mvalwayshome

Before we even had our first sip of coffee, folks were already out enjoying the Erie Canal / Mohawk River.  I think it is a hoot that the coach is yelling at the rowers when he is driving a motor boat.  Yes, I know.  The coach can’t do it all.  Just funny so early in the morning.

Rowers in training

Although we were officially on the “Erie Canal”, the Eric Canal intertwines with the Mohawk River.  They are the one and the same from place to place.  Convenient when the Mohawk River is wide and deep enough for boaters.

We left our berth at the yacht club on a cloudy day.  It should brighten up a bit farther on.  We hope.  As long as it doesn’t rain, we can take a cool and cloudy day, anytime!

Schenectady Yacht Club – as we were leaving

We had been seeing “debris” on the Hudson and now on the Erie.  This tree on the side of the river does look more than just a little “debris”, don’t you think?  We are glad it is stuck on the side of the river.  By the way, yesterday, did I tell you that we heard the lock master at lock 7 tell the boat behind us to mind the 4X8 sheet of plywood in the lock?  Really?

Large Debris

Another fun filled day of Locks!  See the dam?  It is holding back some debris.  The door is to the left of the picture.  Between the white boxes.  Wayne has to really work at getting past all the debris and water surges from the dam just to get to the doors!

Approaching Lock 8

We were the only boat in Lock 8.  A great deal less stress when you are the only boat in the lock.  You don’t have to worry about hitting another boat as the water surges into the lock.

You can see the ropes hanging down in this picture. We now have a locking routine that works for us.  What we do is Wayne will guide the boat into the lock.  I will be on the bow and grab the rope with our pole.  Cleat the rope quickly to the bow.  I run back to the stern and grab another rope.  Wayne is still at the helm until he hears me tell him that I have the stern secure.  Which means I am holding onto the rope at the back of the boat.  He then leaves the helm and grabs the first rope that I had cleated to the bow.  We are now holding both ropes.  Generally, holding the boat in place as the water is being pumped into the lock chamber.  This way, Wayne can see when the chamber is completely filled and the doors begin to open.  He can then drop his line and get back to the helm.  He yells at me and I drop my line.  The boat is floating freely again and we motor out of the lock.

Entering Lock 8 – going UP 14 feet

Wall Slime!

All filled up and ready to leave Lock 8.  The good thing about going up, you can watch the water rise and know how much further you will be going up.  Of course, watching the slime crawl up the walls is also a giveaway.

Leaving Lock 8 –

Lock 8 spill way – looks different from the top

Landscape at the top of Lock 8

MV Grand Erie Barge – NY Canal Colors are blue and orange

5 miles up the Erie and we find Lock 9 waiting for us.  Again, we are the only boat in the lock.  The Lock Master at Lock 8 calls Lock 9 and let them know we are coming.  We have seen the doors open and ready for us with no waiting.  That is great communication!

Approaching Lock 9 – spill way to the left

Since we were the only boat in the lock, the Lock Master let the water in pretty fast.  See the water swirling?  It looks like the water is filling from the opposite side of the lock and bouncing off our wall.  Yep, we were being pushed pretty well into our side of the lock.  Glad we have the big 21″ round ball fenders.  They are really doing a great job.

Swirling Water with in the lock 9 – UP 15 feet

Spillway at the top of Lock 9

At the top of Lock 9, we were told to speed up and catch up to the boat ahead of us. We were going to be locking together for Lock 10.  The Lock Master had told them the same thing.  They had waited for us at the top of the lock.

Another 8 miles and Lock 10 is barely a memory.  We must have gone in and out and I didnt get one photo of that lock!  Maybe we were just in a rush to catch up to the other boat?  Or that wall slime… great stuff!

Lock 10 – Wall slime!! and goo – isn’t this how life started millions of years ago?

This is the spillway for Lock 10.  Looks just like the other spillways.

Lock 10 spillway

Notice the debris in the lock with us?  Some of these logs and branches look wicked.

Top of Lock 10

But at the top we find the power company.  I hope they are taking advantage of all the water power cascading over the spillways!!

