New York's Finger Lakes

We have spent the past several days hovering around Syracuse where we will be flying from on July 1 to attend a family reunion in Iowa. That is providing an opportunity to check out Cayuga and Seneca Lakes that are accessible from the canal system.

Heading West

As we headed west from Brewerton, NY we proceeded through lock 23 and then passed the entrance to the Oswego River which we will use to get to Lake Ontario on our way to Canada in just a few weeks. We needed to go though much of this section of the Erie Canal at idle speed because of the many boat docks and homes along the way. 

Our original plan was to tie up along the canal wall at Baldwinsville but the Lockmaster at Lock 24, which is right in Baldwinsville, told us all the spaces were taken because of a Saturday night concert across from the wall on Paper Mill Island. There are not many places for a larger boat to tie up in this area so we decided to proceed on another 9 miles to Cross Lake where we could anchor for the night. At this stop, we took down the fly-bridge canvas to get our height down below 16 feet since we will be soon be going under the lowest bridges that we will experience in the entire Great Loop.

In the morning we continued on west where we exited the Erie Canal for the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and then to Lock CS1. Cayuga is very shallow at the north end and very deep elsewhere. There are tall hills on either side of the lake and the area is known for its vineyards. We traveled on to Cayuga Lake where we found very few places able to accommodate a boat our size. We eased into soft mud and weeds at on marina that we tried to enter. Taking a quick look at the charts, we decided to go on to Ithaca where we were able to get in to the state park there.
Ithaca, NY

At Ithaca, Deb and Mike rented a car to explore the parks in the area. At the Robert H. Treman State Park we hiked some of the water falls. What a site to behold and what a workout!

 At Taughannock Falls State Park we were able to see the tallest waterfall in New York. At this point we decided against hiking to the base because we had a wonderful view from above.

Since we had a car we were able to do a proper supply run. We mentioned Wegman's in a previous post. From what we are used to downstate, these grocery stores are fantastic. We encountered our first Wegman's in Williamsport, PA where Maggie went to college. These stores not only have everything, they have a
lot of varieties of everything! The picture to the left is JUST the chips isle! 

Also, at Ithaca we we able to see the play "I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti." That was a lot of fun.

In total we stayed at Ithaca three nights. The marina park personnel were very pleasant. 

Seneca Falls, NY

Next we moved 30 miles north to the top of the lake and then continued west. In that stretch of the C&S canal are the lowest bridges of the trip until we leave Chicago, southbound, on the Illinois River in a few years. Carousel with the canvas, antennas, and radar mast down is about 14.5 feet. The bridges here are at 16

feet. Even though we were sure we were down to the right size, we were still very cautious going under these bridges and it always looks way closer than it actually is. For the first one, we floated gently under the bridge with engines in idle and Mike was able to confirm the height with a tape measure in one hand and the shift levers in the other in case we needed to stop and reverse. The picture to the right is of Don ducking slightly under one bridge.

We arrived at Locks CS 2 &3 which is a back-to-back lock that lifts about 50 feet. This was the first double lock for us but by this time we were pretty rehearsed at going through locks on the NY Canal System. We were quite anxious about locks only a few weeks ago but now it all seems pretty routine. Just beyond this double lock is Seneca Falls, our next stop. This town is full of history. The tie-up wall is right by the town museum. Seneca Falls boasts a lot of inventions from when it was a hub of industrial activity.  Now, the town struggles under the upstate economy which is aggravated by the ridiculous cost of doing business in New York. 

We were able to find the ice cream shop pretty quickly. While we have been having cooler weather, the temperatures have been creeping towards the 90's so ice cream hit the spot. Seneca Falls also claims to be the home of Women's Rights. We attended a short tour at the small National Park recognizing this fact. 

We also caught up with the local Harbor Hosts with the America's Great Loop Cruisers Association. These are volunteers along the way that have a great deal of local information and can offer all sorts of help. We had spoken to them on the phone a few days earlier but here, in Seneca Falls, they found us and brought along a bottle of local wine. We got some great advice on Seneca Lake and where to anchor in Cross Lake on our trip back to Brewerton. 

