Safely Passing by Manhattan But Running Aground in the New Jersey Intra-Coastal Waterway

We thought we would start this posting with tips for our boating friends, especially those who are planning on doing this trip themselves in the future.

Pat and Dave's Tips: Preparing for the Trip

People say, “Don't worry about having everything you might need before you leave. You can always get these things on the way.” It's not bad advice, but we found that it was difficult, time consuming and often very expensive to get what we needed. We used the free docks on the canals, and these were most often not close to shopping or laundry facilities. If there was shopping nearby, it was of the convenience store variety (expensive and limited). Taxis will take you anywhere, of course, but you will need big bucks in your budget for that (it cost us $50 for a taxi to/from shopping and laundry at Lock 20). Anchoring is still our favourite thing to do, but a dinghy ride in the dark over rough water just to get some first aid supplies is not appealing at all. So, we suggest the following things with regard to preparing for your trip.

• Bring as much first aid stuff as possible. It seemed as soon as we left Hamilton, we started having small health problems and first aid needs. We needed all the pain killers and band-aids we had on board. We also could have used an eye wash cup, since for some obscure reason, Pat got an eye infection (something she has only had about three times in her whole life). In that regard, it would have been helpful to have some antibacterial or antibiotic eye drops, too. Dave used our tensor bandage for his painful muscles, so we were glad we had one of those. On the whole, we wished we had followed through on our plan to have everything on board before we left – all the things suggested in the books on first aid for cruisers.

• We luckily had some things from the Vet for Dude. If you are bringing a pet, we have some more tips about this, so let us know, and we will send you our thoughts.
• Plot your entire trip before you leave. It makes it so easy each morning to simply open up your navigation software, and while your engines are warming up, you can zoom in on your course for the day. Dave plotted our entire trip right to the dock at the back of my daughter's house in Grand Cayman. This is a good place to give you our recommendation for which navigation software to use. We joined a website called Active Captain, and the site recommended Polar Navy software. It was $39.95 and well worth every penny. The software links directly to the Active Captain site, and you can get up-to-the-minute downloads regarding tides etc. We have found this super useful, but of course, a good Internet connection is needed, so it is not always possible. However, during the download, all information within a 60 NM radius is passed through, so you get everything you need even if you can't get on the Internet frequently. We love that we can do course changes in the moment and run independent lines of position. It will also navigate your boat for you when you connect your computer to your autopilot (we don't do this – we are too much on the control-freak side). You can also click on a sector light, and it will show you the range and bearings of the light in the appropriate colours. We love that we can export our course data in CSV format to Excel, and then, we can play with the times/distances etc. Chart transitions are beautifully seamless, and zooming in/out is simple. We also found that it shows many more anchorages than either Skipper Bob's book or the guide books.
• Do some research and determine how you are going to communicate with friends and family once you are traveling. Dave's daughter was in a car accident a few weeks after we left, and we were frantic trying to communicate with her and other family members. We had naively thought that we would just pick up a pay-as-you-go phone, and we would use Wi-Fi for email. Sounded simple and doable – NOT. Decent Wi-Fi is practically non existent unless you are willing to spend money on taxis to get you to a restaurant or other place that has free Wi-Fi. There are a whole bunch of pay-as-you-go phone services, but to sign up, it seems you need an American address, and a lot of them don't have International texting, or International text messaging is horribly expensive ($0.60 per message, in or out). Once on our way, without Wi-Fi, we weren't able to do any research, so we got stung badly. In Oswego, we took a taxi to Wal Mart and bought a Trac Phone with extra minutes. We managed to come up with a US address on the fly, and we were assured that the service would allow International texting, no problem. We were really pleased with our purchase – until we tried to send a text message and found out that we couldn't. We also couldn't take the phone back because we were no longer in Oswego, and Wal Mart expects the returns to be at the store where purchased. In any case, the taxi ride to take it back to the store would have cost almost more than the phone. So, we decided we needed to buy another phone. In Phoenix, we were lucky to have a local man willing to drive us to the grocery store and to a phone store, so we thought we better buy another phone that day. We chose the Verizon package because it has International texting – but each text costs $0.60 in or out. Ultimately, it seems that phone calls are the cheapest way to go. That's our tale of woe, and why we suggest you do lots of research before you leave and purchase what you need, if possible too.

Pat and Dave's Tips: Navigating and Traveling through the Canals

• All the books say so, and they are absolutely right, wear gloves for the locks. Everything is filthy,pl us you need to be able to get a firm grip on your lines.
• Be sure to have enough fenders (preferably old ones because they will get yucky and some may even break if the wind is strong). We used 4 on each side – seems like a fender every 10 feet or so is good. Also, it works best if your fenders can be easily and quickly moved back and forth along the sides. Once you are in the locks, it really helps to be able to move the fenders around to get the best advantage.
• Make sure you have enough lines as well. We had lines forward, at mid-ships and aft on both the port and starboard side. This made it easy to tie up to the sides of the locks from anywhere. For some of the smaller locks, and if it was calm, we found we could get by with just the mid-ships line.
• You might as well wear old clothes. We found that everything we wore got almost as dirty as our gloves and our fenders.
• Keep an eye out for debris in the water. It may have been the time of year we traveled the canals, or it may have been an effect of the hurricane, but there were a lot of tree limbs in the water. Even better, there were 50 gallon drums and old tires (complete with rims) floating by from time to time.
• Be able to identify the markers by shape as well as colour. When heading south, the sun is directly in your eyes, and it is impossible to see the marker colours. (Psst: red markers have triangular tops, and green markers have square tops - not that any of you need a refresher on this). For us, leaving late in the year, the sun was low in the sky and almost constantly directly in our eyes all of the time. FYI, along the Hudson as well as the canals, there were lots of white markers used in place of green. We encountered lots of markers in the canals with the wrong numbers, but this was likely because of the hurricane – they just needed to get the markers back in the water, even if they had the wrong numbers.

Now, back to the trip. At the end of our last posting, we were about to leave Waterford, New York to enter the Hudson River. On November 23, we took off for the Hudson and our last lock, Lock 1 at Troy, NY on the Hudson River. The Troy lock was awful. There were no ropes, only large pipes – too large to easily get a line around. We really had to struggle to get tied up. We were exhausted before the gates letting the water out were even opened. But we still rejoiced because it was our last lock, and we happily waved goodbye to the lockmaster. The wide and interesting Hudson River stretched before us, and our compass read due south, so what more could we ask for.

It took us 2 1/2 days to reach New York City, which was much better than we expected. About halfway through the first day, we noticed that our knotmeter (AKA speedometer, for landlubbers) was reading 8.5 knots. Since our usual speed at 1500 RPM is 6 knots, we were puzzled as to the increased speed. Duh! It was the current, of course, since the river flows south to NYC.

I thought this part of the trip might be boring, but it wasn't at all. The Hudson is a really interesting river. There are lots of old, quaint lighthouses right in the middle of the river, and oodles of things to look at on land, including the famous military academy, West Point. The river winds its way through the Catskill Mountains, and there is some really spectacular scenery. Here are a few pictures of lighthouses we thought were neat and West Point.

On November 25, as we started to get close to New York City, we began to get nervous. The “Big Apple” was going to be a challenge. First of all, the Hudson would narrow down, then we would pass through with Manhattan on the left and New Jersey on the right. We anticipated huge, towering buildings on each side, ferries whizzing past us in all directions, and enormous commercial vessels with tugs spreading shadows (and their wakes) across the water. That was just the Hudson River. Then, we would pass into the NYC Harbour with the East River joining the Hudson at the top, and all of the tour boats vying for position with the commercial traffic. Have you guessed that we were a bit intimidated?

