We got up early to run to Shady Harbor as suggested by the dockmaster to arrive early for a busy day and our slip was empty.
The tide was high and our power cord was inched from the water level so I had to trod through the submerged dock ramp to untie and get under way. The afore mentioned oak tree left a ton of debris on the deck and roof of the boat.
Heading north again on the Hudson the weather was fine but there was still a lot of smoke in the air. As we approached Matthews Point, we called our friend Jimmy who lives with his mother on the western shore of the river on a beautiful property with hundreds of feet of waterfront. Jimmy and Mae came out to the shore as we passed by for the photo-op.
We made it to Shady Harbor by 1000 hours and were greeted by the owner Brian Donovan and his able dockhand. We were given a great slip right in front of the fire pit and pavilion area. This weekend was the anticipated Pig Roast hosted by the marina. There were over thirty Loopers in attendance with too many to mention them all here. The marina had a loaner car for use for two hours at a clip. Jimmy and Mae came down to the marina for a visit and take us to dinner then graciously lent us their car so we could do our provisioning. Mike, Mike Jr. and Mary Hlavac stopped by and we were able to visit and tour other loop boats for Mike’s possible future adventures. The weekend was filled with docktails, bonfires and the pig roast. We met a lot of new friends and shared our stories, the good, the bad and the ugly. Our vessel was blessed so I have that going for me, which is nice. I did get in my oil change and some minor work around the boat. We stayed an extra day at the marina to allow the big Looper crowd to thin out so the locks up stream would not be so crowded.
This stop was definitely a highlight of the trip.