The Erie Canal - Lessons in Locking

On June 11, the real work of this journey began as we ventured into the Erie Canal. The work is locking, a steep learning curve for both of us! But we are still alive and thriving at the end of the day, a victory as a journey through the locks can test any partnership (she says lovingly). Photos below will show our journey through the federal lock at Troy, NY, as we made the move to the Mohawk River. We boat-buddied with Wallagrass and our new-found friends Alan and Gary - we learned a lot from them! With bumpers secured on your assigned side (ours was port side), bring your boat in slowly, secure a line around the stabilization cable in closest proximity to mid-ship and hold it (do not tie it off), turn off your engines, and enjoy the ride. Not so bad, we thought. Although the nervous energy was high, we successfully moved up and through Lock E1!

The Erie Canal runs adjacent or through the Mohawk River which empties into Oneida Lake; the canal then continues on to Buffalo and Lake Erie. We will be crossing Oneida Lake and journeying up the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario. Have a look at this link for information about the Canal - very interesting! It is celebrating 200 years of existence this year! https://eriecanalway.org/application/files/1517/1646/9381/ECNHC_Map_and_Guide_2024_LR.pdf

Lock E2, our first Erie Canal lock, is when things began to go sideways. Greg lost power to his port side engine when he tried to put it into reverse - not great when you are trying to creep alongside a lock wall to grab the cable to hold your boat in place as you rise up in the lock. A screenshot of our efforts helps to explain our dilemma :(. The blue line is our track.

Our track in the lock!

Although we did scuff the bowsprit in our approach, we did secure a cable and managed to hold the boat for the lift; the water intake was slightly more turbulent than the last lock. Our false confidence was a little shaken by the time we reached the top. To add to the experience, we were met by US Coast Guard officers asking to board our boat. Everyone was boarded so we didn't feel special, however they were packing! They went over the boat with a fine-toothed comb, filled out a form and wished us well when they disembarked. They were actually two very pleasant young men - very polite and respectful, but still packing!

Lock E3 provided more lessons for the day. Greg handled the boat capably as we entered the lock and we secured the cable with little problem. The lock doors closed and up we ascended. However, the cable we were using in this lock was uncovered wire rope (previous cables were rubber coated) that was folded and clamped to secure it to the upper bolt. As our rope slid upwards we were not fast enough to note that our rope was being caught within the fold tightly - any pulling we did to try to loosen it only made it tighter, pulling our boat over on its port side. The lesson - have a sharp knife ready. I retrieved a meat cleaver from the galley and Greg quickly cut our line, took the helm to start the engines and used the bow thruster to keep the boat off the wall until we could exit the lock.

The next four locks were uneventful - some photos of our time on the Mohawk River.

After an exhausting day of traversing seven locks, our port of call was Schenectady Yacht Club (https://sycontheerie.com). We ended up staying here for a week as upper locks in the canal remained closed due to high water, debris, and ongoing required maintenance of E16-E17. This yacht club, actually situated in Rexford, NY, is full of history - their boat lift is located on the original Erie Canal waterway at the back of the property - and interesting personalities. At best, this club can only be described as rustic but it had everything we needed for our stay - power, water, showers, fuel, pump-out, and laundry. The people in charge bent over backwards to ensure we had a positive experience - Larry, Gail, Jack - to name a few. The Harbour Host, Skipper Jack, gathered many of us together at the barn on our first night for a meet and greet (dock tales). We met others staying at the club, waiting on the reopening of the canal with lots of experiences to share about their own Loop experiences. He also brought us together for a potluck supper on the Friday evening.

Our friends from Wallagrass (Alan and Gary) stayed here for the week as well. Alan, a die-hard Florida Panthers fan, joined Greg as they watched the last three games of the playoffs - he was very happy with the outcome! Alan (from Jupiter,FL) is also a diesel mechanic and was able to help Greg diagnose and fix the reversing motor issue, for which we were very grateful!

