Our summer Erie Canal cruising plans

B

BRAZO

New member
We are planning on cruising the Erie Canal this summer and wanted to put out our plans to see if anyone has any suggestions/ideas/etc.

I'm participating in the Lake Placid IronMan on July 25th. The plan is to have me and the kids drive the truck/boat to Albany then have my wife fly into Albany on July 22nd. We would then drive to Lake Placid with the boat in tow and stay in the boat at a campground (I can almost say with certainly that I'll be the only IronMan participant sleeping in a C-Dory the night before).

On July 26th we will drive the boat to a TBD launch location on the east end of the Erie Canal.

We would then cruise the Erie Canal for the next 2 weeks.

We would end the cruise in Buffalo.

My wife would fly out of Buffalo on August 9th.

I would then take the Amtrak/bus/rent a car back to the truck/trailer and drive it back to Buffalo.

We would then drive home from Buffalo.

Questions:

- any suggestions where to launch/park the truck trailer on the east end of the Erie Canal that would be near an Amtrak Station or bus station or rental car location?

- any suggestions on a marina in Buffalo that would be close to the Amtrak Station or Bus Station -- or mass transit to easily get to the airport / Amtrak?

- is there a better location to end the trip (other than Buffalo) that would be close to transportation to the airport / Amtrak?


I'm very much looking forward to doing the IronMan in Lake Placid knowing that when I'm done - I'll be cruising the C-Dory for the next 2 weeks. That'll help get me through that 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles on the bike, and 26.2 miles on the run.

Thanks for any suggestions/ideas.
 
Dear Robert:

We have a home in Rochester, NY ca. 10 miles south of Spencerport; we also have a cottage on L. Ontario (where we are likely to be in July-August) ca. 10 miles north of Middleport. We usually put into the Canal at Lockport.

The best ramp in the area is at Lockport, just below the locks. (The cruise boats leave from this point for tours through the locks and return.) There is a nice, large public marina here, at a place called Widewaters. (From here, if you choose, you can cruise into Buffalo and back in a day...or take two if you wish. But, in my opinion, Widewaters would be the best place to leave your boat for a few days, and also to retrieve it from the Canal.)

It's a straight shot 20 miles south from Widewaters to the Buffalo airport.

I expect we will be free the first week of August, and may be able to join you for a few days on the western end of journey, or meet up with you at some point along this route for a meal together. (Last summer, my wife and I joined a C-Dory flotilla coming through Middleport for dinner.)

Here's another idea: You could stop and tie up your C-Dory at Middleport (it's free) for half a day. We could meet you there, drive to the cottage...and take you out in our C-Dory for a run on L. Ontario. Our cottage is located next door to Golden Hill SP (see map), which has a very nice ramp.

Wayne
 
Hey Robert, I'm at the end of the east end of the Erie at Waterford. There is a free parking lot and boat launch area. I live there and have never had a problem with vandels or thievery, leaving the c-dory there or my other boat. The Waterford Village wants you to park there and enjoy your time on the canal. You would be about 20 minutes or a $25 cab ride from the air port. I am doing a triathalon this summer too, only at a smaller scale than the one your doing, hope to finish somewhere in the heap or just to finish will be fun.
 
P.S. I definately would like to see Brazo in person. I have adimired the way she is rigged and outfitted- sweet. Always makes me think it's time to up size the 16 cruiser and down size the Rossi and have a 22.
 
Waterford is at the other end of the Eire Canal as opposed to Buffalo. However it's a neat town, with a great place to get breakfast, nice dock (at the entrance to the Eire Canal) and the friendliest people anywhere. Spent a couple of weeks there one June waiting for the canal level to go down and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of sights to see around there, including the original Eire Canal entrance, old mills in Cohoes, even a short drive to Washington's winter campground AFTER the Rev War. It's also the start of the Champlain Canal, up to the St. Lawrence river.

It's near the Albany airport, and Judy used it to join me (after grandchild birth,) but take detailed directions on how to get to Waterford for the cab driver.

I just love the place and especially the Eire Canal and have to comment.

Boris
 
We started out our Great Loop trip from Albany. We launched at Coeymans Marina which is just South of Albany on the Hudson, its probably a $30 or$40 dollar cab ride to the Amtrack station.

It might be more secure leaving your truck and trailer there but the guys who live in the area can give you the best advice.

You'll love your trip
Eric
 
We are located about mid way on the canal near the Utica/Rome area and would love to join you for part of your trip west. If you haven't picked up a copy yet, I would highly recommend a copy of the "Cruising Guide to the New York State Canal System" put out by the NYS Canal Corp. (www.canals.state.ny.us) It is a great source of info on just about everything connected to the Erie Canal including marinas and boat ramps. Keep us posted on your plans!
 
Thanks for all the replies - your help is appreciated.

Wayne:

It would be great to meet up at some point in our cruise. I'm not sure of our cruising schedule, but as we get closer I'll post more info. The hard part is that we have 2 boy's that we schedule our trip around - meaning, we always try to find fun stuff for them (rock jumping, fishing, exploring islands, etc).

hughpenk:

Are you familiar with Schenectady, NY? The Amtrak has a station there and there is a State Boat Launch a mile away. I think it is called Freeman's Bridge launch. Do you know if they have long-term parking available? Will the ramp launch our CD22?

Also, congrats on the triathlon coming up. I love doing IronMan's (this will be 4 years in a row), but I'm not fast - just a "hope to finish" participant. Every year it is a challenge. I love the cross training.

RE: P.S. I definately would like to see Brazo in person

That would be great - as our plans come together, I'll post more info and we'll see if we can't meet up to see our boat -- seeing that we'll be on the Canal for 2 weeks, this shouldn't not be a problem.

RichnKay:

Yes, I just received the NY Canal Cruising guide - very nice resourse to have. It would be great to meet up at some point in our cruise - I'll post more info as we get closer.
 
When I did the Erie Canal in 2005, there was a 10 mph speed limit most of its length. They phone ahead to the next bridge or lock, telling them when to expect you. If you're early you might get a ticket. I left one of the locks with another big fisherman, who decided to ignore the speed limit. When I was still 15 minutes from the next lock, I heard him call the lockmaster, so I got on the radio to let them know I was coming. The answer was, "No problem, we'll wait for you." When I got there the speeder was getting a ticket.

Also, in 2005 there was a charge for each lock. You could buy a ticket in advance for the number of days you expect the trip to take. I chose the 3-day, which at 10 mph wasn't enough. On my fourth day the lockmaster charged me, but neglected to send in my money, so when I got home I got a bill in the mail. My advice, pay up front for a ticket you're sure will last through the entire lock system.
 
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