Well, we did it! No problemo! I even had the helm when we passed right beside the Statue of Liberty and tucked into an anchorage behind it. Well, it wasn't that simple, really. As we were heading into the anchorage, the tour boats were all around us, and they don't pay any attention to pleasure boats. One of them came right up behind us – with us doing 6 knots and it doing about 15 knots. My focus was ahead, and luckily, Dave waited to tell me about it, or I would have panicked for sure. He said the tour boat came up about 20 yards off our stern! Sheesh!!

In any case, we anchored safely and took a short dinghy ride to the Liberty Park. Dude got a nice walk and we chatted with a few New Yorkers. Even though the anchorage was bumpy from the wakes of passing boats, and we noticed the mud stunk to high heavens when we lifted the anchor, only cruisers can say that they stayed overnight in NYC right behind the Statue of Liberty and didn't spend a cent!!

Here are some pictures we took as we passed by the George Washington Bridge, Manhattan, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The pictures aren't that great – it was a gray, November sky that day.

And here is a picture of us at anchor with the Statue of Liberty in the background.

On November 26, we were up at the crack of dawn. Today, the Hope would enter the North Atlantic Ocean for the very first time. We had the perfect weather for a trip in the ocean with a destination of Manasquan Inlet, New Jersey, about 26 NM and the beginning of our journey down the New Jersey Intra-Coastal Waterway. Before exiting NYC Harbour, we passed by the ferry docks and a whole mess of anchored freighters. Then, under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and out into the ocean. Here are some pictures of our last views of NYC.

Our first trip in the ocean was, happily, quite uneventful. It was a smooth ride, and the scenery was interesting. We had, of course, heard of the Jersey Shore from books and newspapers, but having never seen it before, it came as a surprise. The entire coastline from NYC to Manasquan Inlet was sandy beach with beautiful homes and low-rise hotels. It was quite extraordinary. The beaches are very deep, and the houses are set well back. We have since learned that the entire coastline of New Jersey and Delaware are like this. This is definitely where “the other half” live. In fact, many if not all of the homes are summer-homes only; the owners live elsewhere in the winter. To us, it was “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, I can tell you. I'm sorry, we have no pictures – we were too busy ogling!

When we entered Manasquan Inlet, we were a little intimidated by the plethora of small fishing and pleasure boats. We felt big, and clumsy trying to maneuver in the small inlet. As well, the depth is shallow and essentially non-existent in some spots, so we had to keep a close watch on our depth meter. We did manage to find our way to the anchorage, but first we had to pass through a bascule bridge. Now, this was an experience, and since we were bascule bridge virgins, we called ahead to the bridge master to get reassurance. Luckily, he was gentle and understanding, and we were able to squeeze through the opening without damage. Bascule bridges are essentially lift bridges, but they are narrow and low. This one was called the Glimmer Glass Bridge (neat name, eh?), and it is one of the narrowest ones on the New Jersey Intra-Coastal Waterway (NJICW). Here is a picture.

 

We anchored in a small bay surrounded with pretty New England style homes all with their own docks. We dropped the anchor and as usual, the boat swung slightly away. Dave motioned for me to back up the boat a little, and I tried, but the boat wouldn't move. Guess what – we had run aground. We had a good laugh once we looked down and could see the top of our anchor sticking out of the water. Here is a picture of our anchor in the water. You can easily see the anchor ball and the chain, but look closely, and you can also see the top of the anchor shaft out of the water and the outline of the top of the anchor just under the water.

It was a nice, soft mud bottom, and we were sitting flat on it, so, we decided to just wait for the tide to come in rather than try for another anchoring spot. It worked out fine, and it was kind of fun to feel the water lift us up about 3 hours later.

The next day, as the old song says, “the weather outside was frightful.” In this case, it was the weather in the ocean, outside the Waterway, so we decided to continue down the NJICW. At least we would be able to keep moving since the Waterway is quite sheltered. We anchored in Little Egg Harbour on November 27. Here are some pictures of typical houses in towns we passed along the way.

On November 28, we were in Atlantic City. It looks pretty much the same from the water as it does from the land. Great big hotels and casinos, lots of lights. There is one difference when looking at it from the water; you can't see the desperate and often sad-looking people trying to score the big one. Both of us are too cheap to gamble away our money, so we didn't try out any of the casinos. We played cribbage and went to bed instead. Currently, I am up one game on Dave, but he has skunked me twice. We might have to start “gambling” with toothpicks soon.

Oh, but I almost forgot. As we were entering the channel to our anchorage in Atlantic City, we ran aground. Then, we ran aground again in the channel itself. A boat passed us, and the captain yelled out that we needed to go inside one marker and outside the other. Okay, but the “markers” were merely long sticks with no green or red, and no way for us to know. I guess this was a case of needing to have what's called “local knowledge”. Anyway, we managed to run aground a third time as we tried to anchor. I guess this was a case of needing to have “local knowledge”. Oh sorry, I said that already.

There was really no problem with running aground except that we forgot our generator was on at the time. Dave will tell you all about our generator woes.

After Atlantic City, the Waterway becomes very interesting in a different way. The narrow but well-marked channel winds through a dense, grassy swamp-like area. This time of year, the grass is brown but in the summer it is all a lush green , the channel opens up into large lake areas, but the channel itself continues to be narrow and winds its way across the lake each lake. It is odd to be in a lake area about the size of Hamilton Bay and be forced to follow a narrow channel. Below are some pictures of the grassy areas and of the lake areas.

We also saw lots of wind surfers and some using a kite or para-sail. Occurred to us that this was another activity that did not need to be added to our bucket list. Here are some pictures.

We found a gorgeous anchorage in Sunset Lake which is very well named. Note the following picture.

We needed groceries, so we dinghyed to shore and went to a local restaurant to get directions. It was not open, but the owner came to the door and asked if he could help us. We must set off a “need to help these people” alarm because he immediately offered to drive us to the store AND come back to pick us up when we were ready. Who ever said Americans aren't friendly!!

On December 2, we pulled into Cape May around noon; it was only about 2 hours south of Sunset Lake. We needed water, so we decided to treat ourselves to a marina stay. It was a lovely marina with piles of gorgeous sport fishing boats and a fabulous condo development. Here are some pictures.

As nice as the marina was, they did not have water available: they had closed down their pipes for the winter. As well, the weather was not cooperating at all; it was still very windy out in the ocean, so even though we would have preferred to take the ocean route, we decided to take the Delaware Bay north and then cross the C&D Canal into the Chesapeake. Turns out this is the route most cruisers take.

Our next posting will describe our Delaware and Chesapeake leg into Norfolk, Virginia which is the beginning of the Intra-Coastal Waterway to Florida.

Great Quote: “I've learned age is a very high price to pay for maturity.”  -Anonymous

The 'techy' side if this posting will be short but not sweet.

We were so pleased that the cooling problems were solved at Ess-Kay, and for the most part they were. Sadly, the quick fix on the header tank didn't hold and it leaks as good as ever. So, header tank needs to be pulled and resealed. A job that will wait until we pull the boat unless it gets to be catastrophic. I'll do the work myself but do not want the pressure of having to do it in a hurry in case I find something else during the process. The consequence of that decision consists of checking the antifreeze every morning and topping it up. If you're thinking we must go through a lot of antifreeze the answer is yes and no, depending on how you look at it. The way the bilge is laid out, anything spilled under the engines stays under that engine until it reaches a couple inches. So, every morning when I do my engine checks, I pump the antifreeze out from under the engine, strain it, and put it back in the tank. Not a lot of fun but solves the problem, doesn't pollute the waterway and saves buying yet more antifreeze. I sure will be glad when it is fixed though.

Funny how things work out. We both were nervous about the water depth in the Jersey Intra-Coastal.

While doing that run there were numerous calls on the radio for Tow Boat US to come out and drag
folks off a shoal etc. Might know, WE run aground going into an anchorage at an inlet.

Just to back track a wee bit. We'd run most days with electricity supplied from the house batteries. Sometimes, we'd then have to run the generator to charge things up, cook dinner, heat water etc. To help alleviate some of the “at anchor run time”, we'd run the generator during our cruising thereby affording us a nice quit time at anchor. As Pat mentioned, the generator was on when we ran aground at Atlantic City. I like to say, no harm no foul, we backed off in every case and carried on. I can't. The major consequence of running aground was plugging the raw water intake to the generator's raw water pump and heat exchanger.

You may recall that after our last experience, we installed a flow alarm that can only be described as tempermental at best. In this case, it elected NOT to go off. When we finally made it into the anchorage I thought, why can't I hear the generator? I knew the answer, just didn't like it! Opened the engine room hatch to be greeted by great clouds of hot steam and antifreeze everywhere – again! Check the JB welded joint and yes, everything was melted away. Not happy. Nevertheless, using parts from a spare whale pump, parts from the head that was to go into the forward cabin, and yes, yet more JB weld, we created yet a whole new fitting. This was a work of art, seriously, a thing of beauty. Has to be, there was nothing left of the old fitting to repair. After manufacture, both Pat and I tried to pull it apart, stress test it etc – tough as nails. Very pleased.

Installed the new part but before starting up the generator to verify the fix decided to make sure no sand etc. remained in the waterline. Used some precious amp hours to charge the compressor and blow out the lines. OK, let's cross our fingers and fire this thing up.

She started just fine, new part didn't leak. Why did I smell exhaust? Why did I hear running water?

Just bloody lovely, this time when it over heated it didn't just take out the fitting; it took out part of the side wall of the water lock. The side where, if you're lucky, you can almost get you finger on it. Not the side you can see. That would have been too easy. So, no generator. Called a few places for parts or even a whole new waterlock, no luck. Asked about anti-syphon valve – not stocked, could be ordered but would be a few days. No generator. Decided we'd just use the wee generator and cook on the BBQ until I can either dream up a fix or get a new part.

One of the things we did do though that worked out well, was we finally put our mast back up, stack back together and the canvas up. Was a bit if a struggle but between the 2 of us, with Dude barking encouragement, it only took a few hours. Time for a rum.

I feel I should say something about Wi-Fi as there are all kinds of opinions about what does, and does not work. On board, we have: Linksys Wi-Fi adapters; Engenious Wi-Fi router; 5 mile Wi-Fi and the Wi-Fi built into the laptop. If there is a signal out there, by golly we can find it!

So......... there aren't a lot of signals. Most of what you do find are secure, many that are not secure still require a password once you connect to the network and even those that are not secure and don't require a password are flakey at best. For example, at the Canyon Club Marina in Cape May, great place incidentally, they supply Wi-Fi, no security. Hmmm, doesn't want to connect no matter which system I try. Wander over to the office, laptop in hand. What gives says I? “Oh, ya, it's kinda flakey the guy says. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. Try using the sales team's Wi-Fi connection or sit under the antenna at the office, sometimes that helps”. Lovely. At the end of the day, if the Laptop likes it, ok. If not, we wait until we can get to a place where it does. Enough said.

LOCKS, LOCKS AND YET MORE LOCKS

We are exhausted!! Everything hurts, even our eyebrows, fingernails and toenails!! Locking is now definitely not on our bucket list!!

Before I carry on with the next section of our trip, here are some pictures of typical things you would see when travelling “down the ditch” (what boaters call the canals).

In our last posting, we told you about Phoenix. We stayed there until Saturday, Nov. 12. The day before we left, we had a visit from an officer from Environmental Remediation (equivalent of our Ministry of the Environment). Someone had reported seeing an oil slick around our boat. Good heavens!! We were mortified - NOT. In any case, the officer placed an oil absorbent pad in the water and said there was really nothing of significance. It's interesting that someone would report this since small engines (like those on dinghies and fishing boats) consistently pour fuel and oil into the water, and no one reports them. But we are diligent boaters, so we decided to head for a marina to get some fixin' up. Dave will tell you all about it.

After leaving Phoenix, we passed the canal junction at Three Rivers. This is where the Oswego canal meets the Erie Canal. It's a 90 degree turn from the Oswego into the Erie. The locks in the Erie Canal are numbered in ascending order from the Hudson River at Troy all the way to Buffalo. Our first lock on the Erie Canal was Lock 23, and we were lifted 7 feet.

Just 2 miles past Lock 23, we found Ess-Kay Yards, our destination for our fix up. It was really windy that day, and we had difficulty pulling up close enough to the dock, but the owner (Kim) was right there, and she helped pull us in once I tossed her the lines.

EssKay Yards is a nice little marina. It has a fully-stocked marine store and a really great mechanic. They also have a courtesy car - all you have to say is that you need to do some shopping, and they hand you the keys!

We met a great couple (Stan and Laura) who purchased their boat at Port Dover from the same agent that we used to purchase the Hope (also from Port Dover). We were treated to a tour of their boat, and I must emphasize the word "treated". Their boat is spectacular. In 2002, they bought a 68 foot, 1946 fishing trawler, and they have spent the last 10 years fixing it up. Well, "fixing it up" does not even begin to do justice to their work. I wish I had taken pictures. Everything is pristine and gorgeous, from the beautiful cherry wood cabinetry, to the spotless engine room, to the special cedar closet and the room for the ship's stores. Laura did all of the woodwork herself, and Stan did all of the electrical, plumbing etc. When Stan retires in a few years, they plan to spend some time in the Bahamas and then do the Great Loop. We'll be keeping in touch with them for sure.

We got all of our work done on the boat and cast off on Wednesday. In this stretch of the Erie Canal there are a lot of lovely summer homes with private docks. Even with our gawking, we made good time and headed into Lake Oneida. This is the largest body of water on the Erie Canal. It was quite foggy as we exited the lake, and I hate fog, but it cleared up, and about four miles later, we entered Lock 22. This lock is in a quiet, rural setting. We tied up for the night at the free dock on the east side of the lock. We had 50 amps of power, but tying up was a challenge since there were no cleats on the dock – only large bollards and rings. Dude had a great time romping around on the grass.

On Thursday morning, we drew up to Lock 21. This was our first lock where we would be lowered instead of lifted. When you are being lowered, you have to reach down from the level of your boat deck to catch hold of the rope/pipe/cable. I was a bit nervous about this, but everything went smoothly. We were lowered 25 feet at this lock.

Thursday turned out to be a short day for us (only 4 hours) because the lockmaster at Lock 21 told us we would not be able to get past Lock 20. Apparently, a boat had sunk at Lock 19, and we would have to wait at Lock 20 until they cleared out Lock 19.

Tied up to the free dock at Lock 20, on Friday morning, we woke up to a good 5 inches of snow!! Well, since we were served lemons, we might as well make lemonade. So, we built a snowman. From the following pictures, you can see how much snow there was on our boat..

The lockmaster at Lock 20 came by and told us we would be stuck there until Sunday. So, we took a taxi into town (Oriskany) and found free Wi-Fi at a Burger King right next door to a laundromat. We took care of our junk food and email withdrawal AND got clean undies all at the same time. But it cost us $23 each way by taxi. Sheesh!!

One of the emails we received was from a Syracuse newspaper reporter who wanted to interview us about our experiences travelling so late in the season. We talked with her by telephone. It was kind of fun to share with her, and she asked us to send her a picture of our snowman. Then, Dave fiddled away with something electronic for a few hours, and voila, he turned on the TV – and it worked. We got 24 channels and made a significant dent in our TV withdrawal symptoms. I'll let Dave tell you all about how he made this happen.

Here is a picture of a tug boat pushing a barge into Lock 20 preparing to be lowered in the lock.

On Sunday morning November 20, we got up bright and early. We were really anxious now to get through the rest of the locks, into the Hudson River and down to New York City. We did 8 locks (20 through to 13) and were lowered a total of 141 feet. At Lock 15, I lost hold of the stern rope, and the back of the boat pulled away from the wall. We ended up sideways in the lock. The Lockmaster would not lower us until we got set up against the wall. Even with the wind, the magnificent Captain Dave managed to get us back into position using the engines.

That day, we passed by Utica, Frankfurt and Herkimer. At Little Falls, Lock 17 is famous for being one of the only two locks in North America where the lock door is lifted above the boats, like a guillotine. Most locks have two doors that open like, well, like doors. The other lock with a guillotine door is on the Ottawa River. Lock 17 is also the highest lock we took – we were lowered 40 feet there.

Here is a picture we took while we were approaching Lock 17 showing the guillotine door.

We tied up on Sunday night to a free dock at Fonda. It was dark (about 5 PM), and we were exhausted, hungry and, yes, grumpy too. At Fonda, there is a long, high wall but it only has a few rings and a few large bollards to tie up to. The ground was muddy from melted snow, and we had to use a flashlight to find the electrical outlet. Naturally, because we were exhausted, hungry and grumpy, everything went wrong. We were tied up too far from the electrical outlet, so we decided to walk the boat back about 25 feet. During this process, Dave slipped in the mud and fell, losing his hold on the stern rope. I was left holding our 40 ton boat by one rope at the forward end!! But the agile (and I must add, gorgeous) Captain Dave jumped up and grabbed his rope just before it ended up in the water and out of reach!! We got the Hope back in line, ate something (can't remember what) and fell into bed for the night.

Monday morning, we woke up with 12 locks left to go through. Did I mention yet how much we hated locking now? We decided that we just couldn't take another long day, so we tied up at the west end of Lock 7 at about 3 PM. There was just 15 amps of power there, so dinner was made in stages, but it was a quiet setting and just right for two weary travellers and one befuddled dog. So, on Monday, we had travelled through just 4 locks and were lowered a total of 53 feet.

I must tell you about the things we saw as we travelled along this section of the Erie Canal. Here, the damage from hurricane Irene was very evident. Apparently, the water in the Mohawk River rose by 20 feet or so in some spots. At Lock 10, the lockmaster said the water was up to the second floor window of the lock house, and the entire area around the lock was like a lake. As the water receded, it created a new channel around the lock, and as water is wont to do, the river started flowing through the new route. The engineers had a devil of a time figuring out what to do, and the constructions crews have been working non-stop to get everything done. At every lock from 17 to lock 7, there were work boats and tractors etc. Several times, we had to wait for a work boat (barge-like boat) to move away from the mouth of the lock so that we could enter.

Here are some pictures showing the work boats at the locks and the piles of tree stumps and debris.

On Tuesday November 22, we travelled through what is affectionately known as a the “flight of five”- locks 6 through 2. These locks are really close together; you are just recovering from getting through one, and you are heading into the next one. Of course, this time, Captain Dave and Admirable Pat were old sods at this locking stuff, so we flew through with no problems.

We docked at the town dock in Waterford around noon since we had to buy groceries and alcohol (for medicinal purposes only!) and we wanted to use the free Wi-Fi. Waterford is at the junction of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. It's a truly lovely little village with water all around it and the second highest waterfall in New York state (the highest is, of course, at Niagara.) The effects of the hurricane can be seen here as well. The Visitor's Centre right at the dock was apparently under water right up to the top of the first floor windows. We were supposed to be able to get power, water and Wi-Fi there, but all of these things were now unavailable. The people, however, were more than available. The lockmaster from Lock 2 had called ahead, and we were greeted by his son, who hooked us up to power and water from his father's house right alongside the dock. Another gentleman joined us, and he drove us to and from the liquor store, showing us the falls and where the supermarket was along the way. We had lunch at a local restaurant and asked around at other places if there was free Wi-Fi anywhere, but very few people even knew what Wi-Fi was! Later, we were back at the boat and yet another fellow came by and offered to take us to the supermarket. Naturally, we took him up on his offer. All in all, Wi-Fi excluded, we will always have fond memories of Waterford.

So, tomorrow, Wednesday November 23, we will be making a sharp right-hand turn into the Hudson River with just one more lock to go through before we bee-line it down to New York City. We will be thrilled (actually ecstatic) to see the last lock, Lock 1, out of the rear window of our boat!

Great quote: “Inside every older person is a younger person -- wondering what the hell happened.” -Cora Harvey Armstrong-

Captain Dave here - now it's my turn. Where to begin – oh boy, I don't know where to start. So much has happened. I suppose, in keeping with so many of my ramblings, the bilge would be a good place to start. In Phoenix, where else. On the way, I had noticed the port engine was over heating – lovely. The bilge, not dry. So, the forward pump came on. This, I didn't like. Took a look outside, liked it even less. Yuchy oily looking mess. Shut off pump 'till I could figure it out. Turns out some engine oil and antifreeze decided it was more comfortable in the bilge than in its respective places, namely the coolant tank and the crankcase. Not happy. Called ahead to see where there was a mechanic available as I could not see why this happened. Filled the crankcase (port engine) and the primary heat exchangers on both engines.

Ess-Kay yards said they had a mechanic available that knew diesels and was familiar with Lehman diesels. OK. We decided to head there. I'm sure Pat has talked about the great people at Ess-Kay. I dealt with Craig, the mechanic; young buck, probably late twenties or so – also a great guy. Not afraid of engine rooms, even ones cluttered with spare parts and looking gross because of the mess of antifreeze and oil. He listened patiently to the story and said well, it could be this or it could be that but, given their age, the engines may be tired (me, already tired) and need of an overhaul (me too). Turn 'em on and lets see what they sound like. So we did. Hey, he says, they sound great, let's have a look.

Maybe I was impatient, maybe my eyes aren't what they once were, but Craig found TWO coolant leaks (one an each engine) in about 10 minutes. (*&^*(&^ young buck!). What will it take to fix it? Lots of discussion, parts catalogues, phone calls to American Diesel etc. We had a list but, best take it apart first just to make sure. I was not keen on this but I could see his point. In any case, by about 2 pm that afternoon, we ordered the parts to be over - nighted from American Diesel to Ess-Kay.

The parts came in,Craig installed them and Voila! A new leak! An 'O' ring had let go in the keel cooler line (starboard side). Further, the 'seal' between the engine coolant tank and the block was leaking!

By the end of the little extravaganza, we changed 6 clamps, two hoses, a thermostat, a gasket and an 'O' ring. Along with a couple gallons of antifreeze. In addition, I ordered spares for the port side, just in case. Just as an aside, whilst all this was going on, I emptied about 20 (AT LEAST) 5 gallon pails of yuch from the bilge. Pat went shopping – go figure – hey, she brought back my favourite beer, along with some much needed groceries so, kudos to her. The $1500 bill notwithstanding, Ess-Kay and the folks there are great – a recommended stop if you have to do it.

Off we went, on to the next lock and across Lake Oneida. Everything ran fine. At this point, I must say something about Pat. She enjoys being at the helm and has really good eyes – hearing not so mush. But once we crossed the lake, the fog was like soup. She took it all the way, never missing a mark or a bend in the river.

Pat tells me I have to explain how I managed to get TV. I hate to admit it, as Pat was so surprised at getting TV, but it was stupidly simple. Some months ago, when we decided we would be leaving on this adventure, we also decided to unsubscribe from our satellite TV service. Knowing that, at some point, we might want to watch TV, I searched for a marine/RV suitable antenna. It turned out that Radio Shack had an antenna with a power rotor suitable to our needs for $50!! Amusingly, this was only available via the Internet. I ordered it, and it was delivered to the Radio Shack in Stoney Creek. I picked it up and tucked it away, as it was a very low priority project. Well, it turns out this thing is amazing. The antenna is HD compliant. It coupled with our new flat screen TV goes out and searches for both digital and regular TV channels which it then commits to memory. At each stop, we have started the search, and it has found at least 20 channels every time. Mind you, some of the channels are junk, but there are always a few that give us the shows we like to watch – except Dexter, unfortunately.

