Erie Canal east then south Key West FL

[Lynx]

All the locks leak a little (lock 6)
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Big boat dock lines
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Bird
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Locking through one of the last locks
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Interesting boat
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Lock 2, the last Lock on the Erie Canal.
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Locks open and you see the last 2 bridges on the canal.
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Waterford Free Dock. Has a Farmers Market on Sundays
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1800's locks now used as a spillway
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[dnice]

You see all kinds of craft on the canal. Never talked to the owner.
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Isn't that the "African Queen" ???
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2711459840/tt0043265

[rtbates]

You see all kinds of craft on the canal. Never talked to the owner.
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Isn't that the "African Queen" ???
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2711459840/tt0043265

Nope. The African Queen is in Key Largo beside the Holiday Inn. Just visited it last month while staying at the Key Lime Sailing Club. Cottages and Catalinas 22 on Fla Bay.

Lynx:

Wonderful looking trip even if you did have to go mast down and motor the whole way. I assume you went out of your way to do this trip as you trailered your boat from the Chez north and then headed south?

Beautiful pics thanks for sharing

[Lynx]

thanks for the data on the boat. I did not know, must be a good copy.

It has been a very good trip. the Erie Canal with over 200 bridges is a mast down trip. Need to update thread but internet connections are not good. In the upper Chaz now.

What  a way getting used to cruising.

[Marc]

Hey Lynx,  What time of year did you do this and did you need pass ports?  Also do you think a 9.9 hp outboard would take you through.  How long did it take to go through and were you able to sail after you were out?  Lot's og qurstions but looks like an interesting trip.  Thank you Marc

[Lynx]

I started in July and ended at the end of July. You could spend all summer on the Erie and not see and do everything.

10 hp would be fine. Crossing some of the lakes may be a wet ride but doabble.  No sailing, over 190 bridges to go under, 15 foot clearance.

Great Trip. take as long as you can, get out before winter. I am from the USA. All other countries will need passport to enter USA.

If you have more questions please ask.

I am in Key Largo, Fl now. bumming it in the Fl Keys this winter.

[Lynx]

From Troy NY down was easy. The Hudson River has a good flow both ways and trees and logs in it. Not a night time trip. I wish I had $ 1000 per week to explore. There is no free dinghy docks and poor anchorages along the way. I did stop at the end of the Hudson and go ashore for supplies and wait for good weather.
Going south you can either head into the NJ ICW or go to the Delaware River or into the Chesapeake Bay. Being an ultra-shallow draft I opt?ed for the NJ ICW. I left on a Sunday and went through the first inlet into the NJ ICW with Heavy traffic and extremely bad. The RR Bridge was the worse as only 1 boat could get through at a time. The Police was called out to direct boat traffic.  The NJ ICW is called the worse boating  on any ICW and they are proud of it. This is true. This was the end of the summer and  nice weather.  It took me about a week to get through the NJ ICW and the different guides are correct. The NC ICW has been opened North of Atlantic City but it is very shallow at low tide. Less than 3 feet and muddy. There is some good tides but you should plan. In the inlets you can expect 3 knot currents at peaks.

Going up the Hudson River is a day or 2 trip. Lots of crab traps in the shallows and big boats in the channel. I arrived at the mouth of the C and D Canal and spent the night in the Salem River. The next day I went down the C & D Canal. Interesting 1 day trip. If you can plan it try to catch the tidal current at 1 to 2 knots.

The Northern end of the Chesapeake Bay is nice. I stayed at Havre De Grace for 3 days. Fresh water river. The new public dock had just been completed. Fresh with tar and benches for the local to sit and watch your boat. Full of water grass. Shallow. Nice little town. The best things are 2 miles away. There is so much to see and do on the Chesapeake. I have found the guides to be correct. In all guides areas the shoaling was more. It took me about a week to make it down to Norfolk, Va  where I trailered my boat to Buffalo, NY.  It took me about 3 months for this loop. I wish I had planed to spend the 3 months doing the Erie Canal and then Trailered back. I am now broke and looking for work. Nothing in the Norfolk area and down the Coast looks about the same. Getting cold so I decide to head down to Jacksonville, Fl. The trip was about the same as going up except for the lack of bugs. It was cooler so I recommend that you plan this part of the trip with temps below 75 max.

I stayed in Jacksonville, Fl for2 weeks and did not find work. Nice and well worth the trip up the river. The river has a lot to offer and some plans to explore. 2 choices now, Warm and broke or Cold and Broke so I up?ed anchor and rushed down to the Fl Keys. Taking about 2 weeks. I still had my mast stepped.  I estimate that it saved me about 10 hrs not having to wait for the bridges. I made it to Key Largo and Stepped the mast. In early Dec ?08 I arrived in Marathon, Fl Boot Key Harbor and that month found work in Key West. In Mar I moved the boat to a marina in Key West.

