Americas Great Loop

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.
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