Friday, June 5, 2009

It was one year ago today that we picked up and became the owners of Blue Heron! At that time we were only dreaming of the things we are actually doing now. We spent this day getting groceries, doing laundry, picking up miscellaneous supplies and getting ready for our time in Canada. Gale changed the engine oil and filter, checked all the other fluids, and worked on permanently installing a 1500 watt inverter. With the inverter, we have been able to use our coffeemaker and charge batteries for cameras, phones, etc. We can plug the computer into the inverter whenever the engine is on and keep it charged up. Up to this point, we have had to haul out the inverter, hook up the cables and then bring the appliances to the inverter to plug them in. With the permanent installation, we will be able to use the electrical outlets on the boat just as we do when we are plugged in to shore power (AC). Gale had all the wiring done and was ready to complete the installation when he inadvertently touched the screwdriver to the inverter box in the wrong places. From the smoke pouring out of the inverter unit, it was evident that it had been “fried.” It was time to quit for the night and go eat Mexican food; which, by the way, was excellent and Maureen awarded the margarita a very high rating of ‘9’ (scale is 1 to 10).

We have had a request or two for photos of the inside of the boat so we have included some here. If you would like to see some professional pictures of a Gemini 105MC, check out the manufacturer’s website for Performance Cruising, Inc..

Thursday, June 4, 2009

It was 46° this morning at Lake Oneida, but the sky was clear and there was no wind which made for a terrific time to cross the lake. We were on our way at 6 am and completed the 20-mile crossing in about four hours. Our first stop was at Ess-Kay Yards in Brewerton, NY, where we fueled up, topped off the water tanks, and picked up a few miscellaneous items for boat maintenance. At 11:50, we passed through the last lock we will use on the Erie Canal, Lock 23, which dropped us down 7 feet. About seven miles after Lock 23, we came to Three Rivers where the Oswego Canal begins at the junction of the Oneida and Seneca Rivers that form the Oswego River. This is mile 160 on the Erie Canal. From this point, the Oswego Canal drops from 363 feet above sea level to 245 feet above sea level at Lake Ontario in 7 steps. The total length of the canal is 24 miles. In general, the locks are more modern and in better shape than the Erie Canal locks. The locks are numbered 1 through 3, and 5 through 8 – Lock 4 was planned but never built. At 5:30 pm we came through Lock 7 at Oswego, NY, and tied up for the night on the wall south of Lock 8. We had read about a Farmers’ Market happening here every Thursday night from 5 to 9 pm in the summertime and were not disappointed. We came away from the market with wonderful fresh asparagus, a green pepper, some baked goods and sampled won-ton and crab rangoon made by a local Chinese restaurant that was the best either of us had ever had! Back at the boat we found we had a great Wi-Fi signal so Gale made a couple of calls on Skype before going to bed.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Last night when Maureen pulled out the pots to make rice for dinner, she found a puddle of water in the compartment. Upon further investigation, the area directly under the sink had water in it as well. Neither of us had the energy then to tackle the project and decided to let it wait until morning. After emptying the compartments, and removing the galley sink, Gale tightened up all the hoses and added some silicone caulking around the sink. We were on our way again at 9:45 am and enjoyed a beautiful day and some gorgeous scenery along the canal. It is a wonder that one can boat through the mountains! We covered 31.5 miles on this day and came through three locks. Lock 20 was the last lock going up; Locks 21 and 22 dropped us back down 25 feet each. At around 4 pm, we stopped at Sylvan Beach on Lake Oneida and tied up to the free dock. Sylvan Beach is a resort community of about 1,000 people and as we walked around the town, we noted how neat and tidy everything appeared. There were many beachside cottages offered for rent and there was an amusement park, restaurants, laundromat, grocery store, etc., all within 5 blocks of where we were docked.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

