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How Was The Hudson Formed?

Hudson River Valley 13,000 years ago - Lake Iroquois map by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

“New York owes it’s characteristic landscape to the last of the powerful glacial ice sheets that crushed and carved out the land on massive scales. ”

Something of great power traveled through the Hudson River Valley; but in this case it was not the renowned adventurer and explorer Henry Hudson but the biblical forces of mother nature herself in relatively recent geological past. This all happened in essentially during the great retreat of glaciers over North America 13,000 years ago; a product of global warming which ironically may have even triggered a cooling climate change event due to it’s mass and scale.

Three major events in particular are connected to, and paint the picture of a huge prehistoric lake three times the size of the present-day Lake Ontario. These events were caused largely by crashing through the gigantic ice dam holding in the lake thereby flooding the largely dry Hudson River Valley with a violent torrent of water. Thus paving a path all the way to the North Atlantic leaving a carved out valley and car sized “drop stones” in it’s wake.

The trio of events are broken into three names “The Mohawk Flooding”, “The Adirondacks Flooding”, and “St. Lawrence Sea Flooding” in this article.

The Events

The first being the the ice dam breaking sending tremendous water down the prehistoric IroMohawk river.
The seconding being the water release near the top of NY as the ice further retreated into Canada.
The third being the strange result of ice melt letting in the Atlantic to the been be reversed by land rising.

First Event: Mohawk Flooding

This all starts some 22,000 years ago at the ice sheet peak when most of New York was locked up in ice. This was the start to the glacial melting period where the ice sheets were retreating North over the subsequent thousands of years. Between 14,500 an 13,800 years ago, with the ice retreating enough from the Mohawk Valley, an opening was created allowing an outlet for the lake of water behind it (Lake Iroquois). This routed melt water down the “IroMohawk” River into later, lower stages of Lake Albany in the Hudson Valley (see A above #1). This sent incredibly powerful water flow at a rate of at least 1.5 million cubic feet per second flowing down and through New York (See this video of 80,000 cfs) cutting massive potholes into the bedrock. In 1867 construction workers discovered a mastodon in one of these potholes on the Mohawk. It was dated at 12,9K to 13K years proving the minimum age for the pothole exposure.

What the Hudson might have looked like 13,000 years ago

Second Event: Adirondacks Flooding

Roughly between 13,400 and 13,100, a small period of 300 years, another notable event happened; the ice sheets retreating North finally opened up the St. Lawrence Valley (see B #2). This rerouted much of the flow of glacial lake water around the Adirondacks and down through NY. Sediments which are normally very small were found related to the event to be the size of large vehicles for example down in the New York City basin. These drop stones are identified because they do not belong in their found locations (glacial or sediment debris).

Third Event: St. Lawrence Sea

Between 13,100 - 13,000 continued ice melt opened the St. Lawrence valley causing Atlantic water flooding and thus creating the Champlain Sea. See photo above (B). Interestingly in a process called post-glacial rebound, the land which was massively depressed down from the weight of the ice sheets recovered by rising up to normal levels and sending the sea water back into the Atlantic.

Photo taken by Jonathan Churns (c)

These events carved out the Hudson River and shaped New York to the way it is today. The consequences of these events were far reaching. Some experts theorize that the massive amounts of glacial melt that flowed out of New York disrupted the global conveyer belt of the ocean, which normally circulates the warm tropical waters northward, thus creating a global cooling period. This is detected in the vast changes in the vegetation of that period of time.

Poughkeepsie Yacht Club · (845) 889-4742 · 100 Yacht Club Road, Staatsburg, NY 12580

Ship photographer Johnston

In an era before the automobile or airplane, the sleek and graceful racing yachts of 1800s New York were the real hot ticket. John S. Johnston (c.1839- December 17, 1899) was a late 19th-century maritime and landscape photographer. He became known for his photographs of racing yachts and New York City landmarks and cityscapes.

