0600 hours

Starting Position: Anchored off Esopus, NY.
Latitude: N 41˚ 47.5'
Longitude: W 073˚ 56.5'

Day Two of our transit voyage from Kingston, New York to New London, Connecticut.

As day breaks, the Half Moon is just around the bend from the Esopus Lighthouse, a few miles downriver from our port of origin in Kingston.

0630 hours

The crew is soon hard at work to prepare for the first full day of our voyage. Down on the orlop deck, we run the anchor rode around the capstan.

Meanwhile, the galley is a hub of activity. At one end, Evi Robinson, David Ellis, and Sean Shoemaker labor over preparing the day's duty roster.

Opposite them, Gary Masouredis and his assistant Tony Ravinsky prep for breakfast.

0645 hours

Captain Reynolds calls for all hands on deck to brief the crew on the procedure for weighing anchor. Here he's demonstrating use of the capstan, the massive winch we use for all of our heavy lifting.

0700 hours

Once the crew members are divided into their various positions, Captain Reynolds heads down to the orlop deck to talk each team of workers through their station. Here he offers Eduard van Breen and Peter Lemme some tips on controlling the anchor rode from the "bits" (also known as the Sampson bar for its prodigious strength). Ship's bosun Steven de Jong observes closely.

Moving his way down the line, the captain demonstrates Keith Maurer's position: maintaining tension on the anchor rode after it passes around the capstan and helping to haul the loose line toward the bits.

With everyone in place, the actual process begins. With Eduard van Breen at the bits, Dawn Hopper and Peter Lemme fake (neatly fold) the rode after it completes its path in through the hawsehole, around the capstan, and back to the bits.

Meanwhile, Mary DeFazio and Steven monitor the rode as it passes around the lower captain, guarding against overrides.

0715 hours

Up on the weather deck, Tony, Gene Tozzi, Laura Lee Linder, and Glenn Humphrey walk the upper capstan while Sean takes the helm and Kipp van Aken stands ready to step in. As the capstan team turns the winch, they reel in the rode below...

...and before you know it, more than 200 feet of line have been drawn back into the ship. As the chain enters the hawsehole, we know the anchor will soon reach the surface.

Once the capstan team hauls the anchor above the water line, the action transfers to the fore deck. There, Alex Whyte, David Ellis, Bob Breur, and Steven use a tackle to haul the anchor up to the fore channel, where David Wilber waits to secure it. In the meanwhile, communicator Evi keeps her attention focused belowdecks.

Once the ship is underway, it's eggs for breakfast. We're on our way!

0815 hours

Laura Lee Linder and Eduard van Breen set up running up our flags.

0830 hours

A bit later, Kipp Van Aken makes a few slight adjustments.

0900 hours

As the morning continues, the bosun takes the opportunity to spend some time at the helm and get a feel for the Half Moon's maneuverability.

We've had an early start and a long day still lies ahead of us, so the crew members of Port Watch—who don't come on duty until noon—are encouraged to rest up.

0915 hours

A cool deck wash helps maintain the ship as well as staving off the mounting heat of the day.

While the hose is out, the lookouts keep their feet dry on the fore deck.

0930 hours

With half the morning gone, the Half Moon is making good progress. We've already passed Poughkeepsie and Newburgh is just around the bend.

0945 hours

With Alex Whyte now stationed as lookout, we approach the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.

1045 hours

An hour later, we've traveled the length of Newburgh Bay, passed Pollepel Island and Storm King Mountain, and are now entering the Hudson Highlands.

As we approach World's End, the deepest waters of the Hudson, lying just off West Point, some of our crew (such as Bob Breur here) complete their harness training and climb aloft.

1115 hours

We've had extremely light winds all day, but we've decided to unfurl the courses just in case the opportunity to sail blows along. Dawn Hopper and Sean Shoemaker take care of unfurling the fore mast.

1130 hours

Directly across the river from West Point is the equally historic Constitution Island, which hosted the Half Moon just before River Day in 2009. We've decided to fire a salute to our friends at Constitution Island as we pass by, and Dave Wilber and Tony Ravinsky stand ready at the portside falconet.

Mouse over to give fire!

