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 #3

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 #4

Day #4 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 #5

Day #5 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 #6

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.

Cleared to Continue on the Erie Canal

Great news x2!  

An engineer from the New York Canal System visited this location late yesterday afternoon and cleared us to resume navigation (unpublished opening of the canal system).  Lock 16 & 17 behind us are still closed but Lock 18 and beyond is open!  Hooray!

We will be back underway in the next couple hours and see how far we can get today before the locks close for the day at 6pm.

Also great news, on Monday morning we worked with the Dock Master and a couple other boats and were able to get moved to the wall and plug into power and water.   This was such a relief as we had A/C for the two super hot days here in Little Falls, NY.

We also were able to get a picture of MMS in a lock last Thursday.

MMS locking through the Flight of Five in Waterford

Erie Canal Closed to Navigation (again)

ERIE CANAL DAY #2

We had an excellent 2nd day on the Erie Canal, traveling from Scotia to Fort Plain, NY, completing the entire itinerary we had planned. We completed eight locks, #8 - #15, and traveled 38 nautical miles in nine hours. The eight locks lifted MMS 91 feet. One of the sailboats in our locking group, took a time lapse video of the day. Make Me Smile was the lead boat and the sailboat brought up the rear. The two short video clips give you a nice time lapse overview of the day, including the scenery and how the locks work.

Bert was able to take pictures as we locked through, but Hilary did not have her cell phone handy while locking so unfortunately no pictures of our captain in a lock yet.  That will be a goal as we keep moving forward.

Securing MMS to the lock wall

Ready for the ride up!

You'll recall our many references to the debris on the Erie Canal.  Almost every lock had a pile of debris on the shore that had been removed from the canal.  

Debris removed from the dams along the Mohawk River (Erie Canal).
The pile is bigger than the parked vehicle.

Still plenty of debris in the Mohawk River

We have really been enjoying the steady stream of trains that started as soon as we got north of New York City. Both the Hudson River and the Erie Canal have trains paralleling the waterway.

We LOVE watching the trains.
There is a high likelihood our future travels
will include a train trip.

We ended our very successful day tied on the lock wall at #15. We selected this location as it advertised there was 50amp power there. However, upon arrival, there was one power pole for four boats and we were not close enough for our cord to reach. So, no power for us, meaning no A/C and no hot water.  Fortunately the temperature was cool enough to sleep with windows open most of the night, until the thunderstorms rolled through. We were also able to get comfortable quick showers as the water in the hot water tank was still warm from when we unplugged in Scotia in the morning.

In addition to advertising 50 amp power, we specifically selected lock #15 to stay the night because the location put us in excellent position for the limited locking through #16 and #17. You'll recall the area between locks 16 & 17 is the area that was closed for a month for repairs of the earthen embankment.  The embankment is still very fragile so traveling through the 8 mile stretch between the locks is limited to 5mph and when westbound, you can go through at 8am, 10am, noon, 2pm and 4pm only.  

ERIE CANAL DAY #3

We are now in the peak season for Loopers to be in this area, increasing competition for available dockage and lockage, especially after the extended closure between lock #16 & #17 and the limited lock schedule for those two locks. Strategy is required when planning out the day and sometimes it feels like being on Survivor, trying to calculate every other boater's next move. Of the four boats that stayed at lock #15, we were the only boat that elected to try for the 8:00am lockage at #16. The others planned to wait and try at 10:00am and avoid the anticipated crowd.

We awoke early and departed lock #15 alone in a light rain at 6:30am with a goal of arriving at lock #16 by 7:30am, well in advance of the 8:00am opening.  We expected a lot of competition to get through at 8:00am. We had a short day planned, only three locks and 25 miles, with a scheduled arrival at our next destination around noon, 2pm at the latest if we didn't make the 8:00am lockage and had to wait until 10:00am lockage. The primary goal for the day was to get through the fragile area between #16 and #17 and the limited lock schedule, not to travel a long distance. Also, the weather was expected to deteriorate in the afternoon, thus a second reason to plan out a short day. Hilary was very much looking forward to a calm, quiet Sunday afternoon, with power, to do laundry, have a nice long hot shower and in general prepare for the upcoming week.

