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Americas Great Loop
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  • 45North

Americas Great Loop

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. Okumaya devam et
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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    1The dog streaks down the runway and leaps. Person throws the 'thing'. Dog must catch before splash.
    1Dog swims with mouth full. Climbs out. Races up the steps to do it again! 2 go's.

    4 July: Big day in the USA

    5 Temmuz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Independence day; the USA's birthday. They're 249 years old. In Traverse City it's also the end of their Cherry Festival week. It's 30 deg! There were 100 boats anchored just off the beach, 1,000 kids in the lake, families getting positioned for the fireworks at dusk.

    The amusement arcade is as large (if not larger) as that for Melbourne's annual Royal Show. I've tried bottled cherry juice and a cocktail or three, but I've yet to try the cherry pie. No more cherries for me for a year!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    I found a penguin in Lisa's collection
    1More penguins from Lisa's collection. Check my comment.Roger has just cranked the 1904 Franklin for us. A sweet sound from that old east-west engineSweet as a sewing machineFeaturing some further facets of a FranklinphileThe chassis of a Franklin build project

    1 July 2025. Found some penguins!

    1 Temmuz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    We drove 2.5 hrs down to visit Roger Moffat, near Grand Rapids, MI, who is the foremost ancestral recorder and archivist of our side of the Moffat family (and has received a civic award to prove it!). We also enjoyed meeting Lisa, several hours of family reminiscing, and a tour of his workshop as well as my first ride in a vintage car. It should be acknowledged that Roger is a Franklin fanatic. In fact, his activity level around items associated with the H.H. Franklin Manufacturing Co of Syracuse, NY, is, quite frankly, frenetic. Lisa, meanwhile, loves little birds (including penguins) and they love her. I myself found several new penguins at Roger and Lisa's house.

    In the gathering dusk, we drove back up to Ludington, on the Lake Michigan eastern shore, where Graeme and Lorraine and I had a goodbye dinner in an American diner before they went off to their motel prior to sailing the following day across the lake on the last passenger steamer on the Great Lakes, and I drove in the darkness back to Traverse City to start the next phase of my vacation.

    I'll hang in TC for the 4th of July celebrations and the Cherry Festival (Traverse City markets itself as the 'Cherry Capital' of the country), before heading back to Grand Rapids to join Roger at the 'Celebration of Brass' vintage car event at the nearby Gilmore Car Museum. Following that, I intend to drive to Chicago and take a train (or a couple of them) to Charleston, SC, to do some railroad archaeologicalising. It's Lorraine's fault... she bought me a book on the first railroad to operate in the western hemisphere (i.e. not in Europe).

    After that... no idea (well, maybe a few ideas).    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    The Mackinac Straits Bridge looms as a defining point in our voyageHeading west, we slip beneath the Straits BridgeThe White Shoal Light (Wikipedia)The derelict Waugoshance LightArriving at the Harbour West Yacht Club marinaPreston is happy to be ready for whatever Mother Nature can throw at himThe 'Signing The Burgee' ceremony. Apologies to Nina for cutting her in half.Sorry! Had trouble getting the Texta to write. Burgee was damp.

    Day 78: Mackinac City to Traverse City

    30 Haziran, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    30 June. 97 miles. 9.5 hrs. Well, this is it. Day 78 of what was expected to be about a 60-day trip from Florida to Upper Michigan. This is the last day of Phase 4 of this portion of my expedition. Today we'll run for around 10 hrs down into Traverse City, the end of my 'Loop Journey' until October, when we'll commence the homeward portion down the western rivers and back to Florida.

    We're away just before 0700, into a calm, cool morning with a high overcast. Within 20 min we're passing beneath the iconic Mackinac Straits Bridge, defining Lake Huron from Lake Michigan, and heading west to get around the shoals before we can turn to a more southerly heading. This is the last bridge my guests will see on this trip, and the last one I'll see until I reach Chicago in October.

    We pass by White Shoal Light to starboard--the first of several navigational aids we'll encounter--and soon the old Waugoshance lighthouse to port. By 0910 we've made a turn to the south and are abeam Grays Reef Lighthouse,

    The lake is flat and we see a few fast cruisers doing what fast cruisers do... powering along from gas station to gas station. We cruise on. Preston attends to paperwork, we keep a watch, and we commence to pack our bags ready for tomorrow. When we arrive at TC, Preston will go home and we'll remain on board for the night. I'll get a rental tomorrow and we'll drive down to Caledonia, MI, to visit 2nd cuzzy Roger Moffat and his family before we go back across to Luddington, where Graeme and Lorraine will stay overnight to catch the 0900 Wed ferry across Lake Michigan to Manitowoc. I will return to a hotel in Traverse City to live a little and to decide on my next move. I'll be vacationing in the US until October, and I've not decided where I'm going. Plenty of time to work on that.

    By about 1330, we enter the broad entrance to Grand Traverse Bay and around 1500 we again cross Latitude 45 North, this time in the opposite direction.

    By 1600 we're throttled back and are 'drifting' into the Central Point Marina in Greilickville, just north of Traverse City. There's a couple of people and a frantic English Springer Spaniel on the dock to meet us! Preston spins us around and comes against the wall in a location and in a dance he's done plenty of times before, and our northbound journey is complete.

    Preston activates his ceremony of presenting a 'Fleming Yachts' burgee to the departees, so Graeme and Lorraine get one to take home (Jan got hers in Cleveland). Lorraine had knitted a winter beanie for Nina and had stitched the silver fern onto one for Preston. She also gave them a NZ tea-towel, which I think is destined for the boat.