Adirondack Power and Light

We are now 207 feet taller.  We have gone through Lock 10.  Each time, it seems to get easier.  Practice, practice, practice.  Wait… how many more locks will we go through by the end of the Loop??

We decided with the gray clouds and impending afternoon rain, to pull over and call it a day at Amersterdam River Link Park.  Of course, it drizzled when we were trying to get our lines set and the boat stable.  “Just throw a rope around the cleat and pull us in”.  Of course, I will!  We jockeyed back and forth until we finally moved the boat near a wall stair so we could use the metal stair to get off the boat more easily.  Our first attempt at docking our boat by ourselves.  Normally, we ask for help since Always Home is so tall but no one was around to help.  Guess when the drizzle stopped?  When we were done hooking up the power!!

Amersterday River Link Park

We read that the Erie Canal is closed up ahead from a “Mariner’s Notice” sent out by the NY Canal Corp.  For at least a week.  Too much rain in the north part of the NY state causing high water and lots of debris.  We may be here longer than expected.  Another unavoidable delay?

Today we begin traveling on the Erie Canal!!  The Erie Canal is approximately 338 miles long.  We will not be traveling the entire Erie Canal.  We cannot because our boat is too tall.  We will be turning north at the Oswego Canal to go to Canada at about 155 miles from here in Waterford.  The remaining part of the Erie will take you to Niagara Falls and ultimately to Buffalo, NY.  See the map below.

http://www.canals.ny.gov/maps/index.html

The first 5 locks near Waterford are called the “Waterford Flight”… the first 5 locks move you up over 169 feet in 1.5 miles. “The largest lift of any system in the world in the shortest distance.”   The locks are very close to one another so whomever you begin locking through with, you will lock through to the end of 6. The first 5 locks should take about 1.5 hours.  We are excited…. come along and join us!!

The first lock – # 2  – We have made it to the Erie Canal!!

After all the angst yesterday about the height of the water and would any of the tall boats actually make it without problems, we noticed the water had receded about a foot over night.  If we understand the Mariners Notice from the NY Canal people, we should have about 20feet.  Plenty for us.  We couldn’t wait forever for someone else to take the lead, so we left.  (https://wwwapps.canals.ny.gov/news/notices/ntm.aspx?id=550)

Of course, to be sure, I stood out back like I had done early in our boating travels and watched.  Wayne was confident we could get under this construction mess.  Two things of note…. as we were getting ready to throw our lines we had lots of help. We really appreciated their help.  They also wanted the boats to get closer together so more boats could share the electricity pedestals.  The other fascinating event is the men folk followed us along the marina sidewalk as we boated toward the bridge with the construction panels hanging 3 feet below the underside of the bridge.  The men folk even climbed up the embankment to make sure we had plenty of space.  I did see a thumbs up from at least one of them.  Selfishly, I am sure, they wanted to know IF we could make it, they could also!!

What do you think?  Plenty of space!!?  I took a picture standing on the top of the boat to prove to Wayne we had plenty of room!!  hahaha  I knew it all along!!

Construction workers yelled at me – “22 feet!!” Thumbs up!

Piece of cake!!  We locked through with a sail boat and another Trawler “Sea Tiger III”.  3 boats in the lock and we had plenty of room!

Lock 2 at the Top – UP 33.55 feet!

Literally, these locks are right after one another.  If you look at the sign above you can see that Lock 3 is just a 1/3 of a mile up ahead.  Here it is!!  Open and ready for us.

Entering Lock 3

Hello there!! I am looking UP at the Lock Master.  Or is he looking down at me?

Lock 3 – going UP 33.5 feet

Top of the Lock 3

Tug at the top of Lock 3

Entering Lock 4 ( third lock of the Flight of 5)

Lock 4 – UP another 34.5 feet

These locks have cable that we had latch our mid-cleat to.  Here is Wayne waving at me as he holds our line around the cable.  As the water rushes in below and pushes the boat up, the line (rope) slides along the cable.  Pretty neat.  I am out back making sure our stern doesn’t drift too far off the wall by holding onto a rope the lock has dangling down the side.

