weekends feature musical groups giving freeconcerts in the park next to the town dock. The Hudson RiverMaritime Museum http://www.hrmm.org/ is just down thestreet and is well worth a visit. Incidentally, Kingston has oneof the best old fashioned military and industrial surplus stores Ihave seen. If you need lengths of stainless steel plate, oldelectronics, nuts, bolts, and screws, pumps, fans, and electricmotors you will probably find them here. The store, P&TSurplus (845 338-6191), is located at 198 Abeel Street about amile from the center of town .

This part of the Hudson Valley has a number of boutiquewineries located along both shores. The wines are good and area fitting match for the locally produced farm products. Onegood one is Benmarl Winery (845-236-4265,http://www.benmarl.com/ at Slate Hill Vinyards. If you stay atthe Marlboro Yacht Club, you can reach Benmarl by a shorthike or a cab ride. Benmarl has tastings daily and featuresspecial events. Check the website for information.

New York's wine region is on the same latitude asEurope's most cherished vineyards. Climate and weatherconditions vary greatly across the state ranging from a marine

climate in Long Island similar to that of Provence, a HudsonValley climate resembling that of the Rhine, and the glaciallake climate of the Finger Lakes. This varied terroir combinedwith an assortment of ideal grape growing microclimates hasproduced a surprising number of prize-winning vintages. Acentury before wines were planted in the Napa Valley, Frenchsettlers were planting vines along the Hudson. Hudson Valleywines have outlasted revolutions, wars, blights, bad weatherand Prohibition. Native Anerican grapes are still being growntoday for grape juice and Kosher ceremonial wines.

Thanks to the efforts of Cornell Universitys vinicultureprogram and independent researchers such as the late Dr.Konstantin Frank, vintners were successful in makingEuropean grapes and hybrid French-American varieties growin the harsh lake effect snow winters of the Finger Lake regionand the shores of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The New Yorkwine industry now makes more varieties of wine than anyother wine region in the world. The red wines are good toexcellent but New York vintners excel in making white wines.Many New York wines have achieved world-class statuswinning Gold and Double Gold medals in internationalcompetition.

Most vineyards are within easy reach of New York'swaterways starting from Long Island Sound, through theHudson Valley, the Finger Lakes, the Niagara region ofwestern New York, and the shores of Lake Erie. I know severalboaters who have aborted a Great Loop trip in favor of avineyard to vineyard tour via their boats. For a full list of NewYork State wineries see: http://www.newyorkwines.org/

While on the subject of potables, in 2007 NY passed alaw creating a new class of Farm Distilleries. This lawsupports the centuries old New York tradition of agriculturalcraft wines and spirits. In the pre-Prohibition era, hundreds ofsmall stills dotted the landscape, offering farmers a convenientway to market locally grown fruits and produce. Distilleries are

limited in production and the product must contain a minimumof 75% NY raw agricultural material. The new law permitstasting and retail sales on site.

The Tuthilltown Distillery (845-255-1527) is one of thefirst of these farm liquor producers to be opened. It is locatednear the Hudson in Gardiner, NY. Actually it has beenreopened. The original distillery on the site near New Paltzdates to 1788 and operated continuously until prohibition. Thebase product is distilled from either grain or apples. A localfarmer has been induced to grow a special heirloom corn that isused to make the premier product Hudson Baby Bourbon.This extraordinary whiskey is stored in charred oak barrelsuntil ready to serve. The distillery sells whiskey by the cask aswell as by the bottle. (http://www.tuthilltown.com). Privatelylabeled casks from 2 to 60 gallons are available. Most liquorstores in the Hudson Valley sell regular bottles.

The craft beer movement is also alive and well in theHudson Valley. Many small towns from NYC to Albany havemicro breweries which brew beers and ales to complement thelocal food. The names may be unfamiliar but the beers aredefinitely worth trying. Restaurants along the waterway featurelocal beers and ales.

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