The photography is absolutely stunning, and garners reprints to this day. Very little is known about his life. He was evidently born in Britain in the late 1830s, and was active in the New York City area in the late 1880s and 1890s. He died in 1899. He died at Niagara Falls of heart trouble. Strangely he would not give his personal information to anyone, even when he was told that his death was near. Apparently, he caught a severe cold taking photographs of the Columbia-Shamrock races and left to Niagara Falls “to benefit his health”. Johnston's photographs were published in Outing magazine, Forest and Stream (now Field and Stream), and other 1890s periodicals featuring yacht racing.

Famous ships appear in his photos, each with a unique story behind them. For example, “Defender”, the victorious defender of the 1895 America’s Cup against British challenger Valkyrie III. The boat was designed in the utmost secrecy with her construction shrouded in mystery. Johnston was also an active canoeist. According to Forest and Stream magazine, he was "one of the old-time disciples of MacGregor; taking up canoeing as a boy in England when the sport was still a novelty." He reportedly worked in partnership with C. Miller at one time, and his office was located at various times at 508 W. 158th Street as well as 494 W. 166th St., and 783 Broadway in New York City.

Photograph of “Defender”, America’s Cup winner in 1895

Collections of Johnston's work exist today at the Mystic Seaport Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, the National Museum of American History, the Hallmark Photographic Collection, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, the Seattle Art Museum, and many other museums and archives across the United States. Sources: Wikipedia.com, visualnews.com, jdjohnston.org

Iceboating with Roosevelt

John Aspinwall Roosevelt (FDR's Uncle) was the first Commodore of the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club founded in 1885 at Poughkeepsie, NY. His prestigious ice yacht called "Icicle" required a railway flat car to transport and was the largest ice yacht ever built. Nearly 140 years later it is still recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest official ice boat ever built. During the hay day of this gentlemen’s sport, it was built specifically for John A. Roosevelt for racing on the Hudson River in 1869. It was nearly 67’ long and carried over 1000 ft² of canvas.

In 1871 this large vessel beat the "Chicago Express" train on a run between Poughkeepsie and Ossining. Early ice yacht clubs spent most of their time racing trains. In even a modest breeze, the fastest boats could reach speeds of up to 75 miles per hour, easily outpacing the trains heading to and from New York City along the Hudson's East bank. This version of icicle was largely built for bragging rights as it was not allowed to race officially due to it’s non-regulation size. Subsequently a smaller version of Icicle (50’ in length, 750 sq ft sail area) was built to meet the specifications of racing. With this boat John was able to win the Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant of America four times.

The competition with Icicle was an expensive variation on "keeping up with the Joneses " according to Mr. Bielenburg (FDR Historian). In seven races between 1887 and 1902, the Ice Yacht Challenge Pennant of America—the Iceboating equivalent of the America's Cup—changed hands between the Roosevelts and the Rogers four times.

Iceboating declined in popularity after the turn of the century for several reasons, one being that these families in later generations moved to places such as Newport, and another being the ice breakers which began regularly working the Hudson starting in the 1930's. Furthermore, recent decades have seen a warming of the region's climate shrinking the stretch of the Hudson that freezes thick enough to support the boats.

Most ice-boat racing is now achieved on lakes such as Orange Lake, Greenwood Lake, and Saratoga Lake. There is a regatta on the Hudson in Tivoli Bay when the ice is more than ten inches thick, but it is more of a social event than a racing meeting. Photos: Iceboating enthusiasts took the Icicle, above, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's ice yacht, from the Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, N.Y. Sources: newyorktimes.com, iceboating.org, and Wikipedia.org Roosevelt’s.

-Michael Quick

Fall Sailing At the PYC

Autumn Sailing With Friends

Fall sailing can be some of the best sailing for many reasons. Mainly, it is the end of the light summer air that the Hudson Valley can experience with hot and muggy weather. Not exactly ideal weather for sailing. The fall can pick up giving dramatic windy days on the river - a true treat to those trying to get in the final sailing outings before season end. The added bonus - the fall view is truly unique from the river!

