Skipper Jack & Migal

06/19/2026

💞Date Night ~ 18 June 2026❣️

46 years ago, Jack asked Gail to be his Girlfriend 💞
(Spoiler alert, she said yes) and they became Skipper Jack & Migal.

This evening we were joined by our new Looper friends, Captain John & Admiral Sharon at one of our favorite local restaurants to celebrate our Anniversary ❣️

06/19/2026

This is a very interesting video about the Erie Canal corridor in upstate New York.
https://youtu.be/H5b5pHz2k6A?is=79LFvMOGJcjABJ5e

The Schenectady Yacht Club photograph from the 1800s distinctly stands out.

Why is Micron investing $100 billion in a semiconductor manufacturi...

06/18/2026

🔥🌅 HaPpY Hour FRIDAY – June 19th 🌅🔥

All are invited to join us for HaPpY Hour FRIDAY on June 19th!

Attention family, friends, fellow yacht club members, Loopers, and followers...

The tradition continues as we gather at 6:00 PM along the shores of the Mighty Mohawk for food, fun, fellowship, and plenty of good conversation.

For decades now, HaPpY Hour FRIDAY has brought together old friends, new friends, boaters, neighbors, and whoever happens to wander down to the shoreline. Whether you're joining us for the entire evening or simply stopping by to say hello, we'd love to see you.

🌭🍔 We'll be grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. The rest is up to our guests! If you'd like, please consider bringing a dish to share, your favorite beverage, and a lawn chair. Appetizers, salads, chips, desserts, side dishes, and snacks are always welcome.

❤️ But please don't feel obligated to bring anything at all. There always seems to be plenty of food to go around, and your presence is far more important than whatever you might bring.

🔥 Arrive at 6:00 PM and spend the evening with us, or stop by anytime just to say hello. As always, we'll finish the evening gathered around the campfire.

☀️ The weather forecast looks spectacular, with sunshine and temperatures around 75 degrees — perfect for an evening along the river.

Hope to see you Friday on the shores of the Mighty Mohawk!

— Skipper Jack & Migal 👋😍😎🤙

06/14/2026

🚤🚤🚤 A Flotilla of Three Rounds the Bend at the Rexford Cliffs! 🌊⚓

One of the joys of life along the Erie Canal is watching new friendships arrive around the bend.

Yesterday, motor vessels Annemone, Knot Normal, and Voyager made their way north from Troy—the historic home of Uncle Sam—and experienced their first opportunity to lock through the New York State Canal System. After a day of learning the ropes and working their way through the locks, all three vessels arrived safely at Schenectady Yacht Club and found calm waters and welcoming docks along the shores of the Mighty Mohawk.

⚓🚤⚓

What made this arrival especially memorable was the teamwork waiting to greet them.

Dockmaster Kathy coordinated the arrivals and slip assignments, while Gold Looper Jonathan, Rear Commodore Justin, and Board Member James were on hand to assist with lines and help secure each vessel safely and efficiently as they came to rest at our docks.

With the boats secured and shore power connected, it was time to relax.

Guests enjoyed an evening of docktails, a grilled cookout dinner hosted by Harbor Host Skipper Jack and Migal, and plenty of conversation among new friends brought together by a shared love of cruising and adventure.

📚🏛️⚓

During their stay, the crews also explored the rich history that surrounds our club grounds. From the story of the Erie Canal's construction and expansion to the role these waterways played in the growth of our nation, they experienced firsthand why Schenectady Yacht Club is such a unique stop along the canal system.

As this reel shows, every boat arriving around the Rexford Cliffs brings a new story, new friendships, and another chapter in the continuing history of America's waterways.

Thank you to the crews of Annemone, Knot Normal, and Voyager for spending part of your adventure with us. We wish you safe travels, open lock doors, and fair currents as your journey continues westward.

