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Americas Great Loop

April - June 2025
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The Great Loop from Florida follows the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, the Hudson River, the New York Canals, the Great Lakes, then south on the Inland Rivers to the Gulf Coast and back to FL to complete the Loop. Read more
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  • TravelerAmericas Great Loop

    Day 64: Brewerton to Oswego

    Yesterday in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We arise in no great hurry, and Preston cooks sausage patties and corn muffins for breakfast. The first order of business today is to move 45 North to another slip so that a boat that requires serious repairs can be lifted, and our current mooring is obstructing that. We move, and go to watch the lift. This vessel has azipod thrusters with contra-rotating props on each side for propulsion, and they hit a submerged log yesterday, damaging one of the port props. $5,500 for a replacement, plus the mechanic's cost, the delivery captain tells us!

    By now, the marina store is open, so the others go over there to continue the search for items they never knew they needed. While there, I'm working on the Blog, when Preston yells from the pilothouse, "Let's go!"; news has come in that Lock 5 has been repaired. I am conflicted... my heart says, "But-but-but I haven't had a chance to visit the Freight Yard Brewery!" But my darn head sez, "Heck, yes!" I hightail it over to the store and sing out, "Who wants to go to Lake Ontario?" The crew vote unanimously in an instant, and by the time we get back across to the boat, the engines are rumbling.

    We say ta-ta to Ethan and Kim, cast off, and get out into the Oneida River before the bLoopers can. There's one ahead of us and one behind as we negotiate the cutoff and get into Lock 23. Preston negotiates with the captain who was ahead of us (we can run faster than his little 37-ft Great Harbor tug), and we're out of 23 as No.1, which is going to set us up nicely for the Oswego Canal, and the run up to Lake Ontario. Onward to Oswego for the night!

    Presently, we encounter the famous turn at Three Rivers where we turn right to head into the Oswego Canal. Smaller vessels that we can turn left and regain the Erie Canal to Buffalo and Niagra, thence into Lake Erie.

    Suffice to say, the 8 Locks prove no great moment to us. We have to wait at Phoenix while two southbound vessels come through, but other than that, the only excitement is to catch sight of a deer, which no-one gets their camera out in time for.    Read more

  • TravelerAmericas Great Loop
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    11

    Day 63: Ilion to Brewerton

    Yesterday in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    June 15. Still in NY State - we're off the wall at Ilion at 0725 and head about 6 miles upriver to Lock 19, where once again, we're diverted off a diminishing Mohawk River into a broad man-made 'ditch' (see accompanying aerial image); we're back on the canal.

    Today, we'll summit near the town of Rome--between Locks 20 and 21--at 420 ft, although travellers who continue through the western section to Buffalo and Niagra will summit there at 566 ft. From our highest point, we'll descend to cross Oneida Lake to Brewerton at around 360 ft, and tomorrow, weather on Lake Ontario permitting, we'll continue northward via the Oswego Canal. Canals 21 and 22, as we negotiate them, are a new experience. We are descending instead of ascending.

    We run down the canal to Sylvan Beach, where the locals and early vacationers are already priming their fishing rods and warming up their jetskis. Some groups are already picnicing out on their pontoon runabouts. cross; the Sheriff is out on his boat keeping an eye on who might not be adhering to the No Wake Zone signs.

    We emerge onto Oneida Lake at 1400 in tranquil conditions, and Preston sets Otto to take us directly across the lake on a pre-set course. We take the engines up to 2400 rpm to 'blow some soot out', and arrive at Brewerton at around 1530. By 1600, we're tied up at the Ess-Kay Marina and Preston is reconnecting with some old friends, the owner and his wife.

    While Preston takes fuel and does a black water pump-out, we take the courtesy car into town, do some grocery shopping, and pick up take-away Italian.

    Upon returning to the boat, we get doubly concerning news; Preston has broken the coffee-maker jug and Lock 5 on the Oswego Canal has reported a problem with a valve. Until it's fixed, we're stayin' at Brewerton. We hold a committee meerting about moving up to Lock 4 tomorrow and awaiting the repair, but eventually decide, on Preston's advice, that--in case the wait might become extended--the best place to wait it out would be where we are. So be it.    Read more

  • TravelerAmericas Great Loop
    11

    Day 62: Tribes Hill (Lock 12) to Ilion

    June 14 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    June 14, 55 miles. We're off the wall at Lock 12 at 0730. It's mild and there's been a misty rain, which stops just before we cast off. We motor up the Mohawk in calm conditions. At Lock 12, officially the Tribes Hill Lock, a plaque informs us that it was designated the James Shanahan Lock in 1989. In 1864, Shanahan--The New York State Superintendent of Canals 1878-97--had built the first bridge over the Hudson River at Albany.

    Today we'll see something a little different of this modern-day Erie Canal; we'll be bypassing, by canal sections, portions of the Mohawk River that are un-navigable. This afternoon we'll enter Lock 18, and about 4 miles along a canal we'll re-enter the Mohawk and arrive at our destination.

    We have a trouble-free cruise along the Erie. Locks are met on time (some have set times) and we negotiate the infamous section between Locks 16 and 17 without a hitch. Others are not so lucky; they arrive too late or too early, but it's all in the Waterway Guide and you have to be able to plan ahead. I'd say our smooth voyage has been 10% luck and 90% strategic preparation by Preston. We've a lot to thank him for, as we pass through the problem area that caused the much-delayed opening of the canal, and proceed towards our overnight stop at Ilion [ILL-yin].

    The village of Ilion, NY, (pop about 7,600) is named after ancient Ilion (or Ilium), which is another name for the city of Troy, famous for its role in Homer's “Iliad”. The area that became Ilion was settled around 1725 and was previously known by names like German Flats, Morgan's Landing, and Remington's Corners. In 1843, when the community needed a name for a new post office, Eliphalet Remington, the founder of the Remington Arms Company declined to have the village named after himself. David D. Devoe, an admirer of Homer, suggested Ilion, and this name was eventually adopted. With the closure of the Remington factory, the future of the village of Ilion is doubtful.    Read more

  • TravelerAmericas Great Loop

    An album of Locking images

    June 14 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    Here's a series of general views around our experience since leaving Troy. Some are the creative work of others, especially Lorraine. There are several uncaptioned views of dams. These are why we have to negotiate Locks.Read more

  • TravelerAmericas Great Loop
    1

    Day 61: Erie Canal - Troy to Tribes Hill

    June 13 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    June 13, 45 miles. Yahoo and yabba-dabba-doo! We're all up and buzzing by 0530. Water is topped up, power is pulled, lines are released, and we're off the dock as No. 1 of a pack (some going up the Champlain) and we're at the gate of our first Lock, Federal Dam, by 0645. it opens right on time, and we enter against the right-hand wall, followed by 5 others.

    A brief further voyage up the Hudson ensues before we turn left at Waterford and line up behind 3 others for Lock E2, the first of the Waterford flight of 5 Locks in fairly quick succession. We enter, being No. 1 against the left-hand wall, and 5 vessels--all motor yachts--follow us in. If we thought this would all go rapidly, we are disabused of this notion when two young Coast Guard officers (from the Staten Island base) show up and proceed to board and inspect all of the vessels, 45 North being their first victim. We all have to dig out our passports and Preston his various licences, and this total process takes an hour and a half.

    Once we're 'released', we move along to the next Lock and then the next, with 45 North being No. 1 in a squadron of 6 vessels. Numerous others will no doubt be following us as they wait to repeat this process. We newbies soon get the 'hang' of the procedure of grabbing or roping onto a Lock-wall side rope and waiting for the other vessels to enter behind us, going either to the left- or the right-hand wall. Preston had made an earnest effort to have us early in the queue at Waterford, but we have in fact, found ourselves as the first of a crowd of boaters chafing to get going on this newly-opened canal. We sally up the Erie with the others in line astern.

    Our progress is good - the 'canal' now really the Mohawk River is a series of long, narrow lakes created by the dams we bypass via these Locks. As we pass under a couple of railroad bridges close to Schenectady [ Skin-ECK-t'dee], the westbound Amtrak Lake Shore Limited crosses exactly as we pass under (too quick for anyone to get a phone out, except Lorraine, who is up on the fly bridge) and another Amtrak train crosses a bridge ahead of us; we're unable to identify what service it might be. Schenectady resonates with me as it's the hometown of the American Locomotive Company (Alco) and I'm familiar with a lot of their product... both steam and diesel-electric. But we see nothing of this industry from the river.

    A benefit of being No. 1 in the parade is evidenced at Lock No. E9, Rotterdam, where the lockmaster is having a problem with the mechanism that allows the water to flow from the high side into the Lock to fill it. He can only take vessels on the right-hand side, so we and two behind us get in and the other two vessels in the convoy have to cool their heals and await the next cycle.

    As dusk approaches, we sally on. This is for a strategic reaason. Rain is forecast for the weekend and we want to get through the area that was recently badly affected by flooding, If we can put that section behind us before any further flooding occurs, we can keep moving even if the canal is again closed for repairs.

    After almost 12 hours (8 hrs 40 min working) and a record 13 Locks in a day, we tie up at Lock 12, Tribes Hill, and get dinner on in the galley while Graeme and Preston grill our sossiges on the fly bridge.

    Tomorrow we shall launch at around 0730 and again endeavour to remain ahead of the ratpack, but tonight we’re moored against the wall at Lock 12, on the generator. We’ll be gone in the morning before the Lock opens and the followers come through.
    😈😈😇    Read more

  • TravelerAmericas Great Loop
    1

    Day 60: At Troy, NY

    June 11 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    June 12. We awake to a bright, clear morning. I've let the data allowance on my eSIM run out, and once that's happened the plan cannot be topped up and has to be repurchased. This process did not go smoothly, and it was after midday before we could get into an Uber and head back down to Albany to visit the USS Slater destroyer escort museum. Preston's friend, Tim, is in charge of the ship, and he handed us to an extremely enthusiastic and competent tour guide (who was on USN destroyer escorts from 1953, before they became frigates). We went in and out and up and down, and even Jan handled the tween-decks ladders with aplomb.

    After the Slater, we Ubered miles away to a specialist teahouse where we tea'd and had a lid. While there, I was able to pass on to the group the news that we'd be casting off in the morning and heading for the canal. That made the medicine go down even more smoothly. Everyone's excited now... sombreland is yesterday's news.

    The canal authority have advised today that the pesky piece of 'red' on the recent map I reproduced here will go 'green' at 0800 tomorrow, so we intend to be off the dock asap after 0600 and up to our first lock, which is just a mile ahead of us on the Hudson, to get us past the Federal Dam (more 'weir' than dam) from where we can access the Erie at Watertown.

    We hope to be early in tomorrow's queue and at Brewerton by Sunday or Monday. We eat on board while Preston goes where we went last night, to celebrate with spare ribs; a man of constant, impeccable, epicurean refinement.

    Yabbida, yabbida... that's all for now, folks (PS: I'll add some of Graeme's photography here soon).    Read more

  • TravelerAmericas Great Loop
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    Day 59: Kingston to Troy

    June 10 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    11 June, 62 miles. It's a bright, clear, calm day with a temp around 22 deg C. We're off the wall in Rondoubt Creek at 0900, and in the company of a friend of Preston in Fleming 55 "Patriot", we motor out of the creek and into the Hudson for our run north. I might add a few extra images from yesterday before the day develops.

    The day develops thusly; the breeze has arisen, and 45 North's Otto Pilot doesn't like dealing with it when it's on the stern. But the breeze and the tide are in our favour just now.

    The forecast for the weekend, though, is very concerning. Several days of rain are expected in upstate NY (this out-of-season precipitation having made the news, lately) and we are motoring towards it. So, Troy is going to get wet within a day or two and the Erie will fill up again and might cause further flooding problems on top of those that are just being remediated now. This we do not need to hear; there is the chance that our expedition might become dead-in-the-water at Troy, and Preston might have no recourse other than to take the boat back to the Chesapeake... Norfolk, perhaps. In that sad case, we would find a way to continue west as best we could. Fingers, and all other things, crossed! But our mood is quietly sombre.

    We motor past Albany (losing Patriot into the Albany Yacht Club), and on to Troy, where we're fast a little after 1600. A band is tuning up at a nearby bar, so we head off to see what's what. I've heard there's a very good BBQ restaurant and I can feel some baby-back spare ribs coming on. As to the immediate future, we'll do a 'Darryl Kerrigan' and put out some vibes. We find it difficult to believe that after traveling 150 miles upriver, we're still at sea level. The Hudson River as far as Troy is the world's longest marine estuary and is still affected by tidal flow at that distance.

    And so ends Phase Two of our expedition; the Atlantic bays, ocean, and Hudson River to the start of the Erie Canal. Phase Three starts when we enter the Erie Canal system at Waterford and will end at Oswego when we emerge into Lake Ontario.    Read more

  • TravelerAmericas Great Loop
    1111111

    Day 58: Croton-On-Hudson to Kingston

    May 23 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    June 10, 57 miles. The weather is right down on the river, and rain showers come across... some of them heavy, some less so. We have a lazy breakfast and watch another bLooper head out. We're in no rush - our accommodation upriver is secured and we'll have a following tide. A superyacht, The Wolf, has come in overnight.

