Congregating in Waterford, NY

Waterford, NY is the harbor town adjacent to Lock Two on the Erie canal. As such, it is a perfect congregating point for all the intrepid boaters just coming off or venturing on the Erie Canal.

The Canals Part Two: Erie

The Canal

The Erie canal system is  321 miles long, contains 34 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of 565 ft.   We bought a ten day lock pass as we wanted to slow down and enjoy the beauty of the canal and the towns along the way. We were able to hop on at Lock E23 just south of Phoenix, NY.

The Canals Part One: Oswego

Jeff is pretty pleased with his expert cradle construction. The true test has yet to come!

Getting There

So here we sit in a coffee shop in Phoenix, NY, a small town just on the other side of Lock 1, the last southbound lock, on the Oswego Canal. We’re here for the same reason every cruiser in every port on the planet is… wifi, air-conditioning and coffee.

We started out from Little Sodus Bay yesterday, Jeff’s heart in his throat as we motored our last two hour Lake Ontario leg to Oswego, NY.

Turning a Sail Boat into a Motor Boat

We pulled into Little Sodus Bay after a great sail across Lake Ontario leaving the last Presqu’ille behind us arriving earlier than expected because of the favorable winds.  I had picked out Little Sodus Bay as our destination in part because there is a marina there that will step masts for sailboats intending to transit through the Oswego and Erie Canals.  Fair Point Marina had excellent reviews on line and we found out that this place is one of the best marinas on all the Great Lakes.

The Journey from Toronto to Presqu'ile Bay (AGAIN?!!!)

We had a beautiful downwind run all the way from Toronto to Port Whitby, using our asymmetrical spinnaker. The winds were low, 5-8 knots. We’ve come to realize how efficiently the spinnaker works in these light winds. Incredulously, oftentimes we were flying very close to the same speed as the wind.

Toronto

We spent the last four days in Toronto staying at the National Yacht Club which was wonderful.  This stop gave us a chance to rest plus we had great restaurants, movie theaters, chandlery, and grocery stores galore.  In part we came to Toronto because we envisioned that it would be similar to Chicago on the lake and we were not disappointed. 

Why We Named Our Boat Grace

Grace

Naming a boat can be a difficult decision.  No matter where you sail the name is painted on the stern or side for all to see.  So if you do something silly, or ‘not so smart’ everyone that sees you know who it is.  It is almost like having your name tattooed on your forehead.

Lake Erie to Lake Ontario via the Welland Canal

If you want to get into Lake Ontario from Lake Erie by boat, you have two options, a very quick trip over Niagra Falls or a much slower venture through the Welland Canal lock system. As the Niagra Falls option doesn’t have the highest success rate, we chose the Welland Canal…

LAKE ERIE, the Great De-Sensitizer

Lake Erie is a rather tempestuous body of water. Probably because of her long fetch and relatively shallow waters, at the least provocation she works herself up into a complete frenzy.

P.S. I love France, the language and its people but…

Apparently the French explorers were not feeling very creative during the period where they named yet another harbor area Presque Isle (“Almost an Island” in French). Maybe they were just getting really tired of discovering and naming new lands.