Erie Canal.......yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEW YORK TO GREAT LAKES & GREAT LAKES UPDATES 22 November 2011 NY Canal System - Erie Canal, on scene observation Reported By: WG Staff Many thanks to Fred Wehner of Tug44 for this very informative report. Sunday I took a car tour thru the wrecked area of the Erie Canal and was amazed by what I saw. All the dams where the ribs were bent or sprung have been fixed, not just jury-rigged as I expected, but new ribs are already in place. Sighting down the line of each of them, they're all straight now and they are working as designed. The moveable steel plates that hold the water back are once again suspended from the chains so the dams are fully functional. The locks are all working already, and traffic is moving down the canal as before. The grounds of most of those locks are ruined, but the locks are working. It all looks bad still, there are huge piles of logs and debris, some piled 50 feet high, covering much of the lock grounds. Most guard rails are torn away, including many at the tops of dams, and temporarily replaced with construction netting. Several Lock Operators offices and other buildings were destroyed, but replaced with temporary structures. Overnighting at some locks may be restricted in the spring, but there is a good chance that they will be available by then. Some locks had new river channels gouged out thru their parking lots, making them into islands .. those now have causeways built to access them. All the fill and buildings and cars and trucks that were washed away all went into the river, and major dredging operations are already in progress. All floating debris is already removed from the river, in fact it's now cleaner than normal. Local marinas are also all in good shape now. At Lock E-11, the beautiful historic William Johnson house (1742) looked close to collapse last month, but it has already been reframed and much new concrete for foundations has already been poured, and the original stones from the walls have been collected and it will be rebuilt shortly. There's still a lot of work to be done, mostly cosmetic, plus a few thousand more truck loads of fill are needed, but there is now no question that the Erie Canal will be open normally in the spring. This is an extremely impressive performance by the new Canal Corp management, and employees and contractors. These guys really know what they are doing, and no wonder they all look tired when I see them lately! It is now safe to plan your canal trip shortly after the May 1st opening. Fred Tug 44 Click here to comment on this Navigation Update

Things are looking up!

"The canal is projected to re-open on Nov. 24 and close on Dec. 8 to allow transient marine traffic to reach their destinations this season. Two large tour boats are among the many vessels that have been stranded on the Great Lakes since Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee devastated parts of the state. Those boats will now be able to complete their journeys".

This is a quote from Gov Cuomo of New York. But spring is a long way away.

Return to Buffalo

Decision made to return to Buffalo to shrink wrap the boat versus hiring it done.  It's like going to see an old friend.  And is it a coincidence that the boat show in Annapolis is happening the very same weekend?  I think not.   Mark and good friends Brian & Joel are making the road trip, shrinking the boat and will take in the boat show.

Update from Waterway Cruising Guide

NEW YORK TO GREAT LAKES & GREAT LAKES UPDATES

23 September 2011

Erie Canal status - a first hand report

I received this info from a friend in the area.
"Jim drove by the canal today (Sept 22 Ed.) all the way to Albany. After lock # 17 there is no water in the canal, let's say two feet to 3-1/2 feet, and many complete dry spots in the middle and sides. I spoke to Lock 15 and he stated Lock 11, 10, 9, 8, & 7 all have damage. I asked if the lock system would open before November 15th the closing date. Lockmaster stated he didn't see how. Time will tell but it does not look good."
Robert L. Wilson
National Accounts Manager
Waterway Guide Publications

Affirmation we made the right decision.

Thoughts about Fellow Cruisers

We had a home to come home to. We met fellow cruisers who had sold their homes and cars to move aboard their boat for their adventure. They too were headed for the Erie Canal, now closed due to flooded and broken locks. Tonight we think about them as they have thought about us. For each of us, our excitement of the cruise was dashed by this turn of events. None of us gave up! One re-routed from the Erie Canal to go south through Chicago. One trucked their boat. One is waiting for the okay to truck their sailboat to the East coast. Due to the flooding in NY and PA, trucking permits are not being issued. They sit in Tonawanda NY waiting. It's a nice place to be but waiting for weeks is tough. Great people we met along our short journey! We think of them, wish them the best and look forward to meeting up with them again somewhere on the cruise next year.

Home

Arrived home early afternoon with everything in order on the home front. Unloading the rental car seemed like it took forever. Then came the unpacking: clothes, electronics, food, books, dog. Chester jumped out of the car and ran around happy to be independent once again.

