Author Archives: contessanada
Montreal
Yes, it was a long day and on top of it all Saturday in the middle of holiday season for many Canadians. Everyone who had a boat of any dimension or even just a wave runner was out drinking, driving, smoking and dragging their children of all sizes and ages on floating tubes in the middle of waterways or wherever they could. Most favored thing to do seemed to be rushing up to our wake and jumping over the waves created and having the thrill of their life doing it repeatedly. We watched in disbelief and waited for some to get lost in the waves of barely 70 or 72 degree water temperature and hoped no one got hurt.
It was a relief getting into the vast St Laurence River and finally give our choked up engines a free range of speed to breath.
It still took us a few hours to reach our destination being Montreal and on the way we passed by enormous cargo ships and even a huge cruise ship. Finally, the great city of Montreal emerged in front of us and our guest for the day, Stephan eagerly named every church, town and any city or building of importance. What a delight to have this wonderful young man on board with us and be able to converse with marinas, dock masters etc. in French. Thank you Stephan!
It was just about 8 pm once we arrived at our dock and were greeted by the not so happy dock master who had to wait for us two hours beyond his working hours and a very happy Sabrina who happily embraced us and welcomed us to Montreal with a basket of fresh strawberries. Thank you Sabrina! You truly are a gem and we treasure your and Stephan’s friendship dearly!
A quick dinner at a bistro in town was all that we could muster for we all were exhausted and barely could keep our eyes open. Great dinner and beautiful company made it all better.
Sunday morning we rested and mid morning our friends returned with bags full of croissants and orange juice to enjoy breakfast with us on the boat.
Than they took us for a tour of the city and all the way to little Italy for food and shopping. The magnificent cathedral of Notre Dame is truly a gem of the city and they say there are a thousand churches in town of which one is the oldest church of the northern continent. Lunch at Stephan’s friends deli was superb! Thank you Stephan and Sabrina!
Afterwards we walked through an open farmers market which brought me right back to my days in Croatia and Germany where going shopping at the farmers market was a regular routine.
We replenished with fresh organic produce and later on ended up having a superb dinner at Stephan and Sabrina’s. Their apartment building is so unique and fascinating that now we understand their love for it from previous conversations. On one side they are overlooking the city and on the other side there is a tropical atrium which stretches out over the entire eastern side of the building. Each apartment has a large deck within the atrium with big planters in which bougainvillea and hibiscus flourish and ponds with waterfalls grace their living space with the calming sound of falling water, tropical plants, palm trees and fish ponds down below. On the roof of the building they have a roof garden where they barbecue and enjoy the sunsets over the city or fireworks crowning special celebrations.
Great day filled with wonderful memories, great food and special people! Can it get better than this?
Saint Jean to Montreal
It is Saturday morning and such a lovely morning is welcoming us while prompting us to continue our journey towards the big city of Montreal. Last night we were visited by our dear friends Stephan and Sabrina who live in Montreal. For them it was as a short 1/2 hour drive to our marina and for us it is 6-7 hour boat ride to get to our next marina in Montreal. It is Stephan’s Birthday and we celebrated in a French Italian way while consuming a delicious meal and tasting some lovely wine at Bistro Pasta Viva.
We are first in line for our next lock #9 right after the bridge which presents itself next to our resting spot for the night. There are seven locks and moving bridges ahead of us but we are first in line which should make our day a bit easier. Yes we are moving at idle speed but we don’t have to wait which is a great advantage for it could take hours more if waiting for the locks and bridges to open.
Saint Jean is an interesting town in the suburbs of Montreal. It has two universities of which one is a military one and the other a good old Catholic one. Both are highly rated and well attended and liked.
As we move on through the canal we have to pass 9 locks of which some are a short distance apart with a basin of water in between them, and than there are three that open lock to lock to lock just as a terraced garden would look like. Fascinating to see and each of them was a drop of 10 to 18 feet with the last one opening into the Chambly lake graced with a fort and rapids on the starboard side and an abundance of happy boaters all over the lake and waterway. After all it is a weekend and the summer weather is fully present. All these old locks are manually operated and extremely narrow but just enough for our beautiful Contessa to fit in by herself.
