CHANGE OF PLANS, GUEST, NIGHTMARE IN LOCK 13!

Day 11, Tue. June 14, 2011
Cloudy, AM showers, L 60 H 70
Dep. Lock 8 Schenectedy, NY  09:00  Arr. W. of  Lock 14, Canajohrie, NY  3:30
Dist. 47.1m/384m.

I guess I was having so much fun I forgot to mention we have had a change of plans. The original plan was to take the Champlain Canal to Lake C, north thru Montreal, Ottowa, Rideaux Canal then Lake Ontario and on the to Trent Severn.  For several reasons, the most important one being , Lake Champ. is still flooded, we have decided to take the Erie C. to the Oswego C into Lake O.  This route is considerably shorter but will allow a visit to my mother, sister, niece  & nephew.  Another factor is there are 3 top quality boatyards in Brewerton, NY and Glory Days is in need of a repair.  Last Wed. when the temp. on the bridge reached 106* we decided to run from the down helm where it was only 92*.  Due to being hot, tired, and the lower visability at the down helm, we struck some unseen floating debris seriously enough to shut down the engine.  After restarting I checked for leaks and vibrations, and much to my surprise there were none.  The next day I noticed water in the bilge and discovered a tiny trickle of water coming from the rudder shaft housing where it comes thru the hull.  While I don't get more than a gal. of water a day, I wnat to have it checked out, and the best places to do that are in Brewerton, NY which is where we are headed.  I'll keep you posted.

On the brighter side, cousin Jean found time from her busy schedule to ride with us from Lock 8 in Schen. to Lock 12 in Scohari where she departed around 12:30.  She was very helpful in holding lines and locking thru.  She's a natural boater, a quick learner, and enjoyed the trip as much as we enjoyed having her aboard. 
I made an observation in an earlier blog, that the shoreline appeares largely undeveloped because, as you can see from the pictures it is lined with trees.  Any homes or buildings that are visible are usually much further back.  The reality is, the shore is highly developed.  We are sitting on the southern shore just east of Lock 14 with Conrail on the north shore, and the NY Thruway on the south shore.  Trains rumble by every 15 mins. and cars and semis wizz by less than 150 yds. away. We occasionally see a barge, but the only kind of transportation missing is aircraft.  So much for pristine!
Lest you think boating is all fun, there is occasionally a lesson to be learned, and such was the case in lock 13.  The first thing that was different about lock 13 was the current going in.  It seems there was construction on the dam which is on the north side of the entrance.  There are usually around 10 to 15 spillways that allow the water to flow over a very wide area.  All but the 2 closest to the entrance were shut down, so the current adjacent to the ent. was white foam and swirling.  We made it in with no problem, and Pat put a line around the pipe to hold us there.  I stopped the boat to help her tie off the line, and the lockmaster starting closing the gate behind us before we were secure.  This caused the stern to swing out with such force that Pat could not hold onto the line or tie it off.  She did manage to get to the bow and pick up a line from the wall and tie it to the bow.  Unfortunately, the current was so strong it swung the boat crosswise in the lock and we were stuck with our anchor wedged into the north wall, and our dinghy up against the south wall.  We managed to get a line to one of the lockmasters from the stern, and he pulled us over alongside the wall.  There was no damage to the dinghy and there is a very slight bend in the anchor, but other than bruised egos and loss of confidence everything else is good.  We have studied the error and will make some changes to our proceedure to ensure this dosen't happen again. 
We pulled into a free dock in Canojaharie and went for a walk into town to relieve the stress, and  another thing we learned, when you read the guides, you have to read between the lines.  For example, "The Village of Canajoharie has, "architecturally, the most original, intact Erie Canal commercial district found on the Mohawk R.", really means, it hasn't been fixed or repared in at least 150 yrs.  

Entering Lock #9 westbound

Jean, a big help and a fast learner.

Pat, happiness is having a secure line!

A work boat and pleasure boat exiting.

A not so natural water front.  Trains to the north, Thruway to the south.  Noise everywhere.

GLORY DAYS tied to the float in Canajoharie's Riverside Park.