July 3-22, 2018
We make the left to hit the Erie Canal, and our first stop on the canal is Waterford, NY. With the 4th of July tomorrow, we decide to spend two nights here. Our travel on the canal will be unlike any of the other waterways we have traveled. Instead of picking a marina or anchorage for the night, many towns along the way offer some sort of free or cheap place to tie up to. Waterford has a great facility and it is a great first stop. We get a chance to explore the town, and learn more about the New York Canal System. This year is the 100th anniversary of the NYSCS, so there are no fees to travel on the system. Once an essential transportation path to quickly and cheaply get goods to the Midwest, today the canal is mainly used by pleasure boats.
Setting out at a different pace than we have the entire trip, we will travel short days so we have time to stop and enjoy the towns on the way. We transit the Waterford Flight, a series of five locks that raise the boat 169 feet in less than two miles. Transiting under our first of many low bridges, we quickly understand the lyrics of “Low Bridge – The Erie Canal Song.” Google it, you’ll thank me when you’re still singing it several weeks from now. I had never heard it before this trip, and now I’ll never forget it! We stopped in Scotia for the night, and we were so excited the town had a small theater still showing the sailing movie Adrift. We caught the last showing with another couple transiting the canal. We weren’t disappointed, I highly recommend seeing it! The other couple joked with us that at least they didn’t have to go to sleep in a sailboat that night (they were in a trawler).
We had a short travel day and landed at Amsterdam for the night. Once home to Mohawk Carpet Mills, the now abandoned mill buildings and loss of jobs took its toll on this town. We set out the next day for Canajoharie. On the way, we spot an 80 foot smoke stack with a Volkswagen car sitting on top of it. I’m still not sure why it was there, but it was definitely unique. Add it to the list of random things we’ve seen along the way!
The next day, we head off towards Little Falls. Before we arrive at the dock, we enter Lock 17. With a 40 foot lift, Lock 17 is the highest lift lock on the Erie Canal and it is also unique because the entrance gate is lifted above the boat, as opposed to doors that swing open. We attempted to contact the lockmaster on the radio upon arrival. Without a response, we go ahead and enter the open lock chamber. Still unable to hail anyone, we decide to back out of the lock. It was very eerie staring up at over 40ft of concrete, knowing that all of that water is waiting on the other side. Finally the lockmaster appeared and we entered the lock. Little Falls was definitely a highlight of the Erie Canal. Besides having excellent boater’s facilities, the town was beautiful, sprawled out across the river and carved into the hillside. We enjoyed walking through the town, though most was closed on this Sunday.
The next day we make our way to Utica, followed by a stop the next day in Sylvan Beach. Sylvan Beach was a cute little vacation town, complete with a beach on Oneida Lake, restaurants, and an amusement park. I question if the park was still open, and actually hope it isn’t considering it looked like a place where old traveling carnivals go to die. As we were tied up to the free wall, go figure Chad starting talking with a local news crew who had just arrived, hoping to interview boaters about boating safety in light of a recent tragedy on a local lake. What first was to be a recorded interview with just Chad, somehow turned into me being on camera as well. What a sad reminder to always be vigilant about boat safety.
We depart early the next morning to cross Oneida Lake, the largest body of water on the Erie Canal. Considering we have our mast strapped down on deck, we want to make sure we cross the lake before any wind or waves have the chance to develop. After an easy crossing, we arrive at the free dock in Brewerton. After lunch, we decide to take the boat to a service marina. They have time to do a quick haul and power wash, and so we can change out our anode on the shaft. Chad’s skills are put to use, and he quickly finds himself employed for the next two days, earning us free dockage. I hear it’s a skill he’s had since he was a kid, finding work on vacation at a hotel in South Carolina. The marina is full of Loopers, staging up for the next leg of the journey.
The Erie Canal is divided into an Eastern and Western portion. Finding ourselves at another fork in the road, we decide to take the road less traveled and continue on to the Western Erie Canal. Most Loopers head north here and take the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario and the Canadian treasures that lie north. Most take this route for two reasons, the first being because it’s a beautiful and very worthwhile trip. The second being because most Looper boats cannot transit the Western Erie Canal, because this section of the canal requires you to clear several 15’6” bridges. Since we have our mast down already, we decide to take advantage and continue on the Erie Canal. (Also we got a gig updating the Skipper Bob guide for the entire Erie Canal!)
