Newby, and taking Albin 28 TE through the Erie Canal

[neptune]

Hey, Bought an Albin 28 TE in CT. I live in Michigan so this spring I will be motoring it back the Great Lakes from CT via the Hudson / Erie Canal / Lake Erie etc. If anyone has done the Erie Canal any tips will be much appreciated.

[carolmarie]

Recommend you purchase the New York State Canal “CRUISING GUIDE”, published by the NYS Canal Corporation, 800 4canal4. Http://www.canals.state.ny.us.
It’s a fabulous publication.
Don.

[Wfmdfm]

Welcome and good luck with the trip. What boat did you buy in CT? I looked at 2 there recently.

[jleonard]

Hey, Bought an Albin 28 TE in CT. I live in Michigan so this spring I will be motoring it back the Great Lakes from CT via the Hudson / Erie Canal / Lake Erie etc. If anyone has done the Erie Canal any tips will be much appreciated.

Been up the Hudson and thru the Erie several times.
A boat hook for the bow and one for the stern.
2 pairs of gloves for each (they will get very wet very quickly).
Dumpster dive for some old fenders and make cheap covers for them if you can. Plan on fendering BOTH sides and just leave them hang until you're out of the canal. Sometimes they make you change sides with not much time in between to change fenders around.
Get a Hudson River guide or charts or both. Canal guide also as already mentioned.
Don't know where you are starting your trip from, but Port Washington/Manhassett Bay has free town moorings. That makes a nice overnight spot so you can do NYC, East River or Harlem River the next morning.
I always liked Rondout Creek (Kingston, NY) as an over night. City marina, lots of resturants close by.
Overnight at Waterford also. Beginning of the Erie, resturants and grocery shopping nearby so you can easily re-stock.
Lots of places to overnight on the Erie. Amsterdam, Canajoharie, Brewerton on the eastern Erie. Never been on the Western part.

Good luck and have fun.

[DesertAlbin736]

Overnight at Waterford also. Beginning of the Erie, resturants and grocery shopping nearby so you can easily re-stock.
Lots of places to overnight on the Erie. Amsterdam, Canajoharie, Brewerton on the eastern Erie. Never been on the Western part.

Ditto what J said.

We did a short western segment of the Erie in June, 2015, roughly 45 miles from the junction with the Cayuga-Seneca Canal near the Montezuma Nat'l Wildlife Refuge north of the Finger Lakes & west to Fairport, NY. I made up fender boards & got a pair large orange "basketball" fenders. Fender boards are where you attach ropes to either end of a 3 feet or so long board, hang it over a pair of fenders and hang a 3rd fender over the outside of the board. Yes heavy gloves are a good idea, I'd suggest heavy black rubber gloves because leather gloves will get soaking wet.

Here's what the inside of a lock looks like. I should have been wearing a PFD which I did in subsequent locks. The walls are rough & slimy. In this photo the lock was a little different than most as this one had these cables that you could loop a dock line around. Most had ropes hanging down at about 15 foot intervals. You don't tie off to those ropes, just hold on to them as the boat goes up or down in the lock.

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The routine we figured out after the first lock was for me to be up on deck at the bow with a boat hook while my wife drove the boat over to the side wall. I'd catch a hanging rope with the boat hook & start walking it aft while my wife put the engine in neutral & came up on deck & I'd grab onto a stern line & hand it off to her. It's easier than it looks, although the lock can get turbulent when it's lifting from a lower level to a higher level.

There are good town docks at Lyons, Newark, and Fairport, and a little side basin & dock in Palmyra. All are free except at Fairport.

At Lyons there's a fire station a short walk up from the dock (on the north bank of the canal) where you can use their showers & rest rooms. Free although donations are welcome.

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At Newark this dock on the north bank has shore power, nice rest room facilities with showers & laundry and some cool historical murals on the walls

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Side basin dock at Palmyra. This dock had a pump out facility.

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This dock on the south bank at Lyons is the only dock that charged a docking fee, as of 5 years ago it was like $7 per night and also has shore power & access to showers.

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That's as far west as we went, staying on the east side of the Fairport lift bridge, which opens on demand.

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The Fairport lift bridge was the only draw or lifting bridge we encountered, but watch your air draft, some of the fixed RR bridges are pretty low clearance like this one.

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Can't give much advice about fuel availability has we had plenty of range on one fill up for the 110 mile round trip we did.

We intend to do a "triangle" loop this coming summer, starting & ending at Brewerton on Lake Oneida, going clockwise up the Oswego to Lake Ontario, to Kingston, Rideau Canal to Ottowa, Ottowa River to Montreal & on to Sorel, down the (or upstream actually) Richelieu to Champlain, down Champlain Canal to the Hudson at Whitehall, down the Hudson to Waterford, and back on the Erie to Brewerton. