LET’S GO CRUISING (NOT SO FAST!)
Cruise Location: Erie Canal
A CRUISING STORY IN PROGRESS….Part One – Bit by the Bug!
By Jim (& Vaughn) Quince
GB 46 - hull #95
October 14, 2006This “cruising story” starts with the purchase of our 1991 46’ Grand Banks Classic and chronicles the recent past that got us into this current flow. The news flash is that we completed our sea trial this past Monday, closed on the boat purchase this week and now are trying to decide on a name for her so we can complete documentation. We’re excited. This is a multi part story of stories about our dreams of cruising and the many different tracks we’ve taken to get out on the water.
Getting The Bug – That Erie Canal Trip in 2005We were both to come down with this Boat Flu about the same time. I’m not sure what it was, a common virus or something, but I can source the purchase of our boat to a trip we took last summer on the Erie Canal. That trip came from my early morning ritual of email review and the regular scanning of the Frommer’s Travel Newsletter arriving the last few years. I read about the Erie Canal as a travel destination and in no time I was clicking through websites learning about this interesting waterway. Next came the New York Canal system website and before I knew what was happening we had a NY Canal Cruising Guide, a book on the history of Clinton’s Ditch and reservations for a Lockmaster Boat from Mid Lakes Navigation Company for a week in June.
This trip involved a drive from Grand Rapids to Niagara Falls in our pickup truck camper and rare visits to an organized campground (kind of like a marina to me) since I try to avoid extra expense for short overnight stays. Our best friends Paul and Shannon arrived late into the first night and nestled into our dinette sleeping berth which is also rarely used. This camper is great for one or two people but starts to crowd beyond that. I’m sure there are many boats that can have the same feeling! The camper has actually helped get us ready for cruising as there are many parallels shared by these two transportation and storage systems.
Next morning we were off to visit Niagara Falls, crossing the bridge into Canada where the falls are at their best. It’s a most magical place as you watch the Niagara waters swirl above the falls and then cascade over into the mist below. We headed down to the Maid of the Mists boat docks for our first boat ride into the natural horseshoe cliffs formed by the falls. Everyone dons a cheap plastic poncho as you head into the mist that is kicked up by the enormous volume of water that comes over the Niagara Escarpment every second. A bloody mary and brunch overlooking the falls was a perfect way to complete this short distraction on our way to enjoy the canal that was built to bypass it.
Then it was off to our last campground before taking possession of our floating camper. Somehow Shannon and Paul ended up on the dinette convertible bed again….they may have liked it the night before but I suspect the long day, fire and bottles of wine help with this late decision. The next morning we drove to the Mid-Lakes Navigation location at Cold Springs Marina to load our provisions and gear on board. We then took a quick trip to our last port of call and dropped off our second car at Macedon Landing near Rochester for the return trip as we were booked on a one-way charter. You can select to return your charter to the same location if desired. They have a great website at: midlakesnav.com
The Mid-Lakes Navigation boats vary in size and configuration. We opted for a one way return charter that was shortened to 6 days aboard the Seneca, a 42 foot canal boat known as a Lockmaster. These boats are custom built by the same company closely following designs of English canal boats. They came with two new bicycles and we were given an additional two old ones that were being disposed of at the end of the week. The bicycles ride topside and were great for exploring the towns along the canal system.
The boat was very comfortable, equipped with everything needed for a week on the canal. Just add clothing, food and wine. The small-diesel-driven, steel-hulled vessel was easily steered by a tiller. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen/dining area, screened in porch on the bow and covered helm at the stern. The inverter system powered my Bose Wave Radio with CD that provided entertainment throughout the trip. It was moved up to the helm while underway and turned down in the locks, a bit. Rockin and rollin down the river….
After settling in, we were given an orientation tour of the boat and systems. Out on the canal we turned the boat in it’s own length with the bow thruster and tried a full reverse stop. A brief canal cruising orientation followed where we went through the nearest lock in Baldwinsville, both ways. This locking etiquette was one of the main things to remember as we were to lock through many different locks along the Erie, Cayuga Seneca, and Oswego Canal Systems over the next few days, With that our instructor cast us off and we were off for our adventure. We immediately headed east and spent our first night nearly alone in the Syracuse Marina, a newer facility right downtown and maybe even a little scary. We walked and grabbed a cab to a downtown pub where we watched the Detroit Pistons playing in the 2005 NBA finals playoffs.
The next morning I was itching to get underway. I’m an early riser so I brewed up a pot of coffee, fired up the diesel and cast off while everyone was still sleeping. I headed out of the marina and down the canal toward the lake. Coffee in one hand and tiller in the other, I will never forget the next moment as I passed under the fixed 17’ railway trestle. It was a calm and quiet morning just as I came under the bridge and there was an incredible thundering. What had we hit? Well, a large freight train and the boat must have crossed bows at the same time and the noise was deafening. I never saw or heard it coming. That long train click-clacked by as the boat passed out into the lake and I was able to watch it wind out of sight as I settled my heart back in my throat. Needless to say the first mate and crew were now awake and out of bed for the Oneida Lake crossing leaving Syracuse.
It’s 26 miles from Syracuse to Oswego. We worked our way through a number of locks in the Erie Canal and entered the OswegoCanal system stepping down 8 more locks to LakeOntario. We went all the way down to the Port of Oswego and stopped in the Oswego Marina for the night. New to boating, I had a fit with Vaughn when I found that they charged us $1/foot (kind of like how I feel paying for a campground)! The rest of the trip was all free docks so in balance the overnight costs were reasonable.
There was a large ocean going ship from Europe unloading windmill parts next to our marina and their huge generator was particularly obnoxious. We cast off and headed out into the protected harbor in LakeOntario, now planning to spend the night there at anchorage between the huge breakwaters. Shannon hooked up a couple of sets of her tiki lights around the helm bimini and we proceeded to enjoy dinner and a bottle of wine as the sun went down. It was the best of nights with a very memorable sunset.
Now, at that time I knew much less about anchors and rode and scope. We had a small recreational anchor and a short length of line. We tossed it out and spent the evening dragging anchor until I noticed we were much closer to the north breakwater. The anchor was much more suitable for a dingy than a 43’ steel boat and it’s just a good thing we never made it to bed first. So with too much wine, the tiki lights on and the Bose radio playing, we made our way back up to river and tied up at a vacant restaurant near the marina. Now perpendicular to the noise, it was not quite as bad. The ear plugs helped too!
Next morning after catching my only fish of the trip, we were on our way back up through the canals. I turned on the VHF radio and hailed the canal lock #8, only to get a local response that I was on the wrong channel, #16. I thanked the local knowledge and switched to the right channel, a common mistake I tried to avoid in the future. We entered the first lock without incident, heck we’re getting good at this already. A customs officer yelled across the first lock at us so I turned down the radio to find out what he wanted. No we had not come in from Canada I responded, and asked if he really thought we would have crossed LakeOntario in such a canal boat. He waved us on our way.
We worked our way back though the same canals we’d done the previous day. You always see different things when you reverse your route and we enjoyed the return trip. Fish seemed to jump everywhere but I was never able to catch one on the thousand casts made as we motored along at about 6 or 7 knots. The next diversion was into the Cayuga-Seneca Canal System and up to Seneca Falls, home of the Womans Suffrage National Historic Site. It’s a wonderful town and very popular. We tied up further down the wall by the open air pavilion and went exploring to find a TV. That night was spent tasting a variety of draft microbrew beers in a small pub where we were able to have the lone bartender turn on the final game of the year where the Pistons lost. One more iced Jagermeister round please. It was fun watching the place fill up with a variety of local clientele.
The next morning we headed down the canal to check out the Finger Lakes Region. These are long deep lakes that are clear and cold, the two biggest being Cayuga and SenecaLakes. The area has grown to become a favorite local spot for wine tasting tours as there are over 80 wineries and vineyards producing a variety of red and white wines. We pulled up to the pier near the Seneca Lake State Park Marina, well actually at the marina I guess. I used a 5-gallon bucket as a fender to keep up off the sheet piling wall. We commandeered a picnic table and fired up our grill. Paul and Shannon took their regular run along the north shore of Seneca Lake while Vaughn and I did some cooking. We had a wonderful afternoon eating, sipping wines and playing Shanghai, our favorite contract rummy game.
