Sylvan Beach

Departed Pirates Cove at 8:30 this morning, with the first and only lock of the day, lock E23, only 3.5 miles away. Lock was open and ready for us when we got there (I had phoned earlier before leaving Pirates Cove, then also called them on the radio when we were a mile out.) This was a lift of 7 feet, and quite smooth. Valves appeared to be in the middle floor of the lock, so the inflow of water actually helped to keep us on the wall. After a quick lockage, we had another 3 miles to go, passing through Brewerton and then into Oneida Lake. Oneida is approximately 20 miles long, and maybe a couple miles wide. Light winds out of the west were behind us, so it was a pretty smooth ride, with the little bit of chop from behind us. Saw our first twin engine outboard tug pushing a barge. Kind of rare seeing any tows on the Erie Canal now days. Perhaps it’s more common on Oneida Lake. As usual, we only ran at 5kts or 6mph. Better fuel efficiency and much of the canal is restricted to the slower speeds. We could have ran faster across Oneida, but with an ETA on the other side where we were stopping of 2pm, saw no reason to push it up. The Erie Canal entry on the east side of the lake has a long rocky shoal that is well marked with navaids. There is also a prominent land mark, the Verona Light. The entry is at Sylvan Beach, by a park and amusement area. The town was pretty much shut down today. There is a free dock as we enter into the canal with plenty of space. We caught up with our other cruising buddies, Tom and Joyce on C-Otter, here at Sylvan Beach. We’ve cruised with them in the past and they also host the big C-Brat gathering at Hontoon Island State Park on the St. John’s River in Florida, where we typically start our boating season in March. Walked 1.5 miles around the beach and town before supper, and also found a geocache. Cache was near and related to the Sylvan Beach Union Chapel. Parts of the movie, A Sterile Cuckoo, was filmed in Sylvan Beach and inside this very chapel.Read more