13:23 ET 5/19/09

Sunday morning, we departed Rome at dawn in order to make the seven hour Oneida Lake crossing during good light and good fishing. The band of merry sailors sang and danced our way through the locks, now with an extra added attraction. Sheri pole dances with her boat pole, as though she were entertaining the Lockmasters on stage instead of on deck. They all grin from ear to ear as we enter and depart the lock with The Erie Canal Song blaring and Sheri performing. In the canal we were protected from what was in store for us as we entered Oneida Lake. We were assaulted by cold brutal 20-30 knot winds and breaking waves, right on our nose. "HEY!" I yelled from down below as things began crashing around the cabin. "THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG SEVEN HOURS!" Captain Gary turned Tessa around and headed back to the Sylvan Beach wall to tie up and wait out the winds. We were greeted by a nice couple who watched us venture out and turn around. Even they were glad we did! This was a perfect opportunity to get secure, relax, and enjoy what turned out to be a great stop. We stopped in at the local breakfast cafe for something warm to drink, then we wandered through town scoping out a Geocache location and a potential pub crawl. At the first welcoming pub, Splash, we made friends with Chuck, who filled us in on some interesting local knowledge. He also invited us to attend an American Legion benefit for his friend and fellow veteran who is very ill with cancer. We took a walk over to Verona Beach where the second Geocache of the day was hidden by a lighthouse, which I found right away under a bench. I'm starting to get the hang of Geocaching. Next we stopped at Brothers Bar for some wings and Red Wings. While Tom and Sheri finished watching the game, Gary and I braved the winds back to Sylvan Beach town and the American Legion benefit. Chuck and his wife Donna welcomed us like old friends, and we had a great time watching Chuck play in his classic rock band "Pegasaurus". While all this activity was going on, Sheri's roast pork loin with cherry wine glaze was simmering away on Tessa, creating wonderful comfort food smells to greet us down below. We went to sleep with full tummies and dreamed of fair skies and light winds for our second attempt to cross Oneida Lake on Monday.