June 22-23 Day 81-82. On to Saugerties, NY. 10.9 Nm. Total. 1766. Then next day on to Hudson/Athens, NY
Had a lazy morning and left about 10:00 to head to our next stop, an anchorage at Saugerties, NY.
Saugerties is a small town on the Hudson just south of the Catskills Mountains. It is known for its lighthouse, built in 1869 which is still functioning today and it’s lodges and cabins for those vacationing in the Catskills.
As we traveled north in the Hudson, the shore remains hills from 250-450 feet tall that are mostly heavily wooded. There only a few areas of homes either near the river or high on the bluffs.
The one bridge on our journey today is the Kingston Rhinecliff Bridge 135 feet above the Hudson.
Bill spotted a large estate through his binoculars. With a little research, we found it was part of the William Astor Jr’s Ferncliff estate in Rhinecliff, NY. built in 1853. Ferncliff was a working dairy and poultry farm, and also had stables for breeding horses. In 1902, John Jacob Astor IV expanded the estate buildings to include an indoor pool( first in the US) and indoor tennis and squash courts. In 1940 the original home burned down and the indoor sport complex was converted to living space.
The estate once was 2,800 acres, but is now 250 acres. Over the years the working farm was sold and land was donated to various charities and also to the state to establish Ferncliff Forest Preserve
Continuing north, we approached Esopus Creek and passed the Saugerties lighthouse and continued down the creek to anchor.
After lunch, we launched the dinghy to explore the creek and walk the trails of Ruth Reynolds Glunt Nature Preserve to the Saugerties lighthouse. Actually we did the trail backwards as we landed the dinghy at the lighthouse dock and walked inland. One can actually book the lighthouse for overnight. After a few more photos of the lighthouse, we headed down the trail. We found flowers, reeds, cattails, and woodlands and heard and saw a few new birds.(marsh sparrow, yellow rumped warbler and marsh wrens plus two I could not identify)
Bill became exhausted and had to rest twice along the way.
We had a nice quiet evening at anchor.
June 23 Day 82. On to Hudson/Athens NY. 14.2 Nm. Total 1780
We left our quiet anchorage at Saugerties and headed north. The river continues to be heavily wooded with a few mansions on the bluff tops to the east and a scattering of small town to the west.
The Catskills Mountains loom in the distance to the west as we travel.
One mansion we past is called Clermont- home to the Livingston family 1728. Members of the family served as members of the NY General Assembly, signers of the Declaration of Independence, judges- one of which swore in George Washington as President, Presidential Cabinet members, and negotiator for the Louisiana Purchase.
In 1777, the original house was burned by the British as they came down the Hudson due to the families allegiance to the “rebellion”. The home was rebuilt in1779-1782. In 1962, the family turned the property over to the State of New York. The family had owned the property for seven generations.
We cruised past the small town of Catskills and under the Rip Van Winkle bridge. This area was the setting of Washington Irving’s short story Rip Van Winkle. For those of you who need a refresher- the story written in 1819 follows Dutch American Rip Van Winkle as he meets a mysterious Dutchmen who offers him liquor that causes him to fall into a deep sleep in the Catskills Mountains. Further inland is the site of Irving’s famous Legend of Sleepy Hallow.
Just past the bridge is a Victorian mansion which was built by Frederic Edwin Church(1826-1900) called Olana. The mansion sits atop one of the highest bluffs in the area and commands a view of the Hudson River Valley and Catskills Mountains- the subjects for many of Church’s landscape paintings. Olana has many of the artists works on display. His home was saved for public access by the Rockerfellers and Jacqueline Onassis and other contributors and then donated to the State of New York.
North of the bridge, the river turns and the lighthouse and the small towns of Hudson and Athens come into view. We anchored behind an island in the river and will explore the towns.
Hudson is technically the first town incorporated in America after its Independence from Britain. The town was founded by whalers and shippers who feared Britain would interfere with trade and wanted a safe location where shipping could continue unabated. They settled on Hudson as it is on a high bluff with a natural port. The town thrived as a sailing merchant destination. As whaling and shipping declined on the Hudson, the town reinvented itself as a mill,brickwork, iron works and cement factories. In the 1900’s the industry started to leave the area and the town reinvented itself again as a center for the Hudson Valley artists and writers.
As we walked through town you could see the ups and downs of this town amongst the old homes and shops. Most of the homes and business buildings dated from 1811-1915.
The town of Athens was incorporate in 1815, known for its farms, gristmill and lime kilns. The town has one of the oldest and grandest hotels in the Hudson Valley- Stewart House which has just been renovated and reopened for business.
Both towns welcomed boaters with dinghy docks an easy walk from historic areas. We ate dinner in town and headed back to the boat and enjoyed the Mountain View’s.