Learning to Lock

We landed in Oswego on October 28 and stayed until October 31 just to get some rest, wait out the windy weather and get our mast down.  Dave's going to write about the mast and other techy-type things.  I'm going to start by telling you a little about the New York Canal System, Oswego and Phoenix (where we are currently docked.)

Oswego gets its name from the Native American word meaning "pouring out place" since the river pours out into Lake Ontario at this location.  The Oswego River is one of the few rivers in the States that flows north.  The area is widely known for its great fishing.  Fort Ontario is located here, and it has a long history.  It was originally built by the British and was also actively used in US conflicts including WW 11.  In 1944, 982 refugees fleeing Nazi Germany were brought to live at Fort Ontario. The fort became known as "Safe Haven", and it was the only site in the US to house Holocaust survivors. The children at the Haven attended local schools, the men learned woodworking and the women learned hairdressing. They all attended English classes and put out their own newspaper.

The city of Oswego has the most northerly and final lock in the Oswego Canal. This is where most of the boaters from Ontario start their journey south. The Oswego Canal is part of the New York Canal System which also includes the Erie Canal, the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and the Champlain Canal. The following is a picture that shows where all of these canals are and how they interrelate.

The Champlain Canal was completed first, and it goes from Lake Champlain to the Hudson river. It also provides access to the St. Lawrence River and Canada via the Richelieu Canal which runs north of Lake Champlain. The Erie Canal was built in 1825, and at the time there was not a single school of engineering in the US, so it was quite a feat. The Oswego Canal was later opened in 1828. Once the Cayuga-Seneca Canal was completed, New York City became the biggest commercial harbour in the States. You can see from the picture how easily goods could be shipped to and from New York City. Freight rates by canal from Buffalo to New York City were only $10 per ton compared with $100 per ton by road, so almost everything was moved through the canals. The commercial traffic in the canal system declined once the railroads took over in the latter part of the 20th century.

Initially, the canals were just ditches filled with water which were dug beside the rivers. Mules and horses would pull the barges through by walking along on towpaths bedside the ditches. When it was necessary to cross a river or a creek, an aqueduct was built to carry the canal water and the towpath across. Because the elevation of the land changed along the river course, locks were created to essentially raise or lower the barges to the new elevation. For instance, Troy (at the Hudson River) is at sea level, but Buffalo is 565 feet above sea level. The elevation at the southern end of the Oswego Canal is 353 feet above sea level, and it drops to 245 feet above sea level at Lake Ontario (at Oswego). Since we are travelling south from Oswego, we will be lifted up at each of the locks on the Oswego Canal until we reach the Erie Canal.

So, let me tell you about locking and our experiences so far. For those of you who have already got experience with this, you can probably skip this part.

Here are some pictures that show how to enter and tie up inside the locks.

Most locks have pipes, cables or ropes to secure your boat while the water goes up or down. The boater pulls up alongside the wall and the pipes/cables/ropes. The boater uses lines (ropes) which are attached to the boat and loops them around the pipes/cables/ropes which are attached to the wall of the lock.

We had planned to take some pictures as we entered, tied up and left the locks, but we were too busy (and too nervous) to take them. I can tell you what we saw, and I will explain what happened for us.

As we entered every lock, we could see markers (generally the markers were buoys) in the water to show the way to the lock doors. Often, we could see the dam or the rapids to one side or the other of the lock itself. The lockmaster can usually see the boats coming, and he/she may have the doors open and ready for the boaters as they approach the lock. If not, the doors are closed, and the boater has to wait at the entrance, call the lockmaster by telephone or marine radio or sound a horn three times. When the doors are opened completely, the red light on the side of the lock turns to green, and boaters can start entering.

Our first lock was Lock 8 in Oswego. The locks are numbered from south to north. The book said Lock 8 had ropes and cables, but we only saw ropes. We pulled up to the wall on the port (left side), and I was able to grab a rope while standing at the back of our boat. Dave quickly moved from behind the wheel to the front of our boat and grabbed a rope there. We had expected the ropes to be attached to the wall at the top and at the bottom, but they were only attached at the top. So, we had to hold on to the ropes by hand for the duration of the lift. It took some strength for us to do this because our boat weighs about 35 tons, but in the water, it is much more buoyant, of course. I was glad we were alone in the lock, so that we didn't have to worry about other boats, and we were really glad that we had gloves on like suggested in the books because the ropes and the walls were slimy and dirty. Besides, it was a pretty cold day, and the water was cold too.

Once the water had filled the lock, we had a chance to talk to the lockmaster, and we showed him our paperwork and paid the fee. The NY Canal System fees are really cheap compared to the Trent-Severn Canal in Canada. It was only $20 for two days of locking. The lockmaster was really nice and said he would notify the following lockmasters that we were on our way, and they would open the doors for us. Lock 8 lifted us up 10 feet.

Lock 7 was less than 1 mile from Lock 8. We had just recovered from our first locking experience (and congratulated ourselves heartily) when we were faced with our second locking experience. Again, the book said this lock has ropes and cables, and again, we only saw ropes. We pulled in on the port side again, but we neglected to consider the strength of the wind. The wind was pushing us up against the wall, so it was very difficult for us to exit. As well, the Hope (nickname for our boat, the H&E Hope) does not leave a dock in forward motion. You have to swing the stern out first, back up a bit, then you can rotate the bow. Otherwise, you just bump along the wall. So, you can guess what happened with the wind pushing us into the wall. Yes, we scraped the side and back corner of our boat. We also burst some of the small buoys that were attached to the ropes. By the time, we got out of Lock 7, my heart was hammering in my chest, and I was already panicking about the next lock, which was only .6 miles ahead.

But Captain Dave always comes through! We checked the direction of the wind when we prepared to enter Lock 6, and Dave pulled in on the starboard (right) side of the lock this time. So this time, the wind pushed us off the wall when we left. Everything went smoothly, and my heart stopped pounding. This lock lifted us 14 feet.

Lock 5 was about 3 miles further along, and by now, we felt like old hands at this locking thing. We were lifted 20 feet by Lock 5.

There is no Lock 4. Apparently, a Lock 4 was planned but not needed, so rather than renumber all of the locks, they left Lock 4 out.

On the way to Lock 3 from Lock 5, we passed by Battle Island which figured prominently in the war between the British and French in 1756. We also passed Pathfinder Island, named after the lead character in James Finemore Cooper's, The Pathfinder. Six miles past Lock 5, we encountered Lock 3. This lock has only cables, so we learned something new. Or at least, we practised what we thought we would be doing all along - looping our lines around the cables. Lock 3 lifted us 27 feet.

Less than a mile later, we found Lock 2. This lock has a steel walking bridge over it, which is only 5 feet above the water once the lock is filled. When you are entering before the lock is filled with water, the bridge seems really high up, As we entered, the lockmaster reminded us to pull well forward of the bridge. Good thing or we would have been decapitated! Now, we were lifted another 18 feet.

It was about 9 miles to Lock 1, and we were hoping to get there before it closed at 5 PM. At about 4 PM, we heard a voice from our marine radio saying, "Trawler heading south. This is the Lockmaster for Lock 1." He wanted to know if we would arrive at Lock 1 before he closed. We thought we could get there on time. He hailed us again at about 4:55 to say that he was closing; we didn't make it on time. Consequently, we had to tie up on the free dock north of the lock and stay there overnight. We also stayed the next day too because Dave had done something to his arms, and he had no feeling in his hands. It eventually took about a week of rest for him to recover.

So, we had traversed all but one of the locks on the Oswego Canal in one day.