Finally after a long and tedious ride we have reached the great St Laurence River. What a relief for us and our engines for they want desperately to stretch their legs! Montreal here we come!
Yes it is a relief yet it also means that we have entered a vast body of water fully open and operational to big freighters and lots of commercial traffic. Industry all around us. Where is Montreal?
Essex, NY to Canada, Saint Jean Sur Richelieu
It is a glorious morning and the sun rise is simply spectacular. The waters are calm and the skies are slightly overcast with a sheer veil of clouds promising a great day for crossing and reaching our goal for today. It is the first day of reaching Canada, clearing customs and seeing beautiful new sights. May the God and spirits look upon us favorably and give us a safe passage!
A beautiful ride along the lake with pristine sights everywhere. We visited Valcor Island with it’s protected coves where sail boaters anchor and enjoy the beauty of it all. Some seem to even camp out on the island that only seems to have a lighthouse and no other homes or buildings. Perfect setting for those that love nature and serenity of nature.
Whitehall to Essex, NY
The starts of as a rainy day with light clouds over the marina. It has rained earlier too and the boat is wet and damp. New challenges we are facing while entering the lake region and going into the Canadian waters. Our sewer system is not allowed in those waters so some adjustments need to be made to accommodate these regulations. We are also using the pump out station of the marina to prepare ourselves for the protracted period of time while navigating in those waters.
Our friend and dock master is very helpful in accommodating our needs and supplying us with some needed adapters for the new process of discharge. All is set and we are on our way through some prestine
Now we are in areas where there is no house and no boat in sight, just water, trees and mountains in the distance. The water level is so high that all the trees along the river are standing in water. With the fog lifting and the clouds subsiding the calmness of the morning presents itself in mirrors on the surface of the water around us.
We pass by Ft. Ticonderoga standing proud on top of a hill and cliff looking over the oncoming traffic from south and north. Good strategic point, I’d say!
Slowly but surely as the canal widens we are closer and closer to lake Champlain. As we approach the lake we go under the bridge connecting the two states, NY and Vermont at the Crown Point Ft where the beaut6iful statue of St. Frederick overlooks the magnificent lake Champlain.
The afternoon has become a bit choppy and windy on the lake as we push our way through towards Essex. The scenery is beautiful and the air smells so clean, not to forget the clean waters of the lake. It is so refreshing to be in such a serene setting! Just about lunch time we have reached our destination and are surprised to see what we see. Most docks of the marina are under water and the navigation to our designated dock is very tricky to say the least. It’s like threading the needle through the eye. Capt. Tom succeeds in getting us docked safely and soundly. These pictures will give you an idea of what we had to encounter in this marina.
A lovely lunch was a great reward that followed all the troubles of the day! The Essex Inn is quite a pleasant surprise in this small town of Essex.
A nice walk after lunch and after dinner as well gave us a better idea of this quaint small town and it’s inhabitants.
Statuesque trees crown every street and each property while the blooming ones fill the air with the sweet scent of their blossoms. The wind has laid down and it is a peace filled night.
May the next day arise even more magnifiscent than today!
Schuylerville to Whitehall, NY
We have by now passed through 5 locks and have 6 more locks ahead of us! It has been a long day and the nature of this environment makes it a slow and tedious ride. At the same time it is very enjoyable too for we are passing through pristine country every inch of the way.
Schuylerville is our stop for the night. It is barely a town but it has a marina with power and water. Pretty place and unique docking for the Contessa. She is seems to be communing with trees today.
Tomorrow morning as the arise and the fog lifts off of the river we gently depart from our resting point and move onward towards Whitehall, NY. There are 6 locks ahead of us and just outside the 12th lock lies Whitehall Marina. It is a transient marina welcoming all that pass through here on their way to lake Champlain or back from the lake region.
As we pass each lock there are particularities to each one of them whereby the principal is the same. Up to lock C8 we have been rising some 140 feet and once the plateau was reached we started our descent. On this section of our trip we encountered a lot of dredging work going on asking for idle speed and caution.