There are also rental canal boats in this part of the system. These are reminiscent of historic canal boats and can be rented for 3,4, or 7 days.

Seneca Falls also claims to be the inspiration for Bedford Falls, the town in "It's a Wonderful Life." Deb and Mike went to the museum dedicated to the movie. The town has it all, including the bridge that was an inspiration for the movie where somebody did actually save a life after a fall.

OH! and we found a GREAT pizza place!

Seneca Lake

From Seneca Falls, we moved on west towards Seneca Lake and Watkins Glen where we stayed at the Village Marina which is a County Park. Mike and Deb walked over to the nearby Super

Walmart (it seems we are always missing something in the boat's stores). For this trip, we used our fold-able wagon for the first time. It is about the size of a childhood red wagon but it folds down to a package about 8 inches thick and about 18x24 inches. I'm sure that it will be a great help in provisioning along the way.

We took an interesting boat tour on the lake and we learned that a tremendous amount of salt mining goes on here with some of the deepest vertical shaft mines in the world. Now they pump lake water into the caverns and draw the salt out of the water that comes back out. It does confuse me a bit why that is OK in NY but fracking is not. We also saw the 2nd tallest waterfall in the state - Hector Falls.

We spent two days at Watkins Glen and sampled some of the local cuisine (Southern BBQ). We watched several sailboats stepping their masts and preparing to go to Lake Ontario.

Our trip back covered the same territory with our next night back in Seneca Falls.  At this point we basically had 4 days to do two days worth of travel so the distances were short.  We took advantage of that great spot the Harbor Hosts had told us about in Cross Lake. We watched fishermen, eagles, Great Blue Herons, and other wildlife in a peaceful setting. The only down side is that we were having the hottest day of the summer so far. Seeing no need to rough it,  Mike ran the generator and the air conditioning on board until about midnight when the temperature came down to the mid 70's.

One of the pleasures aboard, when we are not sampling local cuisine or ice cream, is cooking and eating aboard. We haven't done much home cooking the past few years so it is nice to get back in the swing. I'm sure we are eating healthier now!

Baldwinsville, NY

By leaving around 10am, we were able to motor for a few hours to get back to Baldwinsville just about lunch time. There was really only one space left on the wall for a boat our size and we slipped right in. There was a short C&W concert which we enjoyed at the amphitheater on Paper Mill Island.

Returning the next day on June 29th to Brewerton, we were able to pick up our mail that had been shipped to us and pick up several Amazon boxes that were waiting. Most of the Amazon shipments were for maintenance supplies and spares that were becoming more import now with full time use of Carousel. Since we had use of Don and Sammie's car, we also took on filling our propane tanks and catching up with laundry. Carousel's varnish had not been cared for yet this year so some sanding and varnishing was in order. Carousel is now ready for the next leg of our adventure when we return from Iowa on July 5th.

We had a wonderful lake perch and walleye dinner right along the canal in Brewerton to celebrate Deb's parents' last night aboard. Our first leg of the adventure has come to an end and they will be returning to Florida.  Deb will be losing her valuable crew member, but her Dad has provide lots of helpful tips which will be quite useful when she is the single crew for the boat, especially making that first line secure in the locks!

Tomorrow, we will leave Carousel in the capable care of the Ess Kay Boatyard staff and fly to Keosauqua in southern Iowa. Maggie will be flying separately from Buffalo and join us for the triennial Hervey Family Reunion.  We are looking forward to spending time with her and our Hervey aunts, uncles and cousins while celebrating the birth of our nation.  Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Albany to Brewerton New York

First of all, my apologies for not posting more frequently. We really haven't gotten into the routine yet. That being said, I am making no promises for better performance.

Life Aboard

Generally, we are still working out some of the kinks of living aboard. These include figuring out where we stashed stuff that we know we brought along, watching out for when groceries are getting low, watching the refrigerator temperatures, and maintaining one or two things each day.

Deb has been making some fantastic meals aboard and I'm sure that is good for our health as we wean ourselves from a steady diet of restaurant food.

We both have been able to continue doing a little revenue work as we have gone along and it has not yet interfered with our schedule. It is a very nice perk to be able to be doing this and still have some fresh income.