The lists continue with things to "undo" since we are home again. Stop mail forwarding (we still chuckle that we had to rent a car in NY to get our mail), TV/Internet, trash pickup, reinstate auto insurance, etc. Here we sit at McDonalds in Holland for their wifi just as we did in Tonawanda NY! The good part is it involves ice cream.

Weary & whipped but ever so thankful to be home safe & sound.

total postponement

Well, I guess this really is on hold. Journey came out of the water late yesterday, Friday. Thought we were going to lose her. Had brought her back down to RCR marine in Buffalo. They put the straps under her and started lifting. Something malfunctions in the travel lift and the port/aft cable started slipping. The boat rolled about 20 degrees and the stern dropped. IF the mast had been stepped it would be all over. They did a great job of recovering it. After doing many adjustments and tests they tried it again. Fortunately, no problems
.
We have gathered the food, clothes and all the items we think we may need for a LONG winter. Spent most of the day winterizing and buttoning things up. Our rental car is packed!!!! A hard reality.

Over half the Erie canal is closed. The Oswego is starting to reopen. The Champlain has been open, closed open and re closed. The trucking companies can not get permits at this time to truck boats in N.Y. or Penn . Lots of people displaced. We have met many people who have sold their homes and are , take that back...WERE cruising south. This is going to take a lot of time to clean things up. Hope the funds hold out for the states involved.

Hurry up and wait

We are still sitting on the wall in the canal in Tonawanda. Today we picked up a rental car which we will drop in Grand Rapids next week. Now, in all our wisdom, last week we had scheduled to have our mail sent ahead of us so we could pick it up. Well it was ahead of us.....about 116 miles. So today we drove to Lyons, NY to pick it up. Really pretty on the canal up there.
Picked up oil and antifreeze to winterize. Oh Boy!!!! The boat comes out Friday.
One very positive aspect is we have met some very interesting people. Two other boats are sitting on the wall with us.....one is heading for Chicago, the other is being trucked to Annapolis. Met another couple from Austria who have been cruising for fourteen years. Good stories and good laughs.

Like pulling a bandaid off slowly

We still believe that leaving Journey here on the hard is the best decision. We can come back in the spring and have lots of time to explore the Erie Canal and the east coast, provided no new hurricanes come. There are always options and we will choose the best when the time comes

On to lighter news...learned something new here. We asked many people if there was wifi available by the boat. We got many answers like: whats wifi? or the best one---I think we have FYI over there! We finally found wifi..sorry, FYI at McDonalds.

Along the wall in Tonawanda where we are tied up, is the local hangout. Except for canalers like us, it is all small powerboats.Most are the really loud go-fasters. The bars are open til 4am in North Tonawanda and 3am in Tonawanda so it becomes quite loud in the middle of the night. Or at 20 bucks many stay. One bar directly across from us even has a live band. Starts at 10 oclock.

We are making the best of things and starting to pack up. Trying to determine what we need for the winter and also what food has to go.

Tonawanda

Tonawanda is the beginning of the Erie Canal. We have covered almost a quarter mile. This town is a great place to stop. There are tie ups all along the walls on both sides with electric and water, showers and restrooms. And the best part....$25 per night.

As everyone is aware of, Hurricane Irene has done quite a number to the northeast. Although we did not see any of it, the east end of the Erie Canal and the Hudson River are a mess. The damage is unbelievable. Now listen well....THE ERIE CANAL IS CLOSED....probably for the rest of the season. So our options are to : turn around and exit at Chicago to the Tomm-Tenn....
We could go out the St Laurence around Newfoundland....Have the boat trucked to the Chesapeake..... OR have it hauled and stored in Buffalo and continue next year.
We have contacted the marina that unstepped the masts and have arranged to leave Journey there. A hard decision!!!!!

More to come.

Masts are down

Masts came down yesterday in Buffalo NY at RCR Marine. Highly recommend them as they are professional, personable and know what they are doing. Right now they are in the process of securing them on the boat in their cradles. We will be headed to the Erie Canal by noon! As mentioned before, it has been a 'destination Buffalo' to begin our trip. We don't know why, but we have been anxious to arrive here to begin the Canal. It's like sailing Lake Michigan for us - the trip doesn't start until we get at least as far North as Frankfort.

Mark was a lucky swimmer leaving Dunkirk harbor on Monday. He once again had to remove seaweed and other floating debris from the thru hull. Next time the boat is hauled we'll be pursuing the possibility of a better way to 'screen' the thru hull! Trust me. In an earlier posting on Dunkirk being a Deliverance moment....fellow boaters will understand this. When we left their dock, we were told by Deliverance Man to be sure we 'gitcher bumpers up'...! We will remember Dunkirk.

