09/10/05 - Erie Canal

El and Bill · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 8:42 pm Post subject:

How about:
"Low Bridge, Everybody Down
Low Bridge, 'Cause We're Coming to a Town" ?

teflonmom · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 11:08 pm Post subject: Erie Canal

Hi El and Bill,

Pat and I just got a firm delivery date on our 22-Cutter says 29 June. We will do a shake down on the upper bay around the 4th of July. Then outfit and try for the Erie Canal in mid to end July.

We plan to put in at Geneva,NY Seneca State Park and probably head east and then go north to Oswego for a few days. Time permitting we will then return and go west as far as Fairport one of our favorite stops.

Hope to see you sometime soon. Fred and Pat Red Lion, Pa.

ffheap · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2005 11:32 pm Post subject:

Hi Folks,

You can count me in. I have already purchased charts, cruising guides, and sniffing on the internet for info. As I said on the other site, starting in the middle, to me, makes more sense. Starting on the Western end, means we have to go back to the Western end to pull our boats. If we start in the middle, we can go east, west, north, or south, or all. We will be relatively near our launching site when we finish. Seeing the fee is $25.00 for ten days, I am going to go for ,close to, ten days. I have promised Sheila, if she comes, that she can stay ashore at night.

September is best for our boats because the traffic should be a lot less.

I have a feeling that we will get a lot of boats at this one. I hope so.

Fred Heap

The Fran Sea · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 6:19 pm Post subject: Erie Canal Cruise

This could get confusing as there's already a sign up sheet on the C-Dog site. As I replied on that site, Sept 10 or 12 is good for us and starting at the Western end and ending up in the Finger Lakes works for us. But as to October, I think it would be too cold for me...... they sometimes have snow up ther in October and also, the Canal closes around that time.

Minnow · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 8:36 am Post subject:

One event in that neck of the woods is the annual Tug Boat Roundup in Waterford NY, which is at the confluence of the Hudson River and the Erie and Champlain Canals. It is usually the first weekend after labor day, but their website has it as "to be announced". http://www.tugboatroundup.com/ It's a townwide celebration of the canals and tugboats, with tours of commercial and privately owned tugs. I'm sure I'm not alone as being a fan of tugs, every boy's fantasy boat.
There are free ty-ups for early birds, and a free ramp and parking for several rigs. Just 2 or 3 miles North of Waterford, at lock 1 on the Champlain, is another good ramp and parking, and another couple miles to Mechanicville, a good town wall with free power and water.

I can enthusiastically recomend any of the canal system to anyone who hasn't been there. The canals are beautifully maintained,(they spend $60 mil a year to maintain, and take in $2 mil a year in fees, the rest comes from the Thruway Authority), wonderfully under-utilized, and very inexpensive. Most of the canal-side towns are economically depressed, so you just need to bring your own entertainment.
We cruised the area on a pontoon boat on a cruise in 2001, just days before the world changed. Coming home from a great vacation on the morning that the twin towers fell made for quite a mood change.

El and Bill · Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2005 4:26 pm Post subject:

Looks like we will be heading northerly to the Erie Canal in the next two weeks. We will do a scouting trip for the Fall Gathering, and hope to have a slow and easy, relaxing chug along the canal.

We now plan to launch into the Finger Lakes, look them over, and then cruise the Erie. Anyone on the Canal now or in the next few weeks?

Wanderer · Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 9:04 pm Post subject:

Penny and I plan to head for Seneca Lake State Park early tomorrow morning. (25 June 05). We expect to meet El and Bill (Halcyon) there. The plan is to cruise Senaca and Cayuga Lakes and the Erie Canal. Perhaps Wanderer will venture on into Lake Champlain and maybe up into Canada.

We expect to check email and this site. If you plan to be up that way in the next month, let us know. We'll be there unless it is too hot, too crowded or too many locks??

Hopefully, we'll be able to post a few pictures from time to time at
www.2Wander.com.

CTYankee · Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 3:47 pm Post subject:

Hi all,

Rick and I have been talking and it looks like September 10th thru the 17th works best for most people. Rick said the canal towns close up later in the season, and we might not have full access to facilities if we go in October.