    I'll add another Footprint after tomorrow, and then... who knows? Thanks everyone, for coming along with us. We've really enjoyed reporting on our voyage and activities. Once I commence my US summer vacation, I'll probably relate some of my movements. One thing I'll have to do is get some practice on my drone.

    So, for now, it's goodnight from him and it's goodnight from me.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin

    Interim: Michigan history

    30 Haziran, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    We've become very aware that there's a terrific and vibrant history around the Great Lakes and human endeavour thereon. The museums we've visited and those we've not been able to but have researched online attest to that. I'm also aware that--our numerous on-board discussions aside--I've not touched on that human aspect of where we're travelling, mostly because I never intended to write a story about it. But the history of human interaction with this broad region and of these massive bodies of water deserves some acknowledgement, so I thought I'd just post these images as a teaser, and leave you to zoom in and read them (and maybe do your own online research as a result). Enjoy...Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    Preston uses remote control with his DockMate to manoeuvre us off the wall at Rogers CityTwo thunder storms for us to choose fromPoe Reef light to starboard, 14-Foot Shoal light to port, and Mack City dead aheadThe Coast Guard ice-breaker, now the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum.Doing the 'doh-ce-doh' to enter the Straits State Harbor MarinaTied up in Mackinac CityThe Grand Hotel on Mackinac IslandLake Shore Drive, Mackinac Island [1]Lake Shore Drive, Mackinac Island [2]Lake Shore Drive, Mackinac Island [3]Carriage MuseumView from near Fort MackinacMackinac Island residential street vistaThe rubbish truck on Mackinac IslandFast ferries to the left of me.. fast ferries to the right of me

    Day 77: Rogers City to Mackinac City

    29–30 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    29 June, 55 miles. We breakfast on bagels and crispy bacon (microwaved), and are off the dock a bit before 0730, into a sunny morning with a slight breeze (cool) and a flat sea.

    We run on that flat water all the way to Mackinac City, albeit with a thundery shower or two on the way... good washdown for the boat.

    The lighthouse at 40-Mile Point is prominent and we cut across Hammond Bay to a turning point off High Banks that heads us into the South Channel below Bois Blanc Island and then between the Poe Reef and Fourteen-Foot Shoal lighthouses (which amuses Preston, as the water is more like 25 feet deep) and straight on, through some rain, to arrive at Mackinac City in clear, humid weather with a tolerable breeze for docking at the Straits State Harbor Marina.

    As we approach Mack City, we see the last and largest bridge we'll encounter (tomorrow) on this leg of our expedition. For a long time after completion in 1957 it was the world's largest suspension bridge. It's important for us too, in that it's the point at which Lake Huron joins Lake Michigan, so tomorrow we'll enter our fourth and final Great Lake.

    What a ride it's been, across bodies of fresh water so extensive you often can't see the opposite shoreline. And even when you can, it's like taking a boat from Nugget Point in South Otago direct to Cape Saunders on the Otago Peninsula. Stunning!

    We swivel our way (with the help of our thrusters) into our marina... a 'doh-ce-doh' as Preston calls it), and scarper quickly to catch a ferry for a fast 15-minute across to Mackinac Island, a local tourist playground. We've had this planned, hence the early afternoon arrival at Mack City.

    For any Kiwi reading this, let's say that Mackinac Island is Arrowtown (NZ) on quadruple steroids, with the main street by the waterfront. Apart from its greater size, the main difference is that motor vehicles are not allowed in this town. Consequently, all transport--even the rubbish collection from street bins--is horse-drawn. Pooper-scooper employees with bike-drawn trailers are evident around town. We had a great afternoon there!

    We rode our fast ferry back to the mainland, I bought some fudge (for which the area is apparently famous. 5 flavours - Peanut Butter with Dark and White Chocolate; Orange & Cream; Mocha; Vanilla; and Cookies & Cream 😄😄😄.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    The Rogers City marina1"Water, water, everywhere... and plenty to drink." Crossing Saginaw Bay1Are they about to collide? No, the big ship is several miles away from the small one.1A long way off, but another passing vessel of interest45 North has sprouted some buntingFor the boaties among you. 45 North is the only Fleming built with the bulbous bow option45 North lurks behind the lightpoleThe boardwalk and beach volleyball areaRogers City waterfrontLorraine's evening shot brings down the curtain

    Day 76: Harrisville to Rogers City

    28–29 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    28 June, 70 miles. A more relaxed start today; we depart the tidy Harrisville Marina on an overcast morning with a bracing breeze. One rec fisher is (waaay) out, and a bulker heads NW on the horizon, perhaps to Alpena for cement (we turn out to be wrong about that).

    We have a NW wind on our port bow which is producing a 1-2 ft swell and keeps the stabilisers busy.

    We head on, while Alpena, a Great Lakes cruise ship destination, passes off our port-side. Away on our starboard we can soon see two vessels heading on a converging course with us. Looking it up, I see that one is an Articulated Tug-and-Barge vessel, the "Karen Andrie" making about 9 mph and headed for the farthest lower reaches of Lake Michigan in Indiana while the other is the Self-Discharging Bulk Carrier "MV American Integrity", one of the 13 famed '1,000-footers' - the largest vessels on the Great Lakes (these vessels are prisoners to Lakes Erie, Huron/Michigan, and Superior, since they don't fit through the Welland Locks). She's making about 14 mph and is headed for Two Harbors, MN, on Lake Superior, probably to load taconite pellets at the CN Dock there for discharge back at Conneaut, OH, where it is again transloaded to CN-owned trains on their Bessemer Subdivision, the old Bessemer & Lake Erie RR. The ore is then railed down to steel mills in the Pittsburgh region, mainly to the blast furnaces at US Steel's Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock, PA.

