Coeymans, NY to Waterford, NY

Post for 6/20/2015 (delayed by lack of internet)

Nautical Miles Traveled to Date: 158

# of Locks  Navigated to Date: 1

I must be getting used to this “slow-boat” thing because it seemed that no sooner had we left Coeymans, NY than the Captain was saying we were rapidly approaching Troy Lock.   I was busy for a while mucking about in the cabin while underway, and I’m sure that helped to make the time pass more quickly.

We were very fortunate to arrive at the lock with the lock doors open and room for 3 more boats to lock through.  We were in and out within a half hour which is very good as sometimes waits can be long.  We were entertained by the geese and goslings that decided to lock through with us.

Geese enjoying the lift up 

Looking back from the boat to the lock doors

 We were very lucky a second time today when we arrived at the Waterford free dock and found a space with electric available.  I am pretty sure we took the last spot with electricity.  Many boats coming in behind us were not so lucky.  They are docked against the dock wall for free but without electricity.  

Erie Canal Mule featuring Historic Waterford

We tied up at Waterford just after 1:00 and rushed around checking in and securing the boat so we could take our planned bike trip into Troy, NY.  The Troy farmer’s market is normally a 9 to 2 affair, and we were trying our hardest to get there before they shut down.  We arrived at the market at precisely 2:00, but today we got lucky yet again as it was Troy Riverfest.  Several streets were closed off and vendors and street performers were in abundance.  Even arriving late we were able to partake of the sights, sounds, and celebratory ambience.

Sidewalk Chalk Artwork

Beautiful artwork

Looking up at RPI from downtown Troy, NY

We went to the farmer’s market looking for tomatoes.  We didn’t find any and when Clark asked one vendor about them, she tried to sell him a tomato plant.  We could buy all the lettuce and spinach we could carry, but that’s not what we went for.  We came back empty-handed, but there is a farmer’s market tomorrow right here where we are staying at the Waterford docks.  The volunteer at the office said she bought large tomatoes last week, so maybe we’ll be in luck.

It was 5.5 miles to get to Troy through some rather “sketchy” neighborhoods with Clark providing directions, and 4.5 miles to return through a park with bike trails with Google Maps showing the way.  All-in-all 10 miles roundtrip, and I was thankful for that 1 mile reduction in distance on the trip back to the boat with the improved views.

We’re in a very interesting situation here at the entry to the Erie Canal.  Critical sections of the canal to allow boat travel are closed due to damage from high, fast waters earlier in the month.  That said, the boats are backed up all along the Erie Canal.  We have been told if we lock through going west we might not find a place to stay along the way as everything is filled to capacity with no place to put any more boats along the way. 

The recommendation is for us to stay put right here, or if we decide to venture forth, call ahead to find someplace that can take us.  Another option might be to detour via Lake Champlain and go through Montreal and Ottawa (the reverse of our 2012 trip).  If we knew we couldn’t move from here for 2 weeks, we might actually opt for that.  As things currently stand, we are hopeful, however, that things will open up on the closed sections by mid-week this week and the pipeline clogged with boats will start to be cleared.

We have free WiFi here at the Waterford dock; however, we are quite a bit away from the main office, and we can’t pick up the WiFi from the boat.   I walked up in the evening to use my laptop near the office and was unsuccessful in getting internet.  

Post for 6/21/2015:

Miles traveled today: 0

I walked up to the office today (Sunday) and with a few struggles I managed to get internet to work on the blog.  

I found all the lovely vegetables that I needed to supplement my already overloaded boat.  We love tomatoes and squash, so I couldn't resist replenishing and Clark agreed.  Guess I still won't need to make a trip to the grocery store for a while now.

We're using this time at the Waterford dock to replace fuel filters which are indicating they need to be replaced and look at the hot water heater which seems to have stopped working.  Happy Father's Day to Clark! 

It is difficult to post a blog entry here, so I'm not sure if I'll post again while here or not.  We are still trying to decide how many days we will stay here as we wait to hear about repairs on the canal and projected reopening date.  We hope to leave tomorrow, but it makes no sense if there is no where to stay along the way.  We shall see!