Author: NJ

July 12-14, 2017  Tuesday-Friday

July 12-Wed: We first encountered Lois McClure and her side kick, companion tug, C.L. Churchill, at Waterford but did not know their mission. Last night they also stayed at the Schenectady Yacht Club, and today we transited through Lock #9 with them. Lois McClure is a full-scale replica of an 1862-class sailing boat and belongs to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. Her sidekick is the C.L. Churchill, a 50 year old wooden tugboat that was named Tug of the Year for the 2014 Waterford Tugboat Roundup.

Together they are on a Canal Legacy Tour that will pay tribute to the legacy of the canals and the Northern Forest. Through an initiative called Stem to Stern, the crew of these vessels will share their maritime perspective on the relationship between waterways and trees, canal boats and forests.

We pulled into the Amsterdam Riverlink Park only to find out that the electric panel gave us the message “reverse polarity” when we connected our cord so we left Amsterdam and continued up the canal. At Fonda, we were able to get 15 amps by dragging a hundred foot cord across a grassy field to plug in at the Canal Corp Maintenance Dock. By the end of the day, we had transited Locks 8-12 for a total lift of 67 feet.

July 13-Thur: The plan for today was to go to Canajoharie, hike to the boiling pots, and visit the local Art Gallery collection of 350 paintings by American artist Winslow Homer. I read that Canajoharie has the most original architecturally intact Erie Canal commercial district on the Mohawk River and we were looking forward to our visit. As luck would have it, there was no room at the dock so we continued on to St. Johnsville. Today we transited Locks 13-15 for a total lift of 44 feet.
July 14-Fri: Today we transited Locks 16-18 for a total of 80 feet. Before entering the locks we thought that Lock #17 would be the most challenging, it is the highest lock in the canal, 40 feet, and requires that you lock through on the port side. Each boat has its own unique quirks and Andiamo is easier to handle with a starboard tie. Instead, Lock #18 at 20 feet, was the most difficult. Just as we entered the lock the wind increased and changed direction making it difficult to hang onto the ropes, we were happy that that was the last lock of the day. If you look closely at the pictures of Lock #17 you will see that it is unique in that the entrance gate is lifted above the boat instead of out, this ensures a wet ride through the entrance as the water drains off of the lock door above.

Tonight we are at the Ilion Community Marina, where we will stay for the weekend.

July 11, 2017  Monday

Before entering our first Erie Canal Lock we decided to watch Papa Tango and Donna Mae transit the lock.

When it was our turn, we entered the lock followed by m/v Ramble On, with loopers Linda & Scott aboard, and two other boats.  It took about ninety minutes to complete the Waterford Flight and the two guard gates at the end of the flight. The guard gates are lift gates so you can count on your boat getting wet as you drive under them.

The Waterford Flight consists of Lock #2 (34’), Lock #3 (35’), Lock #4 (35’), Lock #5 (33’), and Lock #6 (33’), for a total rise of 170 feet in just one and a half miles. With a motor these are pretty easy to transit, however, on the original Erie Canal, a ten-foot wide towpath had to be built along the bank of the canal so that hoggees, young boys driving the mules, could pull boats along the narrow canal.

Before arriving at the Schenectady Yacht Club for the evening, we locked through Lock #7 (27’), for a daily total of 197 feet. Behind the yacht club is one of the 1862 locks. Just past the yacht club, at the Balltown Road Bridge, are the remains of the 1842 Rexford Aqueduct.

The sun reflecting off the Mohawk River Cliffs made for a picturesque evening.

 

 

July 10, 2017  Monday

In Rome, NY, on July 4th, 1817, ground was broken for the Erie Canal. In 2017, two hundred years later, the canal is celebrating its bicentennial. Lucky us, in honor of the bicentennial, all canal fees are waived this year.

Proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, the canal links the waters of Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east. In the beginning, many called the concept of the canal “Clinton’s Folly,” believing that, the then Governor of New York, was just wasting taxpayers money. In the end, it was an engineering marvel that some called the Eighth Wonder of the World. More important than being the Eighth Wonder of the World, the opening of the canal played an important role in the westward expansion.

The original canal was hand dug to a depth of 4 feet and width of 40 feet, in the late 1800’s it was enlarged to 7 feet deep and 70 feet wide. The next improvement increased the canal to today’s current dimensions of 12 to 14 feet deep, 120 to 200 feet wide, and 338 miles long. going from Waterford to Tonawanda.

In this improvement, five large locks on the Waterford side of the canal replaced the original sixteen locks that had brought the old canal through Cohoes. The ‘Waterford Flight’ of five locks raises boats from 15.2 feet to 180 feet above sea level, in just a short 1.5 miles, this is the world’s greatest vertical lift in such a short distance.

