Moving through the Erie Canal

We watched the opening of the Erie canal on Nebo. The app showed looper boats moving through locks 16 and 17, which were the ones that had been closed for repairs. We also saw many boats moving in the first part of the system, from locks 2 to 15, so the path ahead was clearing out for us to transit the Erie canal. Indeed, we saw a lot of snowbird sailboats passing the marina and heading north, and other looper boats started to arrive at the marina. Watching the flow, we did not see any clogs, boats were moving through the system, so we figured we were good to go.

The Erie canal, at least the part we need, is now open. Time to start locking.

The day was sunny and cooler, so we took the opportunity to enjoy the day. Another looper, Journey, was here for an extended period and had a car, and they offered to take Louise grocery shopping. Never turn down a car ride! Louise got a few items we needed and then relaxed on the boat.

Since the restaurant here was so good we went for dinner again with all the loopers in the harbour. Louise organized the dinner for 12 of her closest friends, 6 of which she had just met that day. At the table are the crews of Thyme Away, iFloat, Dolly, Pelican, Indigo, and Her's IV.

Doug (Her's IV), Mike (Thyme Away), and Bill (iFloat).

The next morning started out badly. The previous day I had noticed that our air conditioner was not working well. When I investigated, I found that the air filter was clogged and the condenser was freezing up. So, after having coffee, I removed the air filter and cleaned it. So far so good, a simple fix. But, when I went to put the filter back, as I was descending into the bilge I missed my footing and my foot raked down the front of the condenser grill. We did not hear any refrigerant escaping, so that was good, but the radiator fins had been bent over potentially limiting the cooling power of the AC. Not a great start to the day.

FRACK!!!

To add to the misery, both of us kept making small mistakes on the boat. Little stuff, like placing ropes in the wrong place, but enough to get me worried that this would be one of those days we should have stayed in bed.

We got underway in the rain around 8 in the morning with Pelican. They were behind us on the dock, and we both needed to back out, so they left and we followed. Both of us needed pump outs, so we took turns on the gas dock getting pumped out while the other boat hovered nearby. With our holding tanks empty, we set off up the Hudson towards the entrance to the Erie. The cruise was pretty smooth, in and out of rain. We travelled a bit slower than normal, as we were going against the river current and the tide, so the trip took about an hour longer than planned.

We entered the Troy lock pretty easily and got tied up along side, but had some trouble when they started to fill the lock. We had used our regular fenders, and quickly realized we needed to break out our ball-type fenders for extra protection. You only tie up with one line in these locks, and the turbulence swings the boat around a bit. When we were on the Mississippi we were always going down, so the turbulence was nothing, but here we were going up so there were significant currents in the lock. Pelican had a lot of trouble, and had to resort to using their thrusters to hold away from the wall.

Approaching the Waterford town dock we saw one space available. We got tied up and offered to Pelican for them to raft on us, but they decided to tie up to the concrete wall just before the bridge. Luckily the sailboat behind us was getting ready to leave, so Pelican was able to move up with us after only a short wait.

Horse statue on the waterfront in Waterford. They have a free dock here. You don't have to pay for dockage, but have to pay for power. It was a great place to stage before entering the first flight of five locks in the Erie canal.

We went for a walk to the local grocery store. This area is not the nicest. The town dock is in a great municipal park, but the area around it was not the best. We were treated to a big show in the grocery store parking lot when two women got into a big screaming match over a parking space. After dinner we were invited onto Pelican for Paul's birthday. We had some cake and then played jokers. 

In the morning after breakfast I got the boat ready for a day of locking. First order of business was to break out our big ball fenders and set them up on the rails. We did not know where we would be locking, so just took a guess and set up on the port side. The locks open at 8 am, so around 7:30 we started seeing a parade of boats hovering near the lock waiting. We stayed tied up, and when we could see the lock getting ready, we hailed the lock on VHF to ask if they had space for us. The reason we knew the lock was operating was that they keep the lock chambers full at night. We were going up, so they needed to empty the chamber so boats could enter. When they do that, you can see the outflow at the bottom of the lock doors. Anyway, the lock guy said he was not sure, and would get back to us.

