Oswego and Erie Canals

After fixing the steering, we got going again on the 29th. It did not take long, however, until the gremlins visited us again.

When starting the motor (a 2000 Yamaha 25 HP 4 stroke), it made terrible noises, and then ran normally. I am not sure if you are supposed to do this, but we ran the motor the rest of the day without stopping it in the locks.

We made it as far as Brewerton, where the Erie Canal meets Lake Oneda. I was hoping to find a Yamaha dealer. The problem turned out to be a spring in the bendix gear which was been chewed by the pinion gear and the flywheel and was preventing them from engaging properly. I cleaned out the pieces of the very light but broken spring and the starter seems to work perfectly, gravity performing the same function as the spring is supposed to fulfill. I would still like to replace the spring, however, as I do not believe that Yamaha would put it there if it was not necessary, at least for some applications.

I could not find a Yamaha dealer within reasonable range and the most likely source of parts was closed (Sunday). The only grocery store we could find in Brewerton turned out to be a gas station convenience store - not the place for major provisioning.

As a result, we set out across Lake Oneda to Sylvain Shores, where we had been assured that we would find everything we needed. All I will say is that the person we talked to must have very modest needs.

We did, however, fall into the wake of a Nordhaven 48 that was traveling only very slightly faster than us. This was critical and convenient to us. Of the 26 or so locks that we traversed on the Erie, about half would operate only on the hour for boats headed East. In many cases, we could not quite travel the required distance in the alloted time period. By feeding the ponies (WFO), we could arrive soon enough after the Nordhaven (who could cover the distance) that the locks would still be receptive to us. Unfortunately, that meant that our gas consumption probably increased by at least 50% (6.5 to 7 nm/usg down to around 5 nm/usg). Now when I complain of this to our powerboat friends, they seem to have little sympathy, but my sailing and Greenhouse Gas conscious friends may appreciate.

Of course, the best part of this relationship was the companionship and the tips we received from our new friends who had done this trip several times before.

While Beverley found the locks to be a bit of a bore, some of the scenery, and especially early morning, to be beautiful. Many of the towns have free docks and often that includes free power. They really try hard to make you feel welcome and to want to stop for a visit.

I really felt that it would be good to take more time for this trip. We were conscious, however, that the weather would not remain the same forever, and it would be good to reach the Hudson River, to turn the corner and to make some distance South before it got too cool.