Oswego, NY to Kingston, ON

July 16

Second time is a charm. Up at 5am and the conditions are good for crossing Lake Ontario. We are off by 530 am and heading for Kingston. The winds were light and waves 2 to 3 feet. A good day for Lake Ontario. We cruised at 15.5 knots and arrived at Kingston Yacht Club around 9am.

We cleared customs and headed for our slip at the Confederation Basin. The boat is staying in Kingston for the week as we have to go back to work tomorrow. Last leg of our Down East Loop Adventure is next weekend when we travel the Rideau Canal system. Woohoo more locks in our future.

Oswego, NY

July 15

Early rise at 530 am to cross Lake Ontario and the dock is already a buzz with conversations of 5 foot waves and high wind conditions. Oswego is a big fishing charter town. Noah counted 10 fishing charter boats in the marina. 2 boats had already gone out and returned back in. There were 5 foot waves beyond the breakwater. The other charters were cancelling their trips. Guess we are staying until the winds drop out.

I enjoyed some early morning coffee and reading. Noah slept until 730. We decided to go to breakfast at the hotel and then swim again in the pool. By early afternoon it was pretty clear that the winds were not going to drop out so we headed to the movies to see Despicable Me 3. Noah loved it. We all had a good laugh.

Dinner out again. Why not. Then back to the boat for a dance party. Noah suggested that we celebrate our trip by each identifying 3 things that we liked out our trip. Good fun. We each came up with more than 3 and we made a great list. Noah had 7 in total.

While we were initially disappointed about having to stay in Oswego another day we ended up having an awesome family day and we even got to relax a bit. Wow today actually felt like a vacation!

Brewerton, NY to Oswego, NY

July 14

We completed lock 23 and then made our way towards the Oswego Canal.

There is a junction of 3 rivers (Mohawk, Oneida and Oswego)where you choose between the Erie and Oswego canals.

The locks are busier today as there are 3 other boats in each lock with us. The Oswego Canal has 7 locks in total and the distance between each lock is much shorter. Noah stayed inside again as he has more options for playing and helps him to pass the day. We have done a lot of long days this trip as we have a lot of miles to cover to get home. Noah never complains. He is a great traveler and really helpful. He has set up a inside helm inside the boat so that he can help his dad drive the boat.

Sterling was wishing that he had a real inside helm as there were several major downpours today. The rain was pelting down and it made it very difficult to see. Noah and I had to go up to help Sterling navigate the river as it is a narrow and shallow river with a lot of logs and debris in the water to maneuver around.

We were fortunate as just south of us on the river there were severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and 60 mile an hour winds. We had the rain and some wind but thankfully not that much. The river has risks of its own as it would be very easy to run aground or hit a massive log. Thankfully we got through these 2 heavy rain storms unscathed.

We exited lock 8 around 230 and arrived in Oswego. We fuelled up and decided that due to wind conditions on Lake Ontario we would stay the night in Oswego. Plus we were pretty tired.

We docked alongside the Captains Quarters hotel. It was a great hotel with a very nice pool so Noah and I went for a swim. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant Alex's on the Water. It was a casual menu with great food and service.

Early to bed as we hope to leave early tomorrow morning to cross Lake Ontario.

St. Johnsville, NY to Brewerton, NY

July 13

Another day of locks. We hope to complete lock 22 and cross Lake Oneida.

We got on the go at 730 am since we have a lot of ground to cover. We tried a new routine and Noah stayed in the cabin all day. I was with him except when we were in a lock and then Sterling was on the stern and could chat with him.

Noah and I had a great day. We worked on his collages. He has been documenting the trip by making collages of the places we visit. We did a 200 piece puzzle and played go fish. It was lots of fun.

We exited lock 22 just after 4 and made our way to Lake Oneida. The weather was good so we crossed the lake and arrived in Brewerton NY at 6 pm. There are really nice docks at the Waterfront wall that you can tie up to for free. We stayed there for the night and went to the Waterfront restaurant for dinner.

We were all tied as it was a long day. We have covered some serious miles.

Waterford, NY to St. Johnsville, NY

July 12
A full day of locks in the Erie Canal. We got going about 8 am and did an 8 hour day. It was a long day and we only got 9 locks done. There are 23 on total.

We had heard that the Erie Canal locks are very dirty and boy are they ever. The water is filthy and I where gloves to hold the lines in the lock as they are covered in green slime.

The locks are very high and they likely average around 20 feet per lock.

It's not a very scenic system and I found myself taking very few pictures.

We stopped for the night at St. Johnsville New York between locks 15 and 16. We went for a little walk before supper and found some ice cream for Noah. Eat dessert first!. Then we had a great soccer match on the lawn.

Second sleep over night and we finished up Happy Feet 2.

Kingston, NY to Waterford, NY (Erie Canal)

July 11

We slipped our lines at 830am and continued north along the river.

It was another hot and sunny day. We cruised at 14.5 knots. The river is very calm and feels so different from the ocean. We are now in freshwater. Up to Kingston it is considered brackish. 

The river area is pretty with rolling hills. The train runs along side the river and there are so many bridges joining the two sides which are both New York state. New Jersey is only on the other side across from Manhattan. 

We cruised up to Albany where we arrived around 1215. After fueling the boat I walked into town to get groceries as there won't be much along the Erie canal. Sterling and Noah played soccer and enjoyed some time off the boat. 