Lots of boats stacked up for the first lockage of the day at the flight of five. We managed to be the last boat in with a group of 8.

We counted 7 boats going into the lock, and we could see they were staking them 4 to a side, so we cast off in preparation for entry to the lock. As we approached I hailed the lock master who told us there was space, but before we could go in we got to play a game with our fenders.

We were packed in for sure in the first few locks. 

The boat just before us entered the lock on the port side, and landed on the wall there. To us, this looked like they were going to be on the port side of the lock, and so the last open space was therefore on the starboard side. We had set our fenders up on port, just taking a guess, so now we saw that we had to switch over the fenders. No problem, part of boating. I was driving so Louise got out and moved both big ball fenders over from the port side to the starboard side. As she was doing this, the boat in front of us moved over from the port side of the lock to the starboard. WTF? So, Louise now schlepped the heavy fenders back over to the port side. We have no idea why they switched sides, but stuff happens. With our fenders set, we entered the lock and got secured to the port side.

They use different systems for securing your boat in the locks. Our favourite on the Erie are these pipes, as they are really easy to use. But not a good idea to loop the extra loop around the cleat. Lesson learned - just a single line around it worked perfectly.

View from the top of the first lock in the Erie. The canal actually goes above the town here.

So, up we went in the lock. Now, the first 5 locks of the Erie are in a flight, one lock after the other with turning basins in between. As the other boats left the lock wall, we noticed that they were moving super-slow. There were two sailboats that were putting along, and one of the power boats in front was also over-cautious. Since we didn't want to be part of the traffic jam, we waited on the lock wall until the last boat had cleared the lock, then followed behind. Moving from one lock to the other was tedious, but eventually we got there. But, as we approached the lock, we saw the boat in front of us pull the same trick they did in the first lock. First they approached the starboard lock wall, then they switched directions and tied up on the port side. This was a major locking faux-pas. When you go through flights of locks, you should stay in the same order to avoid confusion and drama. These guys switching out was a bit of a jerk move from our point of view, especially since we knew the boaters were veterans. You could understand if they had never locked before, but this was a dick move. So, Louise goes out and switches over our fenders from port to starboard, and we get set to go in.

Cruising along in between locks. If the river is wide enough I can use the autopilot to take a break.

At this point I made an error. I told the other boat that we did not appreciate the last second switch on two locks in a row. I should have been nicer, and Louise called me out on it right away, so I felt like a jerk for the rest of the day. Anyways, we locked up and moved to the next chamber. 

This time the boat in front stayed on the port side, so we did not need to re-rig everything, but of course now we had trouble tying up. At the first two locks there were vertical cables we could tie our lines to, similar to the system in the Rideau, but in this one we had to grab long lines that were hanging down in the chamber. These were filthy. Luckily we had been warned about them so were both wearing gloves, but we got dirt all over the boat. To add to the fun, Louise had difficulty with the stern line and our stern swung out in the lock dangerously close to another boat. She got it under control, but we added to the drama of the lock.

As well, the lady on the other boat explained why they had switched sides. Apparently one of the sailboats in front had not moved far enough ahead and there was no space, so they switched sides. OK, so they knew they had made a mistake. But, all they had to do was wait for the sailboat to move, which is what happened (otherwise we would not have fit in), and having locked before, they knew this. Anyways, rant over.

Lots of different decorations at the lock stations. Here, they had taken an old derelict tug boat and made it into a display, painted in the colours of the Erie canal.

The next lock could only take boats on the port side, so we had to split our group in half. The first four boats went in and locked up while the second group, including us, stayed behind in the turning basin. Luckily we were able to tie off on the side while we waited. After about 20 minutes or so we went into the lock, all of us tied on the port side and went up. 

Here we are all waiting for the lock to turn around and bring us in. They had to split our group in half here since we could only tie up on one side of this lock. Luckily there were bollards here we could tie to so we didn't have to hover.

