Erie Canal West to East, then South to Key West

[James V]

Ft Pain, Nice little town, not to cruiser friendly, I should have an a bicycle.

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At lock 11, lots of train noise
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Water Skiing
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Old bridge still being used
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Older
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Nkice lock to tie up but when the wind picked up it was rough
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Sailing on the canal
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Rental canal boats. Most of these are at a marina and those marinas should have secure parking for a week or 2
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One of the many bridges that you have to go under
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This is a dam that is raised and you have to go under before lock 6. It always drips
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[James V]

All the locks leak a little (lock 6)
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Big boat dock lines
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Bird
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Locking through one of the last locks
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Interesting boat
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Lock 2, the last Lock on the Erie Canal.
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Locks open and you see the last 2 bridges on the canal.
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Waterford Free Dock. Has a Farmers Market on Sundays
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1800's locks now used as a spillway
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[JustSail]

Great pictures, James. Keep them coming.

[James V]

I will when I get a good internet connection. The last set toook about 2 hrs to upload and post.

[Andy26M]

Wow James, this is awesome.

I live in Rochester, have not really even looked at the canal. I guess I need to put it on my to-do list!

- Andy

[Kelly Hanson East]

Andy - Fall, October is the perfect time to take in your portion of Canal. Leaves are spectacular - no crowds or traffic...

[James V]

From Troy NY down was easy. The Hudson River has a good flow both ways and trees and logs in it. Not a night time trip. I wish I had $ 1000 per week to explore. There is no free dinghy docks and poor anchorages along the way. I did stop at the end of the Hudson and go ashore for supplies and wait for good weather.
Going south you can either head into the NJ ICW or go to the Delaware River or into the Chesapeake Bay. Being an ultra-shallow draft I opt’ed for the NJ ICW. I left on a Sunday and went through the first inlet into the NJ ICW with Heavy traffic and extremely bad. The RR Bridge was the worse as only 1 boat could get through at a time. The Police was called out to direct boat traffic. The NJ ICW is called the worse boating on any ICW and they are proud of it. This is true. This was the end of the summer and nice weather. It took me about a week to get through the NJ ICW and the different guides are correct. The NC ICW has been opened North of Atlantic City but it is very shallow at low tide. Less than 3 feet and muddy. There is some good tides but you should plan. In the inlets you can expect 3 knot currents at peaks.

Going up the Hudson River is a day or 2 trip. Lots of crab traps in the shallows and big boats in the channel. I arrived at the mouth of the C and D Canal and spent the night in the Salem River. The next day I went down the C & D Canal. Interesting 1 day trip. If you can plan it try to catch the tidal current at 1 to 2 knots.

The Northern end of the Chesapeake Bay is nice. I stayed at Havre De Grace for 3 days. Fresh water river. The new public dock had just been completed. Fresh with tar and benches for the local to sit and watch your boat. Full of water grass. Shallow. Nice little town. The best things are 2 miles away. There is so much to see and do on the Chesapeake. I have found the guides to be correct. In all guides areas the shoaling was more. It took me about a week to make it down to Norfolk, Va where I trailered my boat to Buffalo, NY. It took me about 3 months for this loop. I wish I had planed to spend the 3 months doing the Erie Canal and then Trailered back. I am now broke and looking for work. Nothing in the Norfolk area and down the Coast looks about the same. Getting cold so I decide to head down to Jacksonville, Fl. The trip was about the same as going up except for the lack of bugs. It was cooler so I recommend that you plan this part of the trip with temps below 75 max.

I stayed in Jacksonville, Fl for2 weeks and did not find work. Nice and well worth the trip up the river. The river has a lot to offer and some plans to explore. 2 choices now, Warm and broke or Cold and Broke so I up’ed anchor and rushed down to the Fl Keys. Taking about 2 weeks. I still had my mast stepped. I estimate that it saved me about 10 hrs not having to wait for the bridges. I made it to Key Largo and Stepped the mast. In early Dec ’08 I arrived in Marathon, Fl Boot Key Harbor and that month found work in Key West. In Mar I moved the boat to a marina in Key West.

