HeadedToTexas
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Sheesh, I'll happily wait a few extra days for things to calm down when my turn at Waterford arrives.
Slow Hand 2023 To Lake Superior and back
- Thread starter O C Diver
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High Wire
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So yesterday evening's docking choice wasn't particularly good.
…
So I survived the night and slept through the trains. In the morning the lock master needed to dump the chamber and asked me to back up through the tunnel. I was halfway back when he dumped the chamber. I needed to do a "back and fill move to get the boat straight, when the wall of water caught the boat and turned it sideways.Thankfully the tunnel was wider than my boat was long. Kept the boat perpendicular to the channel and the pulpit off the concrete wall. Got the boat turned around when I came out of the tunnel. The boat behind me got one of the best free shows.
Ted
Wow. Great job averting disaster!!!
OP
OP
O C Diver
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After Lake Oneida, the canal cities seem to embrace the canal for tourism. Little or no cost for docking with restaurants and stores near by. Last night was Baldwinsville which was very nice. Before getting to Pittsford, you go through Fairport which is also quite nice. Fairport is the first of the cities with the iconic lift bridges. This particular bridge doesn’t have a single right angle. It was designed in place and operates through a series of cables and pulleys. Pedestrians can continue to cross even when the bridge is up.
It's down.
Now it's up.
Welcome to Pittsford, one of the nicest cities on the canal. Coming back from dinner, you can see Slow Hand tied to the bulkhead in a park like setting
Across the street are shops, restaurants, and other interesting stores. The tall concrete building is a repurposed commercial grain silo that is now an office building.
The park like bulkhead from the back of Slow Hand. Dockage, electric, and water are free.
Ted
It's down.
Now it's up.
Welcome to Pittsford, one of the nicest cities on the canal. Coming back from dinner, you can see Slow Hand tied to the bulkhead in a park like setting
Across the street are shops, restaurants, and other interesting stores. The tall concrete building is a repurposed commercial grain silo that is now an office building.
The park like bulkhead from the back of Slow Hand. Dockage, electric, and water are free.
Ted
ScottC
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Ah. Memories!
You will soon pass through my home town, Brockport.
You will also pass Bushnell's Basin, where a significant canal event occurred during my time in the area, 1974.
https://www.rochestersubway.com/topics/2014/12/canal-break/
You will soon pass through my home town, Brockport.
You will also pass Bushnell's Basin, where a significant canal event occurred during my time in the area, 1974.
https://www.rochestersubway.com/topics/2014/12/canal-break/
CharlieO.
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Nice pics, I have heard the western Erie does have a lot of free walls and events during the season.
It looks like traffic may have let up?
It looks like traffic may have let up?
OP
OP
O C Diver
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Yes, most of the cities and towns try to encourage tourism by providing free walls, some with power, water, electric, and pumpout. Some charge modest fees (<$20 for boats over 40'). Some do it better than others. Some just don't have much to offer within walking distance.
Lots of events going on during the summer. You could spend a summer on the canal and have a great time with a little planning.
Did 4 locks today and never had another boat in the lock. Never saw another cruising boat. Life is good!
Ted
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O C Diver
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Made a stop at Spencerport around 10:30AM. Spencerport is one of my favorite stops (you've probably heard that before).
It has your iconic lift bridge.
In has extremely nice dock facilities with a bath house.
On both sides of the waterway below the bridge
And one side above the bridge.
It's own dock for pumpout.
Lots of interesting cleat loops for running a line from the boat and back.
There's shore power and water everywhere you can tie up. There's a well stocked Tops supermarket about a 5 minute walk from the boat. There are probably 8 restaurants within a 10 minute walk of the boat.
There might have been one more reason to stop there.
If you like 12 hour smoked brisket, the $7 lunch sandwich is to die for!
Ted
It has your iconic lift bridge.
In has extremely nice dock facilities with a bath house.
On both sides of the waterway below the bridge
And one side above the bridge.
It's own dock for pumpout.
Lots of interesting cleat loops for running a line from the boat and back.