On November 1, we moved through Lock 1 (lifted 10 feet) and decided to tie up at the Phoenix town dock on the south side of the lock. Phoenix is a nice place. We had free 30 amp power and free WIFI, and the dock wall was right beside a park. Usually, they have free water and pumpout, but the water was shut off this late in the season. It is just a short walk to a cafe, a Laundromat, a convenience food store and the post office. A fellow named Mike came over to meet us, and he arranged for a fellow named John to drive us outside town to a regular grocery store. Mike suggested that since we had to wait for the currently closed locks to open, we might just as well wait in Phoenix! During the summer, there is a group of teens called the Bridge House Brats who care for the waterfront park, and they will delivers things to boaters for a tip. They serve free coffee and lemonade with all deliveries. Too bad we are so late in the season!

Here are some pictures. One of the three-story, white bridge house which was built in 1917, and a few of the park and one of our boat at dock.

Oh, and this picture is for you, Paul.  A nice little bar called "River Rock".  You should buy it!!

We had a nice, restful time in Phoenix.  Yesterday, we had a visit from the Lock 1 lockmaster. He told us to give the canal office a call because they wanted to tell us something. Our hearts sank, thinking they had decided the currently unopened locks would not be opened after all. But instead, we learned that they wanted us to come earlier! They want us at Lock 17 of the Erie Canal on or before November 20 (instead of November 24). So tomorrow, we will be heading out.  Another chapter of Pat and Dave's Retirement Adventure will be coming your way soon!

Now for Dave's techy side!

 

So, here we are, snuggled up to a dock in Phoenix NY. Very nice. 30 amps electric, nice new docks, Wifi most of the time (but S L O W). Is OK though, lots to do.

 

Alas, I've missed a couple steps. In order to get here, we had to go through 8 locks. Well 7 actually, there is no lock 4 – Pat explained it. We hadn't taken the 'Hope' through locks since we went through the Welland some 10 years ago and at that time we had lots of help. This time, it was Pat and I and Dude going through pleasure boat locks. Pat and I did the work and Dude barked encouragement – or something.

 

Some of you may recall a lot of head scratching and hair pulling and many conversations trying to confirm two things. How tall were we above the waterline and, what was the air draft (distance between the water and the bottom of the bridge) below the lowest bridges on the Oswego and Erie canals. After a lot of measuring, surfing and emailing those who should know, we knew, 20 feet was as high as we could go. We were, 26 feet. How to lose 6 feet? First the mast, which held all our radio antennas, steaming light, anchor light, radar, GPS, antennas, deck light etc. would have to be lowered. Next the stack, where the exhaust comes out, had to be shorter.

 

To make a long story short, Pat and I figured out how to lower the mast (cutting almost 3 feet off the bottom in the process along with the top of the engine room fresh air duct) and our friend Mark suggested taking the top off the stack as there was a seam there. We had done a practice run in Hamilton and figured we could do it, which we did, in Oswego, albeit with more than a couple anxious moments until all was down and secured.

 

You may recall I had mentioned my dampish – OK wet – bilge. Now with no shape to the stack and the intake air duct to the engine room open on the top, no need to worry about a dry bilge. Rain, snow sleet and hail (all of which we've received today thank-you), goes right in there. Oh well what can you do?

 

The Oswego river has about a 4 knot current going north and we were going south running about 6 knots sooooooo, 2 knots of progress. This would not do. Cranked her up a bit and 6 knots it was. Very good.

 

Whilst in Phoenix, I installed our new VHF radio with AIS, programmed in our MMSI number and connected it to the GPS. Next, wired into the laptop that runs our navigation software (Polar Navy) then did the download from Active Captain and we're almost set. Still need to wire the AIS output into the chart plotter. So why isn't it done? Glad you asked. It's like this - after docking etc. and then trying to clean up the upper deck, I broke the GPS antenna wire. This is usually up in the mast out of mind and sight. However, not now. Just to make life a little more interesting, the day I decided to find out why the GPS would no longer give us our position (I know we are docked, we know our position) the GPS would not power on. Why, we don't know, but I reseated all the power and signal connections and up she came but no position so, traced it back to the broken antenna lead, fixed that, then did the radio connections.

 

I'd had enough by this point, so read a couple books, took some walks and enjoyed the fine weather and some piece and quiet. Phoenix is pretty well shut down for the winter, peace and quiet are not a problem.

 

One of the projects to be done prior to leaving was increasing the volume of air going into the engine room to improve the quality of life for the engines. I built this lovely array of fans to be mounted into the air intake duct on the upper deck. Fired it up in test, lots of air. 430 Cubic feet/minute. According to me (and if you know differently, please say) these engines when running 2000 rpm require about 200 cubic feet/minute each. 430 should be good considering we normally cruise at about 1500 rpm.

Anyway, made up the cable harness and thread it through the plenum, through the engine room and into the main electrical room. I then did something I cannot recall ever doing before. I had made the cable two feet short of what was required! Talk about embarrassing – here I was all set to impress the 'Admirable' (aka Pat) and I was cut off short – oh boy. I hate when that happens! Found a marine store in town but mostly they sold fishing lures and bait. Yes I could have spliced in some other cable piece and made it longer but, I don't like doing things that way so, we wait until we get to a bigger place that may have the correct cable in the length I need.

 

A maintenance item that had been hanging over my head was loose alternator belts. I had put on new belts prior to leaving Hamilton and now they need adjusting. I hadn't tackled this job at this point as I had done something to both my hands, wrists and shoulders that made it difficult to even lift a cup of coffee let alone a glass of rum. Fortunately that had passed and I was getting back into the swing of things.

In any case, tomorrow we're off to Brewerton NY for a couple days to stock up on water, get a pump out and maybe have some one look at my port engine which makes a rather unusual belching kind of sound sometimes when you back off on the throttle. Any ideas, let me know, I'm all ears.

 

Tonight, Pat, the 'Admirable” was making an absolutely delicious Cajun catfish dinner with stir fried cauliflower and broccoli, and a lovely Riesling when it slipped her mind we only had 30 amps .of power. Popped a breaker. Not on the vessel. That would have been to easy. The breaker was in the locked building we can't get at. It now was 7:30 so no one around to reset it. Someone would have to go out and find another outlet that worked. I then learned (from my mate) that she was an enthusiastic team player when it was comfortable but in this case, the job need to be assigned to the 'no one wants to do it guy' - me. On my own. Pitch black out. No one to hold the flashlight. Dude thought this was great fun. I, not so much. After rain, sleet and hail all day, the decks were slicker'n a trail of snail slime on dew laden grass. You get my drift?

 

Oh well, captain, engineer or toilet de-plugger I guess I'm it! Great dinner though – makes it all worth it. May finish the Riesling, 2010 from Columbia valley – bit sweet but after a few, not bad at all.

 

OK, all's reset and working. I poured another glass of wine!

ON TO OSWEGO

Hello Everyone,

We have finally left Canadian shores, and we are currently in a marina in Oshwego, New York. It wasn't until we got here that the whole adventure became real to us.

Dave and I have divided up our blog, and my part will be to write about, as Dave calls it, "the fluffy" side. He's going to write about, as I call it, "the geeky, techy, testosterone" side. So, you can decide what you want to read about or what side you hang on!

So today, for fluff, I want to reminisce a little (it's one of the only advantages of getting old, so don't knock it). As we passed through the lift bridge and left Hamilton harbour, I was thinking about all of the things I had learned while living in the area. I won't bore you with everything, but here are a few of the memories/thoughts I had.

• Hamilton is a small city with all of a big city's amenities, and a completely unnecessary inferiority complex
• A circumstance, (such as living year-round on a boat) doesn't build a sense of community; it takes the truly extraordinary power of individuals within the community to share, communicate, participate, negotiate and basically be willing to consider the needs/wishes of the community as a whole over their own needs/wishes
• A good friend is still a good friend even if he/she doesn't defend you or be there for you every minute or every time
• To paraphrase what Maya Angelou so wisely wrote, "what other people think of me is none of my business". People believe what they want to believe.
• Customers of, let's say a small restaurant business can be variously fickle, finicky, dismissive and even destructive or faithful, friendly, supportive and sensitive. (A big thank-you to Amy, Angelo, Dave, Doreen, Gerry and many others for saying just the right things at just the right times.)
• A customer (his name unknown to me) called me a "hero". Imagine that! I had never thought of myself that way. But maybe, at least at that time, I was being a hero (or more accurately, a heroine). If I profess to believe that it is wrong to cheat people, then I have to live that way, even when it is really hard to do.
• The heroines I will never forget and will always be grateful for having known are my staff, Eva and Farida. Thank you so much for your extraordinary effort and steadfast support.

