THE ERIE CANAL, FROM WATERFORD TO ONEIDA LAKE (43:12.10N 76:03.40)

We reached our first Lock into the Erie canal on 15.6, and were raised up 14ft into Waterford, which is the start of the Erie canal. 

16.6 From Waterford we headed into a flight of 6 locks, in about 11nmiles, each about 33ft up, and stopped for the night at Schenectady, on the Mohawk River, still in a heatwave, temperatures about 34’C. We anchored above lock 7 in a large pool above the dam

17.6 at 0700 we set off, and climbed 7 locks, each about 12ft up, in 44.6nmiles, and stopped for the night at the Palatine bridge lock, near Canajoharie. We saw 2 beavers, some deer, lots of Canadian Geese, ducks, and many eagles, herons, storks, and birds, including my favourite, the Scarlet Cardinal.

Sunday, 18.6 at 0640 we set off again, heading for Locks 15,16, and 17. Lock 17, at Little Falls, NY is the largest of all the locks, going up 40.5ft. then we continued through Locks 18,19,20. We stopped between Utica and Rome, at the highest point of the Canal, at 420ft, a small hill, as it was raining. It would be all downhill from here, about 11 more locks to Oswego and to Ontario. The next morning we motored in rain, into Rome, where we tied up to the towndock, and walked to the supermarket to provision.

20.6, We visited Fort Stanwix, and the museum showing the wars between the French, English and the Mohicans. After looking at the weather reports, and checking that our Swedish neighbours on a powerboat were staying the night, we decided to rent a car to drive to the Adirondacks, to visit cousin Caroline and her husband Duncan, at their Camp Winnetaska. We rented the only available vehicle that would fit 3 passengers, a U-Haul pickup truck, and drove north 3 hours, reaching the Camp in time for a delicious roast dinner, soft beds, and a very warm welcome. Their new boathouse was almost completed, and Roland would have liked to stay longer to help with raising the new flagpole But Restless was waiting, and we drove the 3 hours south to Rome, finding everything as it should be, so we left the Mohawk river, and set off along the Erie canal, locking down 50ft in locks 21 and 22.

22.6 we motored out of the Erie Canal, and into Oneida Lake, following a line of powerboats, and stopped at Lower South Bay on the Lake, to plan our route to Canada in the next few days, where we will catch up with family in Toronto. Keir will leave us, and Gilbert, Pip and Mia will join us for 2 weeks, followed by Olivia and Shenton. Oliver and Jane live in Toronto, and we hope to catch up with their children and their families while we are in Canada. From Toronto we plan to head east to Thousand Islands, and then on to Lake Champlain and down the Hudson River back to Hop O’Nose, where we left our masts. We will put our masts back in, and head to New York and south to the Chesapeake, where we plan to leave Restless for the northern winter.