    At 1050, a rather momentous event occurs; 45 North crosses Latitude 45N. If we could just mount the line and ride it west, it'd just about take us to Preston's house in Leland, MI. But sadly, we will have to take the long way round.

    Preston has a second look at our planned route, and decides to bring us back a little, nearer the shoreline. This 'cut-off' immediately reduces our voyage today by about 30 min. It also enables us to come directly abeam the tug-and-barge away off our port side. Runnng at the same speed, we maintain station on it until our next turn.

    Another moment of interest shows up as the "TS State of Michigan" away on the starboard-side horizon, and we arrive--in a stiff northerly breeze--at the RTogers City Marina. The marina folks drive us uptown to get some needed grocery items and--after putting that away in the boat--we walk a few blocks to have great food at Barilik's 406 Cafe.

    We repair to the boat and I repair my almost brand new suitcase which has a seized extension handle. Tomorrow, a comfortable run up to Mackinaw [MACK-in-awe] City.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    Streetscape shot by Lorraine in Port HuronApartment dwellings along the Black River in Port Huron1The Blue Water Toll Bridges; the last bridges until the Straits of Mackinac, 240 miles away45 North is captured by the Ship Cam, about t o pass beneath the Blue Water bridgesThe Blue Water Toll Bridges, Customs & Immigration at each endLake Huron and some keen fishersThe keen Harrisville marina crew are ready to take our lines (and drive me to the brewery)45 North at Harrisville Marina under a threatening skyLocals in concert at Harrisville Marina (just before the downpour)

    Day 75: Port Huron to Harrisville

    27–28 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    27 June. 130 miles. 12.5 hrs. A lengthy voyage today as we seek out a good stop for the night and to get some distance behind us, as it's now just a matter, really, of putting the 'sea-miles' behind as we head for Traverse City. Apart from a down-bound tug and freighter, there's no discernible traffic on Lake Huron as we head out.

    We light the fires at 0530, untie, slip away down the Black River, calling the bridge tenders for the two drawbridges, and are out in the Ste Clair River 20 min later. By 0630 we're pushing out into Lake Huron with numerous recreational fishers already out seeking whatever it is that lives around here; possibly walleye, trout, sturgeon, whitefish, or something called alewife. Nebo has picked us up, though, so there should be a map available later this afternoon. or lhis evening.

    We plough on. I stand a pilothouse watch and Preston goes below for a nap. The wind is behind us and although this assists our speed, the 1 to 2-ft swell swinging in on our stern means the boat is constantly turning left and right as the auto-pilot works constantly to maintain our course. I'm glad I don't have to do this manually.

    Graeme relieves me in the pilothouse, and I go back to find a snack in the fridge. We plough on. 10 mph. The wind is on our port quarter and Otto is working hard to maintain our course (as are the hydraulics down in the Lazarette).

    Preston is busy with phone calls and computer work and I'm busy in the salon with this blog and with reading global news. We plough on.

    I go below for a nap and the crew find they have to turn on the a/c in an attempt to deter the damn flies that have suddenly descended upon us. They look to us like domestic houseflies and we're utterly mystified as to why they're even able to be out here on the lake, with no sight of land.

    We plough on. Lorraine does some guitar practice on the cockpit and she and Graeme make some delicious cheese/tomato/meat savouries for lunch. We plough on.

    At around 1200 we're abeam Harbor Beach and are thus halfway to our destination. Soon, we turn a few points to west and commence to cross the wide opening of Saginaw Bay, about 32 miles across. Once again we feel we're in the wide ocean. The house flies descend upon us and we close all doors, turn on the a/c, and start lustily swatting with the plastic weapons previously purchased away back down in the Carolinas. There are fly corpses everywhere. We use the Dustbuster as a weapon, and many flies are sucked up... we hope their necks are broken by the centrifugal force.

    We plough on. Lorraine is getting her crochet done, Graeme comes to relieve me in the pilothouse again. Preston is looking at the arrival procedures for Harrisville; he's not been here before.

    We plough on. Soon, we see seagulls and Preston has a chat with the marina manager. "Bow-in, starboard lines, " he says. Turns out when we arrive, that the dockie help is cool if we go stern-in and port-side lines. It's easier for Preston to back us in, and Graeme and I move the lines to the port side and get ready to meet the kids on the dock. This has been our record-breaking voyage (for sailing time).

    We're fast in our slip by 1630, and get the hot oil from the kids, about what-is-what in Harrisville. It turns out there's a concert up on the bank outside the marina, so Graeme and Lorraine choose that, to watch a trio perform music from their latest CD (and get rained on). I choose the marina invitation to use their shuttle van to visit the nearby pub/brewery. Preston joins me later for dinner.

    So ends our longest day (voluntarily chosen), and we're for a shorter one tomorrow.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    The black line is the Canadian border
    Farewell to the Detroit Yacht Club, Belle Isle, Detroit, MIFarewell also to the MacArthur Bridge, connecting Belle Isle with Detroit City. We got to know it.Southeastern Michigan/Detroit Waterworks Intake Crib light, Belle Isle1SS Ste Clair on the Detroit River, apparently undergoing restorationRecreational fishers on Lake Ste ClairDomestic residences along the South Channel into the Ste Claire RiverMore residences along the Ste Clair RiverYou wouldn't know the river had a current until you boated on it or saw thisEntering Black River in downtown Port HuronTwo drawbridges on two main streets of Port Huron open for usCompany traffic! We pass a Fleming 55 moored on the Black RiverA nice civic statement1Preston says we've broken our 'cheapest marina' record - $30/foot per night. Wish that NYC was thus.

