trishlaplaca Get ready – this is a long one. You can choose to take it in parts or skim over – no offense taken ;-)!
The truth is, there isn’t a lot of down-time between consistently going through locks and cruising, too. By the end of some days, Jeff and I are ready for bed before sundown. Today, however, is a lovely rainy day and the perfect chance to catch you up on some of the highlights so far.
15 DAYS OF HIGHLIGHTS ~ AND LOWLIGHTS!
JUNE 15 THE CONNECTICUT RIVER
WE kicked off this year’s adventure by traveling from our fabulous winter storage marina Petzold’s Marine Center in Portland, CT to Old Saybrook, CT. My sister Lois and brother-in-law Dan hopped aboard with us for the lovely day trip. It was truly the perfect beginning!
JUNE 16-17 LONG ISLAND SOUND, BETWEEN CONNECTICUT & NEW YORK
We then crossed the Long Island Sound to arrive at Port Jefferson Harbor. There we stayed on a mooring ball and then cruised to Little Neck Bay, Long Island the next day where last year we had found it to be the perfect jump-off place to head down the East River and into the New York City Harbor.
JUNE 18-21 THE HUDSON RIVER, NEW YORK
18 Today we made the big cruise down the East River – past La Guardia airport and the infamous Riker’s Island prison, and through the strong current in what is known as Hell Gate. The New York City Harbor was a major highlight of our passage last year, and this time felt easier. Jeff and I were much more confident dodging ferries and only a tad less impressed by Lady Liberty and the skyline. Ho, Hum. We must be just too cool for school ;-). We ended the day after turning up into the Hudson River and venturing into Half Moon Bay Marina in Croton-on-Hudson, a favorite of ours.
19 The Hudson River is amazingly peaceful and pretty with Bear Mountain, West Point, the Catskill Mountains, and so much more. Along both sides, passenger and cargo trains whiz through the unfettered countryside and stone tunnels. Tons of Amazon Prime rail cars passed us by – possibly even bringing a present to YOU! We were also “visited” by two Chinook helicopters that seemed to come right at us before I picked up the phone to video them. All very cool!
The trip was also made extra special when we picked up our friend Johnny at a dock along the way to travel with us for a bit. We visited the Hudson River Maritime Museum together in Kingston and anchored out for the night.
20-21 Several miles upriver we dropped Johnny off at a dock where he took an Uber back to his car. We then docked two nights at the Shady Harbor Marina, New Baltimore, another favorite. There we met new “Looper” friends of the boat Perfect Agenda with whom we continued up the Hudson River through Schenectady, Albany and Troy to finally arrive at the entrance to the Erie Canal in Waterford.
JUNE 22-26 THE ERIE BARGE CANALWAY AND MOHAWK RIVER
The Not-So-Amusing Waterford “Flight of Five” Locks, Tornado Warnings, & So Much More!
22 It was cool and breezy when we entered the intimidating consecutive series of locks that afternoon. Jeff and I had been through a total of 105 locks last year, but these turned out to humble us as if we were new to the game. The current within a few was especially strong. We had to fight to hold on to our rope lines to keep our boats close to the wall as the chambers filled to rise us up. Once through, we were exhausted and totally wanting for rest. Fortunately a simple and welcoming Crescent Boat Marina awaited us just around the bend.
23 Another day of feeling battered. We started out under cloudy skies, traveling through a series of on-and-off light rains. There was warning of a lock closure further ahead, so I made reservations for our two boats along a dock at a park just before it. But alas, the Amsterdam lock had reopened, and it was still early in the day. The skies were now sunny, too. Why not push on?
Bad idea. The sky ahead became ever darker, and just two minutes after getting into into the lock chamber, we were pelted with driving rain and being beaten by severe winds. OOOOH NOOOOO!!!! I did my best to hold on, but was forced to let go of my rope line. The bow of the boat shifted outwards and Jeff had to rush up to the helm to drive the boat within the lock against the odds. Pure hell.
