We left Albion, nestled between our two lift bridges and proceeded slowly down the canal.
We had two locks to pass through today and we were a little apprehensive. The canal towards Rochester is cut deeply into the limestone.
It is a very beautiful part of the canal system. We saw the old locks that used to allow traffic to Rochester but they closed long ago. The canal got quite shallow as it crossed the Genessee River and stayed shallow almost to Lock #33. We locked through without incident and did as well through #32. A mile later we were in Pittsford.

We stopped along the free south wall in a little park which was very nicely designed (coming from me that’s quite a compliment). We had to wash the duck poop off the wall by the boat but it was my civic duty to help out in some way.
We had wanted to reprovision a bit so we headed off to Wegman’s. We have been using Skipper Bob”s, “Cruising the New York Canal System” ( a great guide to the services and facilities along the Canal) and cruisers had pointed out that there was a Wegman’s about a mile and half walk from the park. It was a lot more than that! We ended up taking the bus.

Wegman’s (for those who don’t know) is not really a grocery store but a SUPER market! Unbelievable selection. We needed some meat for the freezer and they have vacuum sealed packs that last longer. We had a great time and bought more than we needed. Now it was time to get back. We weren’t sure where the bus would pick us up so we asked a policeman. He wasn’t sure so we went on our way. I saw him head out but he turned around and drove up to us. He asked us if we wanted a ride back to the boat so we got a ride in the back of the Sherrif’s car.

THANK YOU, Sgt. Jim! You sure meet nice folks when you’re cruising in a boat.

We had a nice Greek meal at Alladin’s across the canal and settled in for the night. About 2:30 I awoke to the sound of rain but it stopped quickly then started again. I got up to close the hatches when I realized that the park’s irrigation system was on! They used large full circle heads like you see on golf courses and they were spraying over the boat. It only lasted 15 minutes so off to bed I went. We awoke today and it sure looks more like fall. Lots of leaves in the water and a little more color.

We left early the next morning for Holley. Weeds had fouled the prop and it took quite awhile to get the boat to move and regain steerage. We went through locks #35 and #34 which were consecutive. Read elsewhere of our adventures there.

The canal has many looks. The western end has lots of areas of the original canal. It is very scenic and reminds us of Sunday drives in the country except now it’s at 7 mph. In many places the canal is actually above the surrounding landscape. It’s wierd to see farms, roads and fields below your line of vision.

There are lots of lift bridges along the way. The operators are very helpful and friendly. The Holley lift bridge needed emergency repairs and closed long enough for us to be delayed to the point we stayed in Albion. A very nicely restored small town with free dockage along the wall. They provide showers as well.

The trip to Tonawanda was just 11 miles. We left hoping to hit the hourly opening of the Black Rock Canal just north of Buffalo. We made it in time as the lock was just opening. It only dropped 5′ and so was uneventful.

We got to Wardell’s about noon but had to wait as he was trying hard to get a Hylas with a boom furler stepped. They were not having fun and so he moved them elsewhere to wrestle with their boat as he tackled ours. Dennis is a one man show and does a great job.

We went the half mile to Tonawanda and tied to the wall. They charged $20 for the night. It was noisy and there was lots of boat traffic.
We realized it was “Talk Like a Pirate Day” so we dressed Goliath in his pirate suit and did a lot of “arrrrrgh”ing at anyone who passed by.

We ate at a place (Swiston’s) that was famous for their “roast beef on a weck”, sliced beef on a crusty roll with kosher salt. It was really good, I ate two, but it didn’t make my honor roll of really tasty treats.

While in Buffalo I built structures to hold our mast while we transited the canal. Since I had two poles already in place for the radar and wind generator, I just added a cross piece. I simple nest for the mast on the bow pulpit was made and then a saw horse for the center. Pretty simple stuff. The sails were taken down and stored as well as the boom, boom vang and all lines. I stored everything outside.

I had a quote of $5 a foot from Wardell’s in Tonawanda. Seemed fair. I removed all the rigging and unhooked the mast down below. He climbed the stick (I cranked) and fastened his strap below the spreaders. He then removed the mast and placed it in the cradle. He helped tidy up the lines and rigging. Final bill … just as quoted.

That night I met a guy with a 47′ Beneteau who used Rich Marine on the Niagara River. He had been quoted a similar price but his final bill was double the quote. Everything was “extra”!

He shipped his mast ahead. I wondered why, he explained that it can be quite a pain to have the mast on deck in the locks. I was to learn how true that was.