When we arrived at lock #16 at 7:20am, we were already boat #6 in line for the 8:00am locking. By the time we entered the lock, we were boat #7, as one large Fleming took cuts. Boo to poor boater etiquette!! The lockmaster packed in eight large boats, including us. There was one more Looper boat waiting to enter at 8:00am that didn't make it in the 8:00am cycle. There is also a jet ski doing America's Great Loop and he made it into the 8am locking with us. 

Packing the boats into Lock #16

Full house in Lock #16

Mission accomplished, we made the 8:00 am lockage!  Time to celebrate, the rest of the day should be a piece of cake!  Then, at 9:15am, an Alert to Mariners was published announcing the closure of locks #16 - #22 due to high water conditions and that boaters should adjust accordingly. There had been heavy rain and the canal was up 2'. Three of the boats in our group had to scramble to remove electronics from the tops of their boats to make it under bridges that were published as 23' but were actually 21'. We also noted more debris coming at us due to the rain.  Uugh!

We knew that they would lock us through #17 as all vessels must pass through this area and not anchor overnight due to the fragility of the earthen embankment.  Lock #17 is the biggest lift, at 40.5'.  The lock has a guillotine system on each end, rather than swing doors.  

Entering Lock #17
Guillotine doors.

We were all packed in like sardines in Lock #17.  The inconsiderate Fleming was right next to MMS.  In both locks 16 and 17, the Fleming used "sky anchor" and didn't follow instructions to secure to the wall.  So in addition to having to manage the biggest lift on the Erie Canal, the Fleming's bow thruster and propellers created a huge amount of unnecessary turbulence for the rest of us in the lock, making it hard to keep MMS in place, secured to the wall, at the bottom of a 40' line.  Hilary normally is on the stern in the locks, but halfway up, Hilary was exhausted from the fight to keep MMS on the wall in one place and Bert had to come take over, moving Hilary to the bow.

Once we all cleared lock #17, all eight of us had to find a place to stay.  There is only one wall between #17 & #18 in Little Falls, NY.  The wall was already full as the boats that left in the morning for lock #18 were turned away due to closure and all came back for another night.  Hilary called the first come, first serve marina as soon as we cleared lock #17 and the Harbor Master said he had just one space left on the wall and we would fit in.  As we arrived, the first boat that had exited the lock, slid right into the only available space on the wall.  Uugh!!!!

Fortunately, most boaters will do anything to help each other.  Very quickly one of the boats that was already there, CowBuoy's Life, extended an offer for us to raft up with them.  We immediately accepted the offer, Hilary fendered up and we slid right along side of them, swim platform to swim platform, allowing us access to land.  By the time the dust settled one set of boats rafted three deep.

Make Me Smile rafted to CowBouy's Life

Boats behind us rafted three deep!

Once the initial shock of our new situation started to sink in, the next challenge was how to get power and water.  Power being the most critical.  As you may already surmise, our power cord is not long enough to stretch across CowBuoy's Life to the first available power post.  So, while we have safe dockage to wait out the closure, we have no A/C and no hot water for the 2nd night in a row.  The lack of hot water is fine as there are showers at this marina.  However, with the expected heat wave A/C is rather critical the next couple days.

Our new friends on CowBouy's Life continued their hospitality allowing us to string a 110 extension cord through their window to their salon.  The 110 extension cord allows us to plug in the battery charger to keep our refrigerator running and allows us to keep our cell phones charged.  We can also run a lamp after dark.  For this, we are truly grateful.  We are also grateful that it was relatively cool last night and there was no rain.  This allowed us to sleep with the windows and hatches open last night.  Finally, we are also grateful we are through #16 and #17 limited locking schedule, which really was the main goal for yesterday.

We are cautiously optimistic the locks may open late today as the water recedes the 2' and returns to its normal level.  If so, we hope to move through Lock #18 to Ilion, just nine miles away, provided Ilion marina has space for us.  If not, we hope some of the boats will move on and we may just stay here if we can get power.  We are at the mercy of the New York Canal System and Mother Nature.

Our first Day on the Erie Canal

We are happy to announce the next chapter of our journey has begun!  We enjoyed our six weeks at AYC and it was a bittersweet farewell at the Wednesday night happy hour.  Jokingly, Bert had accused Hilary of starting to grow roots at AYC.  Ha ha!  