My Fall sailing day with Rebracas

Fall landscape, solid 20 to 25 knots of wind, and a ready and able full keel Hunter sailboat primed for such conditions. Nick, Patricia, and Sergio hoisted the sails for one last time this fall and it was quite the escapade, calling for both enterprise and enthusiasm. I tagged along to partly record the event and to partly learn the ropes. I knew these guys liked to sail but I was unaware of their expertise and mastery of the craft until this outing. One hour with them felt like an entire season of learning. Serge trimmed the sails as Nick sailed their majestic Hunter on the edge. I was amazed about how a few minor changes could make a world of difference in how the boat handled in the wind.

The wind blasted over us in waves on this chilly day, the Hunter held her ground as we ripped across the river with near ease. The fall leaves were putting on a colorful show and mother nature didn’t let us forget that it was chilly. The cutter rig made the sailing simple. So what do you mean “no work”? Though, since this wasn’t “exciting enough” we decided to roll out the jib to allow things to get really “stimulating”.

At times it felt like the boat was healing over at 25+ degrees especially when a gust hit us giving the feeling as if were weren’t going to stop leaning over, this was definitely not for a beginner. Nick and Serge thought the conditions were perfect for their 37’ ship as she was settling in with this kind of wind. When I took the wheel, I was surprised how “effortless” it was to steer her upwind. It seemed like I could handle it with just a couple of fingers —until a 25+ mph gust rolled over us. While chatting casually, they lamented about some of their 10,000+ miles of sailing including being stuck without wind for days 1,000 miles off shore, fishing for so many Mahi-Mahi Nick recoils at the thought of ordering it at a restaurant, to the time they were stuck in massive waves and wind in the pitch black of the night. Not only was the ocean turned up, the hard rain was sand blasting their faces for over 12 hours straight! Some of these stories made our river day seem like child’s play. It was certainly mighty good times on the river that day in October, thanks again guys.

Boating Experiences

Sailing can be a hard item to pick up if you are new to boating but the most rewarding in many ways. The joining a club such as the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club will give the opportunity to meet people and see if boating or sailing is right for you. Some clubs such as the PYC allow members to join socially and then later take the leap into boating after going out with members. The river can really inspire great adventure, see you on the water!

- Michael Quick

Sailing aboard “Cirrus”

Interview with Dan Feldman of “Cirrus” - Michael Quick, 2017

Admitting self-interest here, I have always been a bit curious about multi-hulls over the past few years, especially in terms of their sailing benefits/disadvantages and the very different sailing characteristics. My interest peaked a bit more seeing them in action last season, and in particular one boat named 'Cirrus', which seemed to take command of the river on both light and heavy wind days.

“Cirrus”

On light days, she would glide along the water near effortless motion like it were an Iceboat. This was like no other sail boat that I have seen before in many ways, cutting along as if she were a mono-hull with 15mph of winds on broad reach; though obviously much less tactile or thrilling under calmer conditions. On a windy day this vessel seemed for a lack of better words seemed determined for speed as she appeared to have the fortitude of something with big block potential. On one day in particular last year in August, the wind was punishing boats on the river at 18-20 mph easily. Many boaters were sensibly reefing, and you could see the brief hard leans as the gusts picked up. Except for one boat. From the view of the club, seemingly out of nowhere Cirrus came ripping down the river from behind Esopus Island, crossed the end of the Island and quickly headed back North towards the Norrie Point shoreline. It was so quick that I wasn't even able to get the lens cap off my camera. The wind was blowing up the river so when the wind hit her stern, she accelerated to impossibly fast speeds which would have been capable of pulling a water skier (it seemed). She must have easily reached what seemed to be 20-30 mph. After these observations, I was keen on meeting the owner of this ship and learn a little more about her. The owner of this ship actually has commercial ambitions as he co/owns the business HudsonSailing.com LLC, Dan Feldman (info.hudsonsailing @gmail.com). They are based out of Kingston, NY and offer charter outings on the river.

