I am forced to change the posts of my blog because of the lack of time to due each day & the limited frequency of internet connections. Graeme & I checked into WiFi antenna before we left Ottawa & every possible spot during this journey, but to no avail. Some sailors we have met got their's through the internet. This is one suggestion I would make to increase the ability to connect to the internet.
Sept. 24-- leaving Castleton-on-Hudson today at noon. We had some excitement at the masting crane just before we were ot leave; a gentleman who was masting his boat may have been having a heart attack when my services were called for. Parameds were called & I did convince him to go with them to hospital. Another gorgeous day, sunny & the tide is going with us. Destination is Athens (15.1nm), a shallow anchorage, but protected. It is sure different anchoring with tide & current opposite the wind direction.
Sept. 25--heavy fog in the am but soon dissipated, then sunny with a light cloud cover, but by eve rain clouds, & increased winds & river chop at are destination Newburgh-Beacon. Distance travelled today was a long 51.4nm. Anchoring again tricky because of high tide & current opposite the wind . A rock 'n rolling night.
Sept. 26--grey & rainy (+++ at times), & gusty winds & heavy river chop which made up-anchoring difficult. We tried upping sails today, but good for only short time. Motored past West Point, a US Military Academy, past some spectacular Appalachian Mountains to our night anchorage destination, Haverstraw Bay, a distance of 18.2nm.
Sorry, but pictures will need to be posted at another time when I have time to learn & the connection to do so.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Tues. Sept. 23, 2008
I'm starting to sound redundant--prefect day for the jobs at hand. I got a powerwalk in before the last masting started. Everyone for the rest of the day were busy rigging, tuning installing sails & all those jobs we take weeks to do at each Spring. That's right, all must be done in less than 24 hrs. 'Sweet Chariot' must feel she has been through a 'haulout' shortly followed by a 'launch' in a matter of 6 week period. I got to thinking how much nicer it is to see our boats look like sailboats again. When I look at others waiting to mast today, I thought we must have looked like chuckwagons on water for 10 days. It also was laundry day today as well. That's right, we are at Castleton-on-Hudson for one more night. We will be pushing on towards The Big Apple tomorrow.
Mon. Sept. 22, 2008
It's a beautiful morning, ah, ha! Beach Boys' song right. Truly, it is & an early one at that. All 4 of us ( Sweet Chariot, Waterparke, Celtic Cross & Sandcastle) are on the move at 0700. We are approaching Lock 1 which is a Federal Lock; no one knows why. There is no charge. We enter tha lock at 0750 & are out at 0805, & motor on down the Hudson passing Troy on the east bank & Watervleit on the west. Soon Albany is in sight & down at the harbourfront we see a tall ship & naval destroyer. The river depth is 20-45 ft. Water temp. is 20C. At about 1130 we are at Castleton-on-Hudson, a distance of 16.2nm where we plan to step the mast, lower the dinghy from the bow deck, put on sails & tune the rigging. A very busy spot; there were 3 other boats that had use of the crane before us. Three of us got done by dusk; the 4th will be done the next am at 0800. At this location you can mast yourself fo $50.00. We also pumped out for the first time (free) & fuelled up (diesel-$5.00 per gallon x 14 gallons); mooring out on balls on the west side of the river is $5.00 per night, were as we decided to tie up at dockside (space was very limited) for $49.50 taxes in; this will probably be our last time for a while so we are taking advantage of this kind of luxury.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sun. Sept. 21, 2008
Control yourselves; another quiet day with the Parkinsons; this excerpt should be short. I attended a nice R.C. Mass at 0800 at the corner on Broad St. & Fifth; lovely organ music & good choir. I treated us to making a bacon, eggs & toast breakfast. I must admit though, we certainly are not suffering because of meals. Sure it takes almost all day to do meals, dishes & laundry. But whose in a hurry, right?! My third shower in a row. But I think that is coming to an end. A small market is set up on the walk along dockside each Sunday until October from 1000 till 1400. Walked for 11/2 hrs. over the bridge from Waterford to Troy , back, & down to the library which actually is open on Sun. from 1300 to 1600. On returning to the boat worked on more emails & my blog until 1800; I am caught up except for the picture attachments! Still need to learn how to do that.
We are moving on tomorrow to Castleton-on-Hudson when we will be masting, setting up the boom & sails & sticking the dinghy in the water. I won't know what to do with all that deck room! Karen & Warren from 'Sandcastle' ( a couple from T.O. we met at Brewerton) will be joining our 3-some as long as possible; I personally welcome that. We handed in our shower key & said 'good-bye' to the gentleman we have seen frequently volunteering at the Welcome Centre. That's it for now!
We are moving on tomorrow to Castleton-on-Hudson when we will be masting, setting up the boom & sails & sticking the dinghy in the water. I won't know what to do with all that deck room! Karen & Warren from 'Sandcastle' ( a couple from T.O. we met at Brewerton) will be joining our 3-some as long as possible; I personally welcome that. We handed in our shower key & said 'good-bye' to the gentleman we have seen frequently volunteering at the Welcome Centre. That's it for now!
Sat. Sept. 20, 2008
A morning to sleep in; but who wants to miss the sight of the mist on the water at dawn! Another magnificent, sunny day with little breeze. I did my weight & stretch program today & had yet another shower--2 in a row! We walked to Hannaford for a few groceries especially fruit, then along Broad St., there main street, on over to the west side of the canal & back to the boat. I did some laundry at the Laundromat (on Fourth & Broad St.); believe it or not that is my first experience. There are front load & top load washers + dryers opened from 0600 till 2200. This is a day to do some emailing & start my blog if that is possible & while I have internet access.
