Day 65: Oswego to Rochester

June 17, about 60 miles today. Well, Phase 3 of this voyage is done and today we start Phase 4. We start early, getting the mast re-erected.; it's been folded down since Croton to facilitate passage beneath various bridges, most especially on the Erie Canal and Mohawk River. Now we can again use the radar and AIS for identification.

We're off our berth at the Oswego Marina at 0830 and within 10 min are passing the West Pierhead Lighthouse and facing out into the vastness of our first Great Lake. Today we'll run up the southern edge of Lake Ontario to Rochester for the night. We might have stayed there for two, except the light southerly weather (from which we're largely protected by the landmass of New York State off our Port side) is not forecast to hold, and Preston is keen to get us along to the northern end of the Welland Canal before the lake is roused--as it might be--to 6 or 8 feet waves. Preston does not want charter guests having to submit to that discomfort.

From Oswego we motor almost due west, in almost dead calm conditions, with our maximum distance from the New York shoreline being between 7 or 8 miles. Instrumentation shows a wind speed of about 10 knots on our port quarter; This changes as we run, to a NE breeze. But the big, black flies are back; how on earth do they come to be away out this far? They do love a light breeze, that's for sure.

By 1400, after a silky-smooth voyage, we're standing in toward the Rochester Harbour entrance channel. We slide past the lake cruise terminal, the Coast Guard base, and Bill Gray's Hamburger Grill, turn right into the Rochester Harbor Marina, and meet the young 'dockies', who take our lines. We're fast at about 1650, and head off for a walk and to sort out a dinner venue (there are several to choose from). Preston gets busy doing a big cleanup. Handling rope lines in all those Locks inevitably leaves splashes of filthy water and slime around the foredeck and the stern cockpit. Preston reckons Graeme must have had some fights with the forward Lock lines. At one time, I thought I'd seen some rope marks around Graeme's neck, but I could have been mistaken.

Preston and I handled the stern Lock lines at the cockpit, where we were close to the stern control station, especially for minor forward and aft movements and thruster requirements. I made sure the lines behaved themselves, although it was a close call on a couple of occasions.

We had a peaceful evening.Read more