Riding the Hudson River Currents
The water provides time to get away from land concerns
by Tod Westlake
Boating is an activity that we
typically think is confined to the summertime. Getting out on the water for a
few hours is an especially good way to beat the heat of the summer months. But
the balmy weather eventually gives way to the cooler weather of fall. And, even
though the weather is cooler—and it's unlikely that you'll be doing much
swimming or waterskiing—the fall can be a really exceptional time to enjoy the
pleasures of boating. The Hudson River, with its kaleidoscope of fall colors,
can be really spectacular at this time of year.
Ed O'Brien, who keeps his boat at
a marina in Kingston, has been boating for most of his life.
"I've been boating for about
37 years," O'Brien says. "I've had four boats over the years, from a
15-, to a 17-, to a 22-, to a 26-footer. Now I have a Catalina 30."
O'Brien says that he tries to get
out on the river at least 30 times each season, and that he races regularly on
a Beneteau 36.7 as part of Captain Ian Westergren's crew at the Kingston
Sailing Club.
"It's a fun boat to be
on," O'Brien says about the racing. "Westergren likes to do offshore
races. So we do a race around Long Island, we race down in Haverstraw, lots of
different places, which makes it a lot more fun. We also do the Rolex Race out
in Newport, Rhode Island."
In addition to this, O'Brien gets
out on his own boat every Friday night during the season. Night sailing is a
unique challenge, according to O'Brien, as it forces mariners to learn how to
read the river, navigating less by sight and more by charts and buoys. O'Brien
also says that you constantly have to be aware of commercial traffic on the
river, as the Hudson remains an important waterway for tankers, barges, and
other larger vessels.
"This river is a lot of fun,
because you have your currents, you have your tides (the Hudson River is a
tidal river), and then you have your wind-shifts constantly from the
mountains," O'Brien says.
These shifting wind patterns also
happen on a larger scale, according to O'Brien, as the fall seems to be one of
the best seasons for wind. And you need wind if you want to sail.
Andre Venables, who also keeps
his 27-foot O’day in Kingston, echoes O'Brien on the fall season. He says that
boating gives him a chance to literally leave land-based concerns behind for a
little while.
"It's very peaceful,"
Venables says. "You get out and leave the cell phone at home. And you're
using the wind to power you, so you're really feeling the elements.... You have
to play all the forces of nature, both below the boat and above the boat."
Venables says that he found
himself in unsafe conditions recently.
"About a month ago I got
caught in a thunderstorm that was very violent," Venables says. "The
Hudson River is known for quick changes in its weather."
Billiam van Roestenberg keeps his
boat at the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club in Staatsburg. He purchased his sailboat
more recently, pooling financial resources with a friend to make the purchase.
"I grew up sailing,"
van Roestenberg says. "But I had never been sailing on the Hudson until
recent years."
Van Roestenberg says that his
hectic business life made him look for something that would add a degree of
tranquility to his life. He also wanted to do something that would get him back
on the water, so sailing turned out to be the ideal way to go.
But a note of caution should
accompany any boating endeavor. It's important that you know what you're doing,
and that you take safety precautions. Stephen Clark, who is the public affairs
officer for the US Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCG), says that one of the most
important things is to have proper life preservers for everyone on a vessel.
Another common problem, according
to Clark, is people overloading their vessels. Boats have a specific capacity
and this should be rigorously adhered to. Visiting uscgboating.org, the USCG boating safety website, is an important
resource that every boater should bookmark.
For those of you who would like
to get out on the river but don’t own a boat, there are a variety of rental
options. The Clearwater sloop, docked
at the Rondout waterfront of Kingston, takes sunset sales that are wonderful.
For a more elaborate experience, set out on a dinner cruise from one of our
local ports, or hop on to a chartered fishing boat.
Whatever you choose, get out on
the river and enjoy the fall foliage, but remember that a little planning goes
a long way when it comes to making your experience as safe as it is enjoyable.
Posted by Chris Hewitt
on 4:03 PM.
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