Our first lock was #35 in Lockport, 18 miles into the canal. It was almost the end of the trip. The aft end of the mast managed to get hooked on a cable loop. I jumped up on the wall to free it while signaling the lock operator that there was a problem. Guess he thought I wasn’t serious as he started to lower the water level. I freed the mast and jumped back on the boat from about 6′ above the deck. I’m just glad I didn’t have to jump all the way since it dropped 25′.
The remaining 3 locks we’ve done so far have not been a problem. We have found that we prefer the ropes over cables.
It is far easier to control the movement of the boat if we can both have a rope, one fore and one aft. If you try to do it as others suggested the boat pivots too much.

Here we are comfortably secured to the “free” wall in Pittsford, NY.

PUT-IN BAY, OH TO BUFFALO, NY 9/10-9/18/2007
ADDED 9/18/07 John forgot something important in his capture of the Metro Beach MI blog. We met two wonderful residents, Sharon and Larry, who welcomed us into their home and allowed us to do laundry, bathe and watch TV. They offered us advise on our trip and gave us books to read. We really appreciated everything that they did for us. We hope to meet them along the way because they are headed to the Bahamas too.

We’ve been without internet for more than a week and therefore, no posts but we’ve been busy. We stayed on a mooring in Put-In Bay for just one evening then motor-sailed to Cleveland, OH on 9/10. Put-In Bay is a port on South Bass Island in Western Lake Erie. This is a great place to party with lots of bars, restaurants and shops. The way to get around this Island is by golf cart. We chose not to though and just ate Lake Erie perch and walleye at a local eatery. There is a whole chain of islands here. I wish we had had more time to explore.

The Admiral Perry monument can be seen from about 16 miles out.

This house was really cool. Talk about running aground!

Cleveland was next. Cleveland has a pretty skyline as you arrive by boat. Dominant features included the Cleveland Browns football stadium, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Science and Industry Museum that are located together as you enter the main entrance of the huge harbor breakwater.
We stayed at the East 55th Street Marina in Cleveland. We arrived a day AFTER a nearby foundry had polluted the harbor with soot as they were cleaning their smoke stacks. It rained and the soot that should have blown away became black gook that soiled all the boats in the marina. We were there as the lawyers were negotiating payments to boat owners. We could have gotten over $1000 for our boat, but we arrived a day late. We probably could have done without the gook too! East 55th Street Marina is a hoot. There is a small store and restaurant at the marina and we met several interesting people there. We had T-bone steaks one night and several cocktails and the stories just flew. The chef joined us for a steak too… yummy and good price!!
One sailor named Annie gave us lots of good tips for our sailing adventure. What a group.

We also ate at a Caribbean/American restaurant called A Better Place. We had wonderful salads there. Our complements to the chef (who we met)… and to Carla our entertaining server/hostess/bartender. She was great! Hi Carla!

We saw the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while we were in Cleveland. We, unfortunately, did not allot enough time for the museum and didn’t get to the last floor. The collections of apparel, handwritten song notes, pictures, old billboards, and musical instruments were impressive. There also were audio, video, and movies that were very entertaining and informative. My favorite collection was that of John Lennon…. Including the jacket he wore on the cover of Magical Mystery Tour Album!!!

We stayed 3 nights in Cleveland waiting for weather to change. We actually rented a car and were able to go out for haircuts and grocery shopping. Talk about knowing how to have a good time.

The next stop was Ashtabula, OH where we dropped the hook and stayed overnight. This was an industrial area with non-stop trains loading iron ore. We were happy to have a nice anchorage and cannot complain.

Next up was Erie, PA and Presque Isle State Park. This is the 2nd Presque Isle that we’ve stayed in but this time “Isle” is pronounced as you might expect. The Michigan Presque Isle is pronounced Presque “EEL”. We again stayed 3 nights due to changing weather… a cold front that brought heavy rain, heavy wind, and COLD weather. We anchored here for 3 nights and what a beautiful anchorage it was. We took a couple of nature walks in the park and walked along their beautiful beach. Very romantic!

Monday 9/17 brought us to Buffalo, NY. We were so lucky to have friends here who allowed us to do laundry, cooked us a meal, and carted us around town running errands. Lindsey, Colin, and 11 month old Willard were our wonderful hosts for lasagna, conversation, and a little TV…. in addition to all of the errands. Lindsey actually completed my laundry for me. What a lovely daughter you have Mike and Meg. We are so very grateful for the hospitality. The people we met in Buffalo were all so friendly and helpful. In taking down the sails in preparation for the trip down the Erie Canal, we noticed some seams that were coming apart on the headsail. A friendly slip-mate told us of a canvas repair shop and the fellow at the shop agreed to work on the sails on the same day, as we waited. Too bad about all of the snow because Buffalo really is beautiful and with its friendly people, it could be a great place to live…. But not for us. We’re headed south (actually north to go south) tomorrow. We hope to see Niagara Falls tomorrow too (not by sailboat however, tee hee). The Erie Canal waits!!!