The captain's order comes down: "Give fire!"

We can feel a slight breeze, so we take the opportunity for a quick round of sail handling practice.

Gene Tozzi, Alex Whyte, Eduard van Breen, and Bob Breur handle the main course.

1145 hours

Sail handling practice continues as we pass by West Point's most distinctive waterfront. David Ellis is handling the sheets for the fore mast team.

With the sails back in their gear, Alex Whyte belays and coils his lines.

Over to port, Eduard van Breen, Bob Breur, and Steven de Jong discuss proper methods for coiling the lines.

First mate Bob Hansen guides us the rest of the way through the Highlands, with Glenn Humphrey at the helm.

1315 hours

As we pass by Peekskill en route to Haverstaw Bay, the crew hustles below decks. What brings them down? (Other than escaping the afternoon summer heat, of course.)

1330 hours

What's drawn the audience and all the cameras?

It's another cannon salute, of course. Videographer Sean Shoemaker works on establishing a video link to broadcast the cannon salute to our test audience online.

Mouse over to give fire!

As we pass Verplanck, he fire a salute to King Marine, the Half Moon's winter berth for many years. Tony Ravinsky handles the match for this cannon blast.

Meanwhile, the galley's looking a touch unnatural. Poltergeist activity? It's probably more likely that the crew has been scrubbing the deck.

1345 hours

Gene Tozzi wraps up his hour at helm as we enter Haverstraw Bay.

1400 hours

On its way back out of what Henry Hudson called the "River of Mountains" in 1609, the Half Moon found itself in a heated battle. Today, however, the water's looking fairly quiet.

1415 hours

No texting while driving! Actually, Sean Shoemaker is broadcasting a video feed back to the home office. Smile for the cameras, Dawn!

1430 hours

Even on windless days like today, there's much to be done on the Half Moon during transit. Maintenance is a never-ending responsibility. Steven de Jong points out some needed repair work on the knight's head to Bob Breur.

1515 hours

Both of our Daves can currently be found hanging out near the starboard fore channel. David Ellis is scrubbing the rail clean, while David Wilber is making some adjustments to the anchor line.

1615 hours

Bob Breur digs into his work. Literally!

Meanwhile, Gene Tozzi obliges us with the unglamorous but vital task of keeping the head spotlessly clean.

1630 hours

As we pass under the Tappan Zee Bridge, we leave Haverstaw Bay behind us.

1745 hours

As we approach Yonkers, we send rig teams aloft to furl the sails. Alex Whyte and Evi Robinson take care of the main course.

1815 hours

We're also starting to experience a bit of chop in the water, indicating that we are nearing the mouth of the river. Dave Wilber heads out onto the beak to lower our hawsehole covers into position.

Meanwhile, the crew relaxes as we approach the George Washington Bridge.

1945 hours

Dinner is served on the weather deck as we pass by upper Manhattan. Tonight it's beef and broccoli.

2000 hours

Steven de Jong is at the con as we reach the river's end.

2045 hours

As we pass the tip of Manhattan (and see the new Freedom Tower under construction, brightly lit to the left), we enter the Upper New York Harbor and leave the Hudson River behind. The next time we see the Hudson, we'll be carrying a crew full of students from the Riverside Academy at Goodwin College. See you then!

As compared to the light activity we've seen for most of the day, New York Harbor is its usual, bustling self. The Long Island Ferry zooms by as we cut west.

2100 hours

We slip between Brooklyn and Governor's Island to avoid the water traffic. (This is essentially still rush hour in the harbor.)

2115 hours

As the sun sets, we approach our anchorage for the night.

2145 hours

We'll be spending the night at our usual spot in the harbor: Bay Ridge Flats, just off the Brooklyn shoreline. Eduard van Breen and Peter Lemme once again stand ready at the bits as we deploy the anchor.

Ending Position: Anchored at Bay Ridge Flats off Brooklyn, NY.
Latitude: N 40˚ 40.0'
Longitude: W 074˚ 01.6'

With the ship secure, the crew settles into another calm night. This is our last anchor watch for a while; once we enter Long Island Sound tomorrow, we'll be switching to a 24-hour watch rotation.

Next Time: A New Arrival!