Tomorrow we Cross our Wake!!!

After enjoying the last week at Put In Bay (PIB) on South Bass Island, OH, with friends we resumed our journey today.  We completed Lake Erie and entered the Detroit River, traveling 38 nautical miles (43.7 statute miles) over 5.25 hours and are currently docked in Wyandotte, MI. 

Today's journey from PIB to Wyandotte, MI
Michigan!  The final State!

Tomorrow on our way to MacRay marina we will cross our wake and become Gold Loopers!!!  Tomorrow we will complete a goal we started 13 years ago on August 20, 2012.  Our captain estimates less than 40 miles to go.  It is hard to believe the Eve before the big day is upon us.

While we were at PIB, we worked hard to wash the last of the salt off of MMS.  Mother Nature helped with a pretty severe rainstorm with very high winds.  So severe that our bimini top on the bridge did not survive.  Fortunately, the damage to the bimini is not permanent and we can repair it and MMS came with a spare.  The original was blue and the replacement is tan but beggars can't be choosers.  We are happy there was a spare onboard.  

Severe pop up storm tore the stitching on the bimini.

Spare bimini

Tan bimini, blue bridge cover.
No complaints.  
We are happy for shade, no matter what the color.

One of the traditional events at PIB is at 9:00pm on the weekend nights the Boardwalk restaurant rings a bell to announce the lowering of the American Flag for the evening.  While the flag is being lowered Boardwalk plays the National Anthem.  It can be heard all over the area.   We were fortunate to experience it Fri, Sat and Sun.  And we had a beautiful sunset one of the nights.

Sunset at PIB shortly after the flag
 lowering ceremony at Boardwalk.

Lake Erie Journey

Over the past five days, we have covered nearly the entire length of Lake Erie.  As mentioned in the last post, our first day on Lake Erie was the longest at 10.5 hours (71.63 nautical miles), culminating in a beautiful anchorage in Erie, PA and fireworks.  

We planned the subsequent four days of travel to be progressively shorter as we covered the remaining 149.84 nautical miles to Put In Bay (PIB) on South Bass Island in Ohio.  We arrived early afternoon yesterday in between rain bands and will remain here for a week.  Several boats from our new home port, MacRay Marina, in Michigan will be joining us here in a few days.

To provide a brief overview of the last few days, after anchoring in Erie, PA the first night, we left our anchorage quite early at 6:00am for our anticipated 8 hour travel day to Geneva State Park Marina located in Geneva on the Lake (GOTL) in Ohio.  We had to travel east for just a bit before turning and heading west.  For anyone who has driven east in the morning, into the rising sun, you can appreciate the challenges our Captain had for the first 45 minutes on Friday morning with the rising sun and the additional reflection off the water.

NEBO screen shot of the first hour
of our trip the morning of July 4th.
The first bit was traveling East, into the sun
before we rounded the point of Presque Isle Bay.

A big brim hat and serious prescription sunglasses 
were needed to combat the rising sun.

Our captain at the helm bright and early.
Friday, July 4th @ 6:15am

For several days, another Looper boat, Irene, which we first connected with back in Scotia, NY, has been in the same general area on Lake Erie.  We left the same anchorage and both traveled to GOTL.  We all went to dinner together in GOTL on July 4th.  Later in the evening we enjoyed another night of fantastic fireworks.

Each day, we've followed the southern rim of Lake Erie.  After departing GOTL Saturday morning, we traveled five hours to Cleveland, OH.  On the way, our Captain had to navigate some sailboat races.  Beautiful boats.  They are not all pictured, but there were six of them in total.  Big ones!

