While out on the water last weekend for River Day, one of the Hudson River photographers on our boat reminisced about his childhood family adventures on the water. It was such a great story that I wanted to share it with all of you. Hope you enjoy it!
"When we were kids, my working class dad, a cabinet maker, built a sailing dingy and then a 17' "Windmill" sloop. We sailed it in on a New Jersey lake and Hudson River out of Piermont, and later Nyack. A few years later, he bought a larger 25' Owens cabin cruiser. We didn’t go on summer vacations like other families on the block, our ‘family outings’ involved getting together and going out on the boat weeknights after dad finished work and every weekend. Not surprising, we never had any complaints.
On weeknights mom and dad would pack some food and drinks, we'd drive to the marina and motor out onto the river with no particular destination. Dad would cut the motor and anchor or drift, enjoying the cool breeze and watching the sunset while sipping a cocktail. My brother, sister and I would play cards, listen to the ballgame on the transistor radio, or row the dingy around with our family dog, Skipper. We would often cruise up to the north side of Croton Point where we would raft up with other boats, anchoring for the whole weekend. If it was a warm weekend, we kids would forgo the bunks in the cabin for sleeping bags on the back deck. On three-day weekends we would sail up to Kingston, where I currently live, and stay at a local marina. I remember staying overnight at Garrison, where we ate ice cream and drank sodas at the now famous, but unfortunately closed, "Guinan's" (made famous by Gewndolyn Bounds' wonderful book Little Chapel by the River)."
Guinan's Country Store. The pub was located in back.
(photo by: littlechapelbytheriver.com)
"Those were the hazy, lazy days of summer and the time of my life. These childhood memories forged a deep love of the Hudson River, nature, and the outdoors. Now when I sail the Hudson River in my 15' West Wight Potter on a late summer day and feel the sun warm my back while the cool breeze blows across my face, I re-live those days over and over."
Thanks, mom and dad! – Jeffrey Anzevino