The Erie Canal

Wednesday August 2nd, one day later than originally planned, we motorsailed from Port Colborne to Buffalo, New York, United States of America!  Many of our friends had related their nasty experiences checking in to the States, and obtaining their cruising license, so it was with some trepidation that I made the call to the pleasure craft reporting number of Customs & Border Protection. Supervisor Frank was very pleasant on the phone, took our NEXUS card numbers, boat information and welcomed us to the USA ... "safe travels"! He confirmed that we should go to the Port Office in Buffalo to get our cruising license.  So after we berthed at the Erie Basin Marina we hopped an Uber and headed off to the Port Office.  The receptionist at the Port Office looked at us as though we had two heads when I said that we were there to get our cruising license.  Oh - oh, not a good start ... but at least when I gave her the pages I had printed off the CBP website she sprang into action; "hold on and let me go check with someone".  When she returned she said "You'll have to go to the Peace Bridge". To which I replied, "but Ma'am, the CBP website says that the Port Office will issue the cruising permit, is this the Port Office?" "Yes, but you'll have to go to the Peace Bridge".  "Can you provide me the name of the person I should talk to at the Peace Bridge?" "No, I'll give you the general phone number".  Now I'm usually pretty calm but this was getting me a little riled. Then, in walked Officer Diamond, "can I help you folks?" We gave him the same explanation. He left for a few minutes and came back, "follow me ...". Thirty minutes later we had our cruising permit!  Karen says she just about gave him a kiss ... I'll admit I could easily have given him a hug! We celebrated by finding a Brewpub and having a local beer.

Thursday was dedicated to getting the mast ready to be pulled. Pulling all the halyards from their clutches followed by tracer lines to reinstall them, disconnecting the jib sheet and the boom vang. We thought we would save ourselves some work by not taking the mainsail off the boom but having the sail on the boom made it very difficult to get the boom off the mast!  We'll remove the sail before trying to put the boom back on at the other end! Finally the vhf antenna, wind instruments, steaming and anchor light were disconnected at the deck. We also decided to take the solar panels off the arch so they wouldn't be damaged putting the mast into it's support.  As it turns out it also opened up some lashing options at that end of the mast.  Hot, tiring work!  We rewarded ourselves with a nice dinner out on the patio at the Pearl Street Grill and Brewery!

Friday we were at RCR Yachts at 0845 to have the mast taken down.  A crew of four descended on the boat and in short order had the mast horizontal and wrapped up ready to come aboard.

Safety first, notice the worker on the ladder is tied off!

Chris the foreman didn't like my centre post support so he fabricated a saw horse style support and after strapping it down fore and aft and athwart-ships and weathering some thunderstorms with hail (!), we made our way back to the Erie Basin Marina.  I had been warned in the morning by another boater that has his boat in the marina not to come back due to the forecast 25 knot SW winds and the surge that sets up in the marina in those conditions, so I spoke to the marina manager and he said he would put us at the extreme end of the marina on a floating dock "because it's not too bad down there ...".  Suffice to say, that was probably the worst night we have ever spent in a marina! First off, as the water from the rest of Lake Erie filled the marina basin the floating dock rose 4' nearly popping out of its tracks on the basin wall. The surge was probably 6" to a foot, and it would alternately push the boat forward and then aft to fetch up against our spring lines in spite of my having them tightened as much as possible.  At least the mast didn't come crashing down from it's supports so that gave me some confidence in our supports and lashing and that we can transit the Erie Canal safely!

As soon as the marina opened on Saturday we returned our washroom key cards and bid Erie Basin Marina farewell.  The wind was still blowing 20 - 25 knots but it had veered to the West so the breakwall outside the north entrance to Buffalo harbour was doing its job and it was a fairly calm motor down the Black Rock Canal to the Black Rock Lock that allows boaters to avoid the strong currents created where Lake Erie drains into the Niagara River.  Our first lock, and although we only dropped 5 feet we were very proud of ourselves for negotiating it without creating a spectacle!

Welcome to the Erie Canal

From the Black Rock Lock we continued up the Niagara River until we turned right into the Erie Canal. 

Leaving Lock 34

A few miles up the canal we entered lock 35, the first of two back to back 25 foot locks that it turns out are quite a tourist attraction!  Thankfully the lock master was very helpful when we told him it was our first lock ... and the onlookers gave us a round of applause as we slowly motored from the lock 35 into lock 34!

Motoring up the canal is a little monotonous, but what I found interesting is that the canal in many places is higher than the surrounding farm land.  The banks of the canal are much like the levees in New Orleans.  We also went over an Aquaduct, built in 1823, the only place where the road goes under the canal.

Nearing Middleport, our stop for the night, we noticed a lot of runners on the path adjacent to the canal, and speaking to folks in Middleport, it turned out that they were participants in the Beast of Burden run / walk, where runners can do a 25, 50 or 100 mile distance! The 100 milers have 30 hours to complete the distance ... crazy ...

Trekker docked in Middleport

From Middleport we motored to Brockport where a group of very considerate boaters made room for us on the wall in the town's centre.  Two of the welcoming committee were a couple headed our way to the Bahamas. Very exciting, since, in five weeks, these were the first people we have met going our way. So of course, we had Sheila and Bob over for swizzles and made fast friends!

Tomorrow will be a lay day exploring the quaint town of Brockport.