Sailboat races on Lake Erie

When we docked Saturday afternoon in Cleveland on the T-Head of A-Dock, we were very warmly welcomed by the folks who keep their boats docked there the entire season, just hanging out at the marina on the 4th of July weekend.  One owner in particular said he waited several years to get the last slip on A-Dock just so he could meet and visit with the transient boaters as they pass through.  Wow!  The marina was also having their 1st annual strolling docktails.  How fun!  We enjoyed the camaraderie with our new Ohio friends and pulled out our lawn chairs and hung out on the dock with everyone.  MMS provided much needed shade on the dock for everyone as the sun was setting.  We hope to see our Ohio friends again as they winter on the Gulf Coast of Florida.  They felt like "our people".  At our old marina in Florida, the conversations on the dock would be so energized, we had a rule that if you wanted to talk, you had to raise your hand and wait to be called on.  The same procedure was in place in Cleveland.  Hilary almost cried tears of joy when one person raised their hand to get a chance to jump into the conversation.  It felt like home.

Being in Ohio, and so close to the completion of our trip is a strange but happy feeling.  Hilary in particular can feel herself focusing less on the Great Loop and more on enjoying the rest of summer on the boat in Michigan with friends.  The transition of wildlife, or lack thereof, in fresh water vs. salt water over the past four months of travel is subtle, but certainly noticeable.  While traveling on Lake Erie, there of course are no more dolphins catching a ride in our wake.  Lake Erie is fresh water even though the vastness of the Great Lakes make it look and feel like the salty Atlantic Ocean.  Additionally, pelicans have been replaced with Canadian Geese.  

Sunday morning, we departed Cleveland and continued west, enjoying the view of downtown Cleveland as we started our five hour journey to Vermillion, OH.

Downtown Cleveland Skyline
Sunday, July 6, 2025

Lighthouse on the East side of the 
main entrance to Cleveland Harbor

Lighthouse on the West side of the 
main entrance to Cleveland Harbor

Lighthouse on the Beach in Vermillion

Upon our arrival in Vermillion, we pulled out the eBike and eSkateboard for not one, but two trips to the grocery store, 1.5 miles from the marina.  Knowing we planned to be at PIB for a week, it was time for some heavy provisioning.  The first trip to the store was for food and the second trip was for the oh so heavy liquids.  There is no picture, but on the second trip, Bert had two 12-packs of soda and two bottles of wine in his backpack on his skateboard.  Hilary had two 12-packs of soda in her backpack and two 12-packs of LaCroix and one 24 pack of White Claw ratchet strapped to her rear bike rack.  I'm sure the two of us were quite a sight heading back to the marina.  Why four 12-packs of soda you ask?????  Because they were buy two, get two free.  😂

In Vermillion we were docked right next to a high-end restaurant.   We watched large boats come in and dock for dinner and we also witnessed a couple get engaged.  An entertaining evening for us to enjoy from the comfort of our air conditioned salon.

Yesterday was our 5th consecutive day on Lake Erie and the lake was not as kind to us as she had been the prior four days.  We had some beam seas for about an hour, making for an unpleasant journey, and had to time our arrival into PIB A Dock in between thunderstorm bands.  For a while, the visibility was just awful.  We did arrive safe and sound and have the perfect dockage for the week we will spend at PIB.

Heavy rain and T-Storms on Lake Erie
as we approached final dockage at PIB.
No sign of Perry's monument, less than 2 miles away.

View of Perry's Monument
once the rain band cleared

Our route across Lake Erie from Vermillion to PIB
28 nautical miles and four hours

A celebration cocktail at Frosty's Pizza.

PIB is special to us because this is where we got engaged on 07/25/2010 (Christmas in July at PIB).  Bert proposed to Hilary on the deck of the Boardwalk at sunset.  Our dockage is in perfect view of the Boardwalk off our transom.

After we enjoy our week here at PIB, we have just two more travel days to officially cross our wake and become Gold Loopers.  Bert pointed out yesterday that because he's been from MI to PIB by boat, he has actually crossed his wake upon arrival here at PIB.  However, Hilary has never traveled to PIB via boat, so she will not cross her wake until we arrive in MI.

We'll leave you with a sunrise view of Perry's Monument out the front windshield.  Today will be spent washing MMS and making her presentable for show and tell when our friends start arriving tomorrow.