Fri. Sept. 19, 2008
Fri. Sept. 19, 2008
The sun was just showing its radiant face at about 0615 & mist was rising off the water when I did my powerwalk along the Canalway Trail. The temp is only 36F, no wind & again another brilliant sunny & cloudless, blue sky. Through Lock 8 (Scotia) at 0750 to 0805, then ENE & then SE. Lock 8 to 7 (Niskayuna-28 ft.) 11 mi. at 0945 to 0955
Lock 7 to 6 (Waterford-33 ft.) 11 mi. at 1135 to 1150 through Guard Gate #2 then #1
Lock 6 to 5 (Waterford-33.25 ft.) .23 mi. at 1153 to 1210
Lock 5 to 4 (Waterford-34.5 ft.) .16 mi. at 1212 to 1233
Lock 4 to 3 (Waterford-35 ft.) .6 mi. at 1243 to 1255
Lock 3 to 2 (Waterford-33 ft.) .28 mi. at 1305 to 1315-- this is our destination till Mon. am. Busy location on a Friday.
Welcome Centre is right at dockside. They have WiFi access, Captain Bob Cruise Books, but none left at this time of the year for the one's we need for the Oswego & Erie Canals & a second book through to Florida. You register at the desk & you purchase a key for the shower for $5.00 that is refundable on returning. There is free 48 hr. dockage then $10.00 per day, washrooms, free shore power, free water, & pump out for ?$1.00. There are lots of facilities at this location--grocery shopping at Hannaford (best) & Price Chopper, Shop Rite Pharmacy, restaurants, laundry facilities with internet access, library, Churches. Boy that for real shower felt good!
The sun was just showing its radiant face at about 0615 & mist was rising off the water when I did my powerwalk along the Canalway Trail. The temp is only 36F, no wind & again another brilliant sunny & cloudless, blue sky. Through Lock 8 (Scotia) at 0750 to 0805, then ENE & then SE. Lock 8 to 7 (Niskayuna-28 ft.) 11 mi. at 0945 to 0955
Lock 7 to 6 (Waterford-33 ft.) 11 mi. at 1135 to 1150 through Guard Gate #2 then #1
Lock 6 to 5 (Waterford-33.25 ft.) .23 mi. at 1153 to 1210
Lock 5 to 4 (Waterford-34.5 ft.) .16 mi. at 1212 to 1233
Lock 4 to 3 (Waterford-35 ft.) .6 mi. at 1243 to 1255
Lock 3 to 2 (Waterford-33 ft.) .28 mi. at 1305 to 1315-- this is our destination till Mon. am. Busy location on a Friday.
Welcome Centre is right at dockside. They have WiFi access, Captain Bob Cruise Books, but none left at this time of the year for the one's we need for the Oswego & Erie Canals & a second book through to Florida. You register at the desk & you purchase a key for the shower for $5.00 that is refundable on returning. There is free 48 hr. dockage then $10.00 per day, washrooms, free shore power, free water, & pump out for ?$1.00. There are lots of facilities at this location--grocery shopping at Hannaford (best) & Price Chopper, Shop Rite Pharmacy, restaurants, laundry facilities with internet access, library, Churches. Boy that for real shower felt good!
Thurs. Sept. 18, 2008
Thurs. Sept. 18, 2008
It was another cool night & early am mist on the water at dawn. I will intersperse my workouts to include weights & stretches starting this am. On through Lock 15 (8ft) at 0740 to 0755. The Erie Canal runs along a major highway & through the Adirondacks in a mostly SE direction. We meant to bring a road map to follow our course in relation to the surrounding area.
Lock 15 to 14 (Canajoharie-8ft.) 7 mi. at 0830 to 0840
Lock 14 to 13 (Randall) 4 mi. at 0955 to 1010
Lock 13 to 12 (Tribes Hill) 10 mi. at 1145 to 1205; Lock Master is a stickler. The very first lock master who sold us our pass put the '7' month instead of '9' & this guy was making a big deal of it. We were warned about him by the previous lock master. We nearly took out our GPS antenna because he did not stop the lock lowering & would not hold on any lines but insisted on the boat's registration #.
Lock 12 to 11 (Amsterdam-12ft.) 5 mi. at 1250 to 1305
Lock 11 to 10 (Cranesville) 4 mi. at 1340 to 1350
Lock 10 to 9 (Rotterdam-15 ft.) 6 mi. at 1450 to 1510
Lock 9 to 8 (Scotia) 5 mi. at 1600; staying there the night. No facilities here. No interrnet connection. Another cool night predicted with frost in some areas.
Distance:35.3 mi. Canal depth: 14-18 ft.
It was another cool night & early am mist on the water at dawn. I will intersperse my workouts to include weights & stretches starting this am. On through Lock 15 (8ft) at 0740 to 0755. The Erie Canal runs along a major highway & through the Adirondacks in a mostly SE direction. We meant to bring a road map to follow our course in relation to the surrounding area.
Lock 15 to 14 (Canajoharie-8ft.) 7 mi. at 0830 to 0840
Lock 14 to 13 (Randall) 4 mi. at 0955 to 1010
Lock 13 to 12 (Tribes Hill) 10 mi. at 1145 to 1205; Lock Master is a stickler. The very first lock master who sold us our pass put the '7' month instead of '9' & this guy was making a big deal of it. We were warned about him by the previous lock master. We nearly took out our GPS antenna because he did not stop the lock lowering & would not hold on any lines but insisted on the boat's registration #.
Lock 12 to 11 (Amsterdam-12ft.) 5 mi. at 1250 to 1305
Lock 11 to 10 (Cranesville) 4 mi. at 1340 to 1350
Lock 10 to 9 (Rotterdam-15 ft.) 6 mi. at 1450 to 1510
Lock 9 to 8 (Scotia) 5 mi. at 1600; staying there the night. No facilities here. No interrnet connection. Another cool night predicted with frost in some areas.
