June 9-11, Days 43-45 Leaving the Hudson River, and turning west into the beginning of the Erie Canal (which is the Mohawk River - made famous by the movie, Drums along the Mohawk), we reunited with Carried Away & Quest in Waterford, NY. Since Waterford is the "Gateway to the New York State Canal System", it offers a lot of amentities and information about the canals to the migrating loopers... plus a free wall to dock on - or, if no more room, to raft up to other boats. At this juncture, we were to part ways with the other boats, with Rickshaw proceeding west along the Erie, Carried Away & Quest going north along the Champlain Canal & Moor $tuff hanging around in Waterford for a couple more days. Following a celebratory, good-bye dinner with our friends at a local restaurant, Rickshaw left Waterford on Sunday, June 10th, heading west to continue our hard knocks lessons about transiting the locks. At the beginning of the Erie Canal, within 100 yards of Waterford, is the beginning of the "Flight of Five" which is a series of 5 locks in close proximity to each other. The locks on the Erie Canal are needed to raise westbound boats up over the foothills of the upper Appalachian & Catskill mountains in central New York and then back down to the Great Lakes. While in the locks, there can be a significant amount of turbulence either pushing the boats into or away from the lock walls. The locks (in the Erie Canal) usually have either very slimy ropes hanging down from the top or pipes that the strong, muscular line handler, aka Belinda, passes a line from our boat around to kind of (not really) "secure" our boat during the filling of the lock. During the first few locks, we tried driving the boat from downstairs to allow Jim quick access to helping with the lines, but soon discovered that if Jim reduced the throttles too much from the downstairs helm, the engines die! (another to-do on Jim's list to fix). Since the engines are the main method for steering the boat at low speed, in one of the locks we ended up at a 45 degree angle to the lock wall, and since the lock is about 45 feet wide and our boat is about 50 feet long, we crunched against the opposite wall taking out the corner of our swim platform (another to-do on Jim's list to fix).
After the first few locks, we finally managed to figure out the best method for
working together at a level below panic and terror, and keep Rickshaw under
control
By the end of our first day, we had gone 35 miles and transited 9 locks, and were greatly relieved to be able to stop in Amsterdam, NY on a canal wall.
On Monday, we proceeded further west along the Erie Canal, and went through the tallest lock (#17) on the Erie Canal system, which lifts boats up an amazing 40 feet.
The picture doesn't immediately give the perspective of how deep we were in Lock 17, until you look at the house at the top. Notice the bedrock below the river at the end of the lock chamber.
We ended the 2nd day at a very nice town, Ilion, after 50 miles and 8 more locks, where Rickshaw will stay until we return from Memphis.
 WE TURNED LEFT! Our route is west along the Erie Canal - Rickshaw is too tall to do the Champlain Canal which runs north and comes out just above Montreal.  In Waterford, a nearby (1/2 mile) grocery store alllows marina customers to take their carts back to the boats then comes and picks them up every few days. This sure is a HUGE convenience for boaters.  Be nice and make friends along the way becasue if there isn't room for you on the dock your new friends may let you raft up to them. Thanks, Carried Away.  This is the remains of an early 20th century aquaduct that once spanned the Mohawk River.  The beautiful hill sides on the banks of the Erie Canal.  The water in the lock is now at our level - the gates are opening and we have a green light!  184 ft. canal cruise ship that passed us in Ilion. The 13 night cruise from New York City to Montreal via the same route we're taking start at $3,999. |  Just after the turn west into the Erie Canal is Waterford, NY, our first stop.  Our last night with the gang - Carried Away and Quest will head north up the Champlain Canal tomorrow, Moor $tuff will stay in Waterford a few more days then head west on the Erie Canal in our wake.  Stone cliffs along the Erie Canal  Rickshaw entering the first lock on the Erie Canal  We are approaching a lock - on the left. We have a red light because the gates are not open.  This is a short lock - only about a 8 foot rise. This lock only has ropes to grab. Slimy green ropes.  Each lock usually has a dam next to it, with water flowing over it, which adds to the current and turbulence as you try to enter the lock chamber |
Here is our track from New York City to Ilion, New York. Rickshaw will be in Ilion while we go back to Memphis returning ro resume the loop on June 21st.
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