Lady Royal

Friday, August 19, 2011

July 19 – July 27

Tonawanda, NY to Cleveland, OH

We got to Tonawanda, NY on July 18, which is known for it's boat-friendly downtown area, with free dockage. Unfortunately, we got there late in the day, and there was no dockage availability since it was Canal Fest, a large carnival-type event, so we continued to Smith Boys Marina, just around the bend. We took a walk, had dinner on Lady Royal, and headed to Dunkirk, NY the next morning.

Locks 34 and 35 – Last Locks on Erie Canal

Leaving Locks 34 and 35

End of Erie Canal, After Locks

Canal Fest – Tonawanda

Final Lock, Entering Lake Erie

Approaching the Peace Bridge

Peace Bridge

Final Stretch!

We spent the next two days at Dunkirk, at Chadwick Bay Marina, which was really run down. It was hotter than hot, and although there were a few restaurants around, nobody used air conditioning and we couldn't get a break. Because of weather, we stayed for two nights. The highlight was listening to a great concert on the City Pier, just next to the marina.

Dunkirk, NY

Sunset in Dunkirk

Live Concert on the City Pier

Dunkirk Shops

Dunkirk Lighthouse

Dunkirk, NY

On our final stretch, we entered Presque Isle Harbor, the most protected harbor on the Great Lakes. It was beautiful, as was the Erie Yacht Club. The docks were perfect, the people were nice, and the restaurant/facilities were top-notch. It was ironic to see Perry's Monument when pulling into the harbor, since there is also a Perry's Monument at Put-in-Bay, which was within the first two days of our trip. The next day, the weather started getting rough... and we didn't want our tiny ship to toss (words that I was banned to say on the whole trip!), so we rented a car and came home for a few days. We got back on July 26, and had a perfect cruising day on the 27th for a long run.

Perry's Monument

Erie Yacht Club

Sunset in Erie

When leaving Erie, we weren't sure how far we would make it the next day, but since the weather was good, we went the distance to complete the loop, pulling into Edgewater Yacht Club around 4 p.m.

Perry Nuclear Power Plant

Cleveland in the Distance

Cleveland!

Cuyahoga River Lighthouse

Edgewater Yacht Club

Crossing our Wake!

My thanks and love go to Captain Rob for making this once-in-a-lifetime journey possible. We created memories that will last a lifetime.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Erie Canal – July 16 to July 19

The west end of the Erie Canal is different than the east end because it more resembles what the canal was like when it was built. With stone walls, it is a narrow passage with many bridges and fewer locks. There are also tow paths on each side of the canal, where we occasionally see people running, walking, bicycling and fishing. Lady Royal's air draft is 13' 7” with her canvas, bridge and mast down. Boats with an air draft of more than 15' 5” can not travel this route. Instead, they go up the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario. If coming to Cleveland, they then take the Welland Canal up to Lake Erie. There are many ducks living on the canal. We also saw a fox swimming across the canal. Each bridge tender operates two bridges, going back and forth between them. We tied up after Lock 25 in Mays Point on July 16, which was a nice, quiet stop once the sun set. Prior to the sunset, it was really hot, and since we didn't have power, we couldn't run the air conditioning. The up-side was, it was a lot like anchoring, minus the anxiety of wondering if the anchor would slip.

Entering the West End of the Canal

Farming on the Canal

Corn Fields

Old Aquaduct

Towpath

Many Geese

Sunset – Lock 25

Low Bridge!

Our next stop was Fairport (July 17), which was the nicest town we've been in since entering the canal. This is what I expected more of the canal to be like. The town was between two lift bridges (one of which is in the Guiness Book of World Records because of its unique architecture and angles), and there are stores and restaurants on both sides of the canal. The real hot spot was Lickety Splits, an ice cream store that you would have thought was giving something away –– and a local told us that it's like that every night. We were docked right in front, and it was nice seeing all of the activity around us.

Fairport

Lady Royal Docked at Fairport

Fairport from the Bridge

Fairport

Fairport (Bridge in Guinness Book of World Records)

We left Fairport, and after traveling for a few hours, stopped at Newark for lunch. It's easy to pull over and tie up on the canals, and the facilities and people are usually nice and accommodating. The building at the dock had unique architecture with murals, painted by art teachers, covering all sides. After lunch and a quick stop at the grocery store, we headed to Brockport, where we stayed overnight

Erie Canal Routes and Locks

Newark Dock Mural

Canal Boat

Rare Sight

Urger – An Educational Canal Boat

Low Bridge... Everybody Down!

Murals Under a Bridge

Brockport was similar to Fairport in that the tie-up was between two lift bridges, with a small town just steps from the dock. This college town (State University of New York) consisted mostly of restaurants, and bars, with a few shops in between. I've been working long hours all week, but did manage to sneak out before the stores closed to do some shopping.

We left Brockport with three other boats, which made it easier for the bridge tenders because we're all traveling at the same speed. Today's scenery includes more farm land (corn) than we've seen to date. And the song continues in my head... “low bridge, everybody down... low bridge cuz we're coming to a town...”