Distance:35.3 mi. Canal depth: 14-18 ft.
Wed. Sept. 17, 2008
Happy 59th Anninversary to my parents! Also it's my birthday. It seems though that this is a very melancholy day for me. Although I am happy to be doing this trip, I have a lot of sadness in my heart. For one, I am not with my family on this occasion. In fact, usually at this time of the year we are celebrating 3 anniversaries & 4 birthdays. Secondly, respect for one another, their knowledge & even their inadequacies is imperative & essential. This holds true in everyday life, not just for an event as this. This adventure is a further test though. I believe & try to live everyday as the old cliche says: do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.
Wed. Sept. 17, 2008
It's a cool 50F am; so donned a long-sleeve T, tights & a track suit for my powerwalk along the Canalway Trail. There is extensive fog also; I hope I capture the fog rolling off the water in my photos. We pass through Lock 20 from 0835 to 0855. Including this lock, all the locks become 'down' locks. Once again today the scenery is same as yesterday-- miles of trees & shrubs that are showing their Fall colours; mostly the Fall shade of green, but some reds & golds. The sky is absolutely cloudless, brilliant blue; & the sun is glowing. Lock 20 (Whitesboro) -- 0835 to 0855 .
Lock 20 to Lock 19 (Frankfort) 10 mi.-- 1025 to 1055
Lock 19 to 18 (Jacksonburg) 12 mi.--1255 to1310
Lock 18 to 17 (Little Falls) 4 mi.--1340 to 1410; very warm temp now
Lock 17 to 16 (Fort Plain) 7 mi.--1650; not enough time to make next lock
Distance: 34.7 mi. Canal depth: 10-18 ft.
Good facilities in little town of Fort Plain walking via the Canalway Trail-- library, grocerystore, Family Dollar, hardware store, restaurants, & laundry facilities.
Wed. Sept. 17, 2008
It's a cool 50F am; so donned a long-sleeve T, tights & a track suit for my powerwalk along the Canalway Trail. There is extensive fog also; I hope I capture the fog rolling off the water in my photos. We pass through Lock 20 from 0835 to 0855. Including this lock, all the locks become 'down' locks. Once again today the scenery is same as yesterday-- miles of trees & shrubs that are showing their Fall colours; mostly the Fall shade of green, but some reds & golds. The sky is absolutely cloudless, brilliant blue; & the sun is glowing. Lock 20 (Whitesboro) -- 0835 to 0855 .
Lock 20 to Lock 19 (Frankfort) 10 mi.-- 1025 to 1055
Lock 19 to 18 (Jacksonburg) 12 mi.--1255 to1310
Lock 18 to 17 (Little Falls) 4 mi.--1340 to 1410; very warm temp now
Lock 17 to 16 (Fort Plain) 7 mi.--1650; not enough time to make next lock
Distance: 34.7 mi. Canal depth: 10-18 ft.
Good facilities in little town of Fort Plain walking via the Canalway Trail-- library, grocerystore, Family Dollar, hardware store, restaurants, & laundry facilities.
Tues. Sept. 16, 2008
Tues. Sept. 16, 2008
Well we are bound to have a longer day; this is it. We left Brewerton at 0745 & entered the Erie Canal System at Lock 23, then onto Lake Oneida, a crossing of 29 mi. to Sylvan Beach at 5.5knots x 31/2 hrs. in a ESE direction. The Lake is calm; there is no chop, no wind. It is sunny with a few clouds in the am & increasing clouds late in the pm. There is some pretty impressive homes at Sylvan Beach where we pass Lock 22 at 1215, then 1 mi. further through Lock 21 (both New London, N.Y.); zebra mussels are covering the concrete wall & as we are being lowered the mussels are squirting liquid out at us. We push on 18 mi. past Rome & Utica to Lock 20 (Whitesboro) stopping there at 1600; all along this stretch we can see a cleaning up operation of fallen trees & a bike path (all part of the 260mi. of the N.Y. Canalway Trail). I could have biked this faster than motoring! In fact I could have biked from lock to lock. We tied up on the west side concrete wall just before Lock 20. On the east side there are floating docks, but the tie up are to mean-looking steel posts; also sheltered picnic tables, washrooms, & garbage cans (not always present). Distance covered=40.9 nm. Canal depth: 12-19 ft. I feel that I'm starting to get into a groove & a routine; I actually powerwalked at 0650 when the sun was poking its head up. Now to keep the discipline & keep it up.