Our mail from Long Island and from our Florida home is being forwarded to a service that caters to boaters. They scan the envelop and we can look at that image daily. We can then choose to have them open the mail and scan it, hold if for sending to a place of our choice upon request, or shred the item. So far that has worked our very well and we are able to keep up on those nasty bills that have not gone away.

At Albany,  we had to lower our short mast yo meet the height restrictions of the canals. That means that we don't have RADAR, wind, and some of the weather information. Surprisingly, even though the GPS is on the mast and now pointed backward instead of up, we still have GPS service.

We believe that we are well situated for internet. We have a high power access point with a 1.5 foot antenna that feeds Carousel's internal wifi system. With this we can reach fairly distant public wifi systems. Failing that, we have a cellular modem on board that connects through the Verizon system.

The house in NY has still not sold. We are not really getting anxious yet, but it would be really nice to get that behind us.

Entering The New York Canal System

The canal system starts just north of Albany, at Troy, after the Federal Lock. That lock is not part of the NY system as it is still in Federal tidal waters. Yes, the tide comes all the way up to Albany! Well, we had a lot of anxiety about our first lock. The locking procedure involves calling the Lockmaster on the marine VHF radio with the boat name and direction of travel. It is pretty unusual that the lock is immediately ready so there is usually a wait. At some point the lock doors will open and, after the any boats going the opposite direction leave the lock, a green light will come on to let you know it is ok to enter. At that point, the crew needs to snag either pipes or lines that hang down the sides of the lock. Using the pipes or lines the crew holds the boat to the wall as best as is possible (no small feet given they are trying to hold 14+ tons of boat (Deb and Don are getting a full body workout at each lock!). Sometimes there is quite a bit of turbulence as the lock fills. We struggled quite a bit with that first lock but we made it though just fine. The boat locking through with us, but just behind us, could not hold themselves against the turbulence and ended up using their motor and thrusters to hold position in the center of the lock. It clearly rattled them as they put out their anchor right after exiting the lock. 

Soon after the Federal lock, the NY canal system begins with a choice to continue north to Lake Champlain through the Champlain Canal or head east on the Erie.

Waterford, N Y

Getting beyond that first lock on June 13, Mike's birthday, was pretty much our mission for the day. We tied up at the town wall in Waterford, NY.  Like most small towns in NY, there are signs everywhere of the economic drain that as afflicted upstate NY for the last two decades. However, they have a nice visitor's center and a fairly healthy downtown. We took advantage of the stop to get off the boat and walk around a bit and then contribute to the local economy by getting our first restaurant meal in several days. Our boat was tied up literally right in front of our next nemesis, our first low bridge and Erie Canal Lock #2!  We also saw our first signs of the original Erie Canal while at Waterford. We climbed to the top of Lock 2 and looked back down on Carousel.

On the 14th we started out for locks 2-6. The first 4 locks are close together and make up the largest total lift, over 165 feet, on the canal system. In fact, this sequence of locks is the largest lift in the shortest distance, only 1.5 miles, of any system in the world. We departed Waterford with two other boats, No Schedule ahead of us and Copper Penny behind. All lined up, we watched the lock empty to take us in. Once in, we grabbed a pipe mid-ships and a line aft. There was quite a bit of turbulence. But by the time we finished the Waterford flight we were feeling much better about locks.

Scotia, NY

We left No Schedule and Copper Penny at Scotia, NY. Along the way we came to know that I-90 and the Conrail main line follow the canal and sometimes are quite close. However, in Scotia, both were far away from the canal and we found a peaceful tie-up on the town dock. We also got an extra treat as the US Water Ski Team was practicing right in front of us! The town dock was part of a very nice park, and there was a very good old-fashion drive-in restaurant in walking distance with great ice cream. Readers of this blog will come to understand that ice cream is a great tradition on board Carousel.

The next day we proceeded along to Lock 12 at Schoharie Crossing for lunch. Deb and Mike walked over to the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site which is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Erie Canal as one of the 19th century's greatest commercial and engineering projects. Within the site's boundaries are many structures dating from the three eras of the canal's development. The site's largest structure is the remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the water of the 2nd Erie Canal over the Schoharie Creek.

