In 1989 we went to a local boat show and on a whim purchased a 21’ Bayliner cuddy cruiser. We planned to use our first boat on Lake George with family and friends. We did just that for the summer of 89'. Little did we know at that time this would be the beginning of a wonderful passion.
In the fall of 1989 a job promotion moved us to Philadelphia, Pa. and we discovered the Chesapeake Bay and all its beauty. We also discovered that the bay and our 21 foot boat were not made for each other.
Our first trip with the Bayliner was to Baltimore Harbor in the spring of 1990, in the pouring down rain and 3 foot waves. We kept the Bayliner for the first summer and used it to discover all the gunk holes along the eastern shore of Maryland, from Northeast to Rock Hall. We realized by the end of the summer of 1990 we needed a different boat!
We traded in the Bayliner for a beautiful 34 foot Pequod named the “HKG”. The model name “Pequod” was given by the manufacturer, Pembrook Boat Company, out of Concorde NH. after Moby Dick's ship. The next 5 years we traveled the tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay finding some of the most wonderful boating places to visit on the east coast. We spent every weekend and vacation weeks up and down the bay, making frequent trips to Worton Creek, Dividing Creek, Rock Hall, Chestertown, Baltimore, Annapolis, St. Michael’s, Cambridge, Oxford, Tangier Island, Solomons, Crisfield, Herrington Harbor, Rhode River, Tilghman Island, Miles River, Kent Narrows, Havre de Grace, Northeast, Georgetown, and the C&D Canal. We met a lot of wonderful people and friends along the way. We experienced a way of life that we knew in our hearts was now a part of us and our future.
Another business transfer brings us back home to NY. The brackish water of the Chesapeake was in our veins, and we knew we needed to find a “home” on the water. So the adventure to find a new boat began in 2005.
We were both raised around the Hudson River for most of our lives but we never realized its beauty until we gave into the call of the water once again. We purchased a boat and for the next two years using Sea Ray Express cruisers we traveled to great places such as Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, Sackets Harbor, while traveling the Erie and Champlain Canals we discovered the beauty and history of the NYS Canals. We wanted to find a marina we could call home and soon discovered a beautiful quiet, secluded and peaceful place called Lock 1 Marina on the Champlain Canal. We didn’t know at the time how this jewel would play such an important part in our future.
Although we enjoyed our travels in an express cruiser something was missing and we learned it was the life style aboard a trawler type boat. So the adventure began to find a boat that reminded us of our life on the Chesapeake Bay.
Trawlering…”enjoying the journey without longing for the destination”
This chapter in our boating life brought us to Port Clinton, Ohio and a chance meeting with a 42’ Jefferson Motor Yacht which we purchased and brought home to Waterford, NY in the spring of 2005. We traveled the entire length of Lake Erie, the entire length of the Erie Canal to our destination home port of Waterford, NY. The journey brought us through some of the old canal port cities of Lockport, Brock port, Spencerport, Ilion, Palmyra, and Little Falls. At each stopover we remodeled and named our new boat, “Kearaiden” the name sake of our two beautiful grandchildren Keara & Aiden.
We have spent the last two years boating on the Hudson River, watching bald eagles perform lazy circles in the sky while we remain anchored in our favorite spots.
In 2006 we learned Lock 1 Marina was for sale, and we thought this would be the chance of a lifetime to not only live and play on the water but also to own this jewel of a marina.
We are about to open our first season as the new owners of Lock 1 Marina. We are waiting with open arms for whatever adventures lie ahead. We look forward to meeting new people, making new friends, and welcoming old ones. We extend an open invitation to all who read this to come and enjoy our beautiful Marina that we have fallen in love with and now own.
Captain Michael Trimarchi