    Between showers, we get off the slip and are exiting the marina at 1000. The mood on board is like our hull... buoyant.

    We're soon passing places we've become familiar with from the land-side; Bear Mt Bridge, West Point, Cold Spring, and more. Fast Amtrak and metroNorth passenger trains pass on our right-hand side and slower freights--commonly unit trains of auto racks--pass in both directions on our left. No-one seeks to count the cars on the freight trains.

    We sail on, past the US Military Academy at West point and past shoreside towns and large industrial activity. Empty fuel barge 'tows' pass going down-river for another load. The showers come and go, but as we progress, the cloud lifts a bit and the day is brighter.

    Eventually, we turn to port and make for the entrance to Kingston's Rondout Creek. We're tied up almost 'in town' by 1600. Kingston is yet another historic upstate NY town. Rondout Creek is also where the old, and now defunct, Delaware & Hudson Canal terminated.

    Preston goes to meet the owner of another Fleming tied up for the night, and we three make our way up the street to see what's what. We eventually find our way to the Savonas Italian Ristorante for dinner.    Read more

  • TravelerAmericas Great Loop
    1

    Day 57: At Croton-On-Hudson (our last?)

    May 23 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    June 9. It's an overcast and showery morning, not cold. We decide to take a drive up the eastern side of the Hudson (which cannot be seen for most of the 30-min journey) to another quirky town called Cold Spring.

    It remains showery and a bit humid as we explore the Main Street to check on which draperies and cafes are open on a Monday (quite a few, it turns out). We've checked out the old railway station, which is now a restaurant, and are standing on a path, separated from the double-track main line by a shoulder-high mesh fence, when an Amtrak express comes past at about 70 mph, a few metres from us. Still, Graeme gets a shot away!

    We had lunch, some shopping was conducted, and we left for Croton to shop for provisions and to return the rental car after 17 days. "Return the rental car... why?" I hear you exclaim! Yes... it is my strategy that if I end the car rental then the gods will have to notice and be forced to give us good news about the Erie Canal.

    In fact, the news from the Canal Authority is less-than-helpful, but Preston and I decide, nevertheless, that we'll take whatever chance we need to take and leave Croton tomorrow to move upriver. Preston has us booked Tuesday night at Kingston then for 3 nights (if we need them) at Albany, so that we can claim a place in whatever queue might exist of vessels waiting for the canal to open.

    Preston had earlier given us a big slab of frozen marinated steak of indeterminate quality, sourced from his favourite butcher in Traverse City about 8 months ago. I thawed it out, cubed it, added red wine, vegetables, and many other condiments and accoutrements, and made a slow-cooked ragu of sorts. We all thought it was pretty good... served with carrots, spuds, blanched asparagus, and peas. Ice cream and strawberries was served as a lid. I added some lavender syrup (that I'd bought at the Muscoot Farmers Market) to the ice cream as an experiment. It wasn't outstanding, and I'll probably not repeat it. The syrup may yet find its way into a cold prosecco docktail.

    After 17 days and 18 nights here, I'm going to miss the trains running past the marina--some at high speed--and the daily parade of heritage paint schemes on some of the locomotives. I may have to play train sounds on my phone at night just to get to sleep.    Read more

  • TravelerAmericas Great Loop
    1

    Day 56: At Croton-On-Hudson

    May 23 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Jun 8. A clear, calm morning, around 16 deg C. Very high cloud layer, probably the mist lifting.

    The Canal news is a little bit gloomy, as they've also had some of the heavy rain we experienced yesterday, and the water levels are up... not necessarily a good thing, especially for a canal that's been undergoing repairs.

    Today we'll go out, about a 40-min drive, to Muscoot Farm. Well, we had an 'In' day yesterday, so it's an 'Out' day today. No doubt we'll return with pics, They may or may not be as good as these...
    https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/muscoot-farm-ka…

    Muscoot Farm done and dusted. Good to compare the things we could compare and good to see a lot of families with youngsters experiencing the farmyard and the animals and fowl. I thought the old overhead bucket-way system for disposing of the milking shed effluent quite fascinating.

    We came home with home-made empanadas and other foodsuffs, plus some craft beer and a bourbon aged in walnut syrup casks.

    I got stuck into creating a casserole when we got back to the boat. Later, we got the Aussie comedy film, The Castle, up on the big screen and made Preston watch it. He's now a fan of the film!    Read more

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