    Day 74: Detroit to Port Huron

    26–27 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Thu 26 June. 60 miles, 7 hrs. I'm having coffee, Graeme's on the lines, and Preston's finessing the engines and thrusters as we reverse out of our skinny wee slip at the Detroit Yacht Club. Due to a problem with their shore power supply, the boat had to be moved from its convenient place against the wall almost outside the marina office door, to an empty slip away down the main finger. We can barely fit into it.

    Anyway, we're away at 0830, and heading up the last portion of the Detroit River into Lake Ste Clair. As we leave the northern tip of Belle Isle behind, the wake around the buoys and channel markers shows the water is pouring out of the lake and into the river, so we have about 1.5 mph of current against us. We'll be fighting this all the way across the lake and then up the Ste Clair River as we head for tonight's destination.

    It's a warm, calm morning. Some fishers are out (why wouldn't they be?), and a couple of other cruisers seem to be heading our way. We cross Lake Ste Clair in good time and enter the Ste Clair River, another broad American river that--as with the Hudson, and Detroit et al--is a transport artery and that you wouldn't think, to look at, had a current until you try to run a boat in it or you look at the wake produced by the various buoys and channel markers. We've seen so many of these great rivers, with domestic residences ranged along their banks, both majestic and minuscule, with industry both large and light, and with shipping both substantial and small. I'll see more of these rivers later in the year.

    As we approach Port Huron, with tomorrow's exit into the next Great Lake just 3 miles ahead, we turn into the Black River and find our marina--guarded by two drawbridges (this IS downtown Port Huron)--half a mile ahead. We're fast on the wall by 1630.

    It's hot and humid and there's thunder. Graeme and Lorraine wait for a rain squall to pass before they head off for their usual expeditionary walk. i do not join them, as I have other onerous responsibilities.

    We eat on board - a scratch dinner but very enjoyable. A long day coming tomorrow.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    A civic statement
    The man himself - the Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos of his time.1The vertical-boilered Westinghouse Portable Steam Engine used by Henry Ford c18811Locomotive hauling passenger trains at Henry Ford's Greenfield Village11931 Ford 330B Tour BusMachine Shop interior, Greenfields Village. Not operating on this day.1Corliss stationary steam engine'55 Chev Bel Air 2-door1909 Model T Tourer'56 Chev Bel Air 2-door 'rag-top'Steam comparison - the DeWitt Clinton and train and a C&O RR H-8 'Allegheny' 2-6-6-6 articulatedEngineer's side of the Alleghaney articulated locomotive1Atlantic & Gulf 4-4-0 No. 3, built by the Rogers Locomotive Works in 1858A Model T presented as you wouldn't expect1A quite exceptional sectioning job. A cutaway view of a 1926 Fordson tractor.Belt and Pulley Line Shaft drive system. Clever use of cardboard discs to keep the shafts clean.

    Day 73: In Detroit, MI

    25–27 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    "Last night I went to sleep in Detroit City..."

    We all did, in fact, and we're hoping for a less hot and humid day (as indeed we got), as we've places to go and things to see. Last evening, I sat out in the cockpit with my margie, and caught up on doing the blog (although each day's story might never really be finished, as some remain a moving feast). A lot of people openly admired our boat (this IS the 102-yr-old Detroit Yacht Club, after all). One chap called out and said, "That's the best office I've seen for a while." I heartily agreed.

    Anyhow, Detroit means Henry Ford and with one day off, we headed out to The Henry Ford... by far the best museum and collection I've yet seen. there isn't enough space to write the words to describe it, and not even an intellect like Einstein would be able to imagine it. We'll show a few images to try and convey a sense of the place. The Henry Ford is situated with another of the Ford family's gifts to Detroit - Greenfield Village. It's all about how we used to live in the horse-and-buggy days and is a great learning resource for kids, but since we know a fair bit about that subject already, we decided to spend most of our time at the The Henry Ford.

    So that was our day. I'll post a few (FindPenguins only allows 20 images and 2 videos).

    More to come.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    Lighthouse at the entrance to the Detroit RiverGazing down the Franklin Channek, towards DetroitWe pass an Algoma Corp Great Lakes freighter down-bound on the Detroit RiverAn Algoma Corp freighter, bound for the Welland Canal, passes us approaching the Franklin Channel.The new (unfinished) cable-stayed Gordie Howe suspension bridgeThe cable-stayed suspension bridge. The construction cranes have yet to be dismantled.Approaching Detroit. The privately-owned Ambassador Bridge. Imagine that happening in Australia!Alongside at the prestigious 100-yr-old Detroit Yacht ClubAlongside at the prestigious 100-yr-old Detroit Yacht Club1An old trophy in the DYC foyer (see comment)

    Day 72: Kelley's Island to Detroit, MI

    24–26 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    6 hrs. 47 miles. A deliberate early start, although I decide to sleep in and we're about to enter the Detroit River by the time I surface. The plan is to arrive in Detroit early enough in the afternoon to use some of the time to look around... get orientated... get our bearings. More on that soon.

    We slip away from Kelley's Island just after 0600, and head directly west through the southern channel before turning up and heading NW for the broad mouth of the Detroit River, in calm seas and warm, humid temperatures. I might possibly have been snoring at this time.

    As we close in, the river mouth is about 4 miles across but it's easy to aim for the broad, deep, fairway of the Livingstone Shipping Channel - constructed between 1908 and 1912. Each side consists of a high rock wall on which trees and other foliage has been permitted to grow. The end result is like sailing between two hedgerows in the middle of a river. Canada is to our right and the US to our left. The penalty is that the river current is strong and not in our favour. The nav screens show 6 mph ground-speed and 9 mph through the water; we're fighting a 3 mph current.