Well we are bound to have a longer day; this is it. We left Brewerton at 0745 & entered the Erie Canal System at Lock 23, then onto Lake Oneida, a crossing of 29 mi. to Sylvan Beach at 5.5knots x 31/2 hrs. in a ESE direction. The Lake is calm; there is no chop, no wind. It is sunny with a few clouds in the am & increasing clouds late in the pm. There is some pretty impressive homes at Sylvan Beach where we pass Lock 22 at 1215, then 1 mi. further through Lock 21 (both New London, N.Y.); zebra mussels are covering the concrete wall & as we are being lowered the mussels are squirting liquid out at us. We push on 18 mi. past Rome & Utica to Lock 20 (Whitesboro) stopping there at 1600; all along this stretch we can see a cleaning up operation of fallen trees & a bike path (all part of the 260mi. of the N.Y. Canalway Trail). I could have biked this faster than motoring! In fact I could have biked from lock to lock. We tied up on the west side concrete wall just before Lock 20. On the east side there are floating docks, but the tie up are to mean-looking steel posts; also sheltered picnic tables, washrooms, & garbage cans (not always present). Distance covered=40.9 nm. Canal depth: 12-19 ft. I feel that I'm starting to get into a groove & a routine; I actually powerwalked at 0650 when the sun was poking its head up. Now to keep the discipline & keep it up.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Mon. Sept. 15, 2008
Mon. Sept. 15, 2008
Despite the weather, Sweet Chariot slept well. Others up during the night taking or lashing 'things' down, adding more lines to tie down. While having breakfast & listening to the radio, learnt that 'Ike' peaked at 0300 & caused damage in some areas, downed trees & power outages; many schools closed; winds had gusted to 60 mph. We were moored on the east wall immediately after Lock 2 & seemed to have been blown onto the wall. We did discover in the am that we were all covered with leaves & twigs; the humidity of the previous day brought out these small, round bodied bugs that left purple stains on the fiberglass & the boat cushions, some of which we haven't been able to remove. The morning is grey & cloudy, & light rain, but the winds have died right down; the humidity has dissipated. At 0930 we are on our 10 mi. trek to Lock 1-- the last of the Oswego Canal & enter the Erie Canal System at Lock 23 at Onondaga, close to Syracuse. Again saw huge beautiful homes with nicely landscaped lawns right down to the water's edge; some downed & uprooted trees after Lock 23 & lots of herons, ducks, jumping fish, hence quite a few fishermen. Electricity out at some spots on the east shore. Breeze remains light; day is still cloudy & grey with on & off misty light rain. Canal water temp is 23C; depth= 16-19 ft. At Brewerton Boatyard (westside) we fuelled up, watered up (free) & facilities to pump out, then proceeded to tie up on the concrete wall just passed the bridge on the west shore; a short day (7.9 mi.) Met an number of Canadian boaters at this location. There is a library 1 block away where I did some internetting ie contacting my family for the first time; also adequate shopping facilities. Brewerton is at the mouth of Lake Oneida; apparently it is quite choppy today, but better weather is predicted for tomorrow & the next few days; here's hoping.
Despite the weather, Sweet Chariot slept well. Others up during the night taking or lashing 'things' down, adding more lines to tie down. While having breakfast & listening to the radio, learnt that 'Ike' peaked at 0300 & caused damage in some areas, downed trees & power outages; many schools closed; winds had gusted to 60 mph. We were moored on the east wall immediately after Lock 2 & seemed to have been blown onto the wall. We did discover in the am that we were all covered with leaves & twigs; the humidity of the previous day brought out these small, round bodied bugs that left purple stains on the fiberglass & the boat cushions, some of which we haven't been able to remove. The morning is grey & cloudy, & light rain, but the winds have died right down; the humidity has dissipated. At 0930 we are on our 10 mi. trek to Lock 1-- the last of the Oswego Canal & enter the Erie Canal System at Lock 23 at Onondaga, close to Syracuse. Again saw huge beautiful homes with nicely landscaped lawns right down to the water's edge; some downed & uprooted trees after Lock 23 & lots of herons, ducks, jumping fish, hence quite a few fishermen. Electricity out at some spots on the east shore. Breeze remains light; day is still cloudy & grey with on & off misty light rain. Canal water temp is 23C; depth= 16-19 ft. At Brewerton Boatyard (westside) we fuelled up, watered up (free) & facilities to pump out, then proceeded to tie up on the concrete wall just passed the bridge on the west shore; a short day (7.9 mi.) Met an number of Canadian boaters at this location. There is a library 1 block away where I did some internetting ie contacting my family for the first time; also adequate shopping facilities. Brewerton is at the mouth of Lake Oneida; apparently it is quite choppy today, but better weather is predicted for tomorrow & the next few days; here's hoping.
Sun. Sept. 14, 2008
Sun. Sept. 14, 2008
Wow! A good night sleep! There is nothing better than being rocked to sleep in a sailboat. This is not a joke; I'm serious. After a simple breakfast we entered eastbound Lock 8 of the Oswego Canal System at 0830. We purchased a 10-day pass at the price of $37.50 for a vessel > 29 ft. but under 40 ft. from the Lock Master. We learnt with some difficulty how to handle locking; went sideways for a bit, but quickly corrected ourselves; good thing we were the only boat in the lock. Each lock takes approx. 20 minutes to clear; most are weighted ropes while some are pipes. We improved with each lock. Once we met up with the other travellers, we continued for 1/2 mi. to Lock 7, then 4 mi. to Lock 6 (all Oswego), on to Lock 5 (Minetto), no Lock 4, 6 mi. to Lock 3, & finally 1/2 mi. to Lock 2 (both Fulton, N.Y.) at 1315 where we tied up for the night; canal depth about 14-19ft.; these are all 'up' locks. This part of the canal is lined with lots of open greenspace, beautiful large expensive well-manicured lawned homes to RV homes & cottages. The cloud cover burnt off & the day became very sunny, humid & hot (90F)! We took the idea from local teens & had a very refreshing swim & wash up in the canal. The water according to a local is clean. High winds & rain predicted for tonight because of 'Ike'; one wouldn't imagine after such a fine day. Sure enough, at 2400 the winds picked up considerably; gusty & rain associated with the weather system.
