MAY 15 TH TO MAY 24 TH

TROY , NEW YORK TO OSWEGO , NEW YORK

Monday, May 15 th

At port in Troy , NY

Today was overcast but fortunately, no rain. Jean and I did chores in the morning. Jean's brother, George and his friend Jimmy arrived shortly before noon . George was joining us for the next week due to his interest in the Erie Canal and his lifetime interest in trains. Jimmy had driven George from his home in Framingham , MA to Troy to meet up with us. George will be taking the train home next week from Utica , NY .

I went food shopping in Troy thanks to the generosity of the Town Dock manager, Joe. He drove me to a great supermarket where I was able to find everything I needed for the upcoming week.

Earlier in the day we had made plans to meet for dinner with some friends and business associates from Jean's investment banking days. At 5:30 pm , Greg, Meg and Bill came by for the mandatory boat tour and then we headed out for dinner. The car ride, only about 15 minutes long, was pretty interesting—all 6 of us in a Toyota Camry. We looked and felt like the clowns in the car at the circus—pretty tight but we definitely did not want to make two trips.

Jean's friends took us to a FABULOUS Italian restaurant in Albany where we had a feast!!!! I think it was one of my ‘ten best meals ever' (I'm actually still ‘counting points' trying to stay within my daily Weight Watcher's limit). Albany is beautiful when lit up at night and we got a great picture from the restaurant parking lot.

After far too much food, including dessert, we were back at the boat by ten and straight to bed. We had planned to leave early on Tuesday, to meet the first lock's opening at 8am .

Tuesday, May 16 th

Troy , New York to Rexford , New York

Things were hectic this morning. We failed to understand just how much time would be needed to prepare the boat for the ‘locks'. We had bigger and fatter fenders to put on the boat. We also had to lower all antennas to fit under the many low bridges on the Erie Canal . Lowering the radar/TV satellite mast was no small task. It's heavy!!! It didn't help that it was a wet morning and this task was new to us. We needed to climb out on the back of the boat at the dinghy level and start unscrewing all kinds of nuts and bolts. We also had to let some air out of the dinghy. After that we had to lower the satellite system onto some aluminum crutches that Jean had had made—well…it took some time. But ... with a little bit of luck and fast work, we were off the docks at 0750 headed for our first lock. The morning itself was dreary and cold—only 56 degrees.

Today would mark the beginning of our journey on the Erie Canal . The Erie Canal originally stretched 363 miles across the State of New York , and now, the New York State Canal System spans 524 miles and includes the Erie , Oswego , Champlain and Cayuga/Seneca Canals. The Erie Canal connects Albany and the Hudson River to Buffalo and Lake Erie . Its history is a fascinating story of vision, commerce and the American spirit. The first shovel of dirt was dug in Rome , NY on July 4, 1817 and seven years from that day, 363 miles of the canal were in operation including 18 aquaducts, 300 bridges and 83 locks. The first canal was forty feet wide and four feet deep!!!! The original Erie Canal is very different from that in existence today. The Erie Canal is now 341 miles long, 150 feet wide and 12 feet deep. Our plan was to travel 160 miles west on the Erie Canal and then head north for 24 miles on the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario .

Today, we were planning on getting through the first seven locks of the Erie Canal which cover only 17 miles. Locks 2 through 6 are taken as a set; you cannot stop once you start through from either direction. As a group they are sometimes called the ‘Flight of Locks”. Their combined lift would take us up a little higher than 167 feet. With a maximum speed of only 10 mph everywhere on the Canal, we were told to allow 5 hours for the trip. Our first lock, the Federal Lock, (there is no lock #1 on the Erie Canal ) was a good learning experience. There was only one other boat in the lock with us and they were in front of us and smaller. George and I manned the lines and kept the boat in place perfectly. The new fenders needed some height adjustment so we adjusted them before the next lock. We were raised 33 feet and the water came in at a nice, slow pace.

Immediately after this lock there is a fork in the road—oops—in the water. In one direction is the Erie Canal and in the other is the Lake Champlain Canal . The routes are well marked to prevent boaters from making the wrong turn.

