09/10/05 - Erie Canal

Dun --
We launched at Seneca Lake State Park, near Geneva, NY. Good ramp and long term (free) parking. Puts you into Seneca Lake (a Finger lake) and with a short cruise and four locks you are into the Erie Canal. It is a good starting point if we wish to go and return from the same place. However, with multiple trucks, we may want to shuttle one truck to an end point and then drivers return on it to pick up the other trucks and trailers at the end of the one-way cruise. What do you think?
 
Hey Folks --

If you want a laid-back, relaxing, easy-going cruise away from the stress of 'normal' life consider a cruise on the Erie Canal. The towns are old and charming, restaurants excellent, people friendly (a guy took a zillion pictures of Halcyon, had them made into prints, put them in an album and dropped it into our cockpit for us [just to be nice]) and for $50 you get a season pass that opens locks, lifts drawbridges, and gives free (or inexpensive) docking and electricity (one even has a free laundry) along the canal. It's a trip through history at 10 mph. So, if you want to just plain kick-back chug along and not worry (usually)about weather or much of anything -- this is the ultimate relaxing cruising vacation.

We're tied off at a free dock, power hooked up, restaurant 100 feet away, ice cream shop 200 feet off, and in the park (where we are tied) there will be a concert with two Irish singers this evening. What an accompaniment to our sundowner.

For out of towners, there are canal boats to rent (pricey, but you can share with another couple or two).
 
Have we come to an exact date for the Erie canal cruise in Sept and an agreed upon starting point? I've been out of town, but I noticed on the c-dogs sign up sheet there seems to be about the same number as a month ago, about 6, and we have less than 60 days left. My boat is presently in storage in Rochester, N.Y. So I'm pretty flexible---Rich
 
Hi. Roger I see El and Bill are on the sign up sheet, but I think they are probably already through the canal and on their way to the Canadian canals. Do you know of any good places to launch besides Seneca State Park? They have a good ramp and parking but are a several miles south of the access to the canal. Rich
 
Rich, Chill out --got Bill&El under my wing and the Seneca launch site is the best suggestion sofar----from there you can go N-S-E-W on water. Just get your left coast buns back over here for the Sept. get together.
The local yokal
Terry
 
Hey Terry--- Good idea, I figured that EL & BILL were locking through lockport by now, did you sign up yet? See you in Sept. Rich on Don Quixote, (still fighting windmills and chasing rainbows)
 
I think Bill & El are going to return for the canal cruise with some recommendations. My plan B is to have our friends drive with us in our Jeep to a launch site and then drive our Jeep & Trailer back to their place for storage. Then when it's time to pull out, I'll call them and they can tow the Jeep & Trailer to whereever we're at.. Already discussed this with them and it's OK. If necessary, I think plan B could include you also as they have quite a bit of property and they're motorhomer's we so they have an empathy for fellow motorhomers (you). They live in Plymara which is right on the canal and has a ramp.
 
Yep -- just pulled Halcyon this am, and now scrubbing off the green. She'll be tucked under Terry's wing for awhile when we head off for the Colorado mountains and a Gathering with the family up in the high cool.

We intend being on the Erie in September with the group. We have launched and retrieved at Seneca Lake SP and it worked fine -- like Terry said, n-s-e-w from there is easy. Can do some Finger Lakes cruising before or after the Erie Canal from there.

Palmyra has a fine ramp, as reported. We were just there.

We may want to continue on with a Little Loop cruise (either before or after the Sept. gathering cruise). The Little Loop crosses Ontario, up the Rideau Canal to Ottawa, down the Ottawa River to Montreal (great restaurants in both places, yum!), down the St. Lawrence to the Richeleau/Chambly to Lake Champlain, down the lake and through the Champlain Canal to Hudson River, to Erie Canal and back to the starting point. Should be beautiful fall color that time of year through that country.

Or, maybe, Lake Superior... or Moosehead Lake ... or ...
 
After leaving El and Bill at Lock 25, Wanderer went East. We cruised the Erie Canal, from mile 202 to 0, Lock 25 - Lock 2. From Waterford, we continued up the Lake Champlain Canal into Lake Champlain as far as Vergennes, VT.

Now, 20 days later, we are returning westbound on the Erie and are in Utica, NY – Mile 99.7. We expect to continue westward, past mile 202.

After we return to Annapolis, I’ll post a few thoughts on the different sections of the canal.

Those of you planning to make the September trip might want to monitor this site:

http://www.canals.state.ny.us/news/notices/index.html

Yesterday, 3.5 hours after we went up the Flight of Five the sill on Lock 5 failed. The following notice was posted.
• "July 13, 2005 -- The Waterford Flight (Lock E-2 to Lock E-6) has closed to all navigation due to equipment malfunction"

Repair time is expected to be 5 days to 3 weeks.
 
Sioux and I have flogged the Erie Canal in September up and down and it just won't fit. Sorry. We would love to join all of you.