Yesterday we tossed lines at 6:00am and had a perfect 1st day as we entered the Erie Canal, traveling 28.53 nm in seven hours and passed through seven locks.   

Signboard in Waterford, NY. 
Turn left (west) for the Erie Canal
Continue straight (north) for the Champlain Canal and Canada

After a few miles heading north, 
we are heading west towards Michigan

As mentioned in a previous blog, the five locks in Waterford are in quick succession, raising us approximately 170' in just 1.5 miles.  Entering the lock chambers is a bit intimidating, especially when the giant doors swing close.  It feels like you are in a cement lined pit, but approximately 20 minutes later the lock chamber has completely filled and you have a view of the landscape once again.  Fortunately there were only two other powerboats waiting to enter the locks with us in Waterford.  The three of us traveled as a group for the majority of the morning and passed through the locks together.  We also passed through our first two lift gates.  The scenery is just stunning and there is some wildlife too, mostly birds.  While not pictured we saw a bald eagle.

Entering Lock E-4.

Lift Gate - used to control pool levels along the canal system.

Approaching lock E-7. 
Lock to the left.
Damn and water overflow to the right.

We docked at the Scotia Landing municipal dock for the evening.  We were the only boat here.  Hilary was able to go for a walk along the old tow path of the Erie Canal.  We also enjoyed an ice cream treat towards the end of the day at a local favorite, Jumpin' Jack's Drive-In.

Sign for vintage drive-in serving light fare, including ice cream.

A section of the Erie Canal old tow path.
This is part of the Empire State Trailway which parallels the Erie Canal.

Our dockage at Scotia Landing next to the fire boat.

At the end of the day we enjoyed watching water skier's practicing for an upcoming ski show here in Scotia at the end of June.   Bert shot some great video's but the blog sight doesn't seem to agree with the file so a still image was shared instead.

Water Ski Teams practicing for an upcoming show.

The normal hours of operation for most of the Erie Canal Locks are 8:00am - 6:00pm.  Today we had a long day planned, with a goal of traveling 43 miles and eight locks.  We hoped to take full advantage of the hours of operation of the canal system.  However, upon a review of the weather today, there is sustained wind of over 15mph with gusts nearing 40mph.  So, we have decided to stay put here in Scotia.  Fighting wind and risking damage to MMS would not make for a very enjoyable day of boating and this trip is supposed to be fun!  As boaters say:  "we are blown out today".  Hopefully conditions will be better tomorrow.

Dinghy Davit Masterpiece

Previous blog posts have mentioned the infamous dinghy davit project that spanned two years. This blog covers the intricate details of the massive project.  As with all blog posts, Hilary is the author and will preface this post by saying how excited she is to document this project which showcases just a few of Bert's many talents.  Bert is truly amazing and Hilary is excited to document and share his project journey.  Each of our boats had a dinghy. Rain or shine, we very much enjoy relaxing dinghy days and many "Sunday-Funday's" have been spent in the dinghy. Thus, equipping MMS with a davit system for our dinghy was a necessity.

A rainy dinghy day a few years ago.

Chilling in the dinghy, visiting with friends.

When we purchased Make Me Smile (MMS) in March 2023, her original 2006 fiberglass swim platform was cracked and rotten. Additionally, she had never been equipped with davits for a dinghy (aka tender) nor a dinghy launch/retrieval system. 

Original fiberglass swim platform on MMS.
The platform was both cracked and rotten,
 necessitating replacement.

After purchasing MMS, we put her on the hard in mid-March 2023 to address a series of maintenance items, including replacement of the swim platform. Bert located a local fabricator in Cape Canaveral to custom fabricate a new swim platform and swim ladder for MMS. Bert also located a custom builder of davits on-line. Measurements were taken for both, designs were created and approved and orders were placed.  

Upon delivery, the custom swim platform exceeded all our expectations!!! The fabricator even included installation.  Having the final installation included was a big relief to Hilary as it was a bit intimidating to her to potentially be involved in securing the new swim platform to the transom, especially considering the new swim platform also needed to support the dinghy.

Swim platform fabrication in process

Bottom view of new swim platform and ladder
prior to installation.