We're still up in the air about whether to start in Tonawanda (West) or the Finger Lakes area. El and Bill and George and Penny are there now so they may want to check in and give us a scouting report. Some folks may not be able to spend much time with us, so my thought was to start in the west, and take 4 days to get to the Seneca-Cayuga canal, and then if some have to leave they can, while others explore the Finger Lakes or continue East or North if they have more time. Let me know.

El and Bill, if you're out there somewhere, Rick and I are planning to get together on Moosehead Lake, Maine on Aug 14th through the 17th. I'll start a new thread for that. Join us if you can.

The Erie Canal gathering is getting closer. If anyone hasn't signed up yet, please do so soon.

Dun (CTYankee)

El and Bill · Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2005 7:33 pm Post subject:

Wanderer and Halcyon have split tacks at the north end of the Seneca/Cayuga canal. We spent last night at lock 25 in a couple of thunderstorms. This am, George and Penny decided to cruise to the east on the Erie with the possibility of continuing up the Champlain Canal to the Lake. El and Bill headed westerly toward Buffalo, since we won't have as long a time as Wanderer (we need to be in the Tetons in three weeks).

The Finger Lakes looked long, hot, and humid when we peeked down both Seneca and Cayuga -- swam in Seneca for a few hours to cool off. Decided not to cruise the lakes now in summer heat, and headed north on the Sen/Cay canal to the Erie.

We tied off two nights ago at Seneca Falls -- interesting town, home of women's suffrage. Good deli, interesting museums, town dock.

Last night, anchored at lock 25 and tonight in Newark, NY at the Canalport -- free dock, with power, showers, and laundry on the premises. Nice folks. A little noisy near the bridge. The countryside between the end of the Seneca/Cayuga canal and here is marvelous -- wild and full of birds. Only saw two boats all day today. Pretty cruising.

El and Bill · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 10:31 am Post subject:

Still moseying along westerly on the Erie Canal -- great small towns, free docks (many with electricity and facilities), and super restaurants. Now in Fairport and heading out today for the west. Looking forward to meeting another C-Dory on the waterway -- anyone coming this way?

El and Bill · Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2005 8:37 pm Post subject:

Dun --
We launched at Seneca Lake State Park, near Geneva, NY. Good ramp and long term (free) parking. Puts you into Seneca Lake (a Finger lake) and with a short cruise and four locks you are into the Erie Canal. It is a good starting point if we wish to go and return from the same place. However, with multiple trucks, we may want to shuttle one truck to an end point and then drivers return on it to pick up the other trucks and trailers at the end of the one-way cruise. What do you think?

El and Bill · Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 9:21 am Post subject:

Hey Folks --

If you want a laid-back, relaxing, easy-going cruise away from the stress of 'normal' life consider a cruise on the Erie Canal. The towns are old and charming, restaurants excellent, people friendly (a guy took a zillion pictures of Halcyon, had them made into prints, put them in an album and dropped it into our cockpit for us [just to be nice]) and for $50 you get a season pass that opens locks, lifts drawbridges, and gives free (or inexpensive) docking and electricity (one even has a free laundry) along the canal. It's a trip through history at 10 mph. So, if you want to just plain kick-back chug along and not worry (usually)about weather or much of anything -- this is the ultimate relaxing cruising vacation.

We're tied off at a free dock, power hooked up, restaurant 100 feet away, ice cream shop 200 feet off, and in the park (where we are tied) there will be a concert with two Irish singers this evening. What an accompaniment to our sundowner.

For out of towners, there are canal boats to rent (pricey, but you can share with another couple or two).

fiddlersgreen6 · Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:06 pm Post subject: Erie Canal cruise

Have we come to an exact date for the Erie canal cruise in Sept and an agreed upon starting point? I've been out of town, but I noticed on the c-dogs sign up sheet there seems to be about the same number as a month ago, about 6, and we have less than 60 days left. My boat is presently in storage in Rochester, N.Y. So I'm pretty flexible---Rich

The Fran Sea · Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:49 am Post subject: Erie Canal

Rich.... I plan on being in Plymra NY at friends by Sept 10th which is near Rochester and am prepared to start the cruise on the 12th.....Roger

fiddlersgreen6 · Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:31 pm Post subject: Erie Canal

Hi. Roger I see El and Bill are on the sign up sheet, but I think they are probably already through the canal and on their way to the Canadian canals. Do you know of any good places to launch besides Seneca State Park? They have a good ramp and parking but are a several miles south of the access to the canal. Rich