The Adventure Continues Part 2

The Adventure Continues Part 2 SATUDAY SEPTEMBER 6 OK…maybe it was a little too much information. Unbeknownst to me, the guys had decided to significantly downplay the events of Thursday evening, which led to a few questioning comments from the ladies. They should have told me it was a “need to know” basis and the ladies DIDN’T need to know about the conditions that night! It was a warm sunny morning in Medina New York. Departing, we observed that the canal actually crosses over a river, which was an interesting sight. After clearing six lift bridges, we were advised that the Park Avenue bridge in Brockport was being repaired, so we tied off and went exploring Brockport. It is a busy little college town with a great main street lined with shops, pubs, and restaurants. I had to rush Tom Kelleher (Historian) through the Saturday Peddler’s Market to be sure he didn’t drag some “real deals” back to the boat. I did approve a purchase of some wonderful peaches by Tom Carroll (Helmsman), and we were so glad because they were the sweetest peaches any of us had ever tasted. “JIMMY Z’s TEXAS HOTS” was screaming Captain Gary’s name, so we stopped there for lunch. You can order a red hot or a white hot, but the heat actually comes from hot sauce, not the hot dog or brat. It’s a New York thing which earned Captain’s approval. Gary never met a hot dog he didn’t like! After three more lift bridges, we went through locks 33 and 32 and made it to the west side of lock 30 at 6:15. During September, the locks close at 5:00 p.m., which cuts two hours out of your travel day. To maximize travel, the goal is to tie up west of the last dock you can get to before dark, for a 7:00 am departure the next morning. Fairport is another great village to stroll through, but we didn’t dine there as Gary’s famous “Chuck Burgers” were thawed out and ready to grill. After a twelve hour day, everyone was ready to crawl into their bunks as soon as their stomachs were full! SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 7 This day our goal was to clear seven locks and make it to the west side of lock 24 in Baldwinsville, which resulted in another 12 hour travel day. It was the first damp, dreary, drizzly day but it didn’t dampen our spirits much. Captain Gary and crew worked on the mounting for our new Gamin 24HD radar system, which will scan forty eight nautical miles once the masts are back up. Toward the end of the day I asked George how he was doing, to which he replied “Same Old, Same Old”. Admittedly, we have gotten pretty darn good at this lock thing, but we don’t want to get cocky about it until the last gate closes at lock 2. (There is no lock 1) Up until today, we had the canal to ourselves and getting in and out of the locks was quick and easy. Today we were shadowed by another sail boat, Yasumi, that although they were not able to maintain the same speed as Tessa from lock to lock, caught up with us at each lock. The lockmasters all communicate and we figured that they intended for us to wait in each lock until Yasumi arrived , since they knew she was following us. This translated into an irritating delay. Thankfully we had Admiral Hank’s Chili to look forward to and it was the perfect meal to warm us after a long damp day. MONDAY SEPTEMBER 8 “ISN’T THIS GREAT?!“ Captain Gary couldn’t help but quote a Captain Ron line as we departed Baldwinsville. It was an absolutely beautiful morning! The sun was shining and it was so calm the water looked like a mirror reflecting every image. You’d be surprised how you grow to appreciate lack of wind when you got no sails! We followed the Garmin chart around a small island and cheered as a bald eagle soared right by Tessa. The scenery was amazing. At Donny Dunn’s request, we made a stop at Brewerton at Ess-Kay Yard to pick up a t-shirt for him. They were out of shirts, so instead we took advantage of their pump out station, restrooms, showers, and replenished ice. It was a sunny, relaxing four hour cruise across Oneida Lake. In the next lock, we came upon a 75 foot cruiser from the Cayman Islands named “Scott Free”. As we focused on keeping Tessa away from the slimy wall with our boat poles, we watched in amazement as the Captain of Scott Free maneuvered the boat away from the wall with only the thrusters, while one of the deck hands sprayed the wall with a high pressure hose on the way down the lock…just in case one of their bumpers did touch! This evening, Scott Free and Tessa both arrived to the west of lock 20 and tied up along the municipal wall, eventually followed by Yasumi. There was no village close by, just a picnic area with restrooms and a nice park. I looked around with dread as the mosquitoes swarmed, and ran below to close hatches and the companionway door. Mosquitoes have ruined many a wonderful trip for me, and these chased everyone down below except for Tom Carroll. While we were holed up, Tom chatted with the attractive young woman who George had pegged as the Captain of Yasumi after observing their lock performances. (Actually, every Tessa crew member was observing her performance except for me. Hmmmmm.) George was right. She and her fiancé own Yasumi, and she was taking another couple and her future in-laws down the canal. I asked Tom Kelleher to poke his head out the companionway and ask Tom Carroll to grill our pork loin. We had a nice time talking and reminiscing over dinner. TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 9 We awoke to thunder, lightning, and light rain at 6:00 am. We were anxious to get underway to gain some ground on Yasumi or it would be another day of playing catch up. Yesterday I telephoned Castleton Marina on the Hudson River, where we will step the masts, to inform them of our ETA Wednesday evening. At this point we are the only ones on their schedule, but it’s first-come-first-served. Now we had two reasons to distance ourselves from “Captain Tights” , which I had fondly named her. Any woman reading this knows why she wore her rain gear overalls peeled down below her….oh never mind. As soon as it becomes competitive, it also becomes stressful. We approached lock 19 feeling triumphant that Yasumi was no where in sight, to be told by the lockmaster that we had a 10 minute wait. Which turned into a 20 minute wait, which allowed Yasumi to catch up! Gary growled “This Lockmaster, I don’t like him a lot!” He wasn’t trying to be funny. It was the longest wait before, during, and after the lock that we had experienced so far. It’s time to bust ass outta here. Except…..just when we lost them, ahead through the rain and mist looms a barge and a tug blocking our way! They radioed it would be 10 minutes, which became 20, and again here comes Yasumi! Her appeal was fading fast. The good news is, after we took off like a scalded cat at lock 20, they were unable to catch us and we are now successfully tied off a municipal wall half way between lock 13 and 12. Tomorrow morning we hightail it to lock 12 and hopefully exit the canal into Hudson River late tomorrow afternoon. Stay tuned for more…….