⚓ Proud AGLCA Sponsor
⚓ Home of Historic Locks 21 & 22
🚤 Welcoming Cruisers Since 1940
🌳 Along the Shores of the Mighty Mohawk

06/07/2026

🚨 OUTSTANDING VIDEO ABOUT THE ERIE CANAL 2026! 🚨

For those Loopers currently waiting for the Waterford Flight to reopen, our friends Jake and Katie aboard M/V Hobo have just released an excellent video covering the start of their Erie Canal transit.

This episode takes viewers through Troy, the Waterford Flight of Locks, and into the Erie Canal while also providing a wonderful glimpse of the history, scenery, and communities that make canal cruising such a memorable part of the Great Loop.

We're especially proud that the Schenectady Yacht Club is featured in the episode, including some fascinating canal history shared by our friend Linda Willoughby.

Whether you're preparing to enter the canal for the first time, waiting for the current reopening, or simply enjoying the adventure from afar, this video provides a great look at what awaits ahead.

Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy:

https://youtu.be/HdDEzPWFEeI?si=XD3Xwr8CqKUqpzLA

A big thank-you to Jake and Katie for sharing their journey and helping tell the story of the Erie Canal and the boating communities that make it so special.












👋😍😎🤙

06/05/2026

🙏 A Request for Prayers from the Schenectady Yacht Club Family 🙏

Skipper Jack spoke with our beloved Dockmaster Larry this morning and learned that he is undergoing surgery today to repair a fractured ankle.

Larry asked that we share this information, and he would greatly appreciate the prayers, thoughts, and well wishes of our members, friends, visiting boaters, and extended yacht club family.

For many years, Larry has devoted countless hours to helping members and transient boaters alike, always willing to lend a hand, answer a question, assist with docking, or help make a visitor feel welcome at the Schenectady Yacht Club.

Today, we ask that you keep Larry and his family in your thoughts and prayers as he undergoes surgery and begins his recovery.

Please join us in wishing Larry a successful surgery, a speedy recovery, and calm waters ahead.

⚓🙏❤️

— Schenectady Yacht Club

06/03/2026

🔥🌅 HaPpY Hour FRIDAY – June 5, 2026 🌅🔥

Will you be in the Capital District this Friday evening?

Any of our family, friends, followers, fellow Loopers, boaters, or Schenectady Yacht Club family who happen to be in the area are invited to stop by and join us for HaPpY Hour FRIDAY along the shores of the Mighty Mohawk.

This week's gathering just happens to fall on Jack's birthday, but more importantly, it's another opportunity to continue a shoreline tradition that has brought people together for decades.

🕠 Come anytime after 5:30 PM
📍 Near M/V Galian, Slip #9, Schenectady Yacht Club

🌭 We'll have burgers, hot dogs, Gail's award-winning chili meat sauce, snacks, and plenty of good conversation.

🪑 Bring a lawn chair if you have one, your favorite beverage, and perhaps a dish to share if you'd like. But please don't feel obligated—there always seems to be plenty to go around, and we'd much rather have your company than more food.

Whether you stop by for a quick hello, stay for dinner, gather around the fire, or spend the entire evening swapping Great Loop stories, we'd love to see you.

Safe travels, and if your wake brings you anywhere near Schenectady on Friday evening, consider yourself invited! ⚓

— Skipper Jack & Migal 👋😍😎🤙

05/27/2026

🔥🌅 HaPpY Hour FRIDAY – May 29, 2026 🌅🔥

📍 Schenectady Yacht Club
⚓ Along the shores of the Mighty Mohawk
🕠 Come anytime after 5:30 PM

Skipper Jack & Migal would like to invite any of our family, friends, followers, fellow Loopers, boaters, neighbors, and especially our Schenectady Yacht Club family who may happen to be in the area to stop down and join us for another evening of HaPpY Hour FRIDAY at the Schenectady Yacht Club. ⚓❤️

For decades now, HaPpY Hour FRIDAY has been one of our favorite shoreline traditions along the Mighty Mohawk — a relaxed gathering beside the fire filled with stories, laughter, boating talk, old friends, new friends, and whoever simply happens to wander down by the river. During our brief return to our home port in 2026, we’re excited to continue the tradition once again.

