Erie Canal Day 2

Erie Canal Day 2:  What a difference one night can make!  We woke to 77 degrees with a cool breeze and overcast skies -  I feel rain in the air but am delighted it’s not hot sun!  Today finally we got an early start – well early for us that is.  We reached lock 9 within 10 minutes of leaving the Arrowhead Marina and found a new challenge – wind!   I have almost no upper body strength, so I guess I should appreciate the workout that I am getting today.  On that first lock I felt like what I imagine a rock climber must feel like climbing up a steep slope.  As the boat climbed in the lock, I had to hold on with all my strength and move hand-over-hand up the rope to help prevent the boat from blowing down the lock – not cool with the engine turned off.  The wind became noticeably stronger as the boat moved higher as more of the boat was exposed to the elements.   

When locking through, I take the bow of the boat and grab a line to get us secured, the captain brings the stern around close to the wall in position so he can grab a line or pipe (as he prefers),  the captain kills the engines to prevent build up of diesel fumes in the lock, and the captain grabs a line in the stern to help hold our position.  As my arms were being wrenched out of their sockets (I exaggerate, but only slightly, here), I had to remind the captain to pay attention as he was distracted by the lock master asking to see our pass for the day.  Finally as the day wore on, we got smart and put the pass in the starboard side window so it could be seen by the lock masters even though we were told when we bought them not to do that.  Funny thing that the certified pass provider said don’t do that and every lock master appears to believe it is the reasonable place to keep it since that is where they all look! 

Now that we know the scoop on hours of operation, we are going to travel today until dark.  It is very hard to know where exactly that will land us.  Most of the locks today have been pretty shallow and taken at most 15 minutes to get through with some being only 10 minutes in duration.  Each lock master has called ahead to prepare the next for our arrival and the doors are either open and ready for us to enter or open shortly after our arrival.  I know it is standard practice but somehow when I find them ready for our arrival, it makes me feel like a VIP.  I guess it doesn’t take much to make me feel special.

We are tackling Lock 17 today.  This is the deepest lock at 40 feet deep.  Thus far we have had our fender boards on the starboard side of the boat, which according to the captain is the norm, but for Lock 17, we need to move our fender boards to the port side.  The lock master at lock 14 said that the water jets force water into the lock with such pressure that ,whether you want to or not, the vessel will be pushed to the port side.  The fender boards the captain configured for our 2003 trip are heavy and clumsy but definitely serve their intended purpose.  It’s just the ordeal of moving the two of them starboard to port for Lock 17 and then back to starboard for the other locks is not very appealing. 

In at least one of the pictures I have posted in the Erie Day 1 pictures we took, there is just a glimpse of our lines and fender boards hanging off the boat.  When we dock for the night, we use them to protect the side of the boat similar to how we normally use fenders by themselves simply because it is too much trouble to dismantle them when we know we have more locking the next day.  The only real issue then is the myriad of lines, hanging where we normally disembark, that form an obstacle course / tripping hazard to get snagged in when trying to climb on/off the boat.  The captain says I complain too much, and since I haven’t fallen on my face getting off the boat or landed ‘in the drink’, perhaps he is correct. 

For tonight’s stay it is once again totally unclear where we will stay.  Last night’s location had free wifi so I was able to post.  We are passing a few marinas today along our route.  If my wireless pops up to show a free wifi as we glide by, I hope to take advantage and post today’s blog entry.  We may stay in a marina tonight if one is convenient or we may tie up on a wall near a lock.  The very friendly lock master at lock 14 said that if a lock master sees that a vessel plans to spend the night tied to a wall, he will ‘leave the lights on’ for added security and safety.  Nice!   It is definitely a ‘dinner on the boat night’ and I plan to pull out my electric wok, turn on the inverter to generate AC from DC power, and cook us a stir-fry.  I’ll have to serve it in a bowl so the captain can eat and pilot at the same time.  As I type this, the chicken is thawing on a plate in the sink in the galley.  Timing should be interesting.  I don’t think I’ll want to stop cooking so I can grab my work gloves and boat hook to lock through, I’ll have to find two locks with an hour’s distance between to cook, serve, eat, and prep for the next lock.

I got to pilot the boat between locks 16, where the Mohawk River curves off and we travel the “true” Erie Canal, and lock 17.  Downed tree limbs and small trees made navigating a worrisome affair.  A tree through the hull would pretty much ruin this trip.  While I was steering the boat, the captain was down below trying to identify the source of the water that keeps appearing in the bottom of the boat.  So far he has decided it is not the water pump he worked on or the hot water heater but says it may be the thru-hull.  Great!  Just what I wanted to hear!

The weather has been odd today – mostly threatening but little follow through on the threats.  The captain mentioned the lack of other boat traffic to one of the lock masters who said that if it isn’t sunny the boaters generally stay at a marina and wait for clearer skies.  Personally I found today to be simply marvelous.  It must be my English blood but when the weather is in the 70’s with a cool breeze and a mist in the air, I’m in raptures – like today.  Although when I was up on the fly bridge piloting the boat with the captain in the bilge, I did wonder what I was going to do if it started to pour down in rain – besides get wet that is.  I decided I would hide anything I could under the canvas and just let myself get wet, but luckily the clouds just looked ready to soak me but didn’t follow up on the threat!

Turns out the place - Utica Marina - where we are staying the night has free WiFi so I am able to post my entry.  Yay!