Welcome to the Camano 31 Delivery Blog Section - Some interior photos to start- Click on any Photo or Map to View Enlarged Version

After starting in small powerboats we switched to sailing.  We sailed our 2nd sailboat from Philadelphia to New York/New Jersey waters, then moved it to Connecticut, where we explored Long Island Sound.  We finally retired, and sailed the 30 footer from Westbrook, CT to Vermont's Lake Champlain.  As we aged we decided a newer, "bigger sailboat" would suit us better.   We delivered that boat from Greenwich, Rhode Island to Lake Champlain, never thinking we'd be passing those waters again from even further afield.

It started with a small runabout that we used for beach visits and water skiing.  Once the babies came we moved up to a 23 footer with a cutty cabin.  But pounding the water with 2 little ones became too much to handle and we switched to sailing which handled the waves in a smoother way with the low speeds and cork like motion.  The kiddies enjoyed the little cabin of our 22 footer with it's dinette for playing and cabin for naps and porta-potty.  As they grew, the sailboats grew from 22, to 25 to 30 and finally 34 feet.   The sons are now off on their own sailing and boating adventures, and a new generation of sailors are on the horizon.

We circled back to the idea of a small trawler that the grandkids could have room inside, the sons could pilot around and we can use if it's a bit chilly or windy out, or we are short on time to go someplace to anchor around the lake's gorgeous anchorages.

On a fluke, we saw a trawler we both liked the looks of.  Some research led us to the Camano 31, a so-called "pocket trawler" originally built in British Columbia, Canada.   The one we bought is a 2001 model, the exterior and 98% of interior being exactly the same from 1996 to 2006 when production ceased and eventually moved to the Seattle area.   The CAMANO 31.

Some photos of interior taken before we bought boat:

Looking aft toward main cabin - from galley area (fridge is visible) Head door opposite.

The 200 h.p. Volvo diesel engine below the floorboards

The Vee-berth sleeping area

The Helm area and Galley down step - microwave visible on shelf

The Galley sink, stove/oven (microwave above/fridge opposite stove)

Sunday/Monday, August 10th-11th - Days 1 & 2 - The Delivery Begins

 We depart Salem and the Brewer Hawthorne Marina where we found it earlier in the summer.   The first leg is along Massachusetts Bay, with a potential stop in Plymouth if we decide we cannot make Cape Cod due to conditions or whatever.   Fortunately the day is just about perfect and we leave Salem to fuel up in Marblehead.  The start of the trip features smooth water, fair winds and the navigation going smoothly with clear sunny skies.  The chart plotter is loaded with waypoints, the charts are ready, the iPad is hooked up.

 The stop at Marblehead Trading Company for fuel was most interesting.  While we were there a large powerboat went by with a brass band playing old tyme music.  We could not figure out why the boat came so close to the fuel dock area passing by... then we saw and heard the band with the old guys playing away on the stern.  Their Sunday stroll through the Marblehead shoreline by boat.  Very sorry no camera to catch the moment!

We arrive in Cape Cod at end of afternoon with plans for one night there before heading into Canal.
Unfortunately, there is an "oops" at fuel dock and some gasoline is pumped into the tanks... without going into details, the marina makes good on the mistake, but we are forced to spend an extra day/night there to wait for pump out truck, suck-out, tow for refueling, and test run before departing into the Cape Cod canal the next day.   They tow us in for the procedure so the truck can reach us.

SALEM, MA to CAPE COD CANAL

We leave Salem Harbor to fuel up at Marblehead

Fuel up at Marblehead was very interesting - Lots of activity

We pass Boston off in distance

Cape Cod Canal Ahead -- Click to Enlarge for more plotter detail: 

An Oops at Sandwich - gasoline being pumped out after tow where truck hose can reach

Tuesday, August 12 - Day 3 - Depart Cape Cod for Newport, Rhode Island

After waiting for a favorable Canal Tide, we finally are able to leave Sandwich and enter the Cape Cod Canal which leads to Buzzards Bay which leads to Block Island Sound to west or Nantucket Sound to east.  We head west towards Newport, RI. arriving late in afternoon with a forecast of bad weather for next day.  A zillion other boats also head to Newport with that forecast and we are only able to secure a "floating dock".

It is an isolated "dock to nowhere" with no services or direct shore access like a normal dock.  The nice marinas in Newport with fancy docks are high budget and the moorings are all reserved, so we take what we can get and plan for a 2-night stay.  We get assistance tying up as the dock is hard by rocks forward and the winds are piped up blowing us off sideways.

We dine in, too tired to take a long windy launch ride downtown.  We are in a sheltered Breton Cove area hard by Fort Adams, a long way from the Newport "action".