Dan Feldman began sailing about 45 years ago in summer camp. Then one of his best friends belonged to a yacht club and he would sail with him and his family. He later bought laser when he was 16 and began racing. Later he owned and raced a couple of international 14's and got his real taste for high-performance sailing. Dan moved to the Hudson River Valley in 1985 to go to graduate school for art and have stayed ever since, he has lived in Kingston and Stoneridge where he currently resides. I then asked how Dan got into the charter business in Kingston of all places and why, in which he replied: "In 2004 I was hired to take my dentist and a group of his friends on a bareboat trip in the British Virgin Islands. I thought it was a great way to make some extra money and I came home and began the process of becoming a licensed captain and finding a boat. I had already sailed the corsair F 28r and I knew that was the boat I wanted to buy because it's spacious capacity and speed" He also lamented about the charter business in general "I love the charter business I get to meet a lot interesting people. I have seen some really magical moments with people experiencing the freedom of being on the water for the first time or families just having an amazing bonding time. A lot of times people are coming from stressed-out week of work in the city and they are able to relax in a way that they didn't know was possible. Mostly I love the satisfaction of sharing something that I truly love to do."

The boat that Dan sails and has owned since 2004 is made by Corsair, an American Trimaran manufacturing company (well sort of). "The Corsair 31 [Trimaran] sets the standard for sailing performance in a user friendly, easily transportable boat. Sailing the Corsair 31 is pure fun factor, combined with easy trailering makes it unique and extremely versatile. This immaculately maintained boat is ready to win races and cruise to the island for the weekend or both.".

I asked Dan how the boat feels compared to a mono hull? For example, does it feel lighter over the water, harder/easier to sail up wind. Dan explained that it's a completely different experience from sailing a mono-hull. Cruising upwind at 10+ knots is not uncommon and the helm is so light I can let go and she won't round up. "Reaching downwind speeds of 20+ knots are possible and of course there's nothing more thrilling than going that fast on a sailboat. A number of things are different in terms of boat handling. Upwind It's important to steer quickly through the tack so as not lose too much speed and then bear away more than normal before trying to point. Tacking under main alone, there is a tendency to stall. Oversteering with a big ease of the main sheet is required to avoid this."

Dan on the best features of the Trimaran sailing experience - "Downwind is where the real fun starts. We use high-performance sailing technique which utilizes the increase in apparent wind speed and forward angle to the degree where you are actually sailing upwind. Basically, we put up the spinnaker and head up to a beam reach. As we accelerate, the apparent wind angle moves forward and we bear away keeping it over the beam. It takes traditional sailors a little time to get used to sailing such high downwind angles and traveling the greater distance. It's very energetic with lots of jibing. I never sail dead downwind with the main up. Because the shrouds are fairly well aft, the boom can't be let out far enough to avoid an accidental jibe. If I want to cruise leisurely like that I'll set one of the headsails by itself. One of the most important things about sailing trimaran is to avoid capsizing. This may sound obvious but you can't make any mistake. You can dip the mast of a mono-hull in the water and recover but not on a tri. That said as long as the boat is not over canvassed it is extremely stable." This all seemed really amazing, especially for a boat that has a standard outboard motor, and can fold up within minutes to fit onto a trailer or slip. So it begged me to ask the question, what is the downside to this? There must be a glaring issue? Oh I know, you a lot of crew need crew to go out? So I asked Dan "Do you ever sail it yourself? Or is there always crew?" Dan replied that "Yes, I have sailed Cirrus by myself in fact even competed in one of the Kingston sailing club races single-handed. [but] It's much more fun to have crew." It should also be noted that the physics, therefore the engineering, of a trimaran is so different to a mono-hull. It is not right to think that a trimaran is just a mono-hull with training wheels – the whole needs to be designed in sync, as there are dynamic values, not least which is ft lbs on the amas [floats] --these are completely different for a tri coming off a wave onto an ama’s bow to the mono absorbing all that in the forequarters near the bow. Hence, the main hull factor still exists, given a certain angle to the waves but it is expressed as a percentage of the total load at any one time. In other words, the force on the boat, is distributed and that can only be good.