The Erie Canal has 34 locks. The RCR manager informed us yesterday that 2 are closed due to flooding from Hurricane Irene. These locks are closer to the Hudson River. However, this morning came the news that one is damaged. Several boaters close to these canals are tied to the wall waiting. Our adventure just became more adventuresome!

One day at a time. One assurance: God is always with us.

Dunkirk, New York

Decided to make some miles before the winds of Hurricane Irene and it's just time to get to Buffalo and begin the Erie Canal. Our next port will be Buffalo NY! It's an unspoken thing but we both feel that getting to Buffalo is where the trip begins! Just have to get to Buffalo.

Most of the ports on Lakes Huron & Erie that we've harbored in are suffering from the economy. It is very sad to see car dealerships, industry, mom & pop stores empty and for sale. The impact on the smaller communities has been huge. Dunkirk is one of these cities.

So....we motored into the harbor, found where we were to dock and saw this man slowly wandering down the dock to help us. Oh my, thought we're part of Deliverance! If banjos started playing this boat would have been in reverse faster than fleas on a dog. The office is beyond dirty but we got a head key! Had to peek in, just had to....remarkably clean.

Time to put another line on the boat as winds are kicking up. Tomorrow's forecast is such that we will sit tomorrow and possibly Monday.

Erie PA

Left Fairport Harbor, Grand River OH, this morning and motored to Erie PA. As usual, zero wind! Grand River is a 3-corner village with 2 restaurants. Period. Nothing else but the harbor. You know how we like the finer places...ha. The restaurant we chose was a Fish House and it was the best! Every fish item was from local waters? Not sure about the lobster.

Long day motoring however comfortable with no winds, no waves. Enjoyed another day of reading and napping. Erie PA has civilization! We are at a downtown marina surrounded by highrise hotels. We came in under the skyway for the Sheraton Hotel. Kinda raises the anxiety level when you wonder if the mast will really clear. After docking and getting the a/c turned on, we want you to know that we became very proud parents: Chester found the meaning of the 'poop deck'. Good boy Chester! Guess he just couldn't wait any longer.

Wondering what Hurricane Irene will do to our weather.

The Boy

Sailor Boy Chester

Cleveland Rocks! Cleveland Rocks!

We're docked in Cleveland! The place where Drew Carey told us for years that it Rocks! Yes, we will be touring the Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame today. Arrived here Monday after Lake Erie's own version of rock 'n roll. Tuesday we rented a car and back-tracked to pick up a GPS card in Sandusky. Cars really go fast! Picked up some oil, few groceries, nail clippers for Chester and went to Subway...oh how you miss the little things that become big treats. Lots of wind, some storms so sitting still another day, heeling in the slip and watching weather. Watching Hurricane Irene too to see what is in store for Lake Erie with wind, storms and rain.

Buffalo is about 150 miles from Cleveland via water. In Buffalo we have our masts taken down, cradles built to store them on the boat and begin the Erie Canal. So we probably have 3 days in Buffalo while everyone is busy including Mark. Again, watching Irene to see what happens. Cannot control the weather but we can make it easier on ourselves!

Anxious to leave Lake Erie - not our favorite lake. Spoiled with Lake Michigan depth, cleanliness, shoreline, and the many harbors we have. Maybe its all what you're used to but we love Lake Michigan!

St Clair River, Lake St Clair, Detroit River to Lake Erie

Port Huron to the St Clair River was new territory to us both. We left Port Huron following Kiskadee, owned by Bill & Lynn Turner, with destination of their yacht club, Grosse Pointe YC. The Turner's were gracious and made arrangements for us to spend the night. The YC is top-notch with many amenities. We docked stern-to-stern with a 70' Hylas registered in Marshall Islands. Okay, we drooled. Alot.

The next morning casted off with destination of Put-In-Bay in Lake Erie. Rivers are dotted with markers & buoys all over the place for depth and navigation. Thank God for a good GPS! Alot of industry along the US side especially with Great Lakes Steel. Further south were elegant houses with manicured lawns. Its easy to become frustrated with so much industry on our waters edge until you see all the freighter traffic at their docks. The Detroit River lead us into Lake Erie.

Lake Erie is quite shallow in comparison to Lake Michigan. It is difficult to sail along knowing we are only going to see depths of 30 ft. We are assuming that it is the time of year that so many weeds are floating throughout the lake. We reached Put-in-Bay, grabbed a mooring ball and enjoyed the water taxi service. Even Chester liked riding to shore in the taxi! Rented a golf cart to tour the island and were surprised how big and populated the island is. Oh boy, the island is most definitely a party hard island!

