Champ III: Going Places

The adventure starts here.

Oswego Marina, Oswego, NY to Ess-Kay Yards, Brewerton, NY — July 4, 2014

01-Canal-Bank-In-Oswego
01-Canal-Bank-In-Oswego
02-Canal-Bank-In-Oswego
02-Canal-Bank-In-Oswego
03-Canal-Bank-In-Oswego
03-Canal-Bank-In-Oswego
04-Canal-Bank-North-Of-Oswego
04-Canal-Bank-North-Of-Oswego
05-Erie-Canal-Looking-East-In-Brewerton
05-Erie-Canal-Looking-East-In-Brewerton
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07-Ess-Kay-Yards-Office-And-Front-Yard
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08-Ess-Kay-Yard-West-Basin
09-Ess-Kay-Yards-Slips-On-Erie-Canal
09-Ess-Kay-Yards-Slips-On-Erie-Canal

We had a little more rain over night in Oswego and the sky was overcast when we were ready to leave Oswego this morning. The wind was pretty strong out of the Northwest, but that was OK because we are on the rivers/canals today.

We were on our way to Ess-Kay Yards in Brewerton, NY, to get some work done on the boat and while the work is being done were are going to visit Donna & Jon in Pittsburg.

We had a total of 8 locks today, 7 on the Oswego River and 1 on the Erie Canal.  The first lock was less than 1 mile from the Oswego Marina so I called the lock while we were still tied up. He said he would have the lock ready in about 10 minutes and I told him it would take us that long to get there.  As we approached the lock the doors opened and the green light came on.

It was really good today in that we were the only boat headed south and on the Oswego the doors opened as we approached every lock.  This made things a lot easier and quicker.  No waits for hours like the Canadian Locks near Montreal.

The river has some homes/cottages along the banks but for the most part there is a lot of undeveloped low lands for shoreline. There are little towns and villages near or at most of the locks and people watching the boats lock thru.

We had quite a few fishermen out on the water and the pleasure boaters came out later in morning.  I guess they enjoyed sleeping in for the 4th of July.  The Erie Canal from where it joins the Oswego to Brewerton has many homes/cottages on it and a couple of marinas. The speeds were slower because the last mile or 2 into Brewerton was a no wake zone so we slowed it down.

We did see a DeFever Trawler leaving Brewerton that its Port of Call was New Zealand.  It turns out they had just left Ess-Kay Yards and they are heading thru the Erie Canal to Lake Erie, then Lake Huron, the Georgian Bay, down the Trent-Severn Down the St Lawrence to the Richelieu, Lake Champlain and eventually to the Chesapeake to leave the boat until next year as they fly home.

The skies cleared as we got further South and by the time we got to the Erie Canal the sun was out but the winds were still pretty strong.  It was not much of a problem in docking as we had help and the wind was pushing us onto the dock.

Ess-Kay Yard is where we stayed last year and had some work done on the boat.  It is a family run marina that has been around for a long time.  They don’t do the work if it is not necessary.  This is the reason we are back this year because I trust them.  They have a nice lawn area for Candy and we are in a slip right on the Erie Canal.  Even though it is a no wake zone the smaller boats think plowing thru the water doesn’t produce wake, so we rock some during the day.

This will be the last post for about 10 days until we are back from Pittsburg and start to head home.