We passed by cornfields and cow pastures, abandoned barns of which one was slowly descending into the river, yet it had a for sale sign on it.
Just as we reached the C12 lock and emerged 16 feet lower on the other side which will lead us into Lake Champlain we were engulfed by torrential rain fall. For tonight we are staying at the Whitehall Marina where Joe had to perform some fancy maneuvering of the boat to accommodate the beautiful Bernadette that needed more power. It was scary for me to watch and partake in but thank God it all worked out fine and the boat was situated safely looking into the opposite direction from before, being north.
Whitehall as we learned was quite an important city in late 1700 and 1800. It is the birthplace of the US Navy. Benedict Arnold created his own fleet of 12 navy ships that were manufactured right here in Whitehall from local lumber by craftsmen from Rhode Island, Newport and Main. The famous Saratoga vessel is preserved in the local museum and has it’s own honorable place of rest. The magnificent mansion built way up into the Severe’s mountain was the home of a man by the same name that created the dam system and made the Hudson navigable. The transportation of goods coming from Lake Champlain and the local regions of the Hudson and Upstate NY were now transported via barges on the river in some areas pulled by mules and horses from land. Many pleasure boats and transportation for travelers was now available by boats as well. That was the time when this area’s economy was at it’s high point. The remnants of those times gone by are still present in old buildings now mostly vacant but still show their old glory. 
Kingston, Albany up to Troy, NY and beyond
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On the third day up the Hudson we are starting an early day of adventure in order to reach our destination for today, being Schuylerville, NY. It is a gray and fogy day with a slight ray of light in the distance. I seem to see such a day as magical filled with opportunities not yet visible.
Our trip takes us past some pretty country of rolling hills, quaint little towns and marinas, as well as by the powerful city of Albany, the capital of NY state. In it’s vicinity is a well known university second to MIT named Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
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As we get closer and closer to lake Champlain we have to pass through a number of locks which are bringing us up to higher and higher grounds, meaning that while resting in each lock the water level rises starting with anywhere from 10-19 feet taking the Contessa up with it. What an ingenious idea this was in creation and making this waterway easily navigable. Each lock is affiliated with falls and rapids, actual spillways that would make the navigation impossible otherwise. The spillways are control methods to the level of water rising or falling at each level. Thank you to the inventor and all those that tend to the functionality of each lock!
As I understand we are to pass through 10 lock all together in order to reach our destination. Interesting, challenging, yet invigorating!
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We have gone through 4 major locks today and are on our last leg to the resting point for tonight, being Schuylerville, NY state. Each lock had it’s own characteristics and layouts making it an interesting adventure. The first challenge was with our 1st lock just north of Troy where a barge making repairs was located at the entrance to the lock making it a challenging one after all. I wonder how are the rest of them going to be?
At Lock C4 we had to wait for beautiful Bernadette to arrive and make the same crossing with us. She certainly was a beauty and worth waiting for. 
Up the Hudson to Rondout Yacht Basin, NY
Sunday morning just at sunrise the Contessa embarked on her northbound journey up the Hudson river. On board for this leg of the ride we are joined by Virginia Grace who is eagerly looking forward to refresh her childhood memories of times gone by. Her father used to take her and her siblings on this ride going up the Hudson and into the lake region a number of times. As she set up on the bow of the Contessa and simply immersed herself into the magnificent nature that the boat gently passed through, she looked like a little girl in her bliss. It was a perfectly created day for such an adventure. The skies were blue and the waters were calm displaying the urges of the hearts and souls present at that moment in time.
Just about lunch time we arrived at our marina in Kingston named Rondout. It is the best marina in town, my friend Simone said! We wondered what the others looked like? Nevertheless, it is perfectly situated in the valley between the hills, just down the river from the “High Falls” and has fuel, food and a pool. That, I understand is a luxury in this neighborhood. Kingston is surrounded by numerous small towns with their centuries old stone homes replicating the building structures and architecture of Holland and England. I can only imagine how pictures it is here in the fall when the canopies of trees turn into a palette of golden, red and yellow displays.