Wow! A good night sleep! There is nothing better than being rocked to sleep in a sailboat. This is not a joke; I'm serious. After a simple breakfast we entered eastbound Lock 8 of the Oswego Canal System at 0830. We purchased a 10-day pass at the price of $37.50 for a vessel > 29 ft. but under 40 ft. from the Lock Master. We learnt with some difficulty how to handle locking; went sideways for a bit, but quickly corrected ourselves; good thing we were the only boat in the lock. Each lock takes approx. 20 minutes to clear; most are weighted ropes while some are pipes. We improved with each lock. Once we met up with the other travellers, we continued for 1/2 mi. to Lock 7, then 4 mi. to Lock 6 (all Oswego), on to Lock 5 (Minetto), no Lock 4, 6 mi. to Lock 3, & finally 1/2 mi. to Lock 2 (both Fulton, N.Y.) at 1315 where we tied up for the night; canal depth about 14-19ft.; these are all 'up' locks. This part of the canal is lined with lots of open greenspace, beautiful large expensive well-manicured lawned homes to RV homes & cottages. The cloud cover burnt off & the day became very sunny, humid & hot (90F)! We took the idea from local teens & had a very refreshing swim & wash up in the canal. The water according to a local is clean. High winds & rain predicted for tonight because of 'Ike'; one wouldn't imagine after such a fine day. Sure enough, at 2400 the winds picked up considerably; gusty & rain associated with the weather system.
Week 1: Sat. Sept. 13, 2008 to Fri. Sept. 19, 2008
Sat. Sept. 13, 2008
It's 0100 & we are now leaving Ottawa again for Collin's Bay. But this is it --- our departure day. Shannon, our house sitter, arrived Fri. night & we had a few hours of chatting & last minute instructions & question period. Graeme caught a couple of hours sleep, but I had to keep going as I still had last minute preparations. I'm still uptight about leaving; I'm terribly worried about my Dad & Mom. As we are driving to Collin's Bay, I'm still downloading photos onto CD's just in case I lose them somewhere along the way because of circumstances I have no control over.
We got to Collin's Bay at 0330; if has been raining; it's warm, foggy. Our 0500 departure is delayed as the visibility out the channel is poor. I catch a few winks until 0625. Dawn is breaking, the fine, misty rain has stopped, & Cherry & Doug escort 'Sweet Chariot', 'Celtic Cross' & 'Waterparke' out as far as about the middle of Lake Ontario. The wind is light but enough for Doug to put his sails up on his Cal '38. We are jealous as we have mast, boom, dinghy, water jugs, fuel jugs & tank on deck. Moving from stern to bow is some feat. There is a little rolling action of the Lake as the sun was rising; took Gravol 25mg just to be safe, then the rest of the day was very calm, slight breeze from the NE, sunny with a very thin cover of cloud (the kind that can foul you & you get a terrible sunburn. The house flies are numerous & biting & very annoying. Water temp is 21.5C. Lake depth >500 ft. Motoring along at 5.5 knots, arriving at Oswego at 1530 -- the last to arrive & clear customs via a video telephone. Instructions from the customs officer is that we do not need a cruising permit because Graeme is American, but we need a 'Decal'. Two phone numbers & website given proved ineffective so decided to forget it until someone asks. At 1655 we hailed the Oswego Canal Lock Master of Lock 8 but the lock closes at 1700 so no locking today. We tied up at the Muncipal Dock on the east side where there is a $20.00 fee to be paid at a self-serve kiosk; we could not find this kiosk so did not bother. We walked around to just passed Lock 8 where Ian & Parke were tied up, had a celebratory champagne drink compliments of the Godfrey's. Maureen, I'm saving my bottle for that appropriate sunset experience as you said. It was an early night when we hit the sack since neither of us had little to no sleep.
Sun. Sept. 14, 2008
Wow! A good night sleep! There is nothing better than being rocked to sleep in a sailboat. This is not a joke; I'm serious. After a simple breakfast we entered eastbound Lock 8 of the Oswego Canal System at 0830. We purchased a 10-day pass at the price of $37.50 for a vessel > 29 ft. but under 40 ft. from the Lock Master. We learnt with some difficulty how to handle locking; went sideways for a bit, but quickly corrected ourselves; good thing we were the only boat in the lock. Each lock takes approx. 20 minutes to clear; most are weighted ropes while some are pipes. We improved with each lock. Once we met up with the other travellers, we continued for 1/2 mi. to Lock 7, then 4 mi. to Lock 6 (all Oswego), on to Lock 5 (Minetto), no Lock 4, 6 mi. to Lock 3, & finally 1/2 mi. to Lock 2 (both Fulton, N.Y.) at 1315 where we tied up for the night; canal depth about 14-19ft.; these are all 'up' locks. This part of the canal is lined with lots of open greenspace, beautiful large expensive well-manicured lawned homes to RV homes & cottages. The cloud cover burnt off & the day became very sunny, humid & hot (90F)! We took the idea from local teens & had a very refreshing swim & wash up in the canal. The water according to a local is clean. High winds & rain predicted for tonight because of 'Ike'; one wouldn't imagine after such a fine day. Sure enough, at 2400 the winds picked up considerably; gusty & rain associated with the weather system.
Mon. Sept. 15, 2008
Despite the weather, Sweet Chariot slept well. Others up during the night taking or lashing 'things' down, adding more lines to tie down. While having breakfast & listening to the radio, learnt that 'Ike' peaked at 0300 & caused damage in some areas, downed trees & power outages; many schools closed; winds had gusted to 60 mph. We were moored on the east wall immediately after Lock 2 & seemed to have been blown onto the wall. We did discover in the am that we were all covered with leaves & twigs; the humidity of the previous day brought out these small, round bodied bugs that left purple stains on the fiberglass & the boat cushions, some of which we haven't been able to remove. The morning is grey & cloudy, & light rain, but the winds have died right down; the humidity has dissipated. At 0930 we are on our 10 mi. trek to Lock 1-- the last of the Oswego Canal & enter the Erie Canal System at Lock 23 at Onondaga, close to Syracuse. Again saw huge beautiful homes with nicely landscaped lawns right down to the water's edge; some downed & uprooted trees after Lock 23 & lots of herons, ducks, jumping fish, hence quite a few fishermen. Electricity out at some spots on the east shore. Breeze remains light; day is still cloudy & grey with on & off misty light rain. Canal water temp is 23C; depth= 16-19 ft. At Brewerton Boatyard (westside) we fuelled up, watered up (free) & facilities to pump out, then proceeded to tie up on the concrete wall just passed the bridge on the west shore; a short day (7.9 mi.) Met an number of Canadian boaters at this location. There is a library 1 block away where I did some internetting ie contacting my family for the first time; also adequate shopping facilities. Brewerton is at the mouth of Lake Oneida; apparently it is quite choppy today, but better weather is predicted for tomorrow & the next few days; here's hoping.