Wayne holding the boat steady at the mid-cleat location

We had to wait before we could enter the next lock.  The locks had been open for us up to this point.  There must be a boat coming south?  We patiently waited for the doors to open.

small boat going south from lock 5 –

They look like they are enjoying the Flight of Five as much as we are!

Entering Lock 5 – UP 33.3 feet

On top of Lock 5

Always Home in Lock 6  – UP 33 feet

Guard Gate 2 – after Lock 6

Feels like we are on Top of the World!

We must be approaching lock 7 with the dam next door.  See the swirly foam?  Almost looks like a Latte.  An instant when real life looks like art.

Approaching Lock 7 – UP 27 feet

Lock 7

As we were leaving the lock, Wayne noticed the next mariners to use the lock.  A Mother Duck and her 3 ducklings?  She was paddling toward the lock doors.  I wonder how that works.

Mamma Duck and her 3 babies ready for the ride down 27 feet

We are done with locks for the day.  We stopped at 3pm at the Schenectady Yacht Club that offers a couple of spots for transients.  Glad we made it an early stop.  We were just plain worn out.  The excitement of getting on the Erie Canal.  Working the lines and using their cable and ropes made our muscles sore.  We have many more locks to go through in our near future.  Time to bulk up!

As evening fell, lots of local boaters out enjoying the smooth water.

Evening Rowers along the Mohawk River in Schenectady, NY

Sunset in Schenectady, Ny

Sunset looking down river – Schenectady, NY

We had a pretty good night for our first night “on the hook” so to speak.  The first time we have not connected to a 50Amp receptacle.  Thank goodness it was a very cool night.  We opened the windows and allowed the cool 60’s breeze waft through the master cabin.

Waterford Visitor Center Sign

We were able to move Always Home down the concrete wall and get one of the spaces with power as yesterday’s boaters left the wall to continue their journey.  We easily tied up and were grateful to be able to re-charge the batteries.  We gladly paid our $10 for the use of electricity.   We walked up to the Lock 2 and paid for our season Erie Canal pass.  The charge is based on the length of the boat.  We chatted with the Lock Master who gave us a couple of pointers.  Very nice gentleman.

Afterwards, we decided to go to Hannaford’s Grocery store that is about a half mile away from the Visitor Center.  We wanted to get there and back before the afternoon rains were going to descend on us.  We were told you can take the cart from the store and wheel our goods all the way back to the marina.  The grocery store comes and picks up the carts from the marina once a week. Isn’t that the best? We didn’t have to get our little red cart wet.

City sign on the side of the canal as seen from the bridge

I saw this sign just randomly on the side of the road.  Ethelda Bleibtrey?  The first woman to win 3 gold medals at the 1920 Summer Olympics.  I had to look her up in Wikipedia.  How fascinating!!  Truly a pioneer in her own right.  The most remarkable is:

“She was born in Waterford, New York.  She started swimming to help recover from polio, which she contracted in 1917. In 1919, she was arrested for “nude swimming” — she removed her stockings at a pool where it was forbidden to bare “the lower female extremities for public bathing.” The subsequent public support for Bleibtrey led to the abandonment of stockings as a conventional element in women’s swimwear.”

I can’t imagine wearing “stockings” while swimming.  Can you?

Ethelda Bleibtry 3 – Gold Medal Winner for Swimming

Memorial Park

Waterford, NY

There was some hubbub going on today along the Waterford Visitor wall.  The first bridge we need to go under tomorrow, 4th Street Bridge (E-2), had some construction going on reducing the overall height of the bridge.  It is posted to be at least 25ft clearance.  The Lock Master was uncertain about the clearance because the water was higher than “normal”.  Just what was the new clearance?  Some thought it was 19ft.  There were several boats that actually stopped along the wall because they were approaching the 19ft height.  Oh dear.  We need at least 19 feet.  Maybe the water will recede over night and this will be a non-issue?  Who has a tall boat that wants to be first tomorrow??