Remember the weeds? They suck into a water intake for engine cooling. Mark got to swim this morning at 8 a.m. When he surfaced, I smiled but didn't have the heart to immmediately tell him he was garnished with seaweed. Being the sensitive wife that I am (and his humor was well, lacking), I just picked it off from him on the boat....
Tonight we are in Huron OH where there is music in the bandshell, a sweet classic boat show and a better way to end the day. It's a nice place. Good night all.

Port Huron

It was a short jaunt to Port Huron from Port Sanilac, about 5 hours by the time we went up river to the marina. It is a much more populated area than we have experienced on Lake Huron thus far! Did we sail today? No. We are in a marina on the river across from very nice condos or townhouses where they can dock their boats outside their front door. Off our bow is a large lawn with trees much to Chester's delight and ours too since the walk is much shorter for Chester's necessary moments.

We entered the river and needed to wait for 2 bridges to open. I was surprised at the Black River opening off the St Clair River expecting a well-marked entrance into a wide river. Wrong on both counts! Mark had been here before for a start of a solo race and just took it in stride. Have to say I questioned if he made the right turn! The GPS was right on target and so was Mark. We are where we are supposed to be and having a good time.

Port Sanilac on Lake Huron - 26 nm North of Port Huron

Winds and waves calmed considerably and this morning we headed out with destination of Port Sanilac. Motorsailed most all the way. Met fellow sailors aboard Kiskadee, a 46' Jeanneau, returning to their homeport of Gross Pointe and have been port hopping together since Harrisville. Each of us comment on its either too much wind or not enough.....seems to be the plight of this trip but only so far. Tonight begins chart and cruising guide reading since in a couple of days we will be entering waters new to us both.

Our 'onboard routine' is establishing itself. We have fallen into who does what when and where kind of thing. Makes life easier.

today we sit

Storms, strong winds & gusts, big waves prompt us to sit it out in Port Austin. Today is the day for some maintenance, cleaning, cooking and a nap.

Port Austin on Lake Huron

Okay so its been a few days and time to catch up the blog. We left Mac Island Thursday a.m. for Presque Isle and motorsailed part of the way. Presque Isle is a very small, quiet marina with an on-site restaurant and busy boat launch.
Friday a.m. we headed to Harrisville with winds on the nose and lots of chop. Quite an uncomfortable ride by all with rain on & off all the way. Shared the bumpy waters with several freighters which is always a treat. However watching Chester slide around on the cockpit floor when he refuses to sit, not such a treat but he is such a good dog! The town is about 1 block long with an IGA store, restaurant, ice cream station, etc.
Saturday a.m. after discussion and watching all the storm/rain cells on the GPS weather, we take off for Port Austin. Every storm cell went around us! And where was the wind? Do I really need to answer this? On-the-nose. Putting up the sails, cutting the engine...it will happen one of these fine days.
We are truly blessed with God's protection and each other.

Beaver Is to Mackinaw Island

Headed out early for Mac....winds were upper teens to 20s and waves very choppy from the wrong direction. Let out a small amount of headsail only and ran sevens...very uncomfortably. Had to motor thru Grays Reef because we were dead downwind. Turned the corner into the straits and sailed again. Then a warning came across the GPS...storms, high wind, possible hail, the whole shot. Lu and Chester went down below to hide and sleep. As it came in I rolled in the jib,started the motor and donned foul weather gear. Storms came and went all the way to Mac. Motor sailed again until wind died.

We got a slip at the island...Lu talked about a shower and kissing the ground.

Forecast for today, Wed, is 30 kts of wind and 7 ft waves....we stayed put!

Tomorrow we head south on Lake Huron

Beaver Island

No wind seems to be our fate! When you cannot even motor sail, it's more than just calm. Three freighters were on our route today! The Sykes was off our stern and we decided we probably should be the ones to alter our course and let them continue on with theirs. Afterall, they weigh alot more than our boat (tonnage rules!). Freighters are a magnificent sight on Lake Michigan. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we head to Mackinac Island with a forecast of WIND! from the SSW. and rain. LuAnn's only request is to go to the Misson Resort outside restaurant/bar and watch a few freighters go by. Life is good and God is great.

Leland Harbor

Northern Michigan is breathtaking whether on land or water. The dunes along the northern Michigan shoreline are unspoiled for miles.