(I cannot tell just how glad I am that we are leaving the Great Lakes behind us. Erie, the lake with the bad rep, actually turned out to be the easiest. We caught good wind here and from the right direction, too. I’d say Michigan kicked our butts. Huron wasn’t too bad but we had lots of fog. The general consensus has been that if you can sail on the lakes, you can sail anywhere. We’ll see.) JM

Well we finally got to leave. Not that we didn’t like this place, it was just that we needed to get going. We left Saturday morning, the 8th. The day before we met a very nice cruising couple (Sharon and Larry) that live right where we had been anchoring. We spent the afternoon sitting on couches and watching a TV! They gave us lots of advice for our trip and even let us do laundry. Living on a boat makes you miss some of the things we took for granted before. Sharon even offered to take Mary to the beauty shop on Saturday but we needed to leave while the weather was good.

While going south on Lake St. Clair we saw this freighter. We couldn’t figure out what the black speck was behind him. I joked that he was towing a dinghy. It turned out it was two fisherman in a small boat taking advantage of the smooth wake behind the freighter.

Our trip out the channel was uneventful although tense. The Detroit River was an interesting collection of sights. Lots of marinas, downtown development and lots of industry.

We passed, Belle Isle, the site of the Detroit Grand Prix that was held over Labor Day weekend. Freighter traffic was fun. They looked like they took up the whole river. I gave them lots of room.

We anchored near the mouth of the river. Not too bad but nothing like Metro Park.

We headed out Sunday morning for Put-In Bay. The flies were awful! Only someone who has sailed knows what we’re talking about. Thousands of fly lives were sacrificed. We got there early afternoon and had a great meal of Lake Erie perch and walleye. Goliath also got a long awaited run in the park.

This is Metro Beach:
We’ve been here since Saturday afternoon on Labor Day weekend and will be here till we get our parts. This weekend it was crazy! Power boats everywhere. I have never seen so many boats in one spot.

We’ve gone for some dinghy rides and Mary went swimming. It’s a very dog unfriendly place so Goliath has had to spend most of his time in the boat.

After a nice day (although very rough day out on the lake) we left early to try to make the St. Clair River and Algonac, our first mail pickup since leaving Milwaukee. We were also expecting a replacement chartplotter / radar display from Garmin and an instrument display from B&G.

We made good time to Port Huron and once in the river we were flying! At the river entrance the current gave us a boost to over 11 mph! Well it’s flying in a sailboat!

We settled down to a steady 10+ for the rest of the trip. We had been in contact with Algonac Harbour Club off and on for a week. We called when we realized that we could get there in a reasonable time. They had no slips! No place to anchor and now no place to park to get our stuff. We finally got them to concede they had a space for Friday night but had to be out by 11 am. Up until this point we had been pleased to find helpful, friendly and courteous people everywhere. It seems the closer you get to “civilzation” the more uncivilized the people are. There were no packages (not their fault) but they could have cared less about our situation of having no where to go.

We parked for the night in the mud (they had reassured me that there was plenty of water depth, there wasn’t). We got our mail the next day and left for Lake St. Clair.

We picked Metro Beach as the only option since it had a large area to anchor. The approach was very shallow and instructions on how to get in were not real clear. We’ll we were off by a few degrees and we were grounded on the sand bar. A call to TowBoatUS and we were off in less than an hour. I gotta say that towing insurance is the best deal out there. One hour labor at $154 plus a $12 per foot ungrounding charge amounted to a $634 total bill paid by BoatUS. Total premium for the year, $120!

They got us straightened out and off we went to the anchorage.

I’ve got to put Harbor Beach in this blog, not because it’s the most beautiful marina (it’s not) or most beautiful city (it’s very nice) but because the people here are so NICE!

Everywhere you go (except maybe The Hunters Bar, they told me to go there only if I wanted a fight) everyone was so friendly and helpful. Our new best friend, Dickson, drove us around to find a gas tank for the dink and then took us to town. We stopped in the shops and stores and met friendly smiles consistently. Our lunch at Smalley’s was great and a phone call or two back to the marina (the guy was out mowing the lawn) got us a ride back.