🔥 The shoreline is already set up and the campfire will be ready to light.

🌭🍔 We’ll be grilling burgers and hot dogs, and everyone is welcome to bring something to share if they’d like — appetizers, salads, chips, desserts, condiments, or any favorite snack or side dish are always appreciated. Feel free to BYOB as well.

But truly… please don’t feel obligated to bring anything at all. There always seems to be plenty to go around, and we would much rather have your company than more food. ❤️

🪑 Lawn chairs are always a good idea if you have one handy.

Whether you stop by just to say hello, relax by the fire, share a drink, enjoy the food, or simply watch the river roll by at sunset, we would love to see you.

📍 We’ll be near M/V Galian at Slip #9.

No formal RSVP needed — but if you think you may stop by, feel free to let us know so we have an idea for the grill.

Hope to see some familiar faces Friday evening along the Mighty Mohawk… and perhaps a few new ones we simply haven’t had the pleasure of getting to know yet. ⚓🔥🌅

— Skipper Jack & Migal
👋😍😎🤙

05/25/2026

🇺🇸 Memorial Day 2026 🇺🇸

“Today is a day of continuous weeping.”

We heard those words were spoken by Brian Mast this morning — a man who continues to serve our nation in Congress after losing both of his legs while serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.

His words remind us that Memorial Day is far more than a long weekend or the beginning of summer.

Today is a sacred pause in the life of our nation.

A day to remember the sons and daughters of America who never came home. A day to honor the empty chairs at family tables. A day to mourn alongside Gold Star families and all who continue to carry the indescribable weight of sacrifice and loss.

The photographs above capture one small moment of remembrance: 1Lt John C. Shakeshaft Sr., USAF Retired, standing alongside his son, Private John C. Shakeshaft Jr., USMC, following the solemn privilege of performing Military Honors for a veteran family member.

Some father-and-son moments can never be forgotten. Standing together in respect… rendering honors… remembering those who served before us.

But today is not about us.

It is about every service member who answered the call of duty… and especially those who gave everything so that we might remain free. 🇺🇸

For many families across this nation, Memorial Day is not simply remembrance. It is ongoing grief, enduring love, and quiet pride.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

From aboard M/V Galian,
Skipper Jack & Migal
😔🫡
🙏

05/24/2026

⚓️ HEADING WEST ON THE ERIE CANAL? ⚓️

Especially if this is your very first transit through the legendary Erie Canal, here is a FUN and entertaining way to get a quick preview of the adventure ahead! 👀

🎥 WATCH HERE:
https://youtu.be/nQrWcsHOzrw?si=0XDA_DIV1vFysrFR

We highly recommend watching the wonderful YouTube presentation created by our very own Loopers from Navigating Nietzels:
🎬 200 Years of the Erie Canal

Captain Evan, Admiral Karly, and trusted First Mate Ripley did an outstanding job capturing not only the beauty and history of the canal system, but also the spirit of the cruising and Looper community that makes this route so special.

Skipper Jack and Migal had the wonderful opportunity to meet them during their visit to our Home Port at the Schenectady Yacht Club. In fact, as part of his role as an AGLCA Harbor Host for the Eastern Erie Canal and Capital District, Skipper Jack even had the pleasure of giving the crew and First Mate Ripley a lift to a local veterinarian appointment while they were visiting the area. 🐾

Their video includes footage from right here at the Schenectady Yacht Club along with many of the sights, locks, communities, and experiences that await boaters preparing to head westbound on this historic waterway during the Erie Canal Bicentennial season.

If you have about a half hour to spare, grab a cup of coffee, settle into your salon, and enjoy the journey ahead before you even cast off the lines.

We think you’ll enjoy every minute of it.

Safe travels to all of our fellow Loopers and Erie Canal cruisers preparing for the adventure ahead! 🇺🇸⚓️