Sunrise at PIB
Perry's Monument

If you are not familiar with the significance of Perry's Monument, it is a tribute to the peace between Great Britain, the US and Canada.  It commemorates the battle fought on September 10, 1813, here in the bay of South Bass Island and celebrates the subsequent peace that followed the war of 1812.  Perry's monument is 352 feet, taller than the Statue of Liberty at 301 feet.  On a clear day, we have seen the skyline of Detroit from the top of Perry's Monument.

Erie Canal Complete! Onto Lake Erie

On Tuesday, 07/02/2025, we completed the Erie Canal, the ENTIRE Erie Canal (east and west) on the 200th anniversary of the canal.  We are stoked.  At 12:30pm, we exited the Erie Canal and entered the wide open Niagara River for a short ride through a lock and down to Buffalo, NY.  The day went better than expected and we arrived sooner than anticipated in Buffalo.  We completed the final three locks, which raised us up another 56', passed through the final two lift bridges, and covered 43 statute miles.  The guidebook said to plan on 12 days to do the Erie Canal and we completed it in 10, not counting the weather delay that closed the canal.  There is so much more to see along the canal and we are already talking about a return trip. Albeit not by boat, but by eBike and eScooter in 2026.

Signpost at the end of the Erie Canal directing us to turn 
to Port (left) to enter the Niagara River to Buffalo and Lake Erie.

Summary of the final day on the Erie Canal.
We exited the canal and entered the Niagara River
for a short bit, passing through Black Rock Lock and ending
in Buffalo, NY.

We looked back on our time in the State of New York.  We entered New York on May 1st and crossed the state line into Pennsylvania today, July 3rd.  A little over two months invested in New York, which is a beautiful state.  We also looked back at the miles traveled from Albany, NY to Buffalo, NY.  This in essence is the Erie Canal plus a few miles on each end.  In total we covered 363 statue miles and passed through 34 locks.  Go us!

We took a day of rest in Buffalo after traveling for seven straight days.  We had no idea there was so much to see and do in Buffalo.  Along the waterfront, we walked to the Buffalo Naval Park upon arrival.  It is the largest inland Naval Park in the United States and is the home of several decommissioned Naval vessels.

Buffalo also seems to be home of Buffalo Chicken Wings, which we LOVE!  We walked to a local venue near the ballpark and had the most amazing Chicken Wings!  During the day, we also took the city bus to Aldi to do a bit of re-provisioning for the next few days and had an amazing, unexpected, home cooked Polish lunch at a very obscure lunch counter inside a flea market housed inside of a long abandoned department store.  The area of Buffalo we took the bus to for Aldi and lunch was a bit out of our comfort zone, but we felt safe overall and had an amazing time.  Let's say we experienced the non-tourist part of Buffalo and we would go again.  We also enjoyed a nice sunset at the marina after we got back to the boat.

After a day of rest in Buffalo, we started our journey across Lake Erie today.  It was a long day but Lake Erie was kind to us overall.  We had 1 - 3' seas on the bow for the day.  The wind increased as the day wore on and the ride got a bit sportier, but we arrived safe and sound.  It did take us three tries before we got the anchor to hook.  Our fortress anchor is set up for sand/mud and this bottom has more that its fair share of grass.  It's been a long time since we anchored in freshwater.

We covered 71.63 nautical miles (82 statute) over the course of 10 1/2 hours.  We departed Buffalo, NY at 6:30am and have a pleasant anchorage in Presque Isle Bay in Erie, PA this evening.  We hope to see the fireworks show if we can stay up that late.

We plan to be on the move for the next several days and keep moving our way along the southern shore of Lake Erie while we have a good weather window.  

Erie Canal Lift Bridges

We have continued to move forward everyday on the western end of the Erie Canal, albeit slowly.  Today we hope to complete the Erie Canal and arrive in Buffalo, NY.  At that point, we will have been traveling for seven straight days. It is time for a rest day before we start the next phase of our journey, which is the approximately 210 miles of open water in Lake Erie following the southern shoreline.  

Over the past couple days we've had great places to stop for the evening, with power and water and every so often there is some interesting scenery and history along the canal.  The big change over the last couple days is the increase in the number of bridges.  