Smaller group going into a lock.

Coming out of this lock, we then had to pass under a guard gate. No big issue, it was like going under a bridge. However, the first boat in the line had not done any locking before and so was moving  a little slow, which caused the rest of us to stack up behind. After a bit of maneuvering we made it through. Once we passed the guard gate the river opened up and the last three boats in the line immediately passed the slower boat in front.

Lock 7 was an hour away, so we relaxed and enjoyed the view as we went. It was a nice sunny day, but kind of cool so I ended up wearing a hoodie. Our plan for the day was to get to at least the next lock before stopping. The only glitch we had was that the boat in the lead was new to locking so did not hail the lock as we approached. The boat behind him was a vet, so got on the radio to prompt the first boat to contact the lock. It is important to do this when you are about 2 miles out so the lock can prepare for you as you approach, and also so they can hold for you if they are locking boats through. This lockage was easy, as there were just four of us, so there was lots of room for everyone to get tied up. When we got to the top of the lock, it was just about 12:30 and we were feeling good, so we decided to go for one more lock, which was about an hour's travel up the river. 

The reason that parts of the canal had been closed for so long is that high water in upstate New York had damaged some of the facilities on the system. As we passed through, we could still see the aftermath of the floods, as there were large logs everywhere.

About half way to the next lock we got passed by a huge boat. This guy was a jerk. He did not hail on the radio and although he slowed down, he did not pass slowly, but rather at "max-plow" speed. We saw the guy behind us get waked, so I pulled over to the side of the channel and shifted into neutral so he could pass easily. Because of this, we did not get rocked too badly, but as soon as he passed us he went to warp speed and moved out. This was a big boat, easily 70 feet long. His wake was huge. The place he passed us had a rip-rap bank - big rocks placed to avoid erosion - on which a bunch of people were standing and fishing from the shore. The waves from his wake broke on the rocks, splashing all the fisherman with dirty river water. 

Lots of industrial equipment along the shores here. The canal alternates between wilderness and industrial. Check out the vines growing on this crane.

One of the boats in front of us saw him coming and tried to arrange a pass, but the guy did not respond to the radio. As least they were able to pull over to give him space. Once past the two boats in front, he took off at high speed for the next lock. Now, the guy in front had learned from the previous lock, and hailed the next lock to let them know we were coming. Smart, as I am sure the guy on the big boat would not have told the lock there were boats behind him.

The Army Corps of Engineers were busy cleaning out the debris from the canal after all the high water they have had. Some huge stuff on the barge, and there were a few big stumps that were too big for the crane so they were tied alongside.

Many of the lock stations had piles of logs waiting to be trucked away.

Getting into this last lock was not fun. The Erie in this section was in a high water condition and there was a large flow of water over the dam here which created a strong eddy on the lock approach. The lock master warned us about this, but his description of the flow was confusing. He was clear however, that we should enter one at a time, as we would need to power through the strong current.

At lock 10 the lock master had decorated the lock by making a planter out of an old boat. It even had a looper flag on the front.

The three boats in front of us made it in without issue. As they went in, I watched how the current pushed them, and thought I understood how the eddy worked. So, in we went. The first part of the swirl was no problem, but I misjudged the flow right at the entrance and came in too close to the starboard side. As our stern passed through the current we got yanked sideways and had to do some quick maneuvering to avoid hitting the lock walls. We were not completely successful unfortunately, as our dingy got caught in a piece of wood that was stuck in one of the ;lock doors. Luckily, the only damage was to our dingy cover. The cover was torn by the impact, but the dingy underneath was undamaged.

We exited the lock and tied to the lock wall on the top. We had gone one lock too far. The drama going in had pushed our stress level a bit too far and we were tired. We got tied up to the lock wall and took a break. About a half hour after we arrived, Pelican made it up the lock and joined us. There was not much here, so both Louise and I grabbed a nap in the late afternoon. A bit after supper, another boat joined us on the wall. Turned out the boat, Salute was Canadian, and they were from the Trenton area and kept Salute at Trent Port marina. They were on their way home after spending the winter in Fort Lauderdale. They had travelled back and forth on the ICW to get away from winter.