Immediately after turning onto the Erie Canal is the Waterford Visitor Center with an easy tie up for transient boaters. We picked up some helpful information, checked our e-mail and then took a quick walk into town. Waterford is a quiet town in need of some revitalization. Within an hour we were back on the boat and ready for our next lock.

Surprisingly, we saw very few boats on the Canal today. The weather was horrible but we still expected to see a few boats.

The Canal is very narrow in places, bordered by natural stone and small cliffs. It's also amazing how close to the water some of the houses are sited. There are no seawalls so the water is directly in everyone's back yard. There's clearly been erosion and we saw houses that have already been abandoned. It was also amazing to see how much commercial activity took place, at some point, on the banks of the Erie Canal . Most of those plants and buildings are now empty and in very bad condition.

The bridges are relatively low and there are a lot of them. They range in height but many of them have just about 20-25 feet of clearance—which is why we had to lower all antennas. At various points along the Canal there are guard gates under which you have to pass. These are also pretty low. The guard gates are lowered to control flooding on the Canal.

We made it through all seven locks without much trouble. Our biggest complaint was that it was pouring rain the entire day and we were out in the rain at every lock. After the Federal lock, we were in each lock by ourselves. The lockmasters check you in and also call ahead and let the next lockmaster know that you're coming. They also monitor your speed this way by expecting that you'll keep to the 10 mph limit. At Lock 7 we let the lockmaster know that we were heading ‘in'—going to the Schenectady Yacht Club for the night.

We tied up at 2:20 pm and fueled the boat, of course. Gary , the dockmaster, was very helpful especially as we docked and fueled the boat. Jean became quite a ‘point of interest' for several of the boaters at the Yacht Club. They wanted to know quite a bit about the Circle Route and about Jean. She fueled the boat in the pouring rain—and it takes a while to fill all three tanks on this boat.

While getting settled at the Yacht Club, we realized that the hull of the boat had gotten scraped while going through the locks. Jean noticed some scrape marks as well as some yellow paint marks. When you're being raised in the lock, the water movement can sometimes drive the boat against the wall. This can be problematic, especially at the very top of the lock. In our case, even though we had three oversized fenders out, we needed to have our regular fenders in place for movement at the very top of the lock.

Dinner tonight was with two very good friends from Cape Cod whose primary residence is in Saratoga Springs , NY . Jerry and Marcia came by, picked us up and we all went out to Outback Steakhouse. We always have a wonderful time with this couple and tonight was no exception. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera, so we have no picture of the five of us out on the town. We loved seeing them.

Wednesday, May 17 th

Rexford , NY to Canajoharie , NY

We awoke to blue skies and warm temperatures—60 degrees at 0700. The weather report was showing that rain would come in the afternoon so we got an early start by being off the dock at 0830. Gary was at the dock bright and early and helped us with our lines as we left the dock.

We passed the Adirondack Power Plant which looked huge against the serenity and smallness of the Canal. It looked out of place—almost too industrial. In fact, it's probably more in keeping with the original landscape of the Canal.

We came to Lock 11 and were pleasantly surprised to see a large group of Mayfair pre-schoolers waiting for us and other boats to come through the lock. There were small children and parents lined up at the top of the lock. Since the lock had a 12 foot lift, once we were in the Lock we couldn't see anyone—but we could certainly hear the noise. Then as we were raised and Ocean Flyer came into view, the kids gave out a huge yell. It was fun!!!!

We moved along to see some of the other homes and buildings in town and then headed back to the boat. Dinner that night was fettuccine in a cream sauce with chicken and asparagus. Y-u-u-u-m.

Friday, May 19 th

Canajoharie , New York to Ilion , New York

We wanted to get through Lock 14 early and thus we were off the dock at 0755. It's a particularly dreary and foggy day with a temperature of only 54 degrees. Lock 14 was within a short distance from our dock at Canajoharie and we were through very quickly and with no problems. It's lift was only 8 feet.

Even though it was cloudy, there was no rain—which was nice. The route was slow but nice. In this area of the Canal, it's very quiet on the water, with trees on both sides.