The condition of the canal ranges from poor to good. Along the canal we have seen canal workers maintaining the system with all of the efficiency that you would expect from a 150 year old state agency. They have a wide range of sizes of tugs, some looking more like a mini-pleasure craft than a work vessel. Strangely, they seem to have all of the blue and gold paint in the world for their own equipment. Interestingly, the New York Canal Corporation is a subsidiary of the New York Tollway Authority. The wonders of state government never cease to amaze.

Except for the canal workers and a few other "looper" boats, we normally saw very little other traffic along the Erie Canal. However, in this stretch, we did meet up with the Grand Mariner, a canal and Great Lakes cruise ship that runs a route from Chicago to Warren, RI. Mike had a quick conversation with the pilot on VHF channel 13 where they agreed to a port-to-port passing and all was well. As we went past, we noticed that the exercise area appears to be on the rear of the ship and we had a good laugh about the possibility that the bicyclists were actually powering the propellers.

Saint Johnsville, NY

We landed at the Saint Johnsville Municipal Marina for the evening. There is not much in the town but, importantly, there was a grocery store (shown in the picture). this is a small mom and pop store built adjacent to the family home - very similar to Deb's great grandmother's house and East Side Grocery in Galena.  Their slogan is "Big enough to serve you, yet small enough to know you!" Our stores were running a bit low and we needed to stock up on meats and lunch items. The marina is attached to a canal-side campground and together they may be the largest business in town. However, we did find out from other boaters that the walk to the Stewart's Convenience store would yield excellent local-brand ice cream! Also, for railroad fans, this is quite a site. The 2 track Conrail mainline goes right through the town a short block from the marina. During the evening, an impressive number of trains came through at high speed every 5-10 minutes, including the main line for Amtrak from NYC to the west. Luckily, they were not all that noisy as the rail was in good condition without joints so they trains just glided on by.

Each day we were running about 30 nautical miles - that would be 4-6 hours - depending on the speed of the locks and any other slow-down. The speed limit of the canal in this section is 10 mph. On the following day, we ran up to lock 20 behind Dauntless, a boat built in Ohio but crewed by a couple from Sidney, Australia. This particular lock is a pretty good lift so the entrance is at the bottom of the lock under a concrete  wall. We tied up on the high side wall for the evening near the State's work boats where we were also able to plug in to their 50 amp electric service at no charge. Finally something free from the State!

Lake Oneida and Brewerton, NY

As we approached Lake Oneida we experienced our first "drop" lock. We started at sea level in New York City and were only a few feet above that in Troy and the Federal Lock. At Waterford we were at 16 ft above sea level and we had lifted to 420 feet at Lock 21. Now we began our descent into Lake Ontario which is at about 352 feet elevation. Pretty quickly we were at Lake Oneida where we anchored off of the beach for lunch before proceeding to Brewerton. Carousel's engines had been running at idle or lightly loaded for a few days so they really appreciated pushing the throttle on the lake (and the Captain enjoyed being able to go full throttle as well)!

We had arranged for a slip at Ess Kay marina in Brewerton where we received our first

package of forwarded mail and a few Amazon items that we needed along the way. We had also pre-positioned Don and Sammie's car there for our their departure on July 1, so we had transportation to get us to major shopping. We restocked supplies (thoroughly enjoying having a Wegman's nearby - more on Wegman's in a future post), cleaned the boat, and met up with No Schedule and Copper Penny who had gone on ahead of us several days before. Brewerton also has the cheapest marine diesel fuel in New York so it was time to tank up!

Next: New York's Finger Lakes

Greenport to Albany New York

Leaving Long Island

Since we had sold our car in NY and Don and Sammie's car had been pre-positioned in Syracuse for

the end of the month, we had been using a rental car. for our last day, that involved an elaborate plan of getting the last minute grocery stocking completed, driving to Riverhead to return the rental car, having the rental agency drop Mike at the Riverhead train station, and taking the only one of two LIRR trains back to Greenport that day.