    We continue into the river past Grosse Ile on our left and Fighting Island on our right. We pass a semi-derelict US Steel mill and then the mouth of the Rouge River, which once led shipping away to the old Ford and Fordson manufacturing plants in Dearborn, MI. In fact, we'll make our way out to Dearborn tomorrow.

    Presently, we pass beneath the spectacular--but as yet unfinished--Gordie Howe International suspension bridge (with US and Canadian Customs at their respective ends), and displaying its now-common cable-stayed construction. This bridge has its own story to tell.

    We continue upriver past heavy industry and beneath the Ambassador Bridge, a more conventional suspension design incorporating main cables and vertical suspension 'ropes'.

    Downtown slides abeam and soon we're approaching Belle Isle, where we will berth at the up-market Detroit Yacht Club ('uncover' when inside the club building, which means 'take your hat off').. We're allocated a mooring against the wall outside the main building, and we're fast there by 1400.

    We take an Uber uptown to the Welcome Centre only to find--against its advertised hours--that it's closed for renovations. Our driver brings us back to the marina where it's after 5, and I'm keen to mix up a margarita.

    Our day draws to a close, with school kids at a swimming carnival in the marina aquatic centre just beside us.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame at night, from our mooring, thanks to LorraineNorth Coast Harbor pedestrian drawbridge, from our mooing. Again, thanks Lorraine1Huntington Bank Field (Home of the Cleveland Browns) and the SS Alpena, oldest Great Lakes steamerBecause you can never have too many bridges. Two lifts and a draw on Cleveland's Cuyahoga River.Lighthouse at the entrance to Cleveland Harbour1Our dock on Kelley's Island. Not full yet, but the crowd is coming!'Gingerbread house' on Kelley's IslandThe glacier grooves we found on Kelley's Island when we circumnavigated itShady vista on our island driveHow the other half lives when holidaying on Kelley's IslandHouse on Kelley's Island1Remains of an old quarry tramlineLooks like Uncle Dik's got retail sewn up on this northern outpost of the islandA helpful local snaps us being tourists

    Day 71: Cleveland to Kelley's Island

    23–24 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    6 hr, 53 miles. We have a late start today, and mosey on out of the Oasis Marina after 0900 in hot, bright, calm weather. Back on with the air-con! A short, comfortable run today to one of the best-known boating destinations in western Lake Erie. We cruise comfortably across the broad bight between Avon Point and Cedar Point that contains Sandusky Bay, and motor into Portside Marina, Kelley's Island where we tie up at around 1500. We heard yesterday, in a NY canal authority update, that the Erie Canal has been closed again at the troublesome Locks 16 and 17, due to heavy rain and high water. Numerous bLoopers have been caught at various locations. We are so grateful to have finally put that area away behind us!

    It's unseasonally hot, and even the locals on Kelley's Island have been caught off-guard. The marina isn't busy yet, but the town in buzzing and there are a lot of watercraft moving around. We leave Preston to his chores, hire a golf cart, and head off to circumnavigate the island.

    Upon return, Graeme does his magic again on the grill on the flybridge, and produces Australian lamb chops cooked to perfection. Lorraine has made a tasty rice salad. We dine inside in airconditioned coolness.

    Tomorrow we've decided on an early start to get some afternoon time in Detroit.    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    Graeme snaps a 3-ft swell over the bow as we cut through at 9 mph
    Just to prove Otto's Cross-Track Error is a mere 1 yard. Not bad for this swell.Hello Cleveland!1A surprise as we head in toward our marina1You can never have too many bridges. This one admit us to the North Harbor Oasis Marina.A group snap at Cleveland's Oasis Marina before we see Jan off on her homeward journeyOur Cleveland mooring. It's about to become VERY busy here!

    Day 70: Erie, PA to Cleveland, OH

    22–23 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    11 hrs. 102 miles. We're up early and off the mooring just after 0600. The sky is slightly cloudy and the day is warm - part of some sort of a dome of heat over the USA just now. We head across Presque Isle Bay and out of the entrance then turn 180 deg to head west along the southern shoreline of Lake Erie. Hopefully, this'll shelter us somewhat from the expected southerly winds. Today is not expected to be as smooth-sailing as we've had recently.

    We plough on along the 'coast', with all hands getting a share of the watch, making sure our auto pilot is keeping us on track and that we're not about to run over some brave fisher in a dinghy. We can be glad we're running into the swell and not along it.

    By 1100 we're abeam Ashtabula ('Ashtab' to the locals) and picking our way through yachters and fishers. These Lake Erieans obviously aren't afraid of a little breeze. Five hours to Cleveland. Jan goes below (brave Jan!) to continue packing. Smoko is a cuppa and a handful of ginger crisps.

    We arrive at Cleveland's North Coast Oasis Marina at around 5 o'clock after a long day and a long trip. The marina is right on the edge of downtown. We have a celebratory drink in the cockpit, and a neighbouring yachtie takes a group picture. Jan is leaving us this evening to go to an airport hotel for a flight to Chicago tomorrow. We call an Uber and go to a suburban Outback Steakhouse ("Eat desert first... it's the Aussie way mate!" Bluuurrrrp....) to ensure Jan has had a Blooming Onion before she departs the US. It's our second visit to an Outback, and it has to be said, they know how to do steak, ribs, and salad. Their margaritas, though, are a smidge short of alcohol, and they're out of the Australian Cab Sav on the menu (story of my life)..