At 7:30 a.m. we left Frankfort and headed north to our destination of Leland Harbor. With the threat of storms we didn't waste time but unfortunately once again, light air and then it died. Initially it was a little bit bumpy with waves from the aft quarter but soon flattened out. Do
they make boat shoes for dogs? About a mile from the Leland entrance we noticed the wind picking up and the storm clouds rolling in. Leland Harbor is a small, man-made enclosure and is a Harbor of Refuge meaning no matter what they keep packing boats in for protection. As we entered the harbor and turned toward our dock the wind blasted and well, one stanchion is now somewhat angled. We docked, turned on the a/c, watered the dog, and went for ice cream!

On the First Day of the Journey

Left the fuel dock around 1 p.m. on Thursday, August 4, with the comment of "man, this boat is loaded". Huh, how did that happen?! No wind, no waves = motoring. Finally a start. As with all starts, we had to stop and start again. We travelled 32 miles the first day! Around 5 p.m. we noticed the engine appeared to be overheating. Luck would have it that we were close to the Muskegon pierhead and decision was to scoot into Torresons for diagnostics. Mark talked them into looking at it right away and fortunately, it ended up being a bad sending unit. Like all repairs, a $100 later we are on the road again!

Tonight we are in Ludington. After finally getting started on this cruise we are feeling rather exhausted so are not pushing the way we originally planned.

Chester the Dog has been a dream. He has a strong, big bladder because he has no intentions of going anywhere but on land! This will continue to be a challenge for all.

OH and if you want to leave a comment, go into Followers and sign in. Cheers!

The Journey Begins

Today we begin our adventure with much calmer winds than yesterday. Yesterdays wind and waves, building 5-8' caused us to rethink leaving and sticking with our original cast off of today. Friends are picking us up at home around 10 a.m. and we anticipate being on the water no later than noon today. The blog will be updated whenever internet connection is available.

We're ready. How far we go today depends on how we feel. Isn't that grand?

Bon Voyage

A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place

The process has begun of taking what we need to the boat. The food is now on the boat with the exception of fresh produce and dairy which will be purchased the morning we leave on our cruise. The 'medicine cabinet' is completed. Pleasantly surprised how much room we have left at this point. Clothing will most likely be the biggest challenge especially in what to take. We will encounter cool weather going through the Erie Canal during early mornings and evenings. Then if we decide to come home for Christmas, well believe sweatshirts and fleeces will have to suffice for winter jackets! And turtlenecks and sox! The man on the boat has a hate relationship with sox, by the way.

We are gaining. Today is filled with more gathering and loading and seeing friends before we leave. Coming home for a week or so in October takes some of the pressure off. If we take something we don't really need we can bring it home, and if we forget something we can retrieve it and take it back to Journey.

Anxious, excited and to the point we 3 are ready to hit the blue water highway.

details

so many details, so little time to get them done
but it's exciting!

Target

Believe we will be leaving August 4th!

Oh so close to leaving

We are getting very, very close to leaving on our trip. Chester is not quite certain what the heck is going on in 'his' household with the rubbermaid totes adorning the living room floor. As we fill them and cross items off our list, it shows us how we are almost there and ready to take everything to the boat. Give us a couple of weeks and the next blog will be entitled: We're Gone

Tic Toc....

Packing things at home this weekend to take to Journey for cruising! After work and preparation, reality is setting in that this is really happening. We agree that the feeling now is like waiting for a connecting flight on the way home from a great vacation: just do it already!

Counting down

Six, maybe seven, weeks before we travel North in order to go South! The project list is getting smaller allowing a little light at the end of this tunnel.

Splash

Journey goes into the water in 4 days!

Her masts are currently under inspection with new hardware, wiring, lights, light bulbs, etc. being added or changed as necessary. With her in the water begins a whole new list of 'stuff that's gotta be done'..! Yup, it just doesn't end. Mark is a die-hard getting all these projects underway and completed. LuAnn is at home getting the house and yard ready as well as her own boat projects: containers of necessary medicines, toiletries, food staples, bedding, towels, rugs, stuff for Chester, copies of eye rx, copies of doctors notes, etc.  Oh, and auto-pay for bills. As said before, the list goes on and on! We are 2 months away from bon voyage.

Getting Closer

Time is passing quickly and the project list is long.  Mark is busy in his workshop carefully cutting teak making shelving for the master stateroom, new cabinet for the salon, widened both setees and resizing the table.  Grateful he has the skill & knowledge to make our boat home more comfortable.  Lists have been created and getting longer with what to take and things to do.  And we are certain we will forget something! 

We have been advised by current Cruisers to set a date.  As close as we can come right now is to anticipate leaving Holland early July.  More to come....