Tues. Sept. 16, 2008
Well we are bound to have a longer day; this is it. We left Brewerton at 0745 & entered the Erie Canal System at Lock 23, then onto Lake Oneida, a crossing of 29 mi. to Sylvan Beach at 5.5knots x 31/2 hrs. in a ESE direction. The Lake is calm; there is no chop, no wind. It is sunny with a few clouds in the am & increasing clouds late in the pm. There is some pretty impressive homes at Sylvan Beach where we pass Lock 22 at 1215, then 1 mi. further through Lock 21 (both New London, N.Y.); zebra mussels are covering the concrete wall & as we are being lowered the mussels are squirting liquid out at us. We push on 18 mi. past Rome & Utica to Lock 20 (Whitesboro) stopping there at 1600; all along this stretch we can see a cleaning up operation of fallen trees & a bike path (all part of the 260mi. of the N.Y. Canalway Trail). I could have biked this faster than motoring! In fact I could have biked from lock to lock. We tied up on the west side concrete wall just before Lock 20. On the east side there are floating docks, but the tie up are to mean-looking steel posts; also sheltered picnic tables, washrooms, & garbage cans (not always present). Distance covered=40.9 nm. Canal depth: 12-19 ft. I feel that I'm starting to get into a groove & a routine; I actually powerwalked at 0650 when the sun was poking its head up. Now to keep the discipline & keep it up.
Wed. Sept. 17, 2008
It's a cool 50F am; so donned a long-sleeve T, tights & a track suit for my powerwalk along the Canalway Trail. There is extensive fog also; I hope I capture the fog rolling off the water in my photos. We pass through Lock 20 from 0835 to 0855. Including this lock, all the locks become 'down' locks. Once again today the scenery is same as yesterday-- miles of trees & shrubs that are showing their Fall colours; mostly the Fall shade of green, but some reds & golds. The sky is absolutely cloudless, brilliant blue; & the sun is glowing. Lock 20 (Whitesboro) -- 0835 to 0855 .
Lock 20 to Lock 19 (Frankfort) 10 mi.-- 1025 to 1055
Lock 19 to 18 (Jacksonburg) 12 mi.--1255 to1310
Lock 18 to 17 (Little Falls) 4 mi.--1340 to 1410; very warm temp now
Lock 17 to 16 (Fort Plain) 7 mi.--1650; not enough time to make next lock
Distance: 34.7 mi. Canal depth: 10-18 ft.
Good facilities in little town of Fort Plain walking via the Canalway Trail-- library, grocerystore, Family Dollar, hardware store, restaurants, & laundry facilities.
Thurs. Sept. 18, 2008
It was another cool night & early am mist on the water at dawn. I will intersperse my workouts to include weights & stretches starting this am. On through Lock 15 (8ft) at 0740 to 0755. The Erie Canal runs along a major highway & through the Adirondacks in a mostly SE direction. We meant to bring a road map to follow our course in relation to the surrounding area.
Lock 15 to 14 (Canajoharie-8ft.) 7 mi. at 0830 to 0840
Lock 14 to 13 (Randall) 4 mi. at 0955 to 1010
Lock 13 to 12 (Tribes Hill) 10 mi. at 1145 to 1205; Lock Master is a stickler. The very first lock master who sold us our pass put the '7' month instead of '9' & this guy was making a big deal of it. We were warned about him by the previous lock master. We nearly took out our GPS antenna because he did not stop the lock lowering & would not hold on any lines but insisted on the boat's registration #.
Lock 12 to 11 (Amsterdam-12ft.) 5 mi. at 1250 to 1305
Lock 11 to 10 (Cranesville) 4 mi. at 1340 to 1350
Lock 10 to 9 (Rotterdam-15 ft.) 6 mi. at 1450 to 1510
Lock 9 to 8 (Scotia) 5 mi. at 1600; staying there the night. No facilities here. No interrnet connection. Another cool night predicted with frost in some areas.
Distance:35.3 mi. Canal depth: 14-18 ft.
Fri. Sept. 19, 2008
The sun was just showing its radiant face at about 0615 & mist was rising off the water when I did my powerwalk along the Canalway Trail. The temp is only 36F, no wind & again another brilliant sunny & cloudless, blue sky. Through Lock 8 (Scotia) at 0750 to 0805, then ENE & then SE. Lock 8 to 7 (Niskayuna-28 ft.) 11 mi. at 0945 to 0955
Lock 7 to 6 (Waterford-33 ft.) 11 mi. at 1135 to 1150 through Guard Gate #2 then #1
Lock 6 to 5 (Waterford-33.25 ft.) .23 mi. at 1153 to 1210
Lock 5 to 4 (Waterford-34.5 ft.) .16 mi. at 1212 to 1233
Lock 4 to 3 (Waterford-35 ft.) .6 mi. at 1243 to 1255
Lock 3 to 2 (Waterford-33 ft.) .28 mi. at 1305 to 1315-- this is our destination till Mon. am. Busy location on a Friday.
