It is nearly Easter . Time to start planning that summer cruise with the Hudson River Cruising Guide. The Guide has been slightly edited and revised since the last edition released a month ago. The new Guide will be uploaded to Scribd shortly. I will send a PDF of the latest Guide to anyone who can't wait. A data section on the Erie Canal, listing air heights and water depths has been added. The damage caused by Hurricane Sandy has been largely repaired. Most marinas along the Hudson are open for business but several in New Jersey and Staten Island will be closed throughout the 2013 season. Give any marina a phone call to be sure they can take you. Very little damage to most Hudson River marinas north of the Tappan Zee bridge. The Hudson River forms a part of every Great Loop trip. Even if you can't do the entire loop, a trip up the Hudson, though the Erie Canal to Lake Ontario, past the 1000 islands of the St. Lawrence to the Rideau Canal and thence to the pristine waters of Lake Champlain, the Champlain Canal and back to the Hudson makes a marvelous summer voyage. It will give you every maritime experience you desire except pirates and hurricanes. This "Triangle Loop" contains many of the more interesting parts of the Great Loop. If a visit to Canada is not in your plans, a trip up the Hudson to Lake Champlain or through the Erie Canal to the Fingerlakes, both wonderful cruising destinations in themselves, will make a delightful summer vacation. The Fingerlakes wine tour, accessible from Lake Cayuga or Lake Seneca, will give you the best tasting experience east of Napa Valley and west of France. The Hudson River Guide includes a catalog of interesting places to visit, listings of riverside restaurants, marinas and fuel stops, and recommended anchorages. It also offers my personal opinion of the sights and tastes of a Hudson River cruise based on nearly 50 years of sailing the waterway. The 2013 edition of the Hudson River Guide is downloadable at no charge from Scribd (www.scribd.com). Just search for publications on Scribed by Lawrence Zeitlin. If you find it difficult to download I will be happy to send you a PDF copy of the guide. It should be readable on any computer, tablet, or smartphone that supports PDF files. Those of you that want to put the Guide on an iPad or an iPhone should download the Guide in PDF form. Then put a copy of the PDF file in the Books section of iTunes and sync it to your iPad or iPhone. The Guide should then be readable on your mobile device. Here are the URLs to make it easier. HUDSON RIVER GUIDE 2013 http://www.scribd.com/doc/126914745/Hudson-River-Guide-2013d HUDSON RIVER GUIDE COMPLETE (2008 Illustrated Guide) http://www.scribd.com/doc/18683012/Huds ... e-Complete HUDSON RIVER CHARTS http://www.scribd.com/doc/18651678/Hudson-River-Charts HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL ART http://www.scribd.com/doc/18645609/Hudson-River-School-Art OTHER RELATED MATERIAL http://www.scribd.com/search?cat=google ... ce+Zeitlin Larry Z