Top view of swim platform and ladder
prior to installation.

Bottom view of of new platform installed on the transom of MMS.
Note the extra support bars required for the dinghy.

Top view of the new platform installed on the transom of MMS.
Note the posts that the dinghy davits will be secured to.

When the crate containing the dinghy davits was delivered to the yard, we were disappointed the stainless steel was not polished as depicted in the images on-line.  Sigh....... yet another challenge to navigate as neither of us would be satisfied with davits that were not polished.  Polishing stainless steel was a job Hilary could handle, allowing Bert to stay focused on more serious mechanical maintenance items.  Bert ordered a tube sander for Hilary and many, many weekend hours were spent polishing the davit tubes.  Three passes were made with increasingly fine sandpaper before applying the polish.  The sander looks a bit intimidating, but it was definitely the right tool for the job.

Unpolished davits with tube polisher.
This was the set up in the yard, using MMS as shade
for Hilary to polish the davits.

Close up of the tube polisher. 
The three point wheel system allows it to wrap around the tube.

Bert doing a test with the new tube polisher

The test was a success!!!  Nice and shiny.
Time for Hilary to get to work.

Fully polished davits ready for installation on MMS.

New davits installed on the newly fabricated swim platform.
This was the day we put MMS in her slip after four months on the hard.
We are ready to hang the dinghy!!!!

After four months on the hard, we launched MMS back in the water in July 2023 and brought her home to our slip in Harbortown.  We were able to park our former boat, Simplified, in the slip next door to facilitate our move from Simplified to MMS.  

The winch system to mechanically lower and lift the dinghy had not been installed yet.  Even so, the transfer of the dinghy from Simplified to MMS was expected to take less than an hour.  However, it became evident very quickly that lifting the dinghy manually was going to require some serious rigging.  We are very fortunate to have a dear friend, a retired fireman, professionally trained in rigging.  It took a full day to get the dingy rigging (version 1.0) configured to lift the dingy out of the water and two men using a lot of muscle to get it lifted.   The rigging anchor point was the base of the radar mast up on the bridge.  This created a trip hazard on the bridge and also prevented pivoting the mast down for low bridge clearances.  Not a big deal in 2023 but a very big deal in 2025 for navigation of the Erie Canal.  We need to be shorter than 15' to traverse the western section of the Erie Canal which means lowering the radar mast. 

August 2023 - Beginning of the day:  Bert deep in thought on
how to install rigging to manually lift the dinghy into place.
The winch to mechanically lift the dinghy had not been installed yet.

End of the day:  Temporary rigging version 1.0.
Several ratchet straps were used for the first lift
of the dinghy onto the new davit system.

Side view of 1st temporary rigging system using ratchet straps.
Simplified is in the background with empty dinghy davits.
Simplified's back end came up at least 3" when the dinghy was transferred.
Corresponding 3" drop of MMS when dinghy was lifted into place.

Temporary rigging version 2.0 quickly replaced the ratchet straps with sturdier, stronger lines to hold the dinghy in place until the cabling system and mechanical winch could be installed.  The original design of the davit system had the winch attached to the dinghy davits.  However, once we started using the dinghy, the tension on the winch was unacceptable.  Bert got to work creating a new design to change the pivot points of the cables to reduce stress, spread out the weight load for lifting/lowering, and also to move the winch up to the hard top on the bridge.  Suffice to say Bert spent many, many hours, days, weeks using complex math that is far beyond Hilary's capabilities.

Rigging version 2.0 replaced the rachet straps with stronger lines.

Temporary rigging 2.0 and winch instillation version 1.0.
Winch installed on the davits.

View of the the temporary rigging version 2.0
and the winch installed on the davit.

Temporary anchor point to the base of the radar mast.

Fast forward from the summer of 2023 to early 2025.  Bert completed designing the permanent winch and cable system on paper.  Time to begin manufacture of parts and prepping MMS for the permanent installation.  The two permanent anchor points for the winch and cable system are on the hard top, requiring reinforcement.  Prior to departure from Merritt Island, two large areas were drilled, the balsa wood was ground out and replaced with poured epoxy resin to ensure enough strength to support the entire system.  