I hope you will indulge me a little more, and allow me to tell you a story. There was one fellow who taught me a lot, and to my everlasting chagrin, I don't even know his name. He brought the Globe and Mail paper to my restaurant every morning. I called him "the paperboy" even though he was a man, not a boy. He's a tall, lanky guy with lots of missing teeth and a somewhat taciturn disposition. One morning, he was late with the paper and in quite a dither. It was unusual for him to say anything, so I was surprised when he blurted out, "The damn .truck was late, and now everyone will get their paper late. It's not fair to them." Then, he scurried out the door, clearly quite anxious to get his papers to everyone as quickly as possible. I sat there for some time just thinking. How extraordinary he is and how arrogant I am! The lowly, poorly paid, mostly invisible paperboy has a better grasp of customer service than I, the beleaguered but mostly privileged restaurant owner. It changed my day and my life.

As we left Hamilton and took a lost look back at the lift bridge, I thought I should take a picture, but then realized that most of our memories can't be contained in pictures. Thanks John, for your steadfast friendship, and thanks to both you and Chrissy for your absolutely essential sense of humour; thanks to Alan, Kelly and Russ for special times together and yes, Russ, even for those very naughty emails; thanks, Kelly, for your hard work in trying to sell the restaurant and, of course, for your friendship; thanks to Barry and to Mark for providing super and effective solutions to boating issues; a thank you to Charlotte/Scott and Karen/Jean-Michel for your generosity towards us; thanks Lori for being my cheerleader and thanks Bill for sharing with us your music and special events (like marrying Lori!); a thank you to Len/Lisa and Ian/Terry for fun boating times and memories; a big thank you to Ian/Joan for helpfully taking care of Dude when it was most needed; and last but not least, thanks Tony and Dave/Troy for just being who you are.

Sheesh! Enough already, Pat. On to our adventure!!

So, after leaving Hamilton, we motored to Toronto Island and spent a couple of days just working some more on the boat; stowing and storing. We met up with our best friends from Port Credit, Paul and Monique, who graciously invited us to join them with their friends for Thanksgiving dinner at the Ontario Place marina. We had a super time and met some super people, as you can see from the pictures.

But Paul and Monique weren't finished with us yet. They joined us back at Toronto Island and gave us a champagne and smoked salmon farewell. Thank you guys, you are the best! Luc and ??? joined us. (So Luc, you aren't the only one who forgets names!)

We left Toronto and motored to Frenchman's Bay (Pickering) where we spent some wonderful days with Dave's children and spouses, granddaughters and the newest male addition to the Bowman clan. Thanks guys for giving us some special memories. And thanks Mark and Beth for loving and caring about your Dad so much; he deserves it.

We were continually having boat problems, but I'll let Dave tell you about all of that. Suffice to say, that the boat problems and the windy weather kept us at Port Whitby Marina for a few days longer than expected. But finally, we left about 4 PM on Thursday, crossed the lake overnight and made port in Oswego, New York about 9:30 AM on Friday. The sail was very bumpy because the wind did not die down as predicted (thank you weatherman!!)

Tomorrow morning, we will be starting down the Oswego Canal. Since it is so late in the season, there are no other boats here waiting to go, so we expect we may be the only boat going through the Oswego locks until we hit the Erie Canal. There should be other boats, maybe quite a few, once we have moved along the Erie to the spot where the locks have been closed for hurricane repair. The fellow at the Canal System office that we talk to on a regular basis assures us that the currently closed locks (4 of them) will be open on or before November 21, which is the date that Governor Cuomo promised.

We will post another blog once we are settled at anchor in Lake Oneida. We expect to stay there until just before the November 21 opening of the currently closed locks.

The Geeky, Techy Testosterone Side

Our adventure started some 10 years ago but finally took flight this summer. So much to learn. Initially of course we decided all must be done and ready prior to our departure. In the end, it was "let's get moving. We'll finish along the way" Thank heavens for optimism, but it clouds issues at times.

From a technical point of view, it was fairly straight forward. We'll spend the summer at anchor, test all our systems, make sure they are solid and head out. I suppose essentially that is what we did. However, the H&E can be a demanding mistress and is rarely happy unless some quantity of my blood has been donated to whatever project we've undertaken.

I know Pat wrote about the touchy, feely, emotional things but perhaps a word or two from me might not be out of place. The friends we have made will be in our hearts forever, and their words and encouragement are very much appreciated. Each has touched our lives in a wonderful way. As our friend Monique is known to say, "we miss you already."

For all the VAs and VEs out there, you may have noticed I have not been on the air. Radios are in position but not yet hooked up. Too many other priorities. Had hoped to be on Echolink, but the Internet is iffy to say the least. Will try and catch up with you over the next couple of weeks.

OK, enough of that.

Couple of thoughts on things I've learned which you may or may not find useful or amusing, should you decide to embark on an adventure like this.

1: At this time of year, heat is a great thing. When you are in a marina, it's not to difficult to achieve. When you are out at anchor or travelling – different story! We use (and have done so for many years) our Espar D12 diesel furnace and despite all the parts we've changed (along with commentary on the designers ancestry) these can be very reliable units. Too bad it took so long to figure it out – the books are no help whatsoever! The biggest issue is POWER, specifically the voltage and available current. The book gives you upper and lower limits the unit should work within. OK. So here's what really happens. If you try and run at the lower limit, it will run, sort of, but usually just fills the boat with smoke. I know you're thinking, can't happen because the combustion chamber separate etc. etc. – ya right. But I'm telling you, when there is a 1 volt drop in voltage, you better shut it off and save yourself lots of aggravation. At the upper limits, there is a little more tolerance, however, again there's a catch. It will run quite happily at 3 or 4 volts above the nominal (i.e. 12 or 24), for a while. It will then start burning out glow plugs and pop breakers – all for no apparent reason. Enough said, we learned the hard way! I built a regulator to solve the upper limit problem but it has to be disconnected when just on batteries or it raises the power limit. More on the consequences later.

2: Batteries – you can't have enough. We lived quite happily at anchor with our 450 amp hour 24v and 225 amp hour 12v systems requiring a charge every 2 or three days provided we didn't run the stove, microwave, toaster or power tools. Just ran the fridge (full size energy efficient household type), computers, lights and kettle/coffee maker. Travelling though, things change. When running in daylight (no heat or navigation lights), the batteries fed the inverter and the engine alternators fed the batteries. No problem. After a number of hours of running, you arrive with about the same charge as you left with, including a couple pots of coffee and a couple pots of tea. Now do it at night when it is marginally above zero and the water is miserable and lumpy. Furnace comes on – a lot; nav lights gobble up 10 amps; furnace another 7 or 8; autopilot pump (cause it is working so hard) 17-20 amps and then the usual fridge, coffee, kettle, computer, radar, VHF radio, and GPS. Fifteen hours into the trip, aside from being very tired, a little testy and perhaps a little fed up with making like a high wire artist just trying to move from one place to another (let alone not spill anything) it finally hits home you're running out of power! At this point, you have to become selective 'cause some things will just shut off when they sense the batteries are becoming exhausted. The consequences are things like the furnace not working properly, the autopilot feels its had enough so shuts down, and the VHF radio (which you rely on to give the Coast Guard your position reports at regular intervals 'cause you are good cruisers and always file a sail plan when doing long distance and over nighters) now doesn't have enough juice to have an understandable transmission! Have to hand it to the Cdn Coast Guard though, provided you have a DSC radio with your GPS connected, they'll poll your radio (using your MMSI number) and get the info that way. Very cool! Because it is data and not analogue voice, much easier to get. Lastly, when the radio says enough already, the Coast Guard will leave you a voice mail with their phone number to call when you get within cell phone range. Better than sending out S&R right away. Thankfully if you do not give some kind of response within about 15 minutes of your scheduled check-in, S&R will be on their way. In the end, we shut down the auto-pilot, turned down the furnace, disconnected the bow light and hoped for the best. As it turns out, it was enough.,