There's shore power and water everywhere you can tie up. There's a well stocked Tops supermarket about a 5 minute walk from the boat. There are probably 8 restaurants within a 10 minute walk of the boat.
There might have been one more reason to stop there.
If you like 12 hour smoked brisket, the $7 lunch sandwich is to die for!
Ted
OP
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O C Diver
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There are about 15 lift bridges on the Erie canal. I went through 13 or 14 of them today. Instead of showing you pictures of all of them (yes I have them, down and up), I'll just show you a few interesting pics.
All the mechanics, pulleys, cables, winches, are built into the end frame that telescopes out of the ground.
When the infrastructure crumbles, you might think they would replace the bridge with a new higher clearance one. Nope. They take it apart. Stack all the pieces on the shore. Try to imagine a crane that picked up the whole center section (It's all in one piece in the below picture) and set it on land.
Then you build 2 new foundations and winch rooms, then reassemble the bridge.
Pretty amazing stuff, for 100+ year old technology.
Ted
All the mechanics, pulleys, cables, winches, are built into the end frame that telescopes out of the ground.
When the infrastructure crumbles, you might think they would replace the bridge with a new higher clearance one. Nope. They take it apart. Stack all the pieces on the shore. Try to imagine a crane that picked up the whole center section (It's all in one piece in the below picture) and set it on land.
Then you build 2 new foundations and winch rooms, then reassemble the bridge.
Pretty amazing stuff, for 100+ year old technology.
Ted
OP
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O C Diver
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So tonight I sit above lock 35 (last lock) and all the lift briges. Short day tomorrow as it's about 20 miles to Tonawanda.
Locks 34 & 35 are a double with a lift of 50'. Basically you lift in the first lock and the upstream door is the downstream door of the second lock.
That's a mighty big set of doors!
The lock master kindly allowed me to tie up where the lock work boats stage.
This is a lock for really short boats.
Actually, because of the water elevation level and potential risk, the top lock has a guard gate to protect from catastrophic failures. You lock up and then they open the inner doors. If everything is okay, then you open the outer guard gate doors.
Ted
Locks 34 & 35 are a double with a lift of 50'. Basically you lift in the first lock and the upstream door is the downstream door of the second lock.
That's a mighty big set of doors!
The lock master kindly allowed me to tie up where the lock work boats stage.
This is a lock for really short boats.
Actually, because of the water elevation level and potential risk, the top lock has a guard gate to protect from catastrophic failures. You lock up and then they open the inner doors. If everything is okay, then you open the outer guard gate doors.
Ted
That's the bridge on the Oswego Canal... the spur that heads north at 3 rivers to get to Oswego on Lk Ontario. I'm sure that has created a bottle neck for loopers headed to Lk Ontario, the TSW & Georgian Bay
OP
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O C Diver
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That's the Oswego canal. Thankfully I went all the way across on the Erie canal. That's going to be ugly as a lot of the boats won't be able to clear 10' to get down to Lake Ontario.
Ted
Edit: somebody types faster than me.
OP
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O C Diver
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So I was in Tonawanda last night. It's a very different place before boating season (this coming long weekend). Water at the power pedestals hadn't been turned on. Unfortunately, the park had some drug addicts hanging out. Not a comfortable experience. Apparently the local police have been reminding them that this weekend they need to start finding some places else to play. These aren't homeless people, just people hanging out and making others feel uncomfortable. I'm told Tonawanda likes and needs their tourism and the police will make sure the waterfront is family friendly.
Moved 13 miles today from Tonawanda, up the Niagara river, up the Black Rock canal, through the Black Rock lock (say that twice fast on the radio), to one of the long abandoned commercial ship basins on the Buffalo waterfront. The basins are protected by a breakwater and are ideal for an early morning departure down the south shore of Lake Erie. Weather looks good for the next few days. Only downside to the basin is width relative to depth. The basin looks to be about 300' across, but the depth is 30 to 35' in the center. Assuming you drop the anchor in the center, you need a very short scope. Wind has died down, so I should be fine.