By 230 we were off again heading for Troy lock and the start of the Erie canal. Troy lock is the gateway to 2 canal systems, the Erie or the Champlain. Given our height at 18 feet we cannot do the Champlain canal which takes you through Vermont. So into the Erie system we go. 

Our goal is to get the first 5 locks done tonight before they close at 6pm. There are 23 locks in total so this will give us a good start. The 5 locks are very close together and take 2 hours to complete. The climb on these 5 locks combined is 130 feet. 

It was smoking hot so I was in the blazing sun on the bow for 2 hours. Noah did the first lock with me and then he went up top to get some shade. 

We finished up just before 6 pm and found a spot on the wall just past the second guard gate. We were near the town of Waterford and there was a new subdivision right behind us. 

After freshening up and a BBQ supper we went for a walk to stretch our legs. Back to the boat for movie night and sleep over Happy Feet 2. Thank goodness for the generator we are very self sufficient and have air conditioning. Very comfortable. 

New York City to Kingston, NY

July 10

Early rise this morning so we can head out of NYC before all the ferry traffic starts. We left Liberty Landing Marina around 630am. It was a beautiful sunrise and it was pretty cool to leave NYC while it was quietly getting up . The Hudson River runs along Manhattan and the upper west side. We saw a cruise ship arriving as we headed off on our journey north along the Hudson River. 

About 2 hours up river we stopped in Ossining for fuel. This is where the Sing Song prison is located.

There are constant bridges crossing over the Hudson. Noah was keeping a tally and lost interest around 20.

We cruised the river at 15 knots. Along the way we passed West Point and Cassandra College. It was a sunny hot day. We arrived in Kingston NY around 1230. We booked a slip at the Rondout marina which has a pool. Woohoo 

Noah and I gave the boat a good washing. We are a good boat washing team and then we hit the pool. 

Sterling got the dinghy and engine ready and then late afternoon we rode over to the main part of town. We visited the Hudson River Maritime Museum and went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. 

Back at the marina Noah played on the play structure before bed. 

Old Saybrook, CT to New York City

Friday July 7

 

We woke to heavy rains so we took our time getting going. The rain slacked a bit so we headed to the fuel dock. We topped up the tanks and began our journey into Long Island sound. The Sound runs along side Long Island and it is about 100 miles. We need to cover 85 miles today and arrive at Hells Gate (the entrance to the East River around 4 pm to travel with the current. 

There was a bit of fog and light rain but the conditions were not too bad. Then around 11 am the conditions got worse with heavy rain and fog. The forecast had changed and they were calling for thunder storms. We needed to find a safe harbour for shelter to wait out the storm. It was a long hour and a half and a very wet one too until we were safely hooked up to a mooring buoy in Northport harbour. 

Lunch time and change our clothes.. Time to regroup. I figured NYC would be out of the question for today. But then an hour and a half later the storm had passed and the sun was peeking out. It was only 230 so we still had time to get to NYC.

We started off ago to head into to the Sound. With the fog lifted we could actually see now. The Sound is about 5 miles wide in this section so we were actually close to land but who would have known earlier in the storm. 

We were on the approach to the East River around 330pm.  We started to see the Manhattan skyscrapers pretty far out. We crossed Hells gate on time and I must say that I am not sure what all the hype is about. It was nothing. I guess everything pales in comparison to Reversing falls and 20 foot tides. 

Noah kept a tally of the bridges we crossed under. There were in 12 in total. We were all pretty excited to be arriving in NYC by boat.

Traffic in the East River was pretty busy with tankers ferries and water taxis. Sterling did a great job maneuvering us through the traffic. We were heading for Liberty Landing marina on the New Jersey side. It's located just past the Statue of Liberty where the East River empties in to the New York harbour. 

We were tied up in our slip by 515. Good job crew. 

The marina is very nice. They also have great dockside staff and the location is perfect right on the edge of Liberty state park. 

We enjoyed a BBQ supper on the boat and then we went for a walk along the sea wall around liberty state park. 

We stopped at the Empty Sky 911 memorial and learned about immigrants arriving from Ellis Island. The night time view of the Manhattan skyline was amazing. 

We are so excited to be here. Woohoo 

Sandwich, MA to Old Saybrook, CT

July 6

We got to enjoy Sandwich Massachusetts this morning before heading into the canal. I had an early morning run along the canal. It is a popular spot for fishing. The banks were lined with people who had biked down to fish for striped bass. 

After breakfast Noah and I went to a playground. 

We left Sandwich around 930am and headed into the Cape Cod Canal. It's about 7 miles long and you can only travel at 9 knots. Noah and I travelled on the bow and enjoyed the scenery. 

There is an interpretation centre that we visited on the Canal.. It is run by US Army Corps of Engineers. Like the Rideau system it was built to provide safe passage and move goods.

We left the canal and entered Buzzard s Bay. The Bay can be gusty and it was busy with lots of recreational boats. 

From their we entered Long Island Sound and cruised at 15 knots up to Old Saybrook Connecticut.  We arrived at the Saybrook Resort and Marina around 330. The dockside staff was amazing.. What service they had us all tied up and shore power hooked up in minutes.

We all went for a swim in the pool and then we headed to the patio restaurant for dinner. We had a delicious dinner. 

 

We met another Meridian 411 out of Newport Connecticut.