    We send Jan off to her airport hotel and Uber back to the marina. We're bushed..!    Okumaya devam et

    Çeviriyi gör
  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin

    Day 69: Port Colborne, ON, to Erie, PA

    21 Haziran, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    When you read these blogs, folks, nothing is ever finished. We return to past footprints all the time and modify or add content. I acknowledge contributions from the others.

    7 hr 20 min. 68 miles. Again, we’re away from the marina at around 0700—with a flotilla of local fishers moving out to await the starter’s radio call for a fishing competition—and head out into the vast Lake Erie, tracking WSW for about 60 miles to Presque Isle Bay and the Erie Yacht Club Marina. Our departure weather provides calm conditions, with only the slightest swell on the lake. We’ll cross into the US approximately half-way over, and will do Customs & Immigration upon arrival at the yacht club.

    Our departure from Canada is somewhat somber as we meet for breakfast and discuss the sad news of our cousin Russell Scott's passing. We Moffats have seen Russell as a 'Newfielder'. Our Aunt Anne was still at Newfield when he first started spending time at the farm, usually with his father. Russell bought the acorn out from Balclutha, where his dad had said, "You can't plant that here," so Russell planted it at Newfield, just outside where a part of the old macrocarpa hedge is now. That acorn grew into a small tree in which Graeme and I were content to practice our climbing as youths, and now, in 2025, that Graeme describes as ‘a magnificent oak tree’.

    We also recall that Russell was the only one of we 'modern Moffats' who recalled the delivery to Newfield of the first wheeled tractor in the district. We all remember Russell’s long-time connection with the pipe band and Jan fondly recalls him playing the pipes for her Scottish Highland Dancing.

    Russell may be a Scott, but we Moffats pay homage to him as someone from our generation (just) who had experienced Newfield as we were unable to; when Adam and Isabel were alive and there were working horses on the farm.

    Vale our elder cousin, Russell Scott, and sincere condolences to Kate; 63 years together.

    Our voyage across Lake Erie is straightforward, in calm conditions with only the slightest of swells right on the bow. We enter Presque Isle Bay and motor across it to the Erie Yacht Club Marina, where we do a black water pump-out then move astern a short distance to our mooring.

    A meeting of the committee decides against going out, and Graeme's plan to use some mince (ground beef to Preston) is also decided upon. He sets to in the galley whilst I keep out of his way (45 North has a 'one-bum' galley) with a nice, purely Canadian, Caesar Cocktail.. It goes pretty well with a nice curried mince and boiled spuds.

    We spend a quiet evening on, preparing ourselves for a 6-o'clock cast-off and a 10-hr voyage down the Pennsylvanian and Ohio shore of Lake Erie, to Cleveland. Jan has been packing, and will leave us there, to fly on Monday across to Chicago for a couple of days before returning to NZ. Graem,e and Lorraine will continue on with me to Traverse City, MI.    Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    A family of ducks are not fazed by the proximity of our boat
    Our mooring at the Dalhousie Yacht Club (remember to say D'Lucy)Dalhousie Yacht ClubJust inside the northern entrance to the Welland CanalAbout to start the Welland, waiting for a down-bound freighter. Conversing with delivery captains.The freighter appears; our flotilla heads for Lock No. 11In Bob we trust. Our local Welland expert assisting us.The mooring magnets hold freighters in the Locks with no need for lines. No 3 following us in.A closeup of the magnetic shipholders. They slide up and down with the ship.Sometimes we have to wait for a lift bridge or a drawbridge as wellRaising a liftbridge for us. Can't pass until the light goes green.Bob, Jan, and Preston take an interest in some activity aheadAt Lock 3, visitors to the St Catherines Museum and canal lookout, snap us rising. And we snap them!1Passing the Algoma Endeavour in Lock 41We cross another Algoma Corp vessel in another double Lock1The initial rush of the fill is turbulent, providing work for captain and crewThe local pilot assisting the captain on the vessel behind us took this snap1A Great Lakes cruise liner waits to enter the canal from Lake Erie as we pass out at Port ColborneRafting upSocialising. A rising Lock lifts all boats.Our flotilla follows beneath a liftbridge

    Day 68: Port Dalhousie to Port Colborne

    20–21 Haz, Kanada ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The famous Welland Canal. Since the Niagara River drains the Great Lakes over the escarpment and down into Lake Ontario, and since we can't navigate the Niagara Falls, we must climb up into Lake Erie via the Welland Canal and a series of 8 Locks. Preston has warned us that we’ll be sharing this ditch with full-size Laker and ocean-going vessels, that they will receive preference and that it will take all day to negotiate this waterway, and so it proves. He also advises that we’ll be ascending to Lake Erie in company with 6 other motor vessels.

    We’re away from the little Port of Dalhousie soon after 0700 for the 30-min run over to the northern canal opening. We pick up a local who knows the Welland and all of the processes intimately and await a down-bound freighter to emerge from Lock No. 1. We tie up to the wall, and while we stooge around, our ‘pilot’ gets together with several others as well as a clutch of delivery captains (professionals, who move boats around within the US and Canada for private clients) and they work out the order and arrangement by which we’ll enter the Locks. Because 45 North is heavy (around 95,000 lbs), it’s decided that we’ll be early in the queue and will be against the Lock wall. Another motor yacht will ‘raft’ up against us, and the other vessels will do the same in order to get 7 boats into each Lock at the same time. This dance is repeated each time we move along to the next Lock.

