All Hands on deck!

 That's one way to adjust the peak block after you've already stepped the mast.....            (Orange Lake 2015?)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            photo courtesy John Sperr 

Friday Jan 19  No sailing yet. See conditions link, upper right of this page. 

New Year, waiting for the ice

 January 17 - No ice yet;  stay tuned.  

February 2017 end of season;  as currently, more open water than ice....

Note - Ice Conditions has its own link - top of the right column on this page (you'll need to view 'web version' on your phone...) click on the photo with the German Shepard! 

a look at river freeze dates from way back.... imagine the river locked up for 100 days.... 

Clippings from John A Roosevelt's archives at the FDR Library

Ice sailing memories.... Guest articles from past commodores...

 Past HRIYC commodore (2013-2014) Chris Kendall, recounts his first sails on a Hudson River ice yacht. This originally appeared in Bard College's magazine Annandale, in 1993.   Chris' yacht "999" is currently on display at the  Henry A. Wallace Center at the FDR Presidential Library and Home in Hyde Park NY.

The 999 was owned by George Bodenstein, the last of the family to own and operate the Staatsburgh  Ice Tool Company, in Staatsburgh, NY, the small hamlet just north of Hyde Park.  It was was named for the famous locomotive, the "999", of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, that was clocked at a speed of 112 miles per hour in 1893. 

It is likely that she was built shortly after  1893. It is built along the style of the siderail design and uses iron rods for its rigging.    999 is maintained and sailed by former commodore, Chris Kendall, Rhinebeck.

Length: 26' 10"      Plank:  13'      Sail Area: 230 sq ft.    Year:  circa 1895

 

Blast from the past.  Fact checkers in the HRIYC went back to the archives to be sure this wasn't a piece of fiction.  Since Chris mentioned it, we found evidence of "the Wreck of the 999".   

 Chris readies 999 for a sail in brisk winds; winter 1992, Tivoli South Bay. 

Pesky cracks along the outflow of the Sawkill? 

 

Cushions, sails, safe, passengers dry!

AND,  30 years ago, another past commodore, Bob Wills, reflects on a memorable long distance sail from Rhinecliff to Germantown.   Read Bob's story here     (spoiler alert: he doesn't end up in the river...)