Today we left Ilion, NY just after 6:00am. We took the lead through a very foggy canal. Our boat fog horn was set to go off every two minutes, just in case a boat was approaching from the other direction. We were traveling with 4 other boats. After the sun broke through the fog it turned out to be a beautiful day.
We are currently at Sylvan Beach, NY staying on a free wall. No water or electric, but the temps have gone down, so no problem. Tomorrow we hope to cross Onieda Lake. It is shallow and about 28 miles across. That means waves can get bad. Those of you on Lake Winnebago know what we're talking about. Only went through 4 locks today. Makes for a lot easier day of travel.
The following pictures are from a fellow looper that stayed overnight at the first Erie Canal wall. It is not easy to get great pictures of our boat like these. Thanks Tom!
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Tuesday
June 13, 2017
We have been moving so fast, it has been difficult to post. Also, the WiFi has been terrible. We left the Albany Yacht Club on Sunday, June 11, and headed west on the Erie Canal. What an experience. The first five locks were one after another, without a breather in-between. Some loopers looked down at us as we waited for the water to fill in the lock. They stated we would need a drink after that day. We made it through 7 locks and stayed the night at Schenectady Yacht Club in Rexford, NY.
The next morning we left before seven and headed through eight more locks and 53 miles to St. Johnsville Marina. That was another exhausting, almost 9 hour, day.
Today we took it easy and went through 3 locks to the small town of Ilion, NY. Here we toured the Remington museum. That was really cool!
The Erie Canal is really beautiful, but we expected more small towns and docks to stop at. There is very limited dockage so far. There were a lot of beautiful anchorages on the Mississippi river system. Here we haven't passed any. Good thing the marinas we have visited are very inexpensive compared to the New Jersey coast.
Two other loopers traveling the canal with us.
The reflection early in the morning was magnificent.
We took the lead on day two with 3 looper boats following us.
Here we are sitting in a lock. This debris shows you what high water does to the canal.
Elwood has his lifejacket on waiting for the next lock. We all wear our lifejackets in the locks.
This is a Guard Gate. It comes down to keep too much water from flowing down to the Hudson River.
Waiting to get into Lock 17 on the Erie Canal. This is the only lock in the United States that raises up above the boats which then pass under it. The only other one we know of is in Canada.
Everybody's in and the door comes down...
Lock 17 flooding...
Just as Joell was taking a picture of the geese family, Mike sped up. He had slowed down to a crawl as 3 different geese families crossed the Erie Canal. Didn't know he was so nice, did you?
Friday, June 9, 2017
Friday
June 9th, 2017
From the Catskill Marina we headed further up the Hudson to the Albany Yacht Club. We are currently holding up in Albany until Sunday, June 11th. Part of the Erie Canal has closed, due to flooding, until this afternoon and the Oswego canal is closed until later this weekend. We don't want to leave yet, due to the many boats also waiting upstream from us. It is a huge backlog of boats. We are able to see those waiting at the locks by use of a lock cam. Pretty cool! Many of the loopers are stuck between the locks. We are lucky to be at a very nice place, with very friendly people.
The Raymarine Vhf Radio isn't receiving or transmitting well anymore...it was sent to Raymarine for repair before leaving on the loop...
Pulled the Vhf radio that we had in the salon and installed it under the dash with the help of the electrical technician Elwood...
Received and Transmits fine now...
Thanks Elwood...
A lighthouse we passed just before the Albany Yacht Club
Before
and
After
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Tuesday
June 6, 2017
Rondout Yacht Basin was remote and we were in need of provisions, so we left Rondout yesterday and headed another 20 miles to the Catskill Marina in Catskill, NY. Here we went to the wonderful Walmart and stocked up (used to avoid Walmart). Joell also went to a salon and got her hair cut. We are preparing for Canada. We will be leaving Catskill tomorrow and heading to Albany.
Another cool light house.
Joell was driving past this tow and barge. She used to be worried about passing them, but is becoming used to them now.
Mike is reading the manual for our VHS radio. We had to bring the vhf radio from our salon up to the flybridge. The one on the flybridge was having transmit and receive issues, which were the same problems when running with La Linda out on Lake Michigan before we started the Great Loop. We sent the Ray-Marine radio in for repair and has failed again... Were now using a nice Uniden Vhf...
Elwood is getting bored with Mike reading the manual to him.
Mike and Larry waiting for the grill to warm up.
Mike and Larry still waiting for the grill to warm up.
Our boat is on the left. Myron's boat is in the middle and Larry's boat is on the right.
Look at all the plush green trees and grass.
Now Mike is starting a bon fire.
Myron is helping Mike.
When the three amigos get together anything can happen.
They are cooking up something.
Joell still doesn't know what their cooking up....
Joell, mix yourself a drink....
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Sunday
June 4, 2017
We left New York city yesterday and headed up the Hudson River. After passing under the Washington Bridge the entire scenery changed. We enter the 300 to 500-foot thickly wooded Palisades. It is a striking series of cliffs named after its visual similarity to old, wooden barrier fortifications. So difficult to describe, you must see for yourself. Hopefully our pictures will help.
The next two pictures are of West Point.
The next few pictures are of Bannerman's Castle. Francis Bannerman VI was born in 1851, in Dundee, Scotland and emigrated to the United States with his parents. They started a military surplus business near the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1867. They outfitted volunteers for the Spanish-American War. Francis Bannerman purchased the island in 1900, for use as a storage facility for his growing surplus business. The building looks like a castle but is really his arsenal. In 1920, tons of shells and powder stored in the arsenal exploded and destroyed a large portion of the complex, but you can still imagine how it looked by what is left.
South side of island
North side of island
Beautiful lighthouse just before we reached Kingston, NY. We are staying at the Rondout Yacht Basin for at least one night. If the forecasted rain comes, we will stay longer.
Kingston was previously the capital of New York. It was burned to the ground by the British, in 1777.
WE ARE NOW OUT OF SALT WATER!!!!!! TIDAL WATER CONTINUES TO TROY.
