Looping Puffin

Friday 6/13 – Tuesday 6/24
We begin our next big adventure with Puffin in the water as we leave the New York skyline heading up the Hudson River. Although we really enjoy our watery perspective of the city and riverbank landmarks, they gradually fade into a surprisingly beautiful wooded realm of upstate New York. From the towering cliffs of the Palisades, to the castle-like structures of Westpoint, we continue to experience the beauty of the Hudson River Valley on our trek towards Waterford, anchoring along the way at Haverstraw Bay and Saugerties Harbor for the evenings. The Troy Lock(Lock 1 & 161 miles from the Verrazano Bridge) raises Puffin to the the non-tidal and quiet waters of the upper Hudson and soon we encounter a sign directing us north to Lake Champlain or west on the Erie canal. We turn west and tie up to the “free” Waterford Visitor Center dock(mile 00) which offer restrooms, showers, wifi, and close proximity to the downtown shops. Being adjacent to Lock 2, other cruisers, many of them Loopers, are tied up there too, awaiting favorable weather, provisioning and enjoying the amenities of the town. On day 3, after paying our ten day lockage fee of only $25.00, we begin our journey on the Erie canal with 5 consecutive locks, known as the Waterford Flights which raises Puffin 169 feet in less than 2 miles. The next section of the Erie Canal follows much of the Mohawk River bed, which has been dregded and often dammed at each lock. As we make our way west, we see remnants of the old Erie Canal locks, ditches and aqueducts (utilized for boats to cross the rivers) prior to the canalizing of the rivers. Our evening stops include an anchorage of solitude behind Davey Island below Lock 11(mile 38.8) and a tie up at the complimentary terminal wall of Canajoharie(mile 60.5) where we visit the town and explore the river gorge and pools that give the town its name. Just past Lock 17(mile 77.7) which is the highest lift lock of 40 feet on the Erie Canal and features a unique entrance gate that is lifted above the boats, we enjoy the small marina stop and visit the town of Little Falls. Shortly after ascending Lock 19, we stop for the day at another complimentary dock and walk to some of the shops of Utica(mile 99.7). Past this point, the canal lies in a ditch until joining with the east end of Oneida Lake where we tie up for the evening past Lock 22 at the Sylvan Beach town wall(mile 128.8) with several other loopers awaiting our crossing of the lake. With early morning favorable weather we make the 20 mile lake crossing to Brewerton and continue on the Erie Canal, now the Oneida River and soon arrive at Winter Harbor Marina(mile 151). Although we are enjoying our stay at the marina visiting with loopers, Steve & Marlee aboard “Worthy”, we decide to move on the next morning to catch a favorable weather window predicted for Lake Ontario. Descending down Lock 23(Lock 21 &22 also go down headed west), Puffin continues to the canal junction at Three Rivers(mile 160), the intersection of the Oneida, Seneca, and Oswego River where we leave the Erie Canal and head north on the Oswego Canal, the canal connection to Lake Ontario. The Erie Canal continues west on the Seneca River and someday we would like to transit the entire length to Lake Erie, but for now we are making our way north to Lake Ontario to cruise the Thousand Islands on the St Lawrence River. After a short distance on the Oswego River, we stop for a visit at the mini museum in Phoenix where much of the old town burned to the ground in1916 but was rebuilt, although not to rise again to its original glory. Our 24 mile trip on the Oswego Canal towards Lake Ontario drops Puffin down 118 feet on 7 locks, however we tie up along the lock wall just before the last lock at Oswego with many other loopers awaiting the next morning's crossing of Lake Ontario. Royce and I explore the waterfront area of Oswego and enjoy a yummy Chinese dinner before returning to the boats where we meet loopers Larry and Theresa aboard “Lauren Grace.” We spend the evening aboard their boat along with another looper couple, Dick & Char of “Ellen Leigh” for drinks and conversation.

Leaving New York Skyline