We later shoved off for a quick tour of the North Seneca Lake, drifting about on our own and having a fresh swim in the clear waters. Much more inviting than the canals were and it was a very nice way to refresh in the afternoon. We then headed back to Seneca Falls and tied up along the town walls to enjoy another evening there. Free dock space with water and electric is among a few of my favorite things!
The next day was our last day on the canal system as we worked our way west toward the return destination. Upon leaving the Seneca Falls area you pass the picturesque Trinity Episcopal Churchand enter a double lock system at the base of the open water there. This Van Clief Lake has replaced the falls of many years ago. Doing a double lock is an added thrill as you are transferred some significant vertical distance in the space of a couple of hundred feet! We meandered down the canal that day visiting towns along the way including Lyons, Newark and Palmyra.
As we pulled in below Lock #30 for the night we snagged a couple of lines from two local fishermen sitting at the east end of the lock on their lawn chairs. I walked down to apologise and found out they were fishing for carp for a local fishing tournament. They had some awful looking bait maid out of a number of things including corn and marshmallows! There and back I had to dodge the goose shit everywhere as I like to be barefoot. The geese were also a slight concern but fortunately I was never chased down and attacked for killing some of their relatives. The mosquitoes that night were so horrendous and we were driven inside to play another game of Shanghai.
The next morning we passed through our final lock and found the Macedon Landing Marina. We returned the boat, took off all our possessions and trash and passed their inspection. This is a particularly nice charter because they take care of the fuel, pumpout and cleaning of the boat…..all part of the price. We purchased a couple of their t-shirts to memorialize the trip. A quick shower and a packed station wagon later, we were on our way back to the starting point to pick up the landlubber cottage, our camper. We drove down to Watson Glen and parked the camper at the State Park Campground there. Paul and Shannon set up their tent.
Our last day was spent visiting some small wineries in the area and doing wine tastings. We had a gourmet lunch at the Red Newt winery and picked up another t-shirt that my wife still proudly wears. A few more wine sips, purchase of a few bottles and back to the campground. Watsons Glen is home to a famous hill climb race and known for the many waterfalls that cut through the shale beds of the Glen. In the morning we caught the bus to the top of the glen and walked our way down one of the paths along the creek that has formed this wonderful area over the past few million years. This is well worth the diversion to the south end of Seneca lake should you find yourself on the Erie Canal and take the Finger Lakes diversion tour.
This was a trip of firsts, as many trips are: ….It was the first time I officially dragged anchor. It was my first experience at transiting canals that I can remember. (I did the Trenton canals as a kid aboard my dad’s Chris Craft but I don’t remember much on that trip except when I almost drowned….another story there!) Watkins Glen was awesome. And I started having granola mixed in yogurt for the first time in my life. I liked it, subsequently making it a regular part of my daily routine in an attempt for a healthier lifestyle lowering both weight and controlling blood sugar (on doctors orders after a pre-diabetes diagnosis last year).
We loved this introduction to the Erie Canal. It was instrumental in stirring our interest in boating, learning about the cruising life and all it has to offer. We now look forward to returning to those waters in our own boat. I’m writing this 18 months later but looking forward to being on Clinton’s Ditch again next summer.
As a footnote, it’s been interesting reading the many stories about the record flooding and damage experienced this year on the Erie. That story is much closer to all of us after our brief encounter with the canal system last year.
End of Part 1
About UsI have a particular affinity for the Grand Banks Boats since we were both born in the same place, Singapore, althoughI’m much older from the ’54 vintage. My wife Vaughn was born in Highland Park near Detroit, Michigan. We are long time residents of the Great Lakes Region, both spending our earlier days near Lake St Clair, Ontario (Near Windsor where we met and eventually married in 1976), Copper Harbor, Michigan (where we bought our first cottage and had our daughter Sara), Findlay, Ohio (where I had my first real job and our son Matthew was born), and Minnesota (where we established a lifelong friendship with best friends and travel buddies, Paul and Shannon).
Then it was back to Michigan where we started an environmental services business in 1989 and we now reside on the west side of the state near Lake Michigan. I’ve fished (or tried to) on all the Great Lakes, including the Lake St Clair waterway where I grew up hunting ducks getting wet and cold in the fall weather on the windward south shore. We have boated a bit on both Lake Superior and Lake Michigan but we didn’t have much real cruising or boating experience on either as compared to what it will take to pilot this new boat! But life is 90% how you react to the situations presented.