Welcome Centre is right at dockside. They have WiFi access, Captain Bob Cruise Books, but none left at this time of the year for the one's we need for the Oswego & Erie Canals & a second book through to Florida. You register at the desk & you purchase a key for the shower for $5.00 that is refundable on returning. There is free 48 hr. dockage then $10.00 per day, washrooms, free shore power, free water, & pump out for ?$1.00. There are lots of facilities at this location--grocery shopping at Hannaford (best) & Price Chopper, Shop Rite Pharmacy, restaurants, laundry facilities with internet access, library, Churches. Boy that for real shower felt good!
It's 0100 & we are now leaving Ottawa again for Collin's Bay. But this is it --- our departure day. Shannon, our house sitter, arrived Fri. night & we had a few hours of chatting & last minute instructions & question period. Graeme caught a couple of hours sleep, but I had to keep going as I still had last minute preparations. I'm still uptight about leaving; I'm terribly worried about my Dad & Mom. As we are driving to Collin's Bay, I'm still downloading photos onto CD's just in case I lose them somewhere along the way because of circumstances I have no control over.
We got to Collin's Bay at 0330; if has been raining; it's warm, foggy. Our 0500 departure is delayed as the visibility out the channel is poor. I catch a few winks until 0625. Dawn is breaking, the fine, misty rain has stopped, & Cherry & Doug escort 'Sweet Chariot', 'Celtic Cross' & 'Waterparke' out as far as about the middle of Lake Ontario. The wind is light but enough for Doug to put his sails up on his Cal '38. We are jealous as we have mast, boom, dinghy, water jugs, fuel jugs & tank on deck. Moving from stern to bow is some feat. There is a little rolling action of the Lake as the sun was rising; took Gravol 25mg just to be safe, then the rest of the day was very calm, slight breeze from the NE, sunny with a very thin cover of cloud (the kind that can foul you & you get a terrible sunburn. The house flies are numerous & biting & very annoying. Water temp is 21.5C. Lake depth >500 ft. Motoring along at 5.5 knots, arriving at Oswego at 1530 -- the last to arrive & clear customs via a video telephone. Instructions from the customs officer is that we do not need a cruising permit because Graeme is American, but we need a 'Decal'. Two phone numbers & website given proved ineffective so decided to forget it until someone asks. At 1655 we hailed the Oswego Canal Lock Master of Lock 8 but the lock closes at 1700 so no locking today. We tied up at the Muncipal Dock on the east side where there is a $20.00 fee to be paid at a self-serve kiosk; we could not find this kiosk so did not bother. We walked around to just passed Lock 8 where Ian & Parke were tied up, had a celebratory champagne drink compliments of the Godfrey's. Maureen, I'm saving my bottle for that appropriate sunset experience as you said. It was an early night when we hit the sack since neither of us had little to no sleep.
Sun. Sept. 14, 2008
Wow! A good night sleep! There is nothing better than being rocked to sleep in a sailboat. This is not a joke; I'm serious. After a simple breakfast we entered eastbound Lock 8 of the Oswego Canal System at 0830. We purchased a 10-day pass at the price of $37.50 for a vessel > 29 ft. but under 40 ft. from the Lock Master. We learnt with some difficulty how to handle locking; went sideways for a bit, but quickly corrected ourselves; good thing we were the only boat in the lock. Each lock takes approx. 20 minutes to clear; most are weighted ropes while some are pipes. We improved with each lock. Once we met up with the other travellers, we continued for 1/2 mi. to Lock 7, then 4 mi. to Lock 6 (all Oswego), on to Lock 5 (Minetto), no Lock 4, 6 mi. to Lock 3, & finally 1/2 mi. to Lock 2 (both Fulton, N.Y.) at 1315 where we tied up for the night; canal depth about 14-19ft.; these are all 'up' locks. This part of the canal is lined with lots of open greenspace, beautiful large expensive well-manicured lawned homes to RV homes & cottages. The cloud cover burnt off & the day became very sunny, humid & hot (90F)! We took the idea from local teens & had a very refreshing swim & wash up in the canal. The water according to a local is clean. High winds & rain predicted for tonight because of 'Ike'; one wouldn't imagine after such a fine day. Sure enough, at 2400 the winds picked up considerably; gusty & rain associated with the weather system.
Mon. Sept. 15, 2008
Despite the weather, Sweet Chariot slept well. Others up during the night taking or lashing 'things' down, adding more lines to tie down. While having breakfast & listening to the radio, learnt that 'Ike' peaked at 0300 & caused damage in some areas, downed trees & power outages; many schools closed; winds had gusted to 60 mph. We were moored on the east wall immediately after Lock 2 & seemed to have been blown onto the wall. We did discover in the am that we were all covered with leaves & twigs; the humidity of the previous day brought out these small, round bodied bugs that left purple stains on the fiberglass & the boat cushions, some of which we haven't been able to remove. The morning is grey & cloudy, & light rain, but the winds have died right down; the humidity has dissipated. At 0930 we are on our 10 mi. trek to Lock 1-- the last of the Oswego Canal & enter the Erie Canal System at Lock 23 at Onondaga, close to Syracuse. Again saw huge beautiful homes with nicely landscaped lawns right down to the water's edge; some downed & uprooted trees after Lock 23 & lots of herons, ducks, jumping fish, hence quite a few fishermen. Electricity out at some spots on the east shore. Breeze remains light; day is still cloudy & grey with on & off misty light rain. Canal water temp is 23C; depth= 16-19 ft. At Brewerton Boatyard (westside) we fuelled up, watered up (free) & facilities to pump out, then proceeded to tie up on the concrete wall just passed the bridge on the west shore; a short day (7.9 mi.) Met an number of Canadian boaters at this location. There is a library 1 block away where I did some internetting ie contacting my family for the first time; also adequate shopping facilities. Brewerton is at the mouth of Lake Oneida; apparently it is quite choppy today, but better weather is predicted for tomorrow & the next few days; here's hoping.