The canal starts at Lock #2 and goes to Lock #35, with two locks at #28, 28A & 28B and no lock numbered 1 or 31, a total of 34 locks. At each lock, there will be an information sign so that we will know how far it is to the next lock. Tonight we are tied to the Waterford Free Dock and primed to start our Erie Canal journey first thing tomorrow.

July 9, 2017  Sunday

I’m sad to say that this was our last day on the Hudson River, we have loved being on the Hudson. The sights, sounds, people, and history have made the trip exactly what we had imagined. We have learned so much.

Leaving our marina, we cruised under the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, past Castleton-On-Hudson, past Albany, the capital of NY, and into Troy where we entered the Troy Lock. It was our honor to share the locks with a gaggle of about fifty geese. They were waiting at the lock doors when we arrived and kept us well entertained while we were locking through.

After locking though, we made a left hand turn onto the Mohawk River and tied up to the free dock at Waterford, NY. Waterford was part of the Van Schaick land patent of 1687 and is the oldest incorporated village in the US, having been incorporated in 1794. Sad to leave the Hudson but, excited about experiencing the Erie Canal.

July 8, 2017  Saturday

A relaxed start to the day, the tide change was at 9:54 am so we had time for breakfast and news before casting off at 9:45 am. Traveling under the FDR Mid-Atlantic Bridge and the Walkway Over the Hudson we enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Hudson River as we made our way north; commercial traffic, pleasure boats, stately homes, train whistles, and cliffs. By the end of the day we were amazed that, on a beautiful Saturday, there were no crazies on our section of the river.

Do you love a town that loves cats? If so, you will fall in love with Catskill, NY, a quintessential Hudson River Valley town. Home of the Rip van Winkle Bridge, named after the 1819 short story by Washington Irving, home of Samuel Wilson, the butcher who, according to legend, became known as Uncle Sam, and the home area of Jimmy Fallon. Catskill, named by the Dutch who settled here in the 1600s, means “Kaat’s Creek.”

As we strolled Main Street, we saw a multitude of fiberglass cats. After a little research, we discovered that the cats are used to raise funds for various charities. In its eleventh year, the cats have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities. Each year cats are designed by local artists, placed on display for the summer, and then auctioned off.

Cat’n Around Catskill – 2017

 

July 7, 2017 Friday

The Hudson River is tidal from New York Harbor to Troy, NY, 155 miles upriver. The tide was in our favor at 7:53 this morning, so, we were up at sunrise preparing to leave, which included finding the pump-out station. By 7:45, despite the fog and rain, we were ready to continue up the Hudson. We had traveled the area by car and were was looking forward to the views from the river, unfortunately, our visibility was limited. Pulling into Shadow’s Marina I thought I could wile away the rainy hours reading, but as luck would have it, the sun came out and my afternoon of reading turned into a work afternoon. With a little teamwork, we removed all of the barnacles from our dinghy and polished the stainless steel on Andiamo.

It is the weekend and the crazies were out in force by late afternoon. Even though we were in a no-wake zone, they tossed us around as if we were rubber ducky. Objects were flying like crazy, we had to secure our cabin as though we were at sea. Once their playing was over, we enjoyed a lovely evening watching the sunset, the moon rise, and the lights coming on the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Mid-Atlantic Bridge. Opened August 25, 1930, this bridge is the oldest bridge over the Hudson River south of Albany.

July 6, 2017    Thursday

Life is never simple, we should have received Rick’s new phone yesterday but complications were such that there was no one at the marina that could sign for the package. This morning he called the local Federal Express and they said his package would be waiting for him at their office. He drove 15 miles to Elmsford, New York to pick up his new phone, however, when he arrived they could not find the package. Finally, they had found the package but would not let him have it because the address on his driver’s licenses did not match the address of the marina, go figure. An hour and a half later he finally left with his package.

As we all know, most gray clouds have a silver lining, after running errands and returning the rental car we returned to the marina to meet fellow loopers aboard m/v Donna Mae and m/v Tango Papa. At docktails, we had a great time sharing tall tales with Derek, Lori, Tom and Paula on Donna Mae. Great people with lots of humor, we are still laughing at their stories.

Another beautiful sunset!

July 5, 2017, Thursday

We took the train to Grand Central Station to spend a fun-packed day in the city. A stroll down Broadway, lunch at Trattoria Trecolori, entertainment at the Gershwin theater and a walk in Central Park.

The Broadway play Wicked is hilariously funny and extremely thought-provoking. It powerfully shows how the reaction of people to news can change the course of history.  What a clever twist on the Wizard of Oz. Loved it!

July 4, 2017  Wednesday

Flying on Walkway Over the Hudson

Happy 241st Birthday to the USA