We were able to finish stocking the boat on time and with some of the new cargo not yet fully stored, we left our marina of 15 years mid-day on June 3. It was an odd feeling to radio the marina the last time and report that we were permanently leaving our dock.

We had a pretty good day running from Greenport to our first stop in Port Jefferson. Naturally, we have visited Port Jefferson many times by land and a few times by ferry. However, it is always a better experience to approach a town by water. We stayed at Danford's - they could not have been more accommodating. The weather forecast the next day promised rain so we stayed at Port Jefferson an extra day to let the weather safely pass. While at Port Jefferson we were able to walk around a bit, mail some last minute postage, and, of course, sample the goods at the ice cream shop. Deb and her mom took advantage of the best Tea Room on Long Island to enjoy afternoon tea together at the Secret Garden.

June 6th took us to the anchorage at Oyster Bay, NY. The harbor at Oyster Bay is a nice slow cruise through fishermen harvesting clams from the bottom, beautiful homes, and boats of all sizes. We shared a huge anchorage with only one other boat. Our 73 pound Rocna anchor buried deep in the mud overnight and it took over 20 minutes in the morning to lift the anchor and clean the chain.

New York City

June 7th we entered New York City! What an amazing way to travel through the City! Of course, the skyline is visible for many miles upon the approach, just heightening the anticipation. That anticipation included timing the transit through Hell Gate at slack current to avoid the notorious currents through the narrow channel of the East River, expecting to meet commercial traffic in the crowded river, and confusing navigation. Our experience could not have been any more different! We hit Hell Gate right at the best time for the current, we met only a few commercial boats and they were all very friendly and helpful on the radio, and the navigation was clear and straight forward.  Going past LaGuardia Airport with the planes approaching directly overhead and taking off and landing in rapid succession was impressive. 

Turning towards Manhattan, the first impression was that of a looming concrete and steel canyon but soon we were able to pick out familiar buildings and see architecture that you cannot see from the New York streets.The amount of new building and reconstruction that can be seen from the river was amazing! For the most part, we had a leisurely cruise past Manhattan, taking plenty of time to take in the sites. When we began to approach Lower Manhattan the activity took on a whole new dimension. In that area the NY Waterway boats were darting from point to point, the yellow and black water taxis were going back and forth,  the famous Staten Island Ferry was loading and unloading  at the
ferry terminal, and helicopters were taking off and landing at the heliport.  It was busy but everybody was sticking to the navigation rules and all was well. 

As we approached New York Harbor we were able to break from our slow crawl through New York and exercise Carousel's twin Caterpillar 3208TA 435hp engines and come up to full throttle to safely move across the harbor towards our planned anchorage behind the Statue of Liberty at Liberty State Park. It was a fantastic privilege to slow down and do a close pass of the Statue with views better than any harbor tour boat. Our anchorage was amazingly quiet considering the location. From that tree-lined vantage point, we were able to see the back of the Statue through the trees behind us and the amazing works at the New Jersey docks ahead of us. On the morning of the 8th we battled the muddy slime of the bottom of New York Harbor when raising our anchor. We took a slow, close pass by the Statue and Ellis Island before proceeding up the Hudson River.

Heading Up the Hudson

We picked a convenient spot in the middle of the Hudson with the morning water taxis and ferries moving back and forth between NY and NJ, claimed it as ours, proceeded past Lower Manhattan, Chelsea Pier, the Intrepid Museum, and towards the George Washington Bridge. For the past few years, every time we crossed over the GW we commented that soon we would be crossing under. Now, with Deb's parents on board, June 8th was our day!

On our way to our next stay at Croton-on-Hudson we passed under the very very interesting construction site of the new Tappan Zee bridge.

We used a planned two day stop at Croton-on-Hudson to rent a car to go to the Culinary Insistent of America for a French style dinner and visit Eleanor Roosevelt's Val Kill home, The Roosevelt Hyde Park estate, and the Hyde Park Vanderbilt home. Upon returning to Croton-on-Hudson, we took a detour to find the beautiful Croton Dam, a water reservoir for New York City. While at Croton,  a northwest wind pounded waves into the harbor and the boats were bouncing and tugging at their lines for the two days.