Saturday, July 16, 2011

July 6 - July 15

Hyde Park, NY to Sylvan Beach, NY to Brewerton, NY

Hyde Park Marina was a convenient stop on the Hudson River, right next to the Culinary Institute. There was not much around, so we went for a walk, hung out on the boat where we saw the Hudson Rowing Club sculling. Oh, did I mention trains on both sides of the river? Many trains?

Train Tracks Behind Marina

Sculling

Rob's Perfect Anchorage!

Thursday, we had a leisurely morning before going to the Culinary Institute of America for lunch. The campus was breath taking, overlooking the Hudson River. We bought pastries at the Apple Pie Cafe prior to having lunch at Ristorante Caterina de' Medici, which was really good. Students run all of the restaurants, and each student learns every aspect of the restaurants' operations. We grilled our waitress with questions about the Institute, and were really impressed by the way it's run and how students present themselves. In addition to the Culinary's regular curriculum, 2-, 3-, and 5-day boot camps are offered for cooking enthusiasts.

Culinary Institute

This One's For You, Randy!

Culinary Herb Garden

Culinary Institute from the Hudson

Culinary Flower!

We stayed at Catskill Marina in Catskill, NY, from Thursday, July 7, through Sunday, July 10. Located on Catskill creek, we saw a lot of activity from boaters as well as kayakers. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, with many boaters choosing the area to spend their summers. The location was just across from Hudson, NY, which is a really nice town where many people from New York City have second homes. It was also close to Claverack, where Rachel and Brian have their get-a-way home “Clavershack,” and where we spent the weekend. (Although that's what they call it, it's really a cute, home that they tore down to the studs and renovated, on 3 acres of land). Rachel picked us up, and on the way to her house, we went past the Catamount People's Museum, a large, sculpted cat made out of bark. It was no wonder we couldn't find it on the map! We had dinner at Baba Louie's – a pizza joint with gluten-free pizza! What a treat!

Rip Van Winkle Bridge, Catskill, NY

Catamount People's Museum

On Saturday, July 9, we went hiked to Highland Falls, and went to the beach on Lake Taghanic... all in preparation for our big night out at the Lebanon Valley Speedway, a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Oh yeah, and I won't forget, it was dollar dog night!

Highland Falls

Rob, Rachel and Brian at Highland Falls

Lake Taghanic

Lebanon Valley Speedway

Missed the Eve of Destruction School Bus Races!

After brunch at Le Gamin in Hudson, we went back to the boat, walked around Catskill to photograph some of my favorite “Cats,” and had a cookout with Rachel and Brian. We made burgers, corn and potatoes, all on the grill, and they sure were yummy!

Rachel Shares an Anniversary Toast with Brian

Kittyland

Catastrophe

Purrency Cat

We left Catskill Monday morning, July 11, and cruised to Waterford, NY. On our journey, we passed Troy, went through the Troy Lock, tied up for the night on the wall, and anticipated our journey through the Erie Canal. OK, what song comes to mind??? It's been in our heads for days now, with my favorite rendition sung by Bruce Springsteen! And there are only 249 bridges to remind us to sing... low bridge... everybody down!

Athens Lighthouse

Troy, NY

Waterford, NY, First Lock on the Erie Canal in Front of Lady Royal

Through most of the canal, we've stayed in small marinas or tied up on walls, which are generally found before and after locks (35 locks in total). The advantage of the marinas is electricity, which means air conditioning. The canal, so far, consists of nature, the river, locks, bridges and residential areas. Locks range from 7' to 40', and vary in how you tie up to the walls. To traverse the locks, fenders are dropped on the side of the boat, and we hold on to lines or attach a line to a cable or pole. Tuesday, July 12, we tied up at Guy Park in Amsterdam; Wednesday, July 13 we stayed at a nice marina in Little Falls; Thursday, July 14, we stayed at Sylvan Beach, just before Lake Oneida, which was a roll-back-in-time carnival atmosphere, with rides, skeeball, restaurants, and games; and Friday, July 15 we stayed at Ess-Kay Marina in Brewerton, where we used their courtesy car to re-provision.

Welcome to the Erie Canal!
Lock 2 is the First of a Flight of Five Locks at the Beginning of the Canal

Entering a Lock

Lock Door Closing

Rob In a Lock

Leaving a Lock

Scenery

More Scenery

Guy Park

Beech-Nut in Canajoharie, NY

Erie Canal

Gate to Lock Lifts Overhead

Lock Door Open

Lock Door Closing

Lock Door Closed

Water Level Raised

Leaving Lock

Little Falls Canal Marina

Marina View

Little Falls

Little Falls Canal

Canal Street Shoppes

Guard Gates Control Water Levels on Canal

Railroad Bridge Just Before Lock

Air Force Practice

Sylvan Beach

Ford Fairlane, Antique Car Show, Sylvan Beach

Sylvan Beach

Sylvan Beach Ride

Skeeball

Full Moon Over Lady Royal – Sylvan Beach

Ess-Kay Marina Sunset

Erie Canal Home

Marina Entrance on Erie Canal

First Sea-Plane Spotted!

Boat House on Erie Canal

Dragon Fly on Lady Royal Windshield

We are now on the west side of the Erie Canal, with about 5 days left to go before reaching Lake Erie. The last 100 miles replicates what the old canal used to be like. It is narrow, with towpaths on both sides, and small towns along the way.