OUR SECOND EFFECTIVE TRAVEL DAY WESTBOUND ON THE ERIE CANAL

OUR SECOND

Tuesday July 18, 2023

That title sounds like an old Pete Seeger song, doesn’t it?  You can Google it!

Forget about all the back-and-forth about seeking repairs. This was effectively our second day on the Erie Canal, and it was lovely.  Personally, I got a complete re-set.  Slow down. Enjoy the journey.

But first, let’s look back to last evening:  We had already posted our blog from Amsterdam Riverlink, when we learned it was Practice Night for Thursday’s Ski Show!  Very cool.  Two tow boats, maybe a dozen skiers.  Here’s a great shot of them doing a pyramid.

We had arrived back at the Riverlink around noon on Monday, after our unsuccessful search for technical help on the boat.  During the afternoon, two other westbound boats showed up: Retriever and Fast Pace.  This morning (Tuesday) we left together to head west.  

The reason that it was a reset for me is that: when you move in a convoy, you move with the slowest ship in the convoy.  And that was Retriever, at 6.5 mph.  And that’s OK. It was a genuine pleasure to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the canals.  Because your speed is ultimately controlled by the locks.  You are going to hit one every 5-10 miles.  If you try to go faster than the other boats, they will catch up to you as you wait for the lock to open.  So it’s best to just SLOW DOWN.  

Another reason to go slow – lots of these in the water!

We traversed 7 more locks today.  Here’s a great shot of Lynn The Lock Queen: dirty gloves and all.  As we enter the lock, she grasps one of the long vertical cables and holds the boat steady as the waters surge into the lock vessel.  I use the engines and thrusters to hold her in position.  The lines and cable are slimy – hence, the gloves.  

Lock #17 is the biggest lock we will encounter on The Erie Canal.  Its vertical lift is 40.5 feet.  It is difficult for the camera to show the scale of this lock.  It LOOMS overhead.   As you pull in, the depth beneath the keel is 14.5’.  When you leave, it’s 55’.  Imagine filling a vessel that is 235’ x 45’ wide x 40’ deep.  How much water would that take?  And the boats simply float up as the lock vessel fills.

The people at the top give you an idea of the scale of this lock

Tonight we are tied up at a town called Little Falls, NY.  It’s a rainy evening, so we opted for KILLER Mexican food from the local food truck.  

Tomorrow we head west again, accompanied by our new boat companions.