Our first stop on this portion of the canal is in Baldwinsville. We finally catch up with the Corning Museum of Glass GlassBarge and the replica Canal boat Lois McClure. They are traveling the New York State Canal System this season to mark the 150th anniversary of Corning Incorporated’s move to Corning, NY via the Hudson River and New York’s Canals, and the 100th anniversary of the opening of the New York State Barge Canal. We were able to get tickets to the glass blowing demonstration, and it was amazing. If you are ever near Corning, NY, I highly recommend you go to the museum. Note: Glass blowing demonstrations are really hot, and you can only imagine how hot when you are on a barge outside and it is 98 degrees!
The weather was heating up again, and we had a hot but scenic cruise to Clyde. We traveled through the countryside today, seeing cows drinking from the canal and hilly farm terrain. We passed by the remains of the Montezuma Aqueduct, where the canal of 1862 crossed the Seneca River. We have seen several rental canal boats, it seems they mostly travel the Western canal. If you are looking for a fun vacation, check out a rental! We saw several families and couples making the trip. We also passed the canal junction where the Cayuga-Seneca canal splits from the Erie Canal. It is on my bucket list to make it back to the finger lakes to tour wine country!
We celebrated my birthday in Newark, and met two other couples bringing their boat back to Michigan. They are preparing to do the Loop in a few years. Our advice, do it now! They invited us over for drinks, and after they sung me happy birthday, we discovered they had relatives from Three Oaks, MI where Chad’s dad grew up. It really is a small world! We move on down the canal to Fairport, where we spend a few days. I even found a tailor to fix my favorite hat! We found Fairport to be another favorite stop, with much to see and do around town. We encounter our first lift bridge on the canal, the first of many more to come. This bridge is an engineering marvel as no two angles on it are the same! We talk with the bridge tender inquiring about her first morning opening, when we find out she already knows the name of our boat from the previous lock.
Our next stop is in Brockport, a small college town. We have dinner at the local brewery, and then enjoy a surprise concert in the park, right next to the boat. Rilee is not a fan, and we quickly retreat below when she decides to bark! The next day, we cross over Culvert Road on an aqueduct, very different to see cars drive under the canal! This is the first and only time on the loop that a car drives under the boat! We arrive in Medina, and find a charming town going through quite a revival. Medina Sandstone was shipped worldwide and several local buildings are built from it. Chad found a meadery, and we enjoyed sampling all of their unique cocktails and meads. The next morning, we are happy to find a great local farmers market, and we restock the fridge and freezer!
Nearing the end of the canal, we stop for the night just outside of Lockport, in the old Widewaters Marina. Chad tried to get into the Lockport cave and underground boat ride but it had closed for the day. Instead Chad enjoyed the Erie Canal Discovery Center! Up next in the morning is a large staircase lock. Entering the first lock, you raise 25 feet and then exit and immediately enter the second lock, rising an additional 24 feet, while going under one of the widest bridges in the world. These two locks replaced five original step locks, which are still in place next to the new locks. We pass through Tonawanda, in the middle of Canal Fest. Unfortunately there is no docking available, so we continue on.
Exiting the Erie Canal, we make our way towards Buffalo and the Great Lakes!
We departed early from Lewes, DE, ready to hit the Atlantic Ocean. There is an Intracoastal Waterway in New Jersey, but it is notoriously awful. Besides being shallow and poorly maintained, there are also several sections we could not do because of our mast height. We also had to choose a good weather window, as the usable inlets were few and far between. Picking what was forecasted to be a decent day to head out into the ocean, we rounded Cape May and quickly learned it was going to be a long lumpy ride to Atlantic City, NJ. As we approached the inlet, it was a relief to see the buzz of activity on the beach, the ferris wheel, and boardwalk. We spent a quiet night at a hole in the wall marina, across from the bright lights of the marina at the Golden Nugget casino where our friends on Wander stopped.