[Lynx]

The End

My work lasted for 10 month. Not really paying the bills and many false promises. So I quit, got laid off or Fired (take your pick) and moved the boat back to Marathon, Fl. After looking for work in Marathon and not getting a Job I applied and took my old job back. Putting the boat back in the storage yard in Port Charlotte Fl,  The morning that I put the boat on the trailer  was the coldest that I had spend inside and had about 1/8 inch of frost on the deck after sunrise. 2 years and 3 months on the boat. A "Voyage of a lifetime" as many people has told me. Even after borrowing money for the relatives to stay alive, I had a great time with the classic ending. I am 52 now and glad that I took the time and money to voyage. Now back to work and another dream to fulfill.
A few things learned
Don'ts  
Don't Return to a place that you do not like.
Don't let someone else do the repairs.
Don't give advice in the Bahamas or in the USA to Business.
Don't expect to find a woman underway. Hang out in the Bars and beaches in Warm area?s.

DO'S
Have more than 24 gallons of water.
Have a Bicycle.
Plan 1 day underway and 3 days on the hook (that is me as I like to look around quite a bit)
Bring necessary things with you. Only expect to get things like fuel, food and oil ashore easily.
Take apart everything on your boat and motor that you can and get tools you need.
Do Go. Florida has a nice 750 mile loop through the Big lake, The Erie Canal would be very nice for 3 to 4 months as well as any bay or ??? Staying in the USA you do not need as much and it cost much less. Just get a used 22+ foot cabin boat with a good keel, clean her up, put a new motor and replace what else. Get a 3 Big anchors, Study well and go. I have met to many people who cannot do it after retirement.

[newt]

Nice summary of your cruise Lynx.  i plan on making the great circle route with my compac. How long would you take if you started on the Platte, and ended in Chicago?

[Lynx]

I would recommend that you take 2 to 3 years to complete the Loop. The USA GREAT LOOP is over 5000 miles and to do that you need to do 200 miles per week for 26 weeks. Not much time on our small boats to visit or get off.

Another option is to do part of it and the trailer to the other part and then trailer back. This can make it into a year or 1 1/2 year trip. Lots of time to play .

This will really get your feet wet for voyaging.

[CharlieJ]

Sure wish we had known you were in Pt Charlotte. Tehani (and us) have been in Laishly Park Marina, right across th hwy 41 bridge, since Jan 3rd

we'll be dropping lines tomorrow, heading on south.

And yeah boy has it been a cold Jan so far- just crazy.

[newt]

Really Lynx? That is a lot of miles. Is that going thru the Lake via Boca Grande-  or down by the keys. And the Atlantic side- do you mostly go offshore, or up through the ICW? Sounds like Mississippi during the fall, Florida during the winter, East coast during the spring and Erie and Great Lakes during the summer....

[Lynx]

I believe the loop is 5000 miles any way you go if compleated. I suggest that you do not go against the Mississippi current and head to Floida first.

Outside can get really rough for small boats like ours. As long as gas milage is not a problem. The people that I have met the time was about the same unless there was a over long weather window or they had a 45+ boat.

I stayed inside due to weather.

I unloaded the boat in Bufflow NY and went down the east coast. There is a trawler form that has up-to-date in for for Loopers.

Your route is really up to you. If you have a crew and want to stay at different ports longer that I would suggest offshore and keep a good eye on the weather.

You can do the loop in a year, That is 100 miles per week. 2 days underway and 5 days anchored. Get the Bigger guide books and free anchorages guides.

I do like your plan.

[unbusted67]

My girlfriend and I are planning a similar trip aboard our Blackwatch 24. We are either going to head down the Ohio from Pittsburgh or trailer her up to Erie and head East on Lake Erie and Ontario until we get to the canal and then un-step the mast and head South.

The canal route seems a lot cooler but I am a little bit nervous about heading out on the lakes. The cost of charts and everything else seems a bit prohibitive too. Does anyone have any ideas about a good middle ground? Is there somewhere near Oswego that we could put in for some day sails before dropping the stick and heading down the canals?

[Bubba the Pirate]

Either late this Summer or next Spring, I plan to do some of the loop to get South.  I am leaning toward heading out the Erie Canal from the Great Lakes which would mess up the loop.  If the Asian Carp Issue closes the canal in Chicago, I may not have a choice. 

Thanks for the summary! 

Todd

[Lynx]

Any of the fingure lakes on the Erie Cannal is great day sails. Of course you will need to unstep the mast. Event days are always crouwded.

I used gramin GPS Map with the charts for East coast. You can get the inland lake charts kit for inland USA waters. I do not know about Canada.