[James V]

The End
My work lasted for 10 month. Not really paying the bills and many false promises. So I quit, got laid off or Fired (take your pick) and moved the boat back to Marathon, Fl. After looking for work in Marathon and not getting a Job, I Applied and took my old job back. Putting the boat back in the storage yard in Port Charlotte Fl, The morning that I put the boat on the trailer was the coldest that I had spend inside and had about 1/8 inch of frost on the deck after sunrise. 2 years and 3 months on the boat. A “Voyage of a lifetime” as many people has told me. Even after borrowing money for the relatives to stay alive, I had a great time with the classic ending. I am 52 now and glad that I took the time and money to voyage. Now back to work and another dream to fulfill.
A few things learned
Don’ts
Don't return to a place that you do not like.
Don't let someone else do the repairs.
Don’t give advice in the Bahamas or in the USA to Business.
Don’t expect to find a woman underway. Hang out in the Bars and beaches in Warm area’s.

DO’S –
Have more than 24 gallons of water.
Have a Bicycle.
Plan 1 day underway and 3 days on the hook (that is me as I like to look around quite a bit)
Bring necessary things with you. Only expect to get things like fuel, food and oil ashore easily.
Take apart everything on your boat and motor that you can and get tools you need.
Do Go. Florida has a nice 750 mile loop through the Big lake, The Erie Canal would be very nice for 3 to 4 months as well as any bay or ……… Staying in the USA you do not need as much and it cost much less. Just get a used 22+ foot cabin boat with a good keel, clean her up, put a new motor and replace what else. Get a 3 Big anchors, Study well and go. I have met to many people who cannot do it after retirement.

[KayakDan]

James V,glad to hear the Bahamas adventure was worth it. I'm sure someday in the distant future you will be thinking back on it,saying"what and adventure! " rather than" gee,I wish I had worked more and skipped the trip."

Your pics have helped to keep our plans going. Dec 2010 it will happen. Just ordered a Garmin Bluechart chip for Florida/Bahamas yesterday. Can't wait to taste that first cold Kalik at the Chat n' Chill and put our boat on the board!

Anyone ready to join us?

[Québec 1]

Dan,
Probably! Doing a test run in march just to the west end to see how it works and to be able to tell the guys at the marina in may that I crossed the golf stream this winter. Up here crossing the GS means crossing it in the North Atlantic . Also have started plannning the trip to the Fjords of the Saquenay for this summer!
http://www.sepaq.com/pq/sag/

Q1

p.s. James ,thanks for all your inputs on your Mac travels. You are the major reference for my sailing plans.

[James V]

Thanks!

[AxelH]

The interesting boat looks like a boat type build in the Netherland and it's called a "Tjalk" I may be wrong but thats what it looks to me

[James V]

Could be or it could be Bloter -

I'm fairly sure she is a Dutch 'Botter'. Very bluff bow, shallow draft with those big lee boards port and starboard. They are rigged with easily lowered masts to allow them to get up under the canal bridges. There used to be thousands on the Dutch and other European canals and inland waters as working vessels. Most are now privately owned as family 'yachts' .

(There are one or two similar vessels with unpronouncable names (at least to a Brit!) but I think she's a Botter.

[fishheadbarandgrill]

Resurrecting an old thread for a question..

Based on my review of this old thread and reviewing most of the pix (which are fantastic), it looks like a transit of the canal would be a motoring experience. Is that the case? If so, I'll just leave the mast at home. Can someone confirm?

Thanks,
Bob

[mrron_tx]

Hey Bob : I have read on the Great Loop websites , that Mast must be down at all times..... I have no actual experiance on the canal.... but am looking forward to that same trip myself. I would have to do like James did and hire someone to haul My Mac ( and Me ) to the starting point....( Hey.... maybe I could hire Roy from shipping wars.... ) and then make My way home to Texas .