Up and at ‘em early, we head north and hope for a smoother day. The beautiful sunrise is misleading, as we have another lumpy day ahead of us, once again surfing down confused seas. The plan is to anchor around Sandy Hook, to prepare for the following day’s journey through New York Harbor and onto the Hudson River. As we approach Sandy Hook, we are having engine problems again. We pull into a protected cove and join our friends on Wander. It seems we both have kicked up some junk from the fuel tank, and we all change the fuel filters. This seems to have done the trick for us. Checking the weather once more, we also see the forecast tomorrow has changed for the worse, and the harbor will be another day of lumpy travel. We bite the bullet and head to the super expensive Liberty Landing Marina in Jersey City, NJ. The views heading into New York City are awesome, as we cruise past the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Arriving to the marina, we are just across the river from NYC. The skyline views do not disappoint.
Eager to head out the next morning, we are greeted with a foggy skyline view of downtown. As the sun rises, the fog quickly burns off. As we head up the Hudson River, we need to plan each day’s travel to take advantage of the tidal current. The river is tidal all the way up to the lock at Troy, NY. Leaving downtown behind us, the scenery changes dramatically and we are treated to beautiful hillsides. We stop at Croton-on-Hudson, to spend a few days to explore the rich history in the area. We spent a day exploring Sleepy Hollow, the inspiration for Washington Irving’s “The “Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” We even toured the cemetery and while we did not see the Headless Horseman, we did see the gravesites of many familiar names such as Andrew Carnegie, Walter P. Chrysler, William Rockefeller, Elizabeth Arden, and Washington Irving himself. Chad toured the Kykuit, the Rockefeller mansion, while I waited with Rilee, since it was no dogs allowed. We had passed a vet in town, so I took Rilee in to get checked out. Since they book up months in advance, I’d been struggling to get her in to a specialist vet for a follow up, but luckily she had been doing well. Once again, we were in the right place at the right time, meeting the necessary people to help us on our journey. The Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital was able to arrange us an appointment the same day to with a specialist. It was a relief to find out the stones appeared to have dissolved.
The weather has turned extremely hot and humid, temperatures reaching into the high 90’s. It’s beautiful but stifling traveling on the river. We cruise past West Point, originally a fort overlooking the Hudson River, and now home to the US Military Academy. We watch commuter trains buzz past on the east side of the river, often appearing out of a tunnel dug into the hilly riverside. We make a quick stop in Marlboro for the night, nothing here except a freight train every 30 minutes! In the morning we’re off to Catskill, where we will have our mast taken down one final time. Today’s travel takes us through the beautiful Catskill Mountains. I can’t help but think about Dirty Dancing again…I really need to watch that movie now! After another suffocating day, we arrive to the marina. We wait until dusk to begin work preparing for our mast to come off in the morning. It will be 100 degrees today, and the crane is broken at the yard, so they have to hand crank the crane. We are fortunate enough to locate a pre-assembled stand to hold our mast on top of the boat. With a few modifications, Chad has it fit perfectly. We will carry our mast with us this time, instead of shipping it like we did down the rivers. This section of the journey will be much shorter and calmer. We just have 35 locks to go through, what could go wrong?
With our mast off, we are now a motor boat again. We transit the Troy Lock, and are now officially out of tides and salt water. As we hit a fork in the river, it is decision time. How will we get home? Will we go up the Champlain Canal to Lake Champlain and the St Lawrence River, or make a left to hit the Erie Canal?
We were excited to get to the Chesapeake Bay, where we hear there is amazing sailing (and seafood) to be found! After passing through the busy port at Norfolk, we arrived to Portsmouth, VA. Norfolk is officially “Mile 0” of the Atlantic ICW.
Cruising back across the bay and up the Rappahannock River, we arrived to the Tides Inn in Irvington, VA. The Tides Inn reminded me of the lodge from Dirty Dancing. It was a sleepy little resort tucked into the woods. I was very excited to find a fire pit to relax by at night. The fire dancing off the water was so peaceful. The next day, we meet up with my parents, and we spent the next few days checking out the nearby towns and wineries. It was the perfect combination of relaxation with family!