    Each year, a clutch of university students are given summer jobs on the Welland, handling the lines. This entails them (we had a group of 3 young ladies, all with hard-hats) dropping two ropes to each boat which are then held fast by crew on the boat nearest the wall until we rise to the top, where the ropes are thrown back onto the dock. The ladies then jump into a vehicle and drive (sometimes they only have to walk) to the next Lock to repeat the process. On our boat, Bob, our local pilot handled the forward line and Graeme and I looked after the stern, which included making sure the fenders (‘freddies’, Graeme calls them) don’t get caught up in various concrete abnormalities as they slid up the Lock wall. We were fortunate on a couple of occasions to be able to cross down-bound freighters in double Locks, where they were in one Lock while we were beside them in a separate one. This greatly facilitated our progress, although waiting for road and rail bridges to be lifter added to our elapsed time in the canal.

    We were finally through the last Lock (which really only evened up the canal level at the southern end a couple of feet with Lake Erie) and able to motor around a semi-derelict grain terminal and into the Sugarloaf Harbour Marina at around 1800… a 12-hr day for us all. Dinner was taken in the pub-food Whiskey & Walleye marina restaurant only a short walk away. There was a bit of rain around.    Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    Two yacht race competitors return to Dalhousie Harbour in non-race conditions
    The water level in the Niagara River provided a spectacular sight. "Maid of The Mist" gets wet.The American and Bridal Veil Falls, all the better for a good water flowDalhousie street art, captured by LorraineA nice sunset shot from Lorraine

    Day 67: Port Dalhousie (St Catherines)

    19 Haziran, Kanada ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    We take our time getting going this morning. After toast and Vegemite, the first task for the day is for me to get the rental car. By prior arrangement, they’re supposed to come and pick me up, but they don’t, so I eventually Uber over to the Enterprise depot, get my Kia, and return to pick the others up. I can’t get my phone to connect via Bluetooth into CarPlay, so a quick diversion back to the rental agency is made which informs us that a setting on the vehicle is wrong, so he gives us a free GPS screen for the day.

    Our destination today is Niagara Falls. Jan’s not seen the falls and Graeme & Lorraine were last there 15 years ago, and then only on the US side. I was here 7 years ago, and there’s a lot more water in the river this time. Consequently, the falls are more spectacular and the spray emission also. I’ve booked us into the Queen Victoria Place Restaurant for lunch. Colette and I enjoyed the meal and the view 7 years ago and I thought it might be worth repeating. Although the plastic screens are down on account of the breeze and the spray, we have a good window-side table and an excellent view of both the American and Horseshoe (Canadian) Falls. Needless to say, the souvenir/merch shops get a going-over before we depart; but not, of course, for Chinese-made tourist kitch.

    We do a shop for the boat on the way home. We’ve missed the strong winds that Preston experienced for a few hours this afternoon, but it’s a more peaceful evening, and clear enough that we can see the high-rise buildings of Toronto, 56 km away across the lake, and when the sun goes down, the flashing light atop the CN Tower.    Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin

    Day 66: Rochester to Port Dalhousie, ON

    18–20 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    [Forthwith the 'missing' episodes. I'll endeavour to incrementally populate with images. Be sure to have a second and third look at these footprints. Getting there slowly]

    We’re off the dock just after 0700 on a clear, sunny, and calm morning, and there are a few fishers and dog-walkers out to see us slip out of the harbour and turn left again to track along Lake Ontario’s southern shoreline, about 3-5 miles off. The lake is a millpond and remains that way for the entire voyage.

    The breeze changes minimally over the next nine hours and with no tide or current, the average 10 mph we see on the screens is close to our actual Speed Over the Ground, with about 300 ft of water under the keel. As we pass offshore the mouth of the Niagara River, we and experience some effect from the outflow current as we pass into Canada, and we encounter some surface fog and heavy rain. 45 minutes later, this weather clears just in time for us to visually acquire the Dalhousie [say D’lucy] Harbour range front light on the east-side breakwater, and we’re home and hosed. A few hundred yards into the harbour, and we’re against the east wall outside the Dalhousie Yacht Club, with two forward spring lines set on account of the current coming down 12-Mile Creek into the harbour. This waterway is the northern end of one of the original iterations of the Welland Canal.

    It's been a sweet cruise; the only excitement has been seeing several ‘salties’ outbound from the Welland, probably, for the Atlantic Ocean, hidden away in the mist and seen only as AIS icons on the screen. Tying up is all we’re allowed to do with our feet on Canadian soil until Preston has taken our passports and gone to the marina office to have a phone chat with Canadian Customs. They might have boarded and inspected us, but on this occasion decide to clear us over the phone.

    Certain persons have placed a roast in the convection oven, so we’ll be dining onboard tonight. Tomorrow is a lay-day.    Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    Farewell Oswego
    Hello Lake OntarioThe West Pierhead LighthouseTurning onto course...

    Day 65: Oswego to Rochester

    17–18 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    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.    Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    1
    The end of Phase 3 of our expedition. Great Lakes to come!backed into our slip at Ess-Kay Marina in Brewerton1Here's why we had to move. This shows the two azipod drives beneath the vesselFarewell Ethan and Kim, Ess-Kay Marina, Brewerton.Three Rivers Jct. Turn left for Buffalo (if you're not height-restricted) or right to Lake OntarioNot just the lock gate has to open to let you out at Phoenix, but the draw-bridge too!Since we can't go over that, we have to bypass it via a Lock...1So many of these dams were associated with hydero-generation, with decaying infrastructure extant

    Day 64: Brewerton to Oswego

    15–16 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 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!" So, 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 River (and Canal). Smaller vessels than us 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.

