Great Loop: Erie Canal First Day
Canals of New York State
June 13th, 2022
The Visitors Center at Waterford.
The City of Waterford maintains a very nice visitors center just before Lock #2. As Lock #1 was prior to the intersection on the Hudson River where the Erie Canal heads west, most people consider Lock #2 the first lock on the Erie Canal. In addition to being a nice spot to spend the night, there is a nearby grocery store, a pharmacy, liquor store, and several good restaurants within walking distance. This allowed us to start our trip through the canal well feed and well provisioned. The docents in the visitors center can answer questions about town, shopping and what to expect.
Outside the Visitors Center are good maps of the local area and the entire canal system.
To reach the grocery store and pharmacy, you have to walk across the Hudson River on a bridge. It is just on the other side.
A depiction of the Erie Canal has been created in the brick sidewalk with different colored bricks. Prominent cities are labeled.
We started the day early to catch the first lock opening at 7 am. We woudl complete passage of 9 Locks by the end of the day.
Amy Marie led a convoy of 6 boats through 17 locks over the next two days. The other boats had good crews which made the task easy. We enjoyed travelling and visiting with this gang. During the day many text messages and VHF radio conversations flew back and forth and we coordinated the details of our travel.
The Locks would lift us over 440' until we reached the high point on canal. This is what the lock wall looks like prior to filling. You loop a line around the tensioned steel cable to maintain position on the wall as the water fills the chamber.
We called the leaky doors "water features" as we pulled into the chamber
All six boats would fit in the chamber. During the day a 7th boat joined us and we squeezed up to allow them to lock through with us.
Here is what our convoy looked like as we departed Waterford headed toward Lock #3.
This is the view as we entered Lock #3. This view would be repeated 9 times this day.
Beth was in charge of all line handling. Here you can see she has a midship line looped around the steel cable. Our line would travel up the cable as the boat rose with the water level.
Here is the view as the convoy begins to exit the lock. Dog House is the pretty blue boat!
The Canal Agency had maintenance yards at various locations
Our convoy moving toward Lock #4
An empty chamber is about to swallow 6 boats and raise them so we can depart 20 feet higher than when we entered.
This chamber had a very active "water feature". The cascading water washed our foredeck.
At various locations along the length of the canal, gates can be dropped to isolate a portion of the canal for maintenance work.
The Erie Canal utilizes the Mohawk River. Here we are on the river rather than an artificial canal.
Lovely homes were present alongside the Canal.
Bald Eagles were present along the Canal. This one landed on a log just as be passed.
Riverlink Park in Amsterdam New York was our ending spot for the day. As you can see, the city mooring wall is next to a very active railroad line. The trains would rumble by at high speed blowing their whistles. We were sufficiently tired that we fell quickly to sleep and were not awaken by this noise the entire night.
Berthing Information
- Waterford Harbor Visitors Center
- Tie up on the wall at the Visitors Center
- Walking distance to groceries, pharmacy and restaurants
- Helpful staff at visitors center
- Restrooms and showers
- Erie Canal Lock #2 is very close
- Riverlink Park Marina, Amsterdam New York
- Nice clean facility.
- We did not walk into town
- Clean restrooms and showers.
- Some may not like the train noise.
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