CAPE COD CANAL TRANSIT - BOURNE RAILROAD BRIDGE:

THE ROUTE FROM SANDWICH TO NEWPORT

Click to Enlarge for Detailed View of Map

OUR DOCK TO "NOWWHERE' - BRETON COVE, NEWPORT, RI

Wednesday, August 13 - Day 4 - A stormy day in Breton Cove, Newport

OUR DOCK TO NOWHERE NEIGHBORHOOD

As forecast, the winds and rain move in over night.  We sleep in, hang out on boat as the storm shuts down the harbor and it's water taxi launches.  The iPad entertains us as does watching the storm from our very sheltered Breton Cove spot by Fort Adams.  We plot next few days journey.  The iPad was a handy extra "chart plotter' using nautical navigation application as back up to the helm mounted fixed Garmin chart plotter onboard.  We dine in again and hope for a good day tomorrow.

WIND AND RAIN IN OUR SHELTERED SPOT BY FORT ADAMS

Thursday, August 14 - Day 5 - Depart Newport, RI for CT

The weather clears up nicely and we depart Newport, Rhode Island enroute to Long Island Sound for a stop in Connecticut. We fuel up at Goat Island and get a pump out before leaving with a small fleet of boats exiting after the stormy day before.

 Small craft advisories are posted for Cape Cod to Watch Hill - it is windy with rolling swells in Block Island Sound, but no big deal, if not overly comfortable.  After the Watch Hill Passage, we go behind Fisher's Island (Mystic, CT area) and on into Long Island Sound where no advisories are posted.  Ironically, the opposing west winds and easterly currents result in rough water and some breaking waves which makes for rough going, despite slowing down to ease the pounding.

We decide with the strong west winds, ducking into the Connecticut River for the night made sense.  We fuel up in Old Lyme and bypass fancy Old Saybrook marinas for Old Lyme Marina which has access to grocery store and restaurant in easy walking distance.   A handy stop, getting some walking in and dining out after two isolated evenings in Newport (of all places) was most welcome.

WE DUCK INTO CONNECTICUT RIVER -  HEAD UP TO OLD LYME BEYOND BRIDGE

Click to Enlarge for Detailed View

Friday, August 15 - Day 6: CT River to Bridgeport CT area (Black Rock)

Click on Map to Enlarge for Detailed Viewing

SUMMARY OF OUR ROUTE - (only shown as far as Albany, NY)

We intended to make Port Washington, NY. in western Long Island near East River entrance.. Forget it!!  Once again, strong westerly winds in afternoon churn up waves against the current and we end up playing submarine, this time into breaking waves everywhere we look.   Not fun and very tiring.

 We detour into Black Rock, CT and head up river to Captains Cove Marina.   We dine down on the casual boardwalk-resort like lower level after cocktails upstairs at the amazing nautical themed bar. The bar features a Huge Titanic ship model hanging up above and the bar surrounds a Tugboat Pilot House that looks authentic.  It's a pleasant relaxing stop since we arrived somewhat early compared to previous stops.

The view down river towards LI Sound

Saturday, August 16 - Day 7 - Leave CT and head to NY City/Jersey City

We leave Black Rock and Head for New Jersey - Click on map to Enlarge for detailed view:
We take a short detour into Manhasset Bay to kill some time to transit Hell Gate at slack tide.

 The East River from Throgs Neck narrows at infamous Hell Gate with it's nasty currents....
Click on map to Enlarge for detailed view:

We finally get a nice day on Long Island Sound and are able to go all the way to Jersey City, NJ - Liberty Landing Marina adjacent to Liberty State Park.  The tides at Hell Gate on East River are good for a post-lunchtime crossing so we actually slow down in order to time the Hell Gate entry.  Even with a power boat, the going can get rough against the currents there.

 We actually find it worse further down the East River by the famous Brooklyn Bridge and South Street Seaport area which are very rough with every kind of boat traffic (most way bigger than us) going to and fro.  The USCG gives us a good look over (machine gun manned) as we pass south of the Battery and Staten Island Ferry terminals.

 We make a beeline for New Jersey on other side of Hudson River, into the calm of what was once the Morris Canal.  Our son Brian and his brood meet us for our late afternoon arrival.  We sit outdoors at a fancy place near Liberty State Park and have appetizers with the grandkids.  Later in the evening Bruce and I have dinner at a classy restaurant overlooking the marina docks.  Lovely evening outdoor dining with the dramatic night backdrop of NY City and Jersey City.  Excellent dinner.  First class marina with top notch transient facilities and even ferries to NYC.
We see boats from all over the country docked there.

HELL GATE - WHERE EAST RIVER MEETS MANHATTAN ISLAND

Hell Gate Ahead

Just as we enter the currents, a barge barges through

The United Nations building  - salt crusted windows

We make a beeline for the marina just to left of Colgate Clock (photo taken next morning)

Grandkids come aboard for a look at Jersey City, NJ

Grandpa and the grandkids with NYC skyline

Our Portrait with Freedom Tower in background from Liberty State Park

Evening dining by marina with NY City and Jersey City lights

Sunday, August 17 - Day 8 - We leave NY-NJ and head north up the Hudson River

After waiting for some morning fog and rain showers to clear, we leave Jersey City we head on up the Hudson River, going under the George Washington Bridge and Tappan Zee Bridges.