    We work the 8 locks and arrive into Oswego and tie up at 1620. Phase 3 of our expedition is done and dusted. The Great Lakes await.    Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    1Nebo didn't do it for us, so I've had to do it myself. Today's run.
    1An aerial of Lock 16 via (via public media) looking south back down the Mohawk River1We travel from Albany to the canal junction beyond Oneida Lake, where we turn northUtica announces itself to boatersA takeoff into the old Erie Canal that can still be used (if you're game)Because you can never have too many bridges...There's an old saying, "Rising porridge lifts all boats."A lock with brand new ropes. We are beside ourselves..."Little Toot" the canal authority tugboat1These next 18 miles take us over the summit between Albany and Oneida LakeCanal authority work equipment and dredge pipes at Lock 20We emerge from the eastern Erie Canal onto a millpond Oneida Lake

    Day 63: Ilion to Brewerton

    15–16 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 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.    Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    1CSX Transportation coal train passes with 2 units at point and 1 under remote control at the rear1Flotsam at Lock 12 from recent flooding in the Mohawk and the canal

    Day 62: Tribes Hill (Lock 12) to Ilion

    14–15 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ 🌧 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.    Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    Coast Guard inspection at Waterford
    Portion of the old Mohawk aqueduct of 1842, carried the old Erie Canal across the Mohawk RBehind us in the Lock is "Next Chapter", with Ocean the Australian labradoodle happily aboardJust to prove that Vee-Dubbs are go-anywhere machinesLockmasterGraeme stands ready to man the bow line in the lockDeparting Lock 12 after an overnight on the wall. A barge-load of flotsam has been collectedAnother barge-load of flotsam taken from the canal

    An album of Locking images

    14 Haziran, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ 🌧 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.Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    0600 at Troy City Marina. Getting ready to go. Two captains converse.Wait a minute! Is Graeme... nooo, he's not. Standing by on the Lock lines.1Each Lock has a sign that tells a story. See the comment section...Six motor yachts in E2 LockA rising tide lifts all boats... including ours. The Lock fills.

    Day 61: Erie Canal - Troy to Tribes Hill

    13–14 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 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.
    😈😈😇    Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    1Our first Lock to get to the Great Lakes can be seen ahead from our mooring at Troy
    Not 350 ft from our mooring, there was a rock band here last night until 2130The USS Slater at Albany, resplendent in her maritime camo liveryWe retired later 'for tea', and an opportunity to exercise our little fingers...Dennis explains the Bofors .50 calPilot house, showing helm, compasses, engine telegraph, and shaft rpm controlA small portion of a very small galley

    Day 60: At Troy, NY

    11–12 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 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).    Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    1Old US military arsenal on Pollepel Island. A MetroNorth train passes along the eastern shore1US 202 (Rte 9W) rounds Jones Point, reminiscent of The Devil's Staircase on Lake WakatipuA good shot by Graeme (on a showery day) of the implacable river-frontage of the US Military AcademyA clearer shot of the West Point Academy on a clearer dayOur old friend, Cold Spring, from the river this time. Moo Moos is hidden by a tree.On the wall in Rondout Creek, and ready to go. Shore power still connected.1Preston starts the move at the lower stern control station, then moves upstairs. Graeme tidies up.The "Ole Savannah" bar and grill on Rondout Creek. Next time!We don't know what this is/was, but Graeme reckons Newfield could make use of itThe Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. You can never have too many bridges.Mountainous territory off to our west. Part of the Appalachian chain1We pass by so many stately properties such as this1"Olana", the museum/home of Frederick Church, a major Hudson landscape designer, peers over treelineAmtrak's "Lake Shore Limited" for Chicago shunts at Albany, connecting the Boston and NYC sections1Passing through industrial AlbanyAlbany, rail and road. You can't have too many bridges.1A typical barge-pushing tugboat. The elevated wheelhouse is for the captain to see ahead of the loadApartment buildings near our marinara in Troy

    Day 59: Kingston to Troy

    10–11 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☀️ 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.    Okumaya devam et

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  • 45NorthAmericas Great LoopGezgin
    Half an hour out of COH. The river will soon narrow.Heavy industry on the river. The Clinton Quarry and Mill near Poughkeepsie.Loading gypsum at Indian Point. A deactivated 2-reactor nuclear power station behind.The CSX Railroad skirts the western shore1You can't have enough bridges. Bear Mt Bridge from a familiar perspective on the boat.1A portion of the CSX railroad is reminiscent of the Lake Dunstan bike trail in NZOne of few waterfalls to be seen from the river1Highland Falls RV Park & mMarina, plus unused passenger depot on CSX trackThe Thayer Hotel, West Point. 3-Stars, I think.Is it a ship? No. An empty fuel barge returns downriver to NYC pushed by a tugCSX auto rack unit train, northbound on the western side. Auto racks are tri-level car carriers.1Graeme videos (almost) all you can see of the US Military Academy at West Point1The bridges of PoughkeepsieThree bridges. Bear Mountain Road Bridge, the Popolopen Arch Bridge (Hwy 9W), and the CSX railroad.1Twin spans of the Newburgh-Beacon highway bridges. You can never have too many bridges.Esopus Meadows Lighthouse. Guarding the mudflats.Lorraine shoots the lighthouse at the entrance to Rondout Creek (Kingston, NY)Two trains pass at high speed. Red engine pushing, blue engine pulling.Old steam tug at Maritime Museum. 2-cyl compound reciprocating engine.Old trackage extant along Rondout Creek in Kingston, now used for trolley rides1Foliage and flags! 45 North moored at right

    Day 58: Croton-On-Hudson to Kingston

    23 May–10 Haz, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ⋅ ☁️ 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.    Okumaya devam et

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