We were up before 05:30 and left the dock wall by 06:00. For the first few miles, we had to slow down to about 3 or 4 knots because there was so much debris in the water – mostly logs and branches. Along the way, people had mentioned that there had been some heavy rains recently, so we thought that was what had churned up all the stuff floating downriver. We locked through Locks 13 through 19 today; seven locks for a total lift of 126 feet. Lock 17 is the largest single step lock on the Erie Canal with a lift of 40.5 feet and it is one of only two locks in North America where the entrance gate is lifted above the boater. Lucy didn’t care too much for this lock because she got wet when we went under the gate!
At Lock 18 we shared the lift with the sailing vessel, Volare, a very large, deep draft sailboat flying a British flag and carrying a crew of 5 or 6 twenty-somethings. We had locked through with them once yesterday and once earlier today. While in the lock, one of the young women aboard said she had bought a dog biscuit for Lucy when they stopped for lunch today and wanted to give it to her. As we left the lock, they attached the treat to a boat hook and extended it over to us so Maureen could grab it. Lucy loved the cookie so much she wanted the paper bag it came in, too!
At 15:30 we stopped at the Ilion Marina and RV Park for diesel fuel and water. It was as neat and tidy as it could be; the lawns were well-maintained and the bathrooms were cleaner than most people’s homes! They had a little snack shop where Gale enjoyed a banana ice and Lucy was able to have a nice walk. After an hour there, we got back on the boat and traveled a few more miles upriver to Lock 19 where we tied up to the lock wall after locking through. Just after getting settled, two large westbound sailing catamarans came through the locks together. We stopped and visited with the Captain of Moondancer, a custom made 60 foot long, 31 foot wide vessel headed for Chicago. (For comparison purposes, Blue Heron is 34 feet long and 14 feet wide.) We had seen this boat on Saturday when we came through the first lock at Troy. It was traveling in the opposite direction we were and we thought they had probably been turned back at that lock since they were too wide to pass through with only one gate open. This, in fact, turned out to be the case.

Monday, June 1, 2009

It was 45° this morning! Some places were even expecting frost last night. By the time we left at 10 am, however, it had warmed up to 65° with sunny skies. It took us just under two hours to travel the next 1-1/2 miles. The Waterford Flight of locks features a series of five locks (Locks 2 through 6) where boats are lifted the greatest height in the shortest distance of any canal in the world. The average lift was around 34 feet, for a total of 170 feet. We continued west on the Canal through Locks 7 to 12 (total 94 foot lift for these six locks) stopping for the night on the west end of Lock 12, west of Amsterdam and east of Fonda, NY, at Tribes Hill. We tied up to the free dock at 8 pm where we found our friends, Mike and Kylie, had already stopped for the night. Miles traveled today were 39.62.
Some other interesting notes about locking through today: (1) there was only one time when we shared the lock with another boat, otherwise, we were solo; (2) the only time we had to wait for the lock was at the very first one when a NYC Police boat was locking through eastbound; (3) and we saw only one other boat during our trip that was traveling east.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

We liked this spot so much that we decided to stay another day. We attended Mass at 8:00 am and then found the eating establishment “Don & Paul’s” which had been recommended by many since we stopped last night. The place was packed, but we were able to get two spots at the counter and we were served in no time at all. For $4.82 plus tip, we enjoyed an exceptional breakfast of two eggs, toast, three large pancakes, a large cranberry juice and two coffees! Not everything is expensive in New York! After breakfast, we spent some time at the Visitors Center using the internet and sending a few email messages. In the afternoon, we took a walk up to the Lock 2 office to buy our Canal Pass ($37.50 for 10 days on the Erie), and then walked over the river to a park where Gale flagged down the ice cream truck. Back on the boat again, a lady walked by with a very small Boston Terrier that was paralyzed from the middle of his spine on down evidently from a fall off the bed. He had full use of his two front legs, but the hind end was supported by a wheeled apparatus that looked like the back end of a tricycle. The owner said she had another Boston at home that was older, and in even worse shape! She certainly loved those dogs!
At 6 pm, our new friends, Mike and Kylie, came over to Blue Heron to share a few cocktails, some hors d’oeuvres and more interesting tales of their travels. We hope to run into them a few more times along the Erie Canal.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

We can’t believe it has been a month already since we began this adventure! It was a 39-mile day (7 hours) and we enjoyed beautiful scenery, watched two bald eagles fishing next to our boat, and saw a few dozen turtles sunning themselves on a log in the river. We came through the city of Albany and then passed through our first lock at Troy, NY, with a lift of 14 feet. Only one of the gates on the south end of the lock was operating that day, so we were glad we were not more than 20 feet wide or we would have been turned back until it was repaired. We entered the Erie Canal at Waterford, NY, and stopped for the night just before the next lock at the city dock in Waterford where you could tie up free for two nights (after two nights the fee is $10). It is a delightful town and they really roll out the red carpet for the cruisers coming through. We understand that this type of welcome is the norm rather than the exception along the Erie Canal. We met a young couple, Mike & Kylie, on sailing vessel ‘Meggie,’ from the Georgian Bay in Canada who had lots of good information to offer. They have been sailing for 3 years and are on their way home now! Gale, Maureen and Lucy took a walk uptown and checked out some of the history, found the grocery store, the laundromat, the church and tomorrow morning’s breakfast spot! When we returned to the boat, we enjoyed a glass of wine and a couple of burgers!
Note: Lucy made the transition away from her grass lawn just fine today but she was still glad to make landfall in the evening and use a “real” bathroom.