FAREWELL TO THE BIG APPLE AND HELLO HUDSON RIVER VALLEY:

Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island 

Up the Hudson we go leaving NY and NJ behind

The Little Red Lighthouse at base of George Washington Bridge

NORTH TO CROTON-ON-HUDSON

  We end up in a Croton-on-Hudson marina after some horrendous winds come out of nowhere making docking a challenge, despite a breakwater from the waves.  Blue Moon Marina is welcoming and there is a nearby village in walking distance.  Unfortunately my feet swelled up badly from so many hours standing in order to see out front.  As a result I don't feel like walking into the nearby town, wishing to keep off the feet.  The wind rocks the boat for hours at the dock.  We dine in despite the options ashore.

Monday/Tuesday, August 18-19 - Days 9 & 10: Scenic Hudson River/Last night on river - Catskill, NY

ENROUTE TO CATSKILL, NY

We leave the wide waters of Haverstraw, NY area of the Hudson.   We pass the most scenic part of the river going under the Bear Mountain Bridge and passing West Point on our way.  This is our 3rd time passing this beautiful part of the Hudson River.  The first in a power boat.

SCENIC HUDSON RIVER - APPROACHING BEAR MOUNTAIN BRIDGE:

US MILITARY ACADEMY - WEST POINT, NY

The crazy winds that came up Sunday afternoon are gone as we head north towards our final stop on river - Catskill, NY where we will prepare the boat for it's Champlain Canal Lock transit.

We make a fuel stop at Kingston, NY as Catskill Marina advised their fuel dock had issues. Tropical Storm Sandy roared through the Hudson River Valley in fall of 2012 causing widespread flooding and damage.  We dock at Catskill.  We walk into town and find a handy pizza spot not far from the marina.

On Tuesday we prepare to return home for a few days as it is time for me to get off the boat and make an important doctor appointment.  We arrange for dockage til Friday, secure a rental car, load it up and drive back home to Vermont (3 hr. drive from south of Albany). Before we leave, Bruce gets the boat ready for the canal with its strict height limits and need for hefty bumpers on the rough lock walls.

Ready for Champlain Canal Transit

Hudson River Traffic heading South as we head north from Croton-on-Hudson

Wednesday & Thursday, August 20-21 - Days 11 & 12: 2 day Delay

On Wednesday the 20th, home in Vermont, we catch up on laundry and arrange for 2 new crew to take my place for the coming Champlain Canal transit.   On Thursday, I have my doctor appointment and weekly chemo treatment - having missed the one the week before on our boat journey (ok with doc) - but not ok to miss this one.  We had a contingency incase I had to get off boat, having hugged the CT coast side of LI Sound if it came to that.  Fortunately we were almost home when it became obvious working the lock walls up and down the many canal locks was going to be too tiring for me at that point.  I was fine with the earlier parts of the trip, despite the rough waters we encountered for several days.

Friday, August 22 - Day 13: Champlain Canal part of delivery begins

I remain home to rest after treatment.  Bruce and two sailing pals return to Catskill to begin the Canal Lock transit and run up Lake Champlain to Shelburne Shipyard, No Clew's new winter home.  They return the rental car, lunch at a nearby marina restaurant and depart Catskill for the last leg up the Hudson River to Albany/Troy, NY.  They get through the "Federal Lock" at Troy, NY and overnight on the free wall at Waterford, NY where the more famous Erie Canal and the Champlain Canal meet at a junction of Hudson River.  They dine ashore at Waterford, NY.

ARE WE HAVING FUN, YET?

Waterford, NY - Where Champlain Canal meets Erie Canal Entrance

Saturday, August 23 - Day 14: Delays at the Canal Locks

Many delays at Canal Locks - lots of waiting for dredge barges to exit.  No Clew makes it as far as Lock 7 for their 2nd night in the Champlain Canal.  They overnight on the wall at the Fort Edward Boat Basin just off the main canal.  They are able to dine ashore after some exploring of the few downtown options.  They find a very "local" place full of upstate NY character that proves to be a
good choice.

TYPICAL LOCK Ready for DOWN, or DONE with UP

WAITING FOR DREDGE BARGE AT LOCK ENTRANCE

Sunday, August 24th - Day 15: The Final Lock 12 - Whitehall, NY

Lock 12 is exited and No Clew and her crew enter Lake Champlain.  They wind their way north along the narrow part of the lake and into the wider Main Lake.  They get as far as Button Bay and it's State Park where they anchor just before sunset for their last night aboard.

Champlain Canal links Hudson River to Lake Champlain

Lock 12 is the Final Lock at Whitehall, NY 

Lake Champlain starts there - barely a "River" until Crown Point

Monday, August 25 - Day 16: No Clew home in Green Mountain State

Monday morning arrival at Shelburne's fuel dock

NO CLEW AWAITS HAUL OUT WITH MT. MANSFIELD IN BACKGROUND

Bruce and his jolly crew, Nile and Linda, complete the delivery to Shelburne, VT after a final morning of super smooth water,  making a morning arrival from southern Vermont faster than anticipated.  The boat is fueled up, pumped out and later on hauled out for the winter.  No Clew begins a new life in Vermont on Lake Champlain, surrounded by mountains.