Coxsackie Backwater

This blog will chronicle our (Pat and Patty Anderson's) 

cruising adventures on the Great Loop!

DAY 72 - June 11, 2017

In the morning after breakfast we disposed of our trash, topped off our water, fueled up and said our thank yous and goodbyes to the great staff at Rondout Yacht Basin. Nick pushed Daydream off the fuel dock, and we pointed the bow north!  Waterford is too far away for a one day run for us at our leisurely speed, so we picked an anchorage a little less than 40 miles north, leaving us a run of about 30 miles tomorrow to the Troy Federal Lock, and beyond that Waterford and the Erie Canal!

We chose the Coxsackie Backwater between the mainland and Coxsackie Island, which is technically a channel, but the State of New York has named a "backwater" and given it special environmental protection. It is protected from wakes on the Hudson, and although local boaters going to and from the Coxsackie Yacht Club use the backwater, there were virtually no wakes. We appreciated the wake protection, because we heard the thunder of big fast powerboats out on the Hudson until well into the evening!

The Active Captain entry for Coxsackie said there were state park docks in the backwater - this turned out to be not even close to true. There is one dock on Coxsackie Island, and I paddled over to it and asked one of the boaters if this was a state park dock. I was told it was not, that it was private property belonging to Coxsackie Yacht Club. In the evening when everyone was gone, I paddled Baxter over again, and sure enough, on the trailhead at the end of the dock was a sign that said "Private island. CYC members only."  I assume the sign was correct. I have no reason to think otherwise, although it seems strange that this uninhabited island would be privately rather than publicly owned. My Active Captain review of Coxsackie corrected the error about there being "state park docks," so hopefully nobody else will be misled from here on out!

I guess a little trespass on the beach about 5 feet upland from the channel when nobody is looking can be forgiven. I will no doubt repeat my heinous crime early tomorrow morning!