This is just wrong!

Turned out Salute had some technical issues in the morning as their generator was not working. Luckily their engine batteries were OK, so they were able to get the main engines going. The three of us all left together and had a short day ahead. After the grind of yesterday, we all wanted a break. We were joined in the first lock by a brand mega yacht that was being delivered by a captain for the owner. We are seeing lots of these huge boats on the Erie, and they all seem to be jerks. They were last in the lock, and lock etiquette is that you leave the lock in the same order you came in. Well, these guys decided to pass us in the lock. Yikes. Coming out of the lock they passed Salute and Pelican, both of whom had already left the lock, and as soon as they were past, they fired up engines and set off at warp speed. The three of us continued on impulse power and locked through the next two locks without incident, arriving at the Riveredge park in Amsterdam shortly before lunch. 

Every once in a while we run into credit card issues. For some reason, credit card software in the U.S. does not play well with foreign cards. The problem happens in places that ask for your address. To give a Canadian address you need a postal code, but the software in some places only accepts zip codes. We have been able to use the 90210 zip code in these cases as a work-around hack, but not today. The municipal marina would not do it. This is only the second time the 90210 trick has not worked, both times in municipal marinas. mmmmm

The town had a really nice pedestrian bridge that had been decorated with lots of plants and sculptures.

So, off we went on our scooters to find an ATM. Turned out that to get out of the marina, we had to haul the scooters up a few flights of stairs to access a pedestrian bridge. The bridge led onto the roof of a shopping centre, and eventually to a parking lot. Interesting route. We got some cash and returned to the marina to pay for the evening. 

These little towns have interesting random things you get to discover. Amsterdam had a castle in the middle of town.

During the day, a lot of other looper boats arrived and tied up to the wall. The moorings here are all canal concrete walls that are about 6 feet high. We have been tying to locations near rescue ladders so we can climb up. One of the new arrivals had been in the lock the first day with us. As soon as he met us he talked about how I had called-out the other boat for switching sides. He said they should have know better, being veteran lockers. Nice to get vindication, so now I felt better.

Here you can see what we are tied to. All the canal structures are big concrete walls with cleats, bollards or rings to tie to. The walls are so high we have to park near a safety ladder in order to get off the boat.

The terrain is very hilly here, and so a lot of transportation systems run down the relatively flat area, which happens to be the Mohawk river valley. On either side of us there were railway tracks, and we usually saw some kind of highway beside the canal as well. When we stoped for the night, there were lots of trains running by, several every hour.

Trains are constantly running along the side of the river here. We see lots of freight trains as well as many regular passenger trains.

We met lots of loopers we had not encountered before, and went to dinner with the crews of 5 other boats at a great Italian restaurant.

Instead of a little pleather folder, this restaurant used cigar boxes to deliver the bill and collect our credit cards. 

Group of loopers at Lorenzo's in Amsterdam. Crews of Knot Again, Ramble On, Wastin Away, iFloat, Pelican and Persystence.

We were hoping for a short travel day the next day. Although it would involve 6 locks, the distance was only 30 km so we figured we would get to our destination, St. Johnsville, around 12:30. We set off at 8:00 to catch the first lockage, and everything went smoothly. We were in a group with 3 other looper boats, so had lots of room in the locks, and each lockage went quickly. Along the way we picked up a sailboat in the group, and all the power boats passed them in the reaches between the locks. Turned out to be for nothing, as the locks were close together so we all ended up locking together.

The reason for planning to stop at St. Johnsonville was that we did not want to have a long travel day. The next two locks, 16 and 17 had recently undergone extensive repairs and so were only doing lockages on a schedule. As well, they had a strict speed limit of 5 mph between the locks, which meant it would take 1.5 hours to transit. Because of the repairs, they would not allow boats to stay overnight between the locks, so once you enter, you are committed. This limited our options, and so we planned to stop at St. Johnsonville for the night and then do the lock 16 to 17 transit the next day to avoid super-long travel days.