Once again, we see very few boats which we continue to think is strange.

I mentioned the lack of boats to one of the lockmasters and he told me that they had seen 70 fewer boats this year than at the same time last year. He said “it's pretty slow”. The fees for using the Canal in 2006 were waived by Governor Pataki in an effort to increase usage of the Canal by both pleasure boaters and commercial boaters…maybe an increase in boat traffic will come later in the month?????

In Lock 16, which has a lift of 20 feet, there was a barge in front of us. Another working barge—one of many that we saw in the course of our few days on Canal.

We made plans to stop at Little Falls for lunch. Little Falls is a small town with very historic roots regarding the Erie Canal . With an elevation of 1,060 feet, Little Falls is the highest point in any city or town on the Albany to Buffalo route. Even from the water, Little Falls is quaint and picturesque.

Little Falls posed the greatest challenge to canal building across the state and is one of the only places that has visible remains of 200 years of canal history, including the 1795 guard lock.

The town has set up a small dock area very close to town at Benton 's Landing. You can't stay overnight but the spot was perfect for our afternoon visit. We were downtown in about one minute after crossing a bridge which gave us an interesting view of the original Erie Canal . On one side of the water are old mill buildings which have been renovated into a series of antique and boutique shops. Much of this town has been renovated with a pretty main street and some beautiful architecture. The Town Hall building is made of grey stone/granite with a stunning, stained glass turret. The library was also housed in a historic building. One consistency in all of these small towns is the large number of churches. Even in the towns where there has been very little renovation, we've observed beautiful churches, in great condition.

We left Little Falls after our 2 ½ hour visit and headed for Lock 17—our highest lift–40 feet. Lock 17 is one of the highest lift locks in the world—higher than any on the Panama Canal . Lock 17 is also historic. It's not only a 40 foot lift but its gate is an overhead gate which means that your boat goes UNDER the gate to get into the lock!!!!!

This lock operates exactly as the others—it's just more cavernous and intimidating. It also takes more time for the lock to fill up and thus more time for the boat to be raised. Once again, we were the only boat in Lock 17 when we went through. This is fine with me. By the way… throughout the course of this entire journey, we will go through over 100 locks. We're only at Lock 17 and I'm already tired of locks!!!!!!

We're on our way to Lock 18 and then the village of Ilion where we will stay for a few days. We passed Herkimer, another small town named after General Nicholas Herkimer, a leader in the Revolutionary War. You can see his house from the water but it's not open to the public until Memorial Day. One thing we finally see along this part of the Canal is that private homes are constructing seawalls. Finally. We also see, as we get near to Ilion , that there is a huge, long bike/ jogging trail being constructed right along the Canal. This will be beautiful and it stretched for miles.

We were docked and settled by 3:35 at the Ilion Marina. We will stay here for a few days and George will get a ride from here to Utica to get the Amtrak train back to Framingham . We had a light dinner on board of chicken, a red leaf salad with cranberries, walnuts and gorgonzola cheese with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

Saturday, May 20 th

At port

Today's weather was absolutely horrible—rain, rain, and more rain. We stayed in port with plans to go to the Remington Arms Museum which is here in Ilion . This Museum was actually pretty interesting and I'm not a big fan of guns. But….Remington's history is steeped in sport shooting as well as providing arms to the government, especially in our early wars. Back in 1816, Eliphalet Remington produced his own single-shot, muzzle-loading flintlock sporting rifle in his father's forge in Litchfield , NY . By 1825, Remington and his sons had a bonafide business with a plant in Ilion . Eliphalet and his sons personally ran the business for many years especially as it expanded rapidly.

In the 1890's and early 1900's the Remington rifles were used in competitions both in the United States and worldwide. Annie Oakley, known as the world's greatest woman shooter, was always featured with her Model 12 Remington rifle. Interestingly, her husband was an employee at Remington and Sons Company. Today the Remington Arms Company, the largest producer of sporting rifles in the United States , is owned by a group of NY investors.