We were all done – or so we thought. Suddenly our cell phones sounded alarms and we saw the words TORNADO WARNING IN YOUR AREA!!! We had to get to one of the next lock’s free walls located before and after it, so Jeff and I fought the high winds to fought to tie up to the first, but our friends didn’t have enough room to get in behind us in the battered wall. The lock master kindly recommended that we all get through the lock to stay on the better-protected other side. Good advice. We sweated out the storm without major incident, and slept like logs later. Our friends chose to stay there one more night to relax and recuperate, but we moved on.
The lessons I learned those two days? One, that I am definitely a FAIR WEATHER SAILOR. No more ridiculous rain and winds for me. And two, why the heck I didn’t hook the rope line to a boat cleat to have better control was beyond me. I won’t make that mistake again!
Our experiences along the Erie Barge Canalway this time around were definitely far from stellar even beyond the weather and current issues. Many locks are in really poor physical condition with pitted walls that boat fenders can get caught in. The walls and ropes are disgustingly slimy, so I always used gloves. Floating logs and debris can be found within the chambers and out, which pose a potential danger if caught in a boat’s propellor. A few lock masters didn’t even respond to our radio calls to request a lock opening. All these conditions felt truly disappointing for the likes of our country, especially when compared to our completely opposite experiences along the Rideau Canal in Canada last year. It almost feels shameful.
But still, there were definitely many highlights, too. The Erie Barge Canalway and Mohawk River afford for pleasant and pretty cruising – especially in nice weather. We certainly encountered fun places, people and sights.
24 Oh, Happy Day! Just a few more locks to settle into an immaculate and welcoming little marina in Little Falls. Apparently Mario Cuomo had allotted funds to revive some of the sites along the Erie Canal for travelers when he was governor, and this was one of them. Here we washed down the boat, I did laundry, and Jeff and I ate takeout from a Mexican food truck for dinner. Such a treat!
25 At the junction called Three Rivers, boaters can choose to turn west to complete the Erie Canal into Lake Erie, or travel north toward the Oswego Canal and Lake Ontario, which is what we did. That evening we stayed on a free wall at summer haven Sylvan Beach with other boaters going the same way.
26 We crossed Oneida Lake easily this early, sun-drenched morning and stayed at the wonderful Winter Harbor Marina in Brewerton. They even offer two free courtesy cars for boaters to use, so we went to the local Walmart to get a few provisions. This is an immaculate and welcoming facility – an absolute must-stop for boaters and a favorite of America’s Great Loopers.
JUNE 27 THE OSWEGO CANAL
“Locking through” on the Oswego Canal was a vastly different experience than on the Erie. Boats glide down the wall in the chamber ever so slowly (as opposed to rising), although in some spots you can get a significant current. Jeff and I really enjoy locking down. Its akin to being two rubber ducks floating down without a care while the bathtub is drained out.
The Oswego Canal lock masters were also much more helpful and welcoming. We stayed overnight at a wall between Locks 7 and 8, the last two of the canal. Once we tied up, we were able to relax and enjoy “dock tales” with two different boating couples. This is exactly what this journey is all about – meeting new people, sharing incredibly varied life stories, and celebrating a real sense of camaraderie.
JUNE 28 LAKE ONTARIO CROSSING INTO THE THOUSAND ISLANDS NEW YORK AND CANADA
This was a perfect day to cross Lake Ontario. Bright sun, light wind and waves. Within hours we cruised up into the St. Lawrence River, and were greeted by this behemoth coming towards us.
We’re here! Ready to spend some leisure time in the Thousand Island region before heading west through the Trent-Severn Canal (more locks!) and into Canada’s Georgian Bay and North Channel. Please stay with us in spite of this long-winded blog!
Yes, stay tuned. We’ve arrived at quaint Keewaydin State Park marina just before the Fourth of July holiday, a sweet spot we had discovered last year. And oh, are we ever excited that my brother Gerry and sister-in-law Carole will meet up with us on Monday to come aboard with us to travel the Thousand Islands. Life is good.
See you soon!