I ask Dan the disadvantages he has encountered with the Tri: " There really aren't any disadvantages other being slow dead downwind. I would say the beam is a problem when you trying to get a slip sometimes. Also, it may go without saying but this is not a Bluewater boat. I would probably prefer a mono-hull for any major ocean passages." He furthered his sentiments about his Corsair Trimaran by saying that without question he likes the trimaran sailing much more than mono-hull. To Dan it's so comfortable at high-speed's and so spacious - And the net's in between the hulls are fabulous to lounge on. That sounds promising, he can count me in!

Boating Terminology

Boating has a unique language. This page is here to help people understand the basic terms. Common items on land take on a whole new identity when you get them on a boat. There is not a single rope on ANY boat. The instant a rope leaves land to be put to use on board a boat, it becomes a line. Even saying “dock rope” just sounds wrong. *Click on each image to enlarge to full screen.

Basic Haul Terms

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The above image points out structures common to both sail and power boats. The front part of the boat is called the “BOW” and the back is the “STERN”. A “DECK” is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull. When moving around on a boat, you go “FOREward to the bow,” and “AFT toward the stern.” OK, so “FORE” is more of a prefix than an actual term.

Basic Sailing Terminology

Sailboats use the power of the wind to move forward. Rarely, however, does the wind blow in exactly the deisred direction. It’s always coming from one side or the other. To prevent the boat from slipping sideways too much, many sailboats use a centerboard, keel, or both.

The sails are hung from the mast and can exert great force upon it. To keep the mast from failing several lines are used. Fore and aft are stays; forestay and backstay. Port and starboard are shrouds. Since these lines are not moved once installed it is called the “Standing” Rigging.

Rigging

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Running rigging is the term used to describe the lines that move when you are sailing. Halyards run to a block (pulley) near or at the top of the mast and back down to the deck. The saills are raised and lowered using halyards.

The wind can come from any direction (and sometimes seems to come from them all at once), so the angle of the sails to the wind must be adjustable. The lines which allow this are referred to as sheets.

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Sailing Terms II

A whole glossary of terms refer to the sails themselves. The behavior of the sails needs accurate description so they can be adjusted for maximum performance. Each corner and edge of a sail has a name. It sounds so much more nautical (and accurate) to say “Tighten up on the mainsail luff with the downhaul.” than to say “Pull that rope over there to make that front part of the sail less floppy.”

Top Reasons to go boating

Adventure

Boating has always been an adventure: from the first mariners that set sail to discover the new worlds to the commercial fishermen today. There is nothing else like the open water and sense of freedom that a boat can bring. Whenever or wherever you take to the water in your boat, from a dinghy to a yacht, you are joining the ranks of marine adventurers of all time. There is always an unknown ahead of you -- an adventure awaits.The Poughkeepsie Yacht Club offers an array of opportunities to join social or with a boat to learn and take on a new adventure.

Bonding

You can, of course, boat alone, but the greater satisfaction is in boating with others, bonding with family and friends, and developing teamwork that makes your boat go better. Working together to leave the dock, racing, cruising, anchoring, and returning to harbor can expand your life and relationships. Sailing, perhaps, offers the greatest opportunity for team building, but so does two man canoeing, even pedal boating. The Poughkeepsie Yacht Club offers an array of opportunities to join social or with a boat to make lasting life long bonds.