Sunday, May 21 st

At port

Today's weather was more rain—ugh!!!!! George left early in the morning for his train ride to Framingham . We enjoyed his time with us and very much appreciated his help in managing the locks.

Jean and I then were off to Cooperstown , NY to see the Baseball Hall of Fame which neither of us had ever visited. Through the marina, we had made arrangements for a car and driver to take us for the hour-long ride to Cooperstown . We had a blast!!!!! Our driver, Ken, knew everything about this area and took us to Cooperstown by way of some very quaint areas and beautiful lakes.

Nearly 350,000 visitors enter the Museum each year, where they can see 35,000 artifacts, 2.6 million library items, 130,000 baseball cards and the famous induction plaques. There are movies to see, questions to answer and other interactive games. These two carvings of Babe Ruth and Ted Williams are in the main lobby. They have been carved by a man from Rhode Island and are made entirely from wood!!!!!

In one section of the Museum, we came across some fantastic photos of great baseball moments. We couldn't resist taking photos of photos—so here goes.

After lunch we reconnected with Ken for the ride back to the marina. He took us back to Ilion via a different route which was equally as interesting as the earlier ride. He also gave us some fudge—somehow we're losing track of our points!!!!!

We were back on the boat, in the rain, by 5pm and settled in. Dinner was leftovers from various other meals.

Oh yeah—I almost forgot—the first five inductees in the Baseball Hall of fame were: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Perry Johnson!!!!!

Monday, May 22 nd

At port

We decided to stay one more day in Ilion given the horrible weather. Today's temperatures never passed 50 degrees and the winds were very strong. There was no rain expected for the day, however it was still damp and cold all day. We did ‘things around the boat' including laundry and this website update. We walked into town and did a few errands but laid low for most of the day. Tomorrow, we'll be off the dock early and underway again.

Tuesday, May 23

Ilion , NY to Oswego , NY

We finally left Ilion —but had a good time while we were there but wish that the weather had been better. The Ilion Marina was wonderful and Don, Don and the team were very helpful. We were off the dock at 0720 with a very low temperature of 42 degrees. I was wearing six layers of clothing. When I come home in June for the family reunion I'm packing mittens, wool scarves, knit hats and the heaviest, hooded sweatshirt that I can find!!!!!

This day would mark our first locks that were downward. So far, all locks on the Erie Canal have been lift locks. This would also be the first time that just the two of us would be managing the locks. For all previous locks, Jean's brother George had been on board to help us. I mistakenly thought that I ‘knew' how to get through locks. The downward locks were very difficult. I found that they require quite a bit more upper body strength than the lift locks. Upper body strength is something I don't have. Without George on board, it was also necessary for Jean to manage the stern line. That sounds easier than it is!!!!! Ocean Flyer is a high boat which makes it difficult to pick up the line on the lock wall.

Well, anyway, we only had four locks to go through but……And, of course, we were no longer the only boat in the locks. We were now always in the company of at least one or two boats—which is still pretty good. On one of the locks, I tied my line around a cable running vertically down the entire height of the wall. Jean wrapped her line around a cable also. But...the water started pouring out of the lock very quickly and the boat started swaying and my line was too short and ….I lost my line. The bow then swung out wildly, the other boats looked on in horror and I screamed for help (I'm not sure of the nautical term for screaming). I took Jean's line, which was now in jeopardy, while Jean ran to the flybridge and got control of the boat with the engines. Whew!!!!! My arms are now about two feet longer than this morning. Luckily, we didn't hit any other boat and did no damage to Ocean Flyer —the gods like me. There'll be no photos of that lock experience.

Further along on the journey we saw a tug just outside of one of the locks helping with some work. There was also a work crew dredging the Canal (we think).

Fort Stanwix National Monument is one of more than 380 parks in the National Parks System (this is a plug for my sister Lisa, who works for the National Park Service). The fort is an excellent reproduction of a Revolutionary War wooden fort. General John Stanwix built the fort in 1758 to protect an important portage between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek. Under siege by the British in August 1777, the commander was able to hold out against a force three times larger as his.