Sunset at Waterford Visitor Center, Waterford, NY

Today is a grey misty day.  We decided to travel anyway since the weather forecast said no rain, just a possibility of rain.  So, we left the marina and headed north.  I had wipes and squeeze ready in case we needed them to clean the front eisenglass.  Besides, the farther north we go, the less clouds and more sun.  We hope.  Surely, my weather apps won’t be wrong today.

Leaving Rondout Yacht Basin, Kingston, NY

Rondout Yacht Basin does offer a few places for transients.  Most of their business is for the local smaller boats as you can see above.  Lots of traffic on the water yesterday.  Today?  Everyone is back at work.  Peaceful and quiet.  See how flat the water is?  Fantastic!

Rondout Creek Inlet light house – isn’t it cute?

As we were coming out of the Rondout Creek, we yielded to this luxury yacht.  We weren’t the only ones on the water early in the morning.

For some idea, this bridge reminded me of those metal erector sets.  Maybe the giant used them to make this bridge?

George Clinton Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge

Images along the way…

Lehigh Cement

Channel Marker

Port of Coeyman – looks busy…

Some of the houses along the Hudson made sure to have a great view.  I wonder who gets to ride the lawnmower for this lawn?!

Tree sacrifice for the view

Channel Marker – Light House – they are so cute!

This barge is actually being filled with heaps of dark material.  A front loader filled the bucket that then swirled around and plopped the material onto the barge.  It sounded like gravel.

Fill a barge

A boat that has the accessories like it is a military vessel but we aren’t sure.  It was being painted and worked on.  No name visible.  Hiding in plain sight?

No Name being worked on

We aren’t lost after all.  Troy is …. to the right!!

Go right to Troy!

We are passing Albany, NY.

NY Environmental Conservation Building.  Really?  I thought it was the capital building. Hmmm

State University of New York? I think

Subterranean “Historic Albany” – conjures all sorts of images

Here is the “Manatee” docking at the free wall in Troy, NY. Don’t know if they plan to get off the boat.  The wall looks pretty high.  Cute boat, tho.

The Manatee

We headed around to corner to the Federal Dam and Troy Lock.  Troy Lock is sometimes referred to as Lock #1 on the Erie Canal.  BUT it isn’t.  Or the Corp of Engineers don’t think so.  They manage this dam and lock.  The NY Canal Corporation manages all the other locks on the Erie.  You can see the lock to the right of the dam.  Pretty impressive.

Troy Lock and Federal Dam

I have the fenders out and standing on the bow as Wayne drives the boat up to the lock.  Here we go!!  The dam is to the left.  Looks just like the Google Map picture above.

Approaching Troy Lock

Going UP 15 feet! – lock door closed

Troy Lock has both Pipe and Cable connections along the wall. The pipe and cable are connected at both ends to the lock wall.   We took one of our lines and wrapped the line around the pipe and held on at the mid cleat – the middle of the boat.  There was a sail boat in front of us sharing the lock.  It was a gentle rise to the top.  A great way to start our locking adventure.

Looking Down at the pipe/cable

Looking up at the top of the lock as we were going up

At the top of the lock!!  We made it.  15 ft taller today.

Gates Opening at the top of Troy Lock

We turn left at this sign.  Erie Canal!!  Leaving the Hudson River and into the Mohawk River.

Directional Sign for Erie Canal – go left!

We rounded the corner and found the Waterford Visitor Center wall was full.  At least, all the spots with electricity were taken.  We turned around in the basin and went back to a spot on the wall were we could tie up for the night.  The evening was cool so we didn’t need the electricity for air conditioning.  We used our battery inverter to keep the refrigerator and freezer cold.

Basically, what you are looking at is a long wall.  Boats tie up to the side of the wall.  Half the actual wall has electricity and water.  The rest of the space has only cleats to tie off to which is on the southern end of the wall… in this picture.

The Waterford Visitor Center provides maps and information about the Erie Canal.  Visitors are welcomed to tie up to the wall with “no services” for free.  If you do get a place to connect to electricity it is $10.  A great deal.  We hope one of the boats with electricity will leave in the morning so we can move up and plug in.  We have to pay for our Canal fees and get our sticker.  We plan on being here 2 nights.  By the end of the day, there were another 8 boats behind us.  All Loopers.

