Erie Canal - Day #2

We got up early to prepare the boat. We had time to have breakfast first. After all, it is the most important meal!

We were just 100' from our first lock of the day. I wanted to be ready to transit through Lock #18 at 7:00am when the canal system starts operations. We were. However, the lock was set-up for westbound traffic. So, we had to wait for the operator to get the lock ready for us; eastbound.

This would be the start of a very long day. After getting through our first lock, it wasn't long before we had our first disappointment. Last night, when the operator said he would put us through with the cruise boat, I declined. I was too tired to go through another lock. When Grace and I brought the boat to Lake Ontario, through the canal system last summer, we stopped at Little Falls. I never stopped there before, but we both liked it. ...and they had great showers there!

Little Falls is just two miles east of Lock #18. We were both a little sad watching the town dock slip away to our stern.

Lock #17 is the behemoth of locks! Before reaching the lock, there is a stream coming down on the right-side; creating a cross current. Distant Horizon has a full keel sticking down 6 feet below the water. The keel is nearly two-thirds the length of the boat. Cross-currents, even small ones affect the boat; twisting the bow one way and pushing the boat sideways. Just to ensure we have all the excitement we were looking for, there is a power dam and waterfall on the left side just after the stream. The current changes from this have an equal effect on the boat's movement.

I had great plans of videoing the process. However, I was in too much of a hurry in the morning and did not have the cameras ready. In truth, this one little error; if you want to call it that, had a trickle effect for the entire day.

Later in the day, Grace took the helm. I went below. After a while I heard an "Ooooh". Her tone did not warrant an emergency, but it was not her usual tone. I rushed to the cockpit and arrived just in time to see Grace's hat hit the water. I watched the hat as she explained what had happened. The hat was staying afloat! So, I asked if she wanted to go get it. She responded, "Can we?" I told her it's still floating. She immediately said, you take the helm. We proceeded to execute a proper man overboard drill to rescue the hat! It's always good to practice this. You never know when you will need it. When we rescued the hat, we were close to the edge of the channel. If we were any slower, the hat would have been lost, or we would have been aground in our attempts.

All-in-all we had a good day; locking through 8 times in 10 hours and covering over 42 nautical miles. The down-side... no pictures. I was busy all day and never really got caught up. I'll do better.