It's just not fair. We're headed south, going downriver--down being the key word--and yet we're bucking a current. Why? Well, it turns out that the Hudson River, like the Chesapeake Bay, is a tidal estuary. Think of it as a long, narrow indent into the Atlantic coastline. As such it's subject to tidal forces. We left Albany with a little lift from the out going tide. Less than an hour later our slowly decreasing speed told us we'd met the incoming wave. Over the next few hours Nellie's speed dropped from 8 to 6.5 mph. In the end it was no big deal, we simply got a little more time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Hudson Valley.
The iconic 1874 Hudson–Athens Lighthouse was built in the Second Empire style. To protect the lighthouse from Ice flows the north side of its granite block foundation (the right-hand side of the picture above) is shaped like a ship's bow.
Nellie in slip #3 at the Catskill Marina.
Between the 1600's and the early 1800's the Hudson River was the super highway. Great wealth was to be made along it and by it. That wealth is on display today in the architecture of old cities like Catskill.
Playing on the city's name, Catskill raises funds via a cat decorating contest.
33 Miles today, 719 miles in 2019 and 8955 from Naples. DBH