For June 11, we found a peaceful anchorage on our way up the river at Esopus Creek beside the town of Saugerties, NY. We put our anchor down right in the middle of the creek and lay quietly as the wind continued on the river. We timed an early departure so that we would get to our next stop on June 11 at the Albany Yacht Club just ahead of some oncoming thunderstorms. Unfortunately, probably because of global warming :), the forecast was about 1-2 hours off and we arrived in Albany at the peak of the storm. Don and Deb got drenched getting us tied to dock. 

For June 12, anxious to get up the river 9 miles to the first lock of the canal, we decided to stay at dock for the day to let a system pass that promised gusts up to 45 mph. The extra day at dock afforded us the ability to re-stock a few groceries, do laundry and tour the Crailo House - the home built by the family after which the city of Rensselaer is named.  They provide a very good guided tour where we learned much more about the Dutch settlers both in New Amsterdam and the Caribbean.

Arriving at Albany, we have traveled 230 miles on the Long Island Sound, East River, New York Harbor, and the Hudson River. Hopefully, on June 13, Mike's birthday, we will be getting through our first lock into the New York canals.

The Great Escape

After years of planning and months of working to get ready for starting the Loop, the last day in our NY house has come. So, alarm systems are turned on and security cameras are up and running. Deb has been working tirelessly to get the house ready for the market and getting rid of our life-long accumulation of stuff. Deb’s parents, who will be joining us on the first leg of the trip, have also been a tremendous help over the past month.  We have been a little handicapped in getting some work done this past week since a week ago when we posted Deb’s car on line and had a buyer in 10 minutes.  Now, if we could just get an offer on the house! 

Maggie’s stuff is going into a shipping container today for eventual delivery to Buffalo where she starts her new job next week. Now we really have to go since the beds have are being packed! Some of Maggie's stuff was delivered upstate earlier in the week when Deb and her mom, Sammie Lou Green, delivered the Green's car to Syracuse to pre-position it for the beginning of July when we will drop the Green’s off to drive home to Florida and we will move on into the Great Lakes. They flew back to JFK from Syracuse last night.

We have spent the last few weeks saying our good-byes to our NY friends. Deb’s Girl Scout Service Unit gave her a terrific send-off celebration and our friends at Commack United Methodist Church did the same for us. We have been wrapping up our obligations with both organizations. Mainly, that is the hard part about leaving. 

Mike's last day of full time employment is today. Both Mike and Deb have been asked by their companies to continue to support them from time to time on an hourly basis. It is a great opportunity but we will have to see how much that intrudes on our new life style.

Getting Carousel ready for the trip has also been a focus of our attention. She is now properly registered in her new home state, Florida. We started last fall with a long list of seasonal commissioning and preventive maintenance for her. However, it has been difficult to focus the engine mechanic on anything preventive in nature as his business has grown a bit out of his capacity to address anything but urgent work. He is very good and has been trying very hard but we have some items on the list that will have to be completed as we get time along the way. Hopefully we will not be sorry for that decision. Incidentally, the staff at Brewer Stirling Harbor Marina, where we have been customers for over 13 years, have been fantastic in accommodating our temporary status this year in the harbor.

Earlier this week Deb’s dad, Don Green, and Mike ran a supply mission to Carousel. There is an amazing amount for storage aboard Carousel but we seem determined to carry way too much stuff. Hopefully we can do a better job of sorting out and removing some stuff as we proceed. The first run of provisions has been loaded and stored. Another run for meat, veggies, and fruit will come aboard just before our planned departure tomorrow, June 4.

Our target is to make that departure around mid-day after the early morning grocery run, squaring up with the marina, and returning our rental car. We will then be heading towards New York City but may have a rainy day to deal with on Sunday. 

Our rough plan for the next few days is to work our way down Long Island Sound, probably stopping for a night at anchor along the way, continue towards NYC, travel under the Whitestone and Throngsneck Bridges, and then battle the current at Hell's Gate to spend a night behind the Statue of Liberty before moving up the Hudson River.

More to come...