After transiting the Welland Canal with the help of experienced crew I had nightmares about tackling the Oswego and Erie Canals by myself. But the locks are smaller, the lifts and drops gentler and there aren't any massive ships to squish little boats like Whisper. That said, I was grateful when a friend from Maine who had always wanted to travel the Erie Canal volunteered for part of the trip. It made getting Whisper stopped on the lock walls ever so much easier.
I have been struck by how rural the Erie Canal is. Passing through large towns like Rome and Utica, there is very little evidence of humanity. The canal's bygone commercial vitality has receded into the forest, replaced only by pleasure craft.
A pleasant feature of canal travel is the geniality of the lockmasters. Each lock is tended by one person. Most of them are cheerful, only too glad to have someone to talk with.
There is free tie-up at most of the locks and in some towns, but services are limited. Tie-up is usually to a concrete wall. Electricity is available at some piers, but drinking water is scarce and showers even harder to come by. Whisper's skipper is about ready to jump in the canal with a bar of soap. I may just spray myself with cologne and adopt a French accent.
Whisper has come up and over the peak of the Erie Canal and we are now locking down towards the Hudson River, some 85 miles to the east. From there, as a sailboat once again, Whisper will transit some 150 miles of the Hudson River with planned arrival in NYC in the 3rd week of September.
No comments:
Post a Comment