The next morning of our visit to Kingston my friend Simone came to get us and take us to her spa, Simhara for a day of relaxation and rejuvenation. The spa is only open Thursday through Sunday but she made sure that we would get to experience all the wonderful treatments she has to offer including her crystal bed of John of God. Simhara is an centuries old Dutch stone house situated on a large property of rolling hills, trees of majestic stature and a spring fed lake. Not to forget that there also is a vortex, a portal to a world of love and light awaiting those that are ready to embark on a journey long forgotten but available again.
Thank you Simone for a healing and rejuvenating day orchestrated by two of your fabulous therapists, Shirley and Ron.
Liberty Landing Marina, NJ
A week has gone by since we arrived at this marina and it is time to move on.
Most of the days were gray and rainy giving us the time to do what we came here to do, work, visit family and friends. Just in time for the 4th of July celebrations the weather shifted and a bright sunny day arose. It gave us the opportunity to scrub down the boat that accumulated so much black sod from the pollution of the Tristate area.
The admiral climbed up on top of the wheel house and scrubbed and rubbed, rinsed and shammed. I joined him in this tedious effort in making our floating home a sparkling and inviting place again.
With this favorable weather change I was able to go for my daily walks through this perfectly designed park. I visited and walked by some monumental structures and absorbed the energies that embodied them. Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, the old CCR railroad station, as well as the 9-11 Memorial site. There is a presence of energies manifested in hopes and dreams as well as despair manifested in it all. The sense of lives changed forever and memories built for generations to come. Thank you God for this opportunity given!
Liberty Landing Marina, NJ
As we are to be at this marina for the rest of the week and in the view of the new Freedom Tower I will primarily be posting pictures of the incredible sights from this location. 4th of July should be quite spectacular here!
Last night’s dinner time with dear friends: Joe and Becky Carretta. Always good to see good old friends1
Day four at the Liberty Landing Marina and it is a blessed day. It is the day before 4th of July, the Birthday of this great nation’s Independence. It is a calm and promising day. Yes, there still are clouds in the sky gathering for whatever their intention is, yet it is a great morning. Walking the trails of the Liberty Park and along the shores of the Hudson River amidst so much history awakening the presence of many dreams fulfilled and those crushed unexpectedly. Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, the old CRR railroad station as well as the monument commemorating those that were lost in the September 11th attack of the Freedom of this great nation and on it’s own soil. The energy is dense yet there is a gentle breeze promising a movement, a clearing in sight. Yes, it is a great new day in God’s creation and my heart is filled with joy and gratitude!
Happy 4th of July America!
Liberty Landing Marina, Jersey City, NJ
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It is Sunday morning and we are on our way to our new destination, Liberty Harbor Marina in Jersey City, NJ. After we collected our troupes early this morning we quietly drifted along the Shrewsbury River to get to the awaiting ocean and onward towards the Hudson River Delta where we are to find our new resting place and hopefully a nice marina for the upcoming week.
On this short run we have been joined by Christine, Jennifer and Rocco. I am sure they have enjoyed the ride even though it is a hazy day. Nevertheless, the seas are calm and skies are clear yet hidden by a veil of fog lifting of the water.
As we approach the Big Apple and cross under the grandiose Verrazano Bridge that connects Brooklyn and Staten Island, slowly but surely the grate lady emerges in front of our eyes, Lady Liberty, the famous Statue of Liberty. In the background of which lies the great city of New York, “the Big Apple”. Opposite of which on the western side is downtown Jersey City, while on the eastern side, a bit in the distance emerges the city of Brooklyn, NY. All merged into one, just separated by two great rivers, The big old Hudson and the East River. As they join they create this magnificent Delta just below downtown Manhattan crowned with the Verrazano bridge, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Ah, what a site! Yes, we have seen it a number of times, yet it always takes our breath away.
Liberty Marina is quite a large marina. I would say one of the largest so far. Our dock is in a prime location and easily maneuvered to and from. There are two great restaurants in the marina and a lovely well supplied Marina store.
After the wash-down and all associated chores were done, we all were eager to cool off and enjoy a five star meal in the Marina restaurant.
Our guest have parted after lunch and here we are all to ourselves till our next visitors arrive.
contessagoesnorth 