As my parents headed home, we headed north to Ingram Bay in Heathsville, VA. A sleepy little family owned marina, we hid here for a few days waiting out some weather. A few days later, we headed out across the bay to Tangier Island, VA. This was a place quite unlike any other. Being here was like stepping back in time, with no cell signal or WI-FI. The locals had a special dialect all their own, and we observed them turning it on or off, depending on who they were talking to. The bikes and golf carts far outnumbered cars on the island. The island is only accessible by boat or plane. The local economy is dependent on fishing and tourists. At only three feet above sea level, it is slowly disappearing back into the bay. Hurrying to check things out before everything closed at 5pm, we got a chance to get some famous crab cakes, take the $5 golf cart tour of the island, and explore the museum.
Planning to depart Tangier Island and head across the bay north to Solomons, MD, the unexpected wind and building waves instead diverted us to stop at Reedville, VA. We found an amazing anchorage just off the town, and took the dinghy ashore to explore downtown and enjoy some ice cream. As we were walking back to the dinghy, I noticed a huge 400ft fishing vessel cruising in right past our boat. We hurried back, and stopped to chat with a neighboring boat at anchor. The fishing vessel had told them they were fine, but we would need to move to be out of their way when they departed that night after unloading their fresh catch. We gladly moved further north, out of the way!
With the weather settled, we headed north to the Patuxent River and Solomons, MD. The weather would keep us here for several days, but it was a fantastic place. We ran into looper friends from First Forty and State of Bliss and enjoyed a fun evening of dinner and docktails. We also made new looper friends on Island Time. Spring Cove Marina had a fantastic pool and courtesy car, so we had no problem keeping ourselves busy. I also had my first Orange Crush, which, depending on who you ask, is some combination of fresh squeezed oranges, vodka, orange liqueur, and lemon-lime soda. It is delicious and perfect for a hot afternoon at the pool or beach. I know you want one now, and so do I!!
When the weather broke, we set off across the bay to the Choptank River and Oxford, MD. Oxford was an adorable town, full of history. We also found out the marina we were staying at was where many of the boatyard scenes from one of our favorite movies (from our first date) “Failure to Launch” was filmed. Many of the town locals got background roles in the movie.
Off across the bay, we headed to the sailing mecca of Annapolis. We arrived just in time to see Wednesday night race night. It was really cool to see all the boats sailing into harbor, inches from each other, motors off, tacking into the light wind. Cool but also terrifying. The next day we walked around the town, and took in the rich history. We loved the tour of the beautiful Maryland State House, the first Capitol of the United States, where General George Washington resigned his commission before the Continental Congress.
We departed and headed across the bay to Rock Hall, MD. A fun and lively stop, we spent the evening enjoying seafood at a fun outside restaurant, taking in the sunset and live music with a couple we had met at the dock. Definitely a highlight of the trip is all of the different people we have met. Heading north once again, we crossed the bay and spent the weekend in Havre De Grace, or HdG as the locals call it. Another adorable town on the bay, we enjoyed walking the tree lined streets, taking in the old homes. Chad even talked the local antique shop owner into giving him a personal tour of the historic town!
We depart on a rising tide, headed for Delaware City, DE. The marina there holds a daily briefing to prepare cruisers for the unique weather on the Delaware Bay. This bay is characterized by swift currents, exposed waters, and few places for a sailboat to duck out if weather turns poor. Weather looked good enough for an early morning departure down the bay. What started out as dead calm winds and water, turned quickly into a washing machine of nasty chop and strong winds. With no other option but to continue on, we decided instead of heading for Cape May, NJ we would shoot to the southern side of the bay and head towards Lewes, DE. Chad had identified some shoals we hoped to “hide” behind, reducing some of the chop. Ducking behind anchored freighters also helped calm things down, if only for a short time. Had we continued to Cape May, we would have had to head out into the Atlantic Ocean to approach, as our mast height was questionable for fitting under a fixed bridge on the canal side heading to Cape May from the Delaware Bay.
Lewes, DE turned out to be a very charming town full of great shops and restaurants, and one awesome farmers market that allowed us to restock our fridge and freezer. We spent several days here as we were waiting for the best weather possible before heading to the ocean. Lewes was also a town full of history, with several museums we got to check out. We took the bus to Rehoboth Beach, where we visited the Dogfish Head Brewery, complete with delicious beer and great eats!