ERIE CANAL - DAY #8 

On Sunday, we completed just two locks (#32 & #33), which lifted us a total of 50' and navigated our first four lift bridges.  We traveled 32 statute miles over the course of six hours between Fairport, NY and Brockport, NY.  It seems the name of every community along the Erie Canal ends in "port".

What was notable was the significant increase in the number of bridges.  We went under 55 bridges and five guard gates.  The increase in bridges was particularly notable around Rochester, NY.  

A series of pedestrian bridges near Rochester, NY

The two locks we completed early in the day were 25' each and the Lock Master at one of the locks did a very quick "dump" of the lock to prepare it for us.  He warned us to stay back as he was going to dump it quickly.  We are accustomed to the white water flowing from beneath the lock doors as the water is pushed out, but the video below captures how aggressively lock #32 was dumped.

The doors at the opposite end of the
Lock 32 chamber didn't seal completely
creating a waterfall effect.

As the guidebook had indicated, the Bridge Tenders cover more than one lift bridge and balance east and west bound boat traffic through an area.  When we arrived at our first lift bridge, the Bridge Tender was at another bridge.  We waited about 30 minutes for him to arrive and open the bridge for us.  Happily, there was a place to tie up and wait so we were able to get off the boat for a few minutes and stretch our legs while we waited.  Once we passed through, the next life bridge was 3 miles away and Bridge Tender let us know he'd meet us there in 30 minutes to lift it for us.

Waiting for the Bridge Tender to arrive
to open the lift bridge for us.

The Bridge Tenders work together and once you are within their section of the canal, they want to know how far you are going for the day and call ahead to the next Bridge Tender to let them know you are on your way.  Once we get in the system for the day, most of the time, the Bridge Tenders will hail us on the VHF radio and welcome us to their community by name before we can call them.  They are a very helpful bunch.  Upon hearing our planned destination for the day, one Bridge Tender recommended a different town for an overnight stay with better amenities and we took his recommendation and changed our plan slightly for the day.

Probably the most impressive welcome we received was from the volunteers that staff the Welcome Center in Brockport.  Each town is a little different, but all are most hospitable and most of them have a free wall to stay for the night that includes electricity and water.  We have enjoyed the reprieve from the high transient fees we experienced on the east coast and our average cost per foot for dockage is dropping as we continue to benefit from free overnight stays on the western end of the Erie Canal.

Brockport Welcome Center

Complimentary dockage in Brockport.
We even benefitted from shade which
helped the A/C catch up from the 
heat of the day.

A peaceful view across the Erie Canal in Brockport

MMS docked in picturesque Brockport

During our travel day, we passed through what is known as the Great Embankment Project, in Bushnell's Basin.  This project is famous as it entailed filling in sections of the Irondequoit Creek Valley, 70' deep and one mile long by hand, joining natural ridges and creating an earthen aqueduct for Clinton's ditch.  Before this project was completed, Bushnell's Basin was a terminus point of the Erie canal.  Cargo was offloaded, moved overland, and then reloaded to continue on the Erie Canal.  Traveling through the one mile section of the canal was very interesting.  The walls in that area are so old!!!!

ERIE CANAL - DAY #9

Yesterday was a mundane day on the Erie Canal.  We traveled just 4.5 hours, covering just 30 miles.  We went under 32 bridges, including seven lift bridges, and six guard gates.  We had MMS tied up by 1:30pm and went for a walk to find some lunch before the afternoon rain set in.

We are both feeling a bit fatigued from traveling in the canal at reduced speeds, roughly 6mph, and constantly scanning and navigating debris.  Daily we seem to strike 2-3 submerged logs, sending terror through both of us.  When we hear the "thud", our Captain jumps to put the engines in neutral, we float over the log, wait for it to surface behind us and then resume navigation.  As the Captain puts the throttles in drive, we both hold our breath, hoping to feel no shudder and for no propeller damage as we slowly resume speed.  So far we have been very fortunate and we don't believe we have sustained any major propeller damage.  We also navigated partially submerged storage containers, construction barrels, etc.

