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.