For those of you who know the story of our leaky seals - a little grease goes a long way :) For those who don't, it is a bit of an amusing investigation. Once upon a time, Dave's engine room, while cluttered was very clean and dry. To the point where he painted the bilge white. Then, as is often the case, life happens. Work and more work, no big trips and our floating home was just that. But then the time comes – enough already – lets get on with it. After much blood sweat and tears over decks and cowlings and upper stations etc. etc. let's tackle the engine room. Hmm, not dry. Why? Must have a leak from somewhere – oh yes, fresh water tank's (new last fall) clean-out dribbles. So seal it – lovely, problem solved. Oops, bilge not dry. Why? Start taking up floor – ah! ha! shower hot water pipe joint dripping – fix it. There, done. Oops, bilge not dry. Why? This is getting tiring. We can see the water but where the heck is it coming from? Start cutting holes in head cupboard – there's the water but...oh no, water is coming out where the shaft goes through the stern tube, darn and other colourful adjectives. OK. Tighten stuffing box – but wait, can't see said stuffing box, in fact can't see much of anything. This presents an opportunity – to buy a borescope – and Pat thinks I'm a tool junky – go figure. In any case, we both agree we need it, so once in hand, we start looking again. This is a two person job - I have the camera part and by hanging half upside down through the hole I cut in the head cupboard floor. Pat can sit more or less comfortably on the stairs with the screen and tell me where to put it, I mean aim the camera.

Ta da! We can see the leak – to our dismay we can also see this is not a typical (in the pleasure boat world) stuffing box configuration. On the Net, on the phone, what have we got here – grease filled stern tubes is what and the grease seals are shot. At both ends. Furthermore, the other side has the same problem. OK. Fill em with grease - doesn't fix the seal but sure slows down the water. Bad news is, the boat has to come out of the water to replace them. Here we are, days away from leaving and now this. Lovely, just lovely! OK. Call around with a few key criteria: need a place with a travel lift big enough to take us, must have a mechanic available who is familiar with this configuration AND must have the time and space to do it without breaking the bank. Found one. All looks good but lots of doubts: what if they take it apart and can't get the parts?; what if a more important job comes along?; will we get bumped? Time is running out and we are anything but comfortable with this.

Thankfully, two things happened. First, our very good friend John sent over a marine engineer who knows a lot more than we ever will, or want to about such things. Second, my friend Nick has a buddy who owns a marina on Sodus Bay, and they are ready, able and willing to do it for us.

Fortunately Tim, the ME, who incidentally is not afraid to hang half upside down in the head to see what the issue is says – don't sweat it. Give the tubes a couple shots of grease a day, get to where it is warm, and fix it then. Tim then went on to explain the what and how and, oh by the way, that other project (to build a fuel polisher), do it this way. Me? I took a lot of notes. We had heard of Tim by reputation prior to this event. We believe he knows what he's talking about - a shot a day is a good temporary remedy for anybody or anything, so I give the tubes a shot of grease every day. Bilge is much dryer but as with many things, only a temporary situation.

As our good buddy John says, "cruising is all about fixing your boat in evermore exotic places." Frankly, I'd never thought of Caroles Point, Frenchman's Bay or Whitby Harbour as exotic, but hey, what do I know?

Chapter 2 or 3 or whatever in the ongoing saga of my may never be dry again bilge.

I mentioned earlier that whilst we were at anchor, in the summer, we'd run the generator to charge the batteries – usually everyday 'cause I'd be using power tools much of the day. An interesting thing happens when the things you once used once in awhile, as on holidays, get used everyday. They break down.

There we are happily cooking dinner, (well OK, Pat is cooking dinner, I'm having a beer) when the generator just stops. Going into the engine room, I'm greeted with a steam bath. Can't see two feet in front of me for the steam. Turns out, weeds caught in the fresh water intake, plugged it, the generator kept running until it boiled off all its internal coolant. OK. Clear the plug, refill the coolant, away we go. We go to Frenchman's Bay to visit family. Frenchman's Bay also likes to grow weeds. Weeds find there way in generator intake – same problem. This time though, it runs a little longer and destroys the muffler. Lovely, no generator, no charge batteries, no fridge no heat etc. Start looking for parts. What to do in the meantime though? Got it - cut the ends off the broken muffler and JB Weld them together. Noisy, but works. OK, let's find parts (this was on a Wednesday). Fortunately, HMP has a waterlock and muffler in stock and will send out immediately. Part is shipped to Mark's (my Son) house and we get them on the Friday. Install the parts, once again life with the generator is quieter – till Monday. (Monday Monday – don't trust that day) Weeds in intake, generator stops. Darn, must be a way to fix this. Just to top it off, all the new parts are ta da! – plastic! Generator exhaust very hot when not cooled by water. Melts plastic parts. Seems we are back at square one. Back on the phone to HMP. Good news, bad news. Yes I can just buy the melted intake fitting, no they are not available in Canada. Would be at least 2 weeks – this will not work, what to do. Ah ha says I. I'll rebuild the old one with – you guessed it – JB Weld. Man I love that stuff! Problem though. I know the JB will hold up long enough for us to get the parts once we get to the states. I also know that should the intake get clogged again, the JB Weld is no match for raw exhaust gasses. Solution, install a flow detector on generator raw water intake line. Back to HMP and my new friend Peter – 'cause I talk to him almost everyday. Yes, he'd be happy to sell me one but, none in stock. If I give him a bit extra for shipping, he'll fly one overnight from BC. Done deal – NOT! Shipper uses old box but neglects to take off hazardous material sticker. Airline won't accept package, I won't run generator with out it. Enough already!

What to do, what to do: no power, need a marina to tie up and charge batteries. Tried them all (marinas) in Frenchman's Bay, but no luck so we'll have to move. Keep in mind there had been wind and gale warnings out on the lake for days and it had been blowing like stink. We get up early and decide to head out before the wind. EC (Environment Canada) says wind is dropping, should be OK. NOT!

Nine foot waves, everything flying all over the place – and we broke our #1 rule about travelling: if the weather looks bad, stay put. By the time we saw just how bad it was we'd cleared the channel at Frenchman's Bay, and I was not keen on trying to turn around and re-enter it. It is narrow and shallow requiring caution in the best of conditions. Pat agreed, so we went on to Whitby. Suffice to say it was a most unpleasant experience. After the fridge doors flew open dumping most of the contents of the fridge on the floor, I wondered if we would ever get everything properly secured. The only one who really enjoyed the trip was Dude (our dog). He got to lick up the fridge droppings!

Just to top it off, when we went into Whitby Harbour, they said to dock at pier 9. OK, we saw pier 9, saw big boats tied up to pier 9, saw open slip at pier 9. Ran hard aground just before pier 9. Oh, you meant the other side of pier 9 – thanks for telling us! In any case, wrestled her free and docked in a not so lovely 30 knot breeze. No damage, just frayed nerves.

Oh ya, and the detector? It arrived in one piece, looked good but minus an alarm. Was a bit of miscommunication between Peter and I. My understanding was that it was a kit - all I needed was wire and 12 VDC. No, it was a detector only. Fortunately, I had made some engine alarms that we had not yet installed, so I used one of those. Very loud, very good. One problem, detector stuck in position that says water is flowing – even when it's sitting on a table. Talked to the manufacturer who gave me a number of things to try – tomorrow is yet another day – besides, wind is dropping so let's cross the lake :)