There are sections of the Erie Canal where homes on either side are below the canal walls, which is a very strange sight.  As we travel along sometimes just outside of the canal walls there are rooftops.  There is even a section, Culvert Road, that was built in 1823 and is listed in Ripley's Believe it or Not.  The road passes UNDER the Erie Canal.  Of course we were in the canal and didn't experience the road beneath us, but the guidebook says the ceiling of the tunnel drips on cars as they pass under the Erie Canal.

Culvert Road to the North

Culvert Road to the South

Hilary has passed time the last two days, keeping track of bridges and alerting Bert when we are approaching a lift bridge.  Below is a sample of a page in the book from a day's travel, marking the bridges, including the distances in-between and the bridge heights.

One page of bridges from Day #8
Beginning of the day
Note the lift bridges

Same page of bridges from Day #8
End of the day
The times are tracked on the page as we proceed.
It passes the time and gives Hilary something to do.

As stated in the beginning of this post, today should be our last day on the Erie Canal.  We will enter the Niagara River heading south to Buffalo.  We have just three locks left and estimate covering about 55 miles today over about 9.5 hours.  Stay tuned to see how the day turns out. 

Sights Along the Erie Canal

The storms that passed through Oneida County, NY a week ago today were extraordinary and sadly claimed three lives.  Parts of the county saw 3.4 inches of intense rain over a two hour period followed by very high winds and a tornado, which led to power outages, flooding, Oneida Lake evacuation orders, fallen trees, etc.  Once the news reports started coming out, we understood why the Erie Canal was officially closed from Sunday - Thursday between locks 16 - 22.  We were fortunate to be just outside of the zone when the storms passed through.  Once the canal engineer gave us the green light to start moving on Wednesday, we have been on the move every day.  Over the past four days, we have covered 167 statue miles and completed 14 locks.  The sights are sometimes very interesting and sometimes the canal can be quite mundane.

ERIE CANAL - DAY #4

We had an incredible boating day last Wednesday.  The locks open at 8am and we've now learned that everyone is in a big rush, causing congestion and stress while locking.  We waited until almost 11:00am to depart Little Falls and we were the ONLY boat in the five locks we navigated (Locks 18 - 22).  So far we have been "locking up" as we've moved west.  Locks 21, 22 and 23, are the only "lock down" chambers for westbound vessels.    Locks 18-20 raised us 57' and then Locks 21 & 22 lowered us 50'.

We arrived at Sylvan Beach just before 7:00pm, having covered 49 statute miles.  We did see a lot of debris along the way.  The New York Canal System is working non-stop to ensure the canals all stay safe for navigation and keep controlling depths stable.  We did have one area right after lock 19 with a depth of 5'3" and our captain navigated the area expertly.  One sailing vessel arranged for Towboat to tow them through that section safely the day after we passed through.

Captain Bert ready to lock up

Captain Bert at the top of the lock

Many of the locks have the historical tugs on display.  They are painted blue and gold, the colors of the Erie Canal system.  Once such tug, Urger, was a floating museum and classroom.  Many of these tugs were built before 1940, and the worker's dedication to upkeep and use highlights the enduring legacy of the Erie Canal and its continuous operation for 200 years.

One of the historic Erie Canal Tugs on Display

In addition to the locks, there are also guard gates that are used to control water along the canal.  This particular guard gate is a double and one side is up, for navigation, and one side is down.   We have seen doubles with both sides open as well as singles.  The equipment along the Erie Canal is an engineering wonder.

Guard Gate along the Erie Canal.
One side open, one side closed.

ERIE CANAL - DAY #5

Day #5 was a planned short 20 mile day in which we crossed Lake Oneida from Sylvan Beach to Brewerton, arriving before noon.  We used the afternoon to wash MMS and prepare MMS for the forthcoming low bridges on the western end of the Erie Canal.  The lowest bridge is 15' and after stepping down the radar arch and removing the bimini on the  bridge, we are 13'3".  MMS will be topless for the remainder of the Erie Canal.  Once we arrive in Buffalo we will put the bimini back on and raise the radar arch.