Finished reinforcement of the hard top 
for the anchor point of the davit winch and cable system

Test fit of parts Bert manufactured to secure the
winch and cable system to the hard top.

 

When we left Merritt Island, all the bits and pieces to complete the installation were stowed away in a storage tub.  At points in the trip where we were stopped for a day or two at a time, we worked on preparing the parts.  Bert did the priming and Hilary did the painting.  Then Bert installed the custom designed and built anchoring system to the hard top.  Bert even designed a set of eye hooks as part of the undermount.  These will certainly come in handy.

Makeshift paint shop to prime the parts
Bert designed and manufactured.

 

Primer complete!

Hilary competed the painting of the parts.
Ready for test fit and installation.

Bert test fitting all the pieces 
with the stainless steel hardware needed for installation.

Final installation of the blocks that will
be used to secure the dinghy winch and cable system.

Bonus:  eye hooks on the bottom side of the anchoring plates.  
Bert thinks of everything!

With the hardtop reinforced and the anchoring system for the cables in place, Bert was ready to install the winch and cable system.  After the cable system was installed the temporary rigging lines were removed.  We can now lower our radar arch to move through the Erie Canal.  Additionally, with the radar arch tipped down, Bert had access to replace the original, non-functioning TV antenna with a new one.  Yea!!!!!

Bert carefully moving into position to drill the new holes for the cables
out at the end of the dinghy davits.

Bert drilling holes for cables.

Bert transitioning from dinghy to swim platform
after drilling the holes for the cable system.

Cables in place, time to remove the temporary rigging.

Cable system test.  Cables are holding!
Proof of concept a success!

View of cable system from above. 
Note the anchoring of the cables to the mounts
Bert designed and fabricated.

Best of all, no more trip line!

Final installation of the cabling system.

With the permanent cabling system in place, Bert's focus transitioned to moving the winch from the dinghy davit up to the hard top.  This also required running electrical to operate the winch and installing the plug for the winch remote control.  In the picture above, you can see the new winch installed on the hard top (black cover on it).  The post directly beneath the new winch is where Bert needed to run the electrical wires down to the engine room.  This required Bert to custom fabricate yet another tool.  A 5' drill bit to drill through the hard top and transom at the top and bottom of the post.  Yes, a five foot drill bit!!!  Stores don't sell such a tool and necessity is the mother of invention.  Bert rode the eBike to the hardware store, purchased a long piece of metal conduit tubing, brought it back to the boat and made his own 5' drill bit.

Wiring for winch in process.
Still in design phase.

Wiring for winch in process.
Wiring needed to be temporarily installed
to test operation of the system.
It works!  Dingy down.

Quitting time for today.  Tidying up wiring.
Dingy Up!

Temporary wiring installation.
This is before the holes were drilled to run the wiring
through the post to get it from the hard top to the engine room.

Final view of wiring running from winch into the post on the hard top.
The white mesh obstructing the winch is the banner we have on the 
back of MMS so passing vessels can hail us for a slow pass.
The banner will come down once we cross our wake.

Final installation of the plug where the 
remote control that runs the winch gets plugged in.

With the dinghy davit cabling and mechanical winching system fully installed. There was still a bit of clean up required.  The temporary winch that had been on the dinghy davit for the past two seasons was cheap and had rusted.  Bert cut the old winch off and it went to the dumpster.  Hilary then set to work with Barkeepers friend and removed the rust from the dingy.

Temporary winch requiring removal.  

Bert removing the old winch.

Old winch removed.

No more rust.  Barkeepers Friend is an amazing product.
In addition to removing the rust from the dingy,
Hilary polished the dinghy davit too.  Nice and shiny once again.

Once complete we treated ourselves to a short dinghy ride up the Hudson.  In the midst of completing this massive project while we've been at Albany Yacht Club, Bert also completed the required maintenance on the dinghy outboard motor (oil change, impeller, spark plugs, etc.).  She runs beautifully.  We can't wait to complete our journey to MI and are looking forward to many dinghy days on Lake St. Clair this summer.

If you are wondering when we will be underway, we believe we will start moving Thursday, weather dependent.  There are still two locks on the western Erie Canal that are not open, but the major repair of the earthen embankment between locks E-16 and E-17 is holding so we are confident it is time to move forward and through that section of the Erie canal.