During our time in Schenectady, we hpped on our bikes and hit the Erie Canalway Trail that runs alongside the canal throughout the state. I have inserted pictures of the Rexford Aqueduct (old and present) to show how barges crossed the river in the canal waterways. We continued into Schenectady - a very tired city with not much happening. Unfortunately the demise of major manufacturing along the Mohawk River left many cities and towns with not much going for them as their populations left in search of employment.

Another day, we travelled (by Uber) to Saratoga Springs, the site of the Belmont Stakes, third jewel in the Triple Crown of horse racing. The Belmont is normally held at Belmont Park in New York City but updates and renovations to that venue pushed this race to Saratoga for at least three years. We missed the race by a week!! However what an interesting city! We visited the Saratoga Automobile Museum - a very cool Corvette show was on display. Photos below - including a very old Model T.

From here, we walked the main street in Saratoga, taking in some of the sights on our way to the Saratoga Springs History Museum (https://www.saratogahistory.org).

The museum, originally built as a gaming house, then run as the Canfield Casino, is one of the best I have visited. Built to serve the Gilded Age millionaires during their summer vacations, the architecture is stunning. The ballroom and lounge area are original in their entirety. The tour was excellent and the displays on the second and third floors extremely interesting. After our visit, we walked across the street to obtain a glass of water from one of the many springs that Saratoga is famous for; this is where the genteel of that time period came to take the waters for their health and wellbeing. The water was very metallic in taste - not my cup of tea! We went for a beer after this - much better tasting. Saratoga was a great place to visit!

We spent two more nights in Schenectady, then finally were informed that the Erie Canal was reopened, so we were on our way again. Three more locks got us to Amsterdam, NY and a spot 'on the wall' at Riverlink Park. It was a good stop for us as we had power, water, showers and laundry here. Again, another city trying to revive itself so not much to see or do. We did get out on our bikes and have a look around - the most interesting spot was the pedestrian bridge crossing the Mohawk River. Have a look....

I have also included some pictures from the city and the park where the boat was tied up. You can see some of the debris floating in the river caught behind the boat. It was easy to dislodge, but not to lift out of the water. I included two buildings - the canal store was built in the 1800's and used as a canal supply depot; the castle structure, now a boutique hotel, was built in the early 1900's.

After three nights in Amsterdam, we moved on to Little Falls, NY. Another seven lock day, this voyage took us through the infamous E16 and E17, the site of much delay for boaters this year. Some photos of our time on the water with the last seven showing Lock 17 - the approach, being in the lock (see Greg on the end of the rope), some of the other five boats we were locked with, and the departure.

As the locks close by six PM, we were the last boaters to get to Little Falls. We were very grateful that they managed to secure dock space for all of us that night - it was very crowded! We arrived on Saturday, thinking we might stay for two nights. Unfortunately, a fierce storm swept through the region that night (three people were killed due to trees falling on their homes), raising the water levels enough to shut down the locks from E18 to E22. So we stayed four nights through some of the hottest weather we have seen to date. We biked through the town, got groceries, had supper at Gigi's Italian Feast (twice - run by a family with ties to Italy, the food was good, the price was right, and the family went out of their way to ensure great service), and tried to stay cool.

Greg wanted this picture included - his boat in the light!

CowBuoy's Life at the Little Falls Rotary Park Marina.

We took a ride on the Canalway trail to Herkimer House, a house and property with history stretching to wars with the Mohawk Indians. Again, the heat was a limiting factor on how far we travelled but we are glad we made the effort.

Well, the word came on Wednesday evening that the locks would reopen Thursday morning - we were ready! We travelled through five locks - three up and two down - on our way to Sylvan Beach and the end of our portion of the Erie Canal. Lots of dredging was occurring as the silt washout down river was impacting navigation. We still saw so much debris in the water - no major speed records broken getting here!

We are currently docked along the wall (no amenities here) enjoying the cooler weather and relaxing. This is a great family-friendly summer beach community - lots of rentals along the lakefront, lots of restaurants and a huge amusement park.

Nice to visit - but we are eager to move on. We will cross the lake tomorrow and begin our Oswego Canal adventure tomorrow! I will sign off here - until next time!