Tues. Sept. 16, 2008
Well we are bound to have a longer day; this is it. We left Brewerton at 0745 & entered the Erie Canal System at Lock 23, then onto Lake Oneida, a crossing of 29 mi. to Sylvan Beach at 5.5knots x 31/2 hrs. in a ESE direction. The Lake is calm; there is no chop, no wind. It is sunny with a few clouds in the am & increasing clouds late in the pm. There is some pretty impressive homes at Sylvan Beach where we pass Lock 22 at 1215, then 1 mi. further through Lock 21 (both New London, N.Y.); zebra mussels are covering the concrete wall & as we are being lowered the mussels are squirting liquid out at us. We push on 18 mi. past Rome & Utica to Lock 20 (Whitesboro) stopping there at 1600; all along this stretch we can see a cleaning up operation of fallen trees & a bike path (all part of the 260mi. of the N.Y. Canalway Trail). I could have biked this faster than motoring! In fact I could have biked from lock to lock. We tied up on the west side concrete wall just before Lock 20. On the east side there are floating docks, but the tie up are to mean-looking steel posts; also sheltered picnic tables, washrooms, & garbage cans (not always present). Distance covered=40.9 nm. Canal depth: 12-19 ft. I feel that I'm starting to get into a groove & a routine; I actually powerwalked at 0650 when the sun was poking its head up. Now to keep the discipline & keep it up.
Wed. Sept. 17, 2008
It's a cool 50F am; so donned a long-sleeve T, tights & a track suit for my powerwalk along the Canalway Trail. There is extensive fog also; I hope I capture the fog rolling off the water in my photos. We pass through Lock 20 from 0835 to 0855. Including this lock, all the locks become 'down' locks. Once again today the scenery is same as yesterday-- miles of trees & shrubs that are showing their Fall colours; mostly the Fall shade of green, but some reds & golds. The sky is absolutely cloudless, brilliant blue; & the sun is glowing. Lock 20 (Whitesboro) -- 0835 to 0855 .
Lock 20 to Lock 19 (Frankfort) 10 mi.-- 1025 to 1055
Lock 19 to 18 (Jacksonburg) 12 mi.--1255 to1310
Lock 18 to 17 (Little Falls) 4 mi.--1340 to 1410; very warm temp now
Lock 17 to 16 (Fort Plain) 7 mi.--1650; not enough time to make next lock
Distance: 34.7 mi. Canal depth: 10-18 ft.
Good facilities in little town of Fort Plain walking via the Canalway Trail-- library, grocerystore, Family Dollar, hardware store, restaurants, & laundry facilities.
Thurs. Sept. 18, 2008
It was another cool night & early am mist on the water at dawn. I will intersperse my workouts to include weights & stretches starting this am. On through Lock 15 (8ft) at 0740 to 0755. The Erie Canal runs along a major highway & through the Adirondacks in a mostly SE direction. We meant to bring a road map to follow our course in relation to the surrounding area.
Lock 15 to 14 (Canajoharie-8ft.) 7 mi. at 0830 to 0840
Lock 14 to 13 (Randall) 4 mi. at 0955 to 1010
Lock 13 to 12 (Tribes Hill) 10 mi. at 1145 to 1205; Lock Master is a stickler. The very first lock master who sold us our pass put the '7' month instead of '9' & this guy was making a big deal of it. We were warned about him by the previous lock master. We nearly took out our GPS antenna because he did not stop the lock lowering & would not hold on any lines but insisted on the boat's registration #.
Lock 12 to 11 (Amsterdam-12ft.) 5 mi. at 1250 to 1305
Lock 11 to 10 (Cranesville) 4 mi. at 1340 to 1350
Lock 10 to 9 (Rotterdam-15 ft.) 6 mi. at 1450 to 1510
Lock 9 to 8 (Scotia) 5 mi. at 1600; staying there the night. No facilities here. No interrnet connection. Another cool night predicted with frost in some areas.
Distance:35.3 mi. Canal depth: 14-18 ft.
Fri. Sept. 19, 2008
The sun was just showing its radiant face at about 0615 & mist was rising off the water when I did my powerwalk along the Canalway Trail. The temp is only 36F, no wind & again another brilliant sunny & cloudless, blue sky. Through Lock 8 (Scotia) at 0750 to 0805, then ENE & then SE. Lock 8 to 7 (Niskayuna-28 ft.) 11 mi. at 0945 to 0955
Lock 7 to 6 (Waterford-33 ft.) 11 mi. at 1135 to 1150 through Guard Gate #2 then #1
Lock 6 to 5 (Waterford-33.25 ft.) .23 mi. at 1153 to 1210
Lock 5 to 4 (Waterford-34.5 ft.) .16 mi. at 1212 to 1233
Lock 4 to 3 (Waterford-35 ft.) .6 mi. at 1243 to 1255
Lock 3 to 2 (Waterford-33 ft.) .28 mi. at 1305 to 1315-- this is our destination till Mon. am. Busy location on a Friday.
Welcome Centre is right at dockside. They have WiFi access, Captain Bob Cruise Books, but none left at this time of the year for the one's we need for the Oswego & Erie Canals & a second book through to Florida. You register at the desk & you purchase a key for the shower for $5.00 that is refundable on returning. There is free 48 hr. dockage then $10.00 per day, washrooms, free shore power, free water, & pump out for ?$1.00. There are lots of facilities at this location--grocery shopping at Hannaford (best) & Price Chopper, Shop Rite Pharmacy, restaurants, laundry facilities with internet access, library, Churches. Boy that for real shower felt good!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
The Parkinsons---From Ottawa to the Bahamas 2008
This part of my blog has yet to be composed. See at a later time.
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