HOWEVER, we can be on the canal October 8-15. Since we are still C-Doryless we've found an interesting boat for hire called the Nimble Nomad. It is 24' long and appears to be very similar to the 22' Cruiser in accomodations. (The site is http://www.cruise-usa.com)

They are based in Brewerton, NY and recommend cruising west along the "Wood Creek Basin". What say my C-Dory consultants?

Also, what about the time of the year? Living in the Dominican Republic we really miss the fall colors. Would they be out then? Also would facilities such as marinas and showers still be open that time of year?

Many thanks in advance for any advice and a special hello to all the great people we met at the Chesapeake gathering, especially our hardy boat mates Bill and El.

Steve Toburen
 
Steve-

My wife, Cathy, and I took a cruise from New York to Montreal and drove back through New England two years ago and targeted the same second week in October, which my investigation determined would be the most likely choice to see the fall colors.

It worked out just fine, but the deciduous hardwood trees turn their colors as the leaves die in response to the first real cold snap, which can vary from year to year in timing and intensity.

The locals said that year the trees weren't as dramatically colored as some years, but to us it looked spectacular and just like all the postcard like photos we'd ever seen. I think you're on target, time-wise. Let's see what the New England C-Dory folks say!

Good Luck! Joe.
 
Foliage should be wonderfull in your time October period. That Nomad, with easy access to the foredeck, will be a good Erie cruiser, since the Canal has a 10 MPH speed limit.
You'll have a great cruise.

Rick from Maine
 
Nice to hear about the foliage even though I understand it is always a moving target. Does anyone have any knowledge re: marinas and facilities being open mid-October? My guess is we'd like to do a marina stay at least some of the time for a shower, etc.

Thanks for the advice,
Steve
 
Hi: Steve-- I think you will enjoy the cruise and the nomad, it was a toss up for me when purchasing between the c-dory and the nomad, I actually traveled to both builders but speed won out over more space in the end. I assume you will be on the cruise for a week. If possible afterwards try to take in the Finger Lakes region by car, especially Skaneateles, N.Y., and Seneca Falls. Other spots on the canal most of us found interesting were Pittsford and Bushnell's Basin(Richardson's canal house). Enjoy----Rich
 
Hi Steve and Souix, The canal will be OK in early Oct. The colors will be good and you sure won't have any crowds of boaters. My guess is that Newark and west toward Rochester most towns will still have there showers and electric service going.

We have a lot of time in a Nimble over 1000 hours. It is the ideal boat for the canal. The forward cockpit is ideal for locking.For October make sure you have a small electric heater it may be needed on frosty mornings. Sorry we won't see you again in Sept. Thanks for the Rum on the Chester River.

Fred and Pat.
 
Hi Folks,

Some of us need to know the time soon. If you want to change to October, all right with me. I just need to know soon to line up crew. The locks are open until mid November. I know I can stay warm. Last year some of you cruised the Champlain in October, and you look no worse off than any of us. Lets see if we can get the time right.

Fred Heap
 
Hi Fred,

It looks like Sept 10 thru the 17th is the preferred time for everyone. Any dissenters?

Also, I guess launching at the Finger lakes (Seneca Lake State Park) worked well for El and Bill and is fine with me. Then those of us that want to go West can do so, and some may want to head EAST and North. We can stay in the finger Lakes for a few days, and then head out on the canals. I will head to Buffalo and may want to rent a car there to come back to Geneva, or car pool if others want to do that.

Sound OK to you Rick? Do you have a planned schedule on the western portion?

Dun (CTYankee)
 
Some of us traveling a distance and need to coordinate other arrangments and thus need to have a firm date and place. Based on past discussions, I thought Sept 12th was THE date but we still have a little wiggle room in our schedule on that. Next the place has to be firmed up; bear in mind that some are traveling from as far as the West Coast and we're coming up from Florida. Suggest that those who have SIGNED UP for this event post their preferred start date and location. Here's mine, September 12th and in the Rochester Palymra area and then travel East to the finger lakes.
 
Hi Guys,

We'd be happy to start from either Tonawanda or Seneca Lake. I suspect that the ramp at Seneca Lake has better security than the Tonawanda one, so starting from there and working west works for us. Then after our cruise when we arrive at Buffalo/Tonawanda we can car pool back to Seneca by using a rental car or some one's other vehicle. We could spend some days on the finger lakes ( duration depending on weather) then head west.

As to the start date, I originally proposed the Monday,9/12/05, date to minimize weekend traffic and ramp congestion. But starting on 9/10 will also work for us. I don't think it matters which date we start from a C-Dory gathering point of view, since we'll have time to get together as long as we spend at least 2 days on the lakes, allowing people a 2 day flex time to get there.

So, 9/10 from Seneca Lake is what we'll plan on. We're planning on spending a couple of nights in a B & B at Seneca Falls.

I think we should set a specific gathering time & place for people to congregate. I'll check out places and make some recommendations. I'm thinking of Seneca Falls as the Area, (since it is midway between the lakes) and will look for a suitable restaurant (there are several there), unless anyone has some other specific local knowledge of a good place for about 6 boats to tie up and walk to a meeting place in the Finger Lake Area.

Rick & Carol from Maine
 
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