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.
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