Craftsmanship

Boats, more than automobiles or airplanes, require craftsmen. There is always something to fix or improve on a boat that you must do yourself, not contract for. There’s a crack to mend, or a leak to plug, or a bottom to clean; something to paint, varnish, or polish, or a broken line (boaters don’t call them “ropes” see Education, below) to splice or replace. Perhaps there is a bolt to tighten or a block to grease. If you have an engine, there may be oil to change or packing to stuff. It is an endless source of satisfaction for a job well done.

Kingston Boat show (PYC Member's boat in photo)

Developing Skills, Wisdom, And Confidence

There is never a day when you will go out in a boat that you do not learn something new or sharpen a skill. There is never a day when you are not required to make a decision, often quickly, that you have not made in quite the same way before. Boats are not as life threatening as automobiles, but they seem to be. The bigger risk in boating is to your ego, for there are times when wind, wave, or current becomes the master. And with loss of ego, as the Maine sage says, comes wisdom. In this way you develop confidence in yourself and in your ability to handle unexpected situations.

Education

First of all, you have to learn a new language. Boats don’t have fronts or rears. Even canoes and dinghies have bows and sterns, with bow lines and stern lines. There are knots you must learn to tie. There is nothing intuitive about making boats go, either, and you will always want to make the boat go better, or faster, or safer, requiring education in seamanship, rules of the road, and safety. You need to learn piloting and chart reading, how to anchor, and how to read the weather and the water. If you trailer your boat, you need an education in how to launch and retrieve, and how to balance your load; it is not as easy as it looks. In boating, continuing education is the name of the game.

Fun

Lots about boating is just plain fun: towing youngsters in a tube, wake boarding and wake surfing, shooting white water in a kayak, skimming at high speed over flat water, heeling a sailboat into the wind, diving into dark blue water in the middle of a lake, trolling for fish, or just rocking gently at anchor in a quite cove and reading a book or magazine. It’s major fun.

Getting Away From It All

No matter how much stress you have at work, at home, or at school, when you take your boat out you leave that stress behind. Boating is all-consuming of your attention. You are aware of each minute, what is happening right now, and what is ahead. The more daring your trip, or the more you venture into a new place or try out a new seamanship technique, the more you get away from terrestrial worries.

Poughkeepsie Yacht Club (Sailboat)

Health

Boating is exercise. It is not aerobic unless you are in a canoe race, or paddling a kayak into a stiff headwind (PYC offers kayaking options), or cranking winches on a racing yacht, or making long offshore passages that “trawlerdog”, a veteran of Alaska to Mexico runs, calls “terror aerobics”. Every muscle in your body works in a boat. Even when you are just sitting at anchor your body is working as the boat rocks and rolls. You are getting lots of fresh air and Vitamin D (and don’t forget the sunscreen).

Spirit

It takes some spirit just to buy a boat. You are committing to a non-essential capital expenditure, perhaps to lessons, to continued maintenance costs, and, for some boats, mooring expenses. It takes still more spirit to venture out into the unknown, even if the unknown is a small lake. Not everyone can be a boater. If you are, you are special. You are intrepid.

Joy

This is reason number ten, just because this list is alphabetical, but it probably should be number one. Joy is more than happiness or gaiety. It is an elevation of your entire spirit – a rejoicing. Can boating give you joy? You bet. Ask a kayaker who has come out of a Class 4 or 5 rapids, a racing sailor who has made all the right tacks at the right times to take first place in a windy race, a power boater who followed the moon on the water to a lovely anchorage, a wake boarder who has gotten major air, or a young child back from his first pedal boat excursion. Your adventures are out there, your joy unbounded.

Addendum

You do not have to own a boat to be a boater. Join Social. You can crew for boat owners. You can partner with boat owners who want you to share only in expenses. If even those commitments are more than you desire, you can hop on a scheduled ferry, sign up for a guided kayak tour, board a fishing party boat, or join a group excursion. Whatever. Get out there!