What is interesting about this is that we didn’t see many Loopers actually on the water.  They must have been behind all the twists and turns of the Hudson.  Fascinating.

We woke up to a beautiful morning.  Low wind and calm river.  A perfect day to leave a crowded marina.  Wayne backed us out off our dock like a pro.   Time to go north!  We really enjoyed our stay at Half Moon Bay.  Meeting more Loopers and hearing their stories.

Leaving Half Moon Bay Marina, Croton-on-Hudson, NY

Flag Day!!  Really enjoyed seeing the USA Flag flying proudly on several of the bridges this morning.

Bear Mountain Bridge

We had no idea that the Hudson River ran so deep!!  My chart indicated.  Wow

Anthonys Nose – notice water depth

Depth Finder shows 105 ft!

Depth finder shows 167 ft!

A handful of barges this today …  I like the colorful barges and tugs.  Really offsets the rust.

Eva Leigh

Christine McAllister tug

Drama on the Hudson!!  We saw this little sail boat not change course as this large barge came into view.  The barge did NOT change course.  Drama!!  We had moved over to the side of the channel to be sure this behemoth wouldn’t rock our boat too much.  The Sail Boat didn’t alter course.  OMG!!  Does the Barge even see the sail boat?

Sail Boat and Barge??

Seriously…. they look like they are going to collide

The sail boat must either not be intimated by size or they knew from local knowledge that the barge would follow the channel and turn slightly enough to miss the sail boat.  From our point of view, there was going to be match sticks that we would have to sail through.  It looked very close!!

I saw this castle-like building up on the mountain side.  It is a hotel not far from West Point.

Thayer Hotel near West Point

We are going to be driving by West Point?  It looks so institutional.  To me, the buildings look either like a prison or monastery.  A university?  Is this what some of my tax dollars are paying for?  Very impressive, to be sure.  Old buildings.  Formal.  Straight.  Salute is in order when we passed by, right?

West Point

Football field at West Poing

A rail road track runs right along the river at this point.  This beautiful house sits right behind the tracks.  Again, from our vantage point, it looks like the RR track is their front sidewalk!  We have seen trains.  So, we imagine this house feels the trains when they zoom by!

Rail Road track on their front lawn

Debris!!  In the Hudson River.  The lady at the marina said that normally the spring runoff would have swept down river all the kinds of debris we saw.  They didn’t have the normal runoff so the debris is slowing making its way along the waterway.

Blue plastic bottle? Looked harmless enough

We saw lumber.  2X4’s and 2X6 or 2X12’s.  We don’t know where they would be coming from.  Wayne postulated that the barges or tug boats might have lumber on them for support supplies.  OR a house fell apart and is slowly making its way downriver one chunk at a time.

Debris!

More Debris

Speaking of chunks!!  A tree truck or firewood!!  Serious damage for someone hitting all this debris.

Debris Log

We saw several of these little houses.  They are light houses and water way markers.  I think they are the cutest light markers we have seen.  Large enough someone could actually live there.

Lighthouse and Channel Marker

Poughkeepsie Bridges

I was fascinated by this solution.  Using concrete impeded pillars to apparently holdup the side of the mountain.  Really?  Looks like the concrete was poured into the shape and melted into the mountain side.  Wonder if that really works?

Concrete forms to hold up the mountain?

Land marks.  The chart plotter indicated “stacks”.   Here they are!!  2 stacks.  I just love the  visual water landmarks.  When you don’t have street names, turn at the 2 stacks seems appropriate.

Stacks

Stacks indicated on the charts

Flat water.  Perfectly calm waters.  I guess waiting for the weather to pass was the right thing to do!  The results were a perfect day!

Hudson River on a gorgeous day

Just after noon we arrived at our destination.  Rondout Yacht Basin in Kingston, NY.  They have fuel and a pump out.  And a berth for the night.  3 things we needed.  Lots of activity around the marina since it was a Sunday.  It quieted down at sunset as the day boaters went home.

Rondout Yacht Basin, Kingston, NY