Erie Canal Update

Well, it has been a month since the New York Canal Corporation issued the Alert to Mariners that the Erie Canal would be closed to navigation between locks E-16 and E-17 for 4-5 weeks, with a targeted opening date between June 11 and June 18.  Over the past month, MMS has remained at Albany Yacht Club (AYC) which is located on the Hudson River in Rensselaer, New York.  Across the Hudson is New York's capital city of Albany.  

When we arrived at AYC on May 7th, we were one of the first "big boats" here.  Over the past month, the weather has warmed up considerably, the pool is open, and we have watched AYC welcome more and more transient boats waiting for the canal system to open.  This is great because we are no longer alone and are surrounded by other Looper boats and building our social network, but this is also not so great because now there is a severe bottleneck of boats as a result of the extended closure of the Erie Canal.  Marina's up and down the Hudson are all at capacity with transient boats waiting for the canal system to open.

MMS isn't the biggest boat anymore.
Two larger vessels are docked in front of us now.
Both are Looper couples.

Final Final is an 88' vessel waiting for the canal system to open.
Her summer slip is in Bay Harbour in northern Michigan.

Last week we made a second trip to Michigan to visit family and friends.  While in MI we spent some time at MacRay marina where we leased our summer slip and picked up parking passes, membership cards, etc.  We also took pictures of our slip at MacRay.

Our summer slip at MacRay in Michigan

Our summer slip at MacRay in Michigan.
Complete with dock box and picnic table.
And two parking spaces.

After visiting Michigan we flew to Florida for a series of appointments we scheduled before starting the trip.  While in Florida we caught up with friends as well.  After being away from Florida for a couple months already, our return felt like coming home.  

Rumors started to circulate earlier this week that the rebuilding of the earthen embankment was holding, the seepage was acceptable, and the canal would be opening soon.  Yesterday the rumors were confirmed with a fresh Alert to Mariners announcing the opening of the Erie Canal between locks E-16 and E-17 today (Friday the 13th) at 8:00am.  The opening comes with: (1) a 5mph speed restriction to protect the integrity of the freshly completed earthen embankment repairs and (2) just six lock openings per day to control and manage the bottleneck of boats in transit with a goal of spreading out the boats in transit through the canal.  Openings will be at 8am, 10am, noon, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm.  

The Alert to Mariners also contained a notification that between locks E-8 and E-16 the water level has been lowered to allow the removal of debris from the movable dams and the resetting of water control structures as the New York Canal Corporation continues to recover from this spring's ongoing high water events.  Additionally, Locks E-24 and E-25 remain closed due to high water and unsafe conditions.  Finally, extreme caution is advised on the open sections of the Erie Canal due to debris from recent heavy rainfall that may be hard to see.  A "no wake" speed is recommended for the entire Erie Canal.

So.........after several discussions, we have decided to wait another week at AYC before trying to enter the canal system.  We believe it is prudent to allow the bottleneck of boats to clear, let the New York Canal Corporation compete their debris clearing work and also open locks E-24 and E-25, and hear how it is going from other boaters that are at the front of the line and willing to chance early transit through the freshly repaired section of the Erie Canal.  We are content to continue finishing boat projects, seeing the area, enjoying the warmer weather and visiting with our new friends at AYC for another week.  Bert completed the oil change on the main engines, annual maintenance on the outboard motor and also the dinghy davit installation.  Hallelujah!  There will be a special blog post dedicated to the two-year long dinghy davit project.  There are still a few bigger projects to go, but with each week that passes by, more get done.  In between boat projects, we have some fun too.  On some of the rainy days, time was spent on jigsaw puzzles and trying out new recipes.  

One of the more intricate recipes attempted on a rainy day.

Bourbon & Coke Meatloaf Sandwich.
Delicious!!!!

In the previous blog post, the Champlain Canal through Canada was mentioned briefly as an alternative.  The Champlain canal has opened, but would add about 250 miles to our journey as well as red-tape paperwork to bring our home through Canada.  At this time, we think it best to stick to the Erie Canal route.  

Today we plan to ride eBike and eScooter the 10 miles up to Waterford which is the beginning of the Erie Canal system.  We want to see what conditions look like, hopefully talk to some Loopers and also watch boats move through the first flight of five locks.  The Waterford Flight of Locks is a spectacular set of five locks that raise boats roughly 170' from the Hudson River to the Mohawk River in just 1.5 miles.  The Waterford Flight of five locks is considered to be the highest elevation in the shortest distance in the world.  Traversing the five locks will be quite a start to our highly anticipated journey through the Erie Canal.