Arriving in St. Johnsonville we were pleased to find lots of space on their municipal wall, but as we approached we were told by the staff that we could not stay as they had a reservation from a 90 foot boat that was arriving later. OK, so now plan B. We decided to backtrack to the previous lock as there was lots of space there. Paul of Pelican asked about continuing through lock 16, but we did not want to get into a long grind, so started to backtrack to lock 15.

As we were returning to lock 15, we encountered Wastin Away, another looper boat. He got on the radio and told us there was a nice place to stop at the top of lock 17 that had lots of space for boats. He did such a good sales job that we decided to try going through locks 16 and 17. Now we were on plan C. 

We made it on time to lock 16 for their scheduled opening and locked through with three other boats. Now we were a group of 6. Lots of space in the lock, and it all went smoothly. Out the other side, we ran at idle speed through the transit to lock 17, as they had a strict 5 mph speed limit. Behind us, we could hear a conversation between lock 16 and another group of boats who were locking right after us. WTF? They were supposed to be working on a schedule, not on demand. The boats in front of us had to wait almost an hour, now the lock was giving special treatment to the group behind us? As it later turned out, there was a super yacht going through, and of course the rich have their own rules. But I digress.

We approached lock 17, arriving about 20 minutes before the scheduled lockage. As we were closing on the lock, the super yacht showed up behind us. We figured he had made the transit at about double the speed limit. Did I mention the part about rules not applying to rich guys? 

Lock 17 could only take boats on the port side, which meant that there was now about 3 lockages worth of boats waiting. The lock master here was a total dick, and would not open early. When he did, he gave us no help whatsoever (other lock masters have been very nice). He told us he could fit 5 boats on one side. But, the first two boats in our group were 60 feet long, and the sailboat in front was also big, so there was only room for four boats, and we were the fourth boat. The lock guy was super-slow and seemed to be going out of his way to be unhelpful. 

In these locks, they give you big ropes to hold onto, two ropes per boat. Some ropes were missing in this lock, which meant we only had one rope. Turned out to be impossible to control the boat with only one rope, and so I had to stay at the helm and control the boat with the engine. Louise held onto the rope, but it was a decoration only, if she pulled on it, it messed us up because the angle on the rope was wrong. At one point we gently bounced off the dingy of the boat in front of us.

While all this was happening, the lock master kept telling us he could fit 5 boats. The back of our boat was about 10 feet from the back of the lock, there was no space for any more. Then, the lock master tells us we can raft onto other boats. He then warns us that there will be lots of turbulence in the lock. WFT? No way we are rafting in a turbulent lock. Eventually he closes the door, and then for about 5 minutes nothing happens. Was he having coffee? Once we started to rise, the turbulence in the lock created a current that held us onto the lock wall, but I stayed on the helm as the only way we could control the boat was with the engine, the rope was just a decoration at this point. 

To add to the fun, this lock was different inside than all the other locks. So far, all the locks have been made of concrete, with regular swing doors. The inside of this lock was lined with steel plates, with big square bolts holding in the plates. The gate was a guillotine style closure that was also obviously lined with steel plate. It was like being in a submarine pen. Since it was run by this lock-nazi, I guess you could call it a U-boat pen.

We finally made it out and went to the municipal marina nearby, where we got tied up to their wall. Most of their electrical outlets were not working, but it was a safe place to be. They had a floating dock here, and we asked the harbourmaster to save a space on the dock for Pelican. They have a dog so need to get off, so high walls are difficult for them with the dog. As all this was happening, we could hear all the drama behind us on the VHF as the next group came into the lock. Their experience was just as miserable as ours.

Tied up to the wall after a grind of a day. 

By the time everyone arrived at the wall it was about 6:30. Freakin long day.

Boat name of the day: *&$%#@% lock 17