The Erie Canal 2011

We're traveling the 340 miles of the

Erie Canal with our mast sticking out the front and back of the boat. Sometimes it gets us in trouble.

The Canal was opend in 1825 when there were no schools of engineering in the United States. It was the Govenor of New York who could see that a canal would open up the Northwest territories (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio} for trade and make New York City the hub of commercial traffic. Every major city in New York falls along the Erie Canal except for two.

There are 35 locks between Troy and Buffalo raising the water level 338 feet to Lake Erie height. The most wonderful ones are the five at the eastern end near Troy. They are the greatest series of high lift locks in the world.

As we approach the lock doors, we must wait for the water to come rushing out the bottom before the doors open and any boat inside can exit. Then we get a green light which means that we slowly enter a long box-like chamber with lines hanging down the sides. Sometimes we are in the lock by ourselves, sometimes with a barge that looks liked it can't fit, and sometimes with several other boats. We have to hold on to the lines while the chamber is flooded with water and the boat raises to a new height. Lock 17 at Little Falls lifts the highest level ------ 40.5 feet. It also has the only guillotine type doors rather than the hinging kind.

The Canal is a wonderous water route. At times we can pull up to a wall and hear a concert and at other times we are in wilderness. Off in the distance we hear the whistle of trains and sometimes the clack of their wheels on the rails. We catch a glimpse of roads and cars and then they disappear. On the western end of the canal we will encounter lift bridges as well as locks. It's an experience that we had two years ago when Mike and Marlene Cosgrove were with us. So, this year we thought we were well prepared to handle it alone.

We entered the first lock and soon became the comedy routine for the lockmaster and spectators. We had forgotten our preparations:

*We both needed gloves to hold the lines. The lines are slimy and the walls are too. We only had one set of gloves which Lou let me use. (What a nice guy!)

*We didn't play the wind right which kept driving the bow away from the wall so I couldn't grab a line.

*Lou jumped up to grab his line and left the boat in gear.

*Donna didn't push off quickly enough and the mast hit the wall.

*We didn't have a bucket with water ready for Lou to wash his hands. He left muddy prints on the black dodger,the cokpit table, the shifter, and the tiller.

The good news is that we are getting better. We're at lock 20 with only 15 more to go. Whew!