Occasionally a small fishing boat would come in and fish for a while. And then there was this:
Ted
Moved 13 miles today from Tonawanda, up the Niagara river, up the Black Rock canal, through the Black Rock lock (say that twice fast on the radio), to one of the long abandoned commercial ship basins on the Buffalo waterfront. The basins are protected by a breakwater and are ideal for an early morning departure down the south shore of Lake Erie. Weather looks good for the next few days. Only downside to the basin is width relative to depth. The basin looks to be about 300' across, but the depth is 30 to 35' in the center. Assuming you drop the anchor in the center, you need a very short scope. Wind has died down, so I should be fine.
Occasionally a small fishing boat would come in and fish for a while. And then there was this:
Ted
SteveK
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Was that ultralight equipped with floats?
OP
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O C Diver
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No, the body was sitting in the water. I would not have been comfortable sitting in it. From my vantage point, the seats appeared to be at about sea level. Couldn't imagine leaving the dock with the canopy open. One wave over the bow makes it a submarine.
I think they were testing some repairs as there was no cowling on the engine. Looked to be a 4 cylinder Rotax engine.
Ted
SteveK
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Maybe skies under, but I wonder if it was a soft landing. I cannot imagine being in the water on purpose without floats, would it even have power to lift off. When I flew those it may have made 50 MPH (guess) on land take off.
Quick search and all have float on water, that is a land craft in water.
mbevins
Guru
I agree with that, but it's going to back up the entire system from a docking perspective.
OP
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O C Diver
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At 5AM the first hints of daybreak appear.
At 5:45 sunrise is starting in the East on a fairly calm Lake Erie.
At 13 miles behind me, the Buffalo skyline is silhouetted against the dawning of a new day.
Life is good!
Ted
At 5:45 sunrise is starting in the East on a fairly calm Lake Erie.
At 13 miles behind me, the Buffalo skyline is silhouetted against the dawning of a new day.
Life is good!
Ted
HeadedToTexas
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Do your plans include Sandusky this weekend? Not exactly on a short route through Erie, but not a bad stop.
HeadedToTexas
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Moorings at PIB will be hard to get this weekend unless you hit a worm hole and get there soon. Nice anchorage on the north side of Kelleys Island which gets very quiet each evening, but you’d want to stay well down on the east end even this light breeze. Quieter down at that end anyway.
Wayfarer
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Ol' Ashtabeautiful. Getting into my stomping ground now! I just got off the ship, otherwise I'd be keeping an eye out for you. You'll probably make it to Duluth before I go back to work next month. Maybe I'll catch you on your way south.
Have a great cruise! Enjoy the lakes
Have a great cruise! Enjoy the lakes
Looks like a Sea Ray amphibian. Came very close to getting one a few years ago because I could haul it up out of the water behind my house because of it's small size. But a bigger boat won out and put that on hold. Might rethink in a few years, but really want an Air Cam or Icon.
Love you posts!
OP
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O C Diver
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Ol' Ashtabeautiful. Getting into my stomping ground now! I just got off the ship, otherwise I'd be keeping an eye out for you. You'll probably make it to Duluth before I go back to work next month. Maybe I'll catch you on your way south.
Have a great cruise! Enjoy the lakes
Stopping in Port Huron for a couple of weeks.
Marquette for the 4th of July.
Isle Royale around the 10th to the 24th.
Then down to the Apostles.
I keep my eyes out for you ore boat drivers.
Crossed paths with the American Mariner late yesterday. So he hid in Conneaut last night waiting for me. I snuck out at dawn and who do you think is trying to sneak up behind me.
I'll have my eye out for you Dave.
Ted
HeadedToTexas
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Looks like you’ll make Put In Bay. Hopefully the cool 63° weather (feels colder than that with 10+ knots of wind from the northeast) will mean your choice of mooring balls. The webcam shows plenty right now.
https://www.ozolio.com/explore/CISZ0000141B
https://www.ozolio.com/explore/CISZ0000141B
Last edited:
OP
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O C Diver
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Will probably anchor at Kelley's Island tonight. Have a gnat problem that needs to be remedied. 10+ miles offshore all day in light winds and they came looking for a host. The eviction process could get ugly.
Ted
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