Topless MMS
Ready for low bridges

Topless MMS
Ready for low bridges

We stayed at Winter Harbor Marina in Brewerton and the HarborMaster, Leslie, had fresh baked goods for the boaters in the morning and also had an afternoon snack.  Blondie brownies the day of our arrival and cranberry/blueberry cake the morning of our departure.  The cake was still warm out of the oven. Winter Harbor Marina also made challenge coins to commemorate this very special 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal.

Challenge Coin 
A gift from Winter Harbor Marina

Challenge Coin
Celebrating 200th Anniversary of the Erie Canal

ERIE CANAL - DAY #6

Day #6 was a long 9 hour day.  We completed five more locks (23 - 27) and 60 statute miles.  Lock 23 was the last down lock when headed westbound at 7'.  Locks 24-27 took us up a total of 35'.   It was on this day that we crossed the turn off for the Oswego Canal to the north and the Cayuga-Seneca Canal to the south.  The majority of the vessels head north up the Oswego Canal to Lake Ontario / Canada.  Many cannot clear the 15' bridge restrictions on the Erie Canal and are forced to take Oswego.  The Cayuga-Seneca canal allows access to the New York finger lakes, a side trip for some Loopers.  

After being with many Looper boats, now we know of just 2 or 3 in the area.  Dockage is plentiful for the remainder of the Erie Canal segment of our trip.  If you are wondering about the three down locks, they are for the area around Lake Oneida and the cut off to Oswego.  Once past the Oswego turn, the remainder of the locks will be up all the way to Buffalo. 

Split in the River
Turn North for Oswego or continue West for Buffalo

We saw quite a few interesting sights along the way including a camel and an oversized fishing pole.  There were also lots of very nice homes to look at from the waterway.

Camel on the Erie Canal

Oversized fishing pole, complete with bobber and mug of beer to the left.

We also saw more of the deep history of the canal.  We passed the remains of the Richmond Aqueduct.  This is a well preserved example of the old Erie Canal water bridge, one of the longest on the Erie Canal.

Richmond Aqueduct on the Erie Canal

We ended our day in the Village of Clyde on a free wall, with a 110 electrical outlet, a first for us on the trip.  After a 9 hour day of driving, our Captain had to do an additional hour of work to get the 110 power connected.  

Our Captain worked on 110 power for us.

All in all, it was another good day and we are happy.  The route was quite windy today and for a bit we were going the complete wrong direction, southeast.  

60 miles on the Erie Canal today

ERIE CANAL - DAY #7

Yesterday (Saturday) was a shorter day for us.  We covered another five locks (27 - 30, including 28A & 28B) which raised us up a total of 76' and completed another 35 statue miles.   We are in Fairport, NY and in another 2-3 days we hope to arrive in Buffalo.

Below are some sights along the way.   We also saw a bald eagle and a deer wading at the edge of the canal, but we were not quick enough with the camera.

Many miles of the Erie Canal are wooded on both sides.
The canal can be mundane in sections.

Rented vessel to traverse the Erie Canal.

The towns along the western Erie Canal cater to the Looper boats.  Lyons, NY, even had a welcome sign at one of the locks.  Lyons also had some beautiful murals that can only be enjoyed from the water.

Lyons, NY welcome sign for Loopers

Bridge Mural in Lyon, NY

Bridge Mural in Lyon, NY

Bridge Mural in Lyon, NY

Bridge Mural in Lyon, NY

Upon our mid-afternoon arrival in Fairport, NY, we were able to get off the boat and walk around and be a part of society for the first time in several days.  It was a nice afternoon.

Mini Tugboat in Fairport, NY

The locks are much farther apart for the remainder of the Erie canal.  However, beginning today, we start moving through a series of 16 lift bridges which require us to request an opening.  Our understanding is our pace may slow down and we may have to wait as depending on staffing, the bridge tenders may have to drive from one bridge to the next to facilitate the opening for us to pass through.