Bob and Peggy Silk Olsen, originally from Poughkeepsie, docked at Norrie Point Marina on 7/25 on their journey up the Hudson as part of their Great Circle Loop from the Great Lakes, down the Midwest rivers to the Gulf, around the west and east coasts of FL, out to the Bahamas, up the East Coast to NYC—a journey of 5,500 miles so far.
They are doing the trip on a 32’ Grand Banks trawler, Baby Grand, and are dependent on their folding bikes and 10 foot dinghy to explore an area.
They took their dinghy 3 miles south to Bard Rock on 7/28 so they could tour the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic site. Bob said, “We tucked the dinghy into the north side of Bard Rock in low tide, hid it in the weeds, double tied it to a tree and removed the ignition key from the motor. We thought it was safe. We’ve left it tied up to docks in urban areas and left it on isolated beaches and never had a problem.”
The Olsens luck changed when a Poughkeepsie pirate pilfered the dinghy and left them stranded without so much as a paddle. Luckily they had a cell phone and were able to contact National Park Service Law Enforcement Officer Adam Bissonnette who took a full report and alerted the Ulster and Dutchess County Sheriffs and local marinas to be on the look-out for the missing boat.
Peggy noted that when bad things happen, you often meet good people who help out. “We got a ride back to the marina from Sabra Gilbert which was great as it would have been a very long walk back in flip-flops. Tom and Bruce, staff at Norrie Point Marina, made calls to local marinas and got the word out about our boat. Other boaters also put out an alert.”
Bob spent 2 days dealing with insurance and trying to find another dinghy/motor so that they could proceed north on their journey.
Then the seemingly impossible happened on 7/30 at 7pm. “We heard a knock on our boat and it was Detective Cummins and Sergeant Femenella from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office. They told us our dinghy had been found, ditched between some rocks by the Culinary Institute, was dirty but looked ok, and that Deputy Meyer and Capt. Joe Guarino (former Looper) Harbormaster at Hyde Park Marina, were bringing her up the river to us tonight.”
Peggy said, “We jumped, hugged and shouted for joy. We want to thank everyone who helped us and went above and beyond. We have our little boat back and I think its time we gave her a proper name. Any suggestions?”
They are doing the trip on a 32’ Grand Banks trawler, Baby Grand, and are dependent on their folding bikes and 10 foot dinghy to explore an area.
They took their dinghy 3 miles south to Bard Rock on 7/28 so they could tour the Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic site. Bob said, “We tucked the dinghy into the north side of Bard Rock in low tide, hid it in the weeds, double tied it to a tree and removed the ignition key from the motor. We thought it was safe. We’ve left it tied up to docks in urban areas and left it on isolated beaches and never had a problem.”
The Olsens luck changed when a Poughkeepsie pirate pilfered the dinghy and left them stranded without so much as a paddle. Luckily they had a cell phone and were able to contact National Park Service Law Enforcement Officer Adam Bissonnette who took a full report and alerted the Ulster and Dutchess County Sheriffs and local marinas to be on the look-out for the missing boat.
Peggy noted that when bad things happen, you often meet good people who help out. “We got a ride back to the marina from Sabra Gilbert which was great as it would have been a very long walk back in flip-flops. Tom and Bruce, staff at Norrie Point Marina, made calls to local marinas and got the word out about our boat. Other boaters also put out an alert.”
Bob spent 2 days dealing with insurance and trying to find another dinghy/motor so that they could proceed north on their journey.
Then the seemingly impossible happened on 7/30 at 7pm. “We heard a knock on our boat and it was Detective Cummins and Sergeant Femenella from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office. They told us our dinghy had been found, ditched between some rocks by the Culinary Institute, was dirty but looked ok, and that Deputy Meyer and Capt. Joe Guarino (former Looper) Harbormaster at Hyde Park Marina, were bringing her up the river to us tonight.”
Peggy said, “We jumped, hugged and shouted for joy. We want to thank everyone who helped us and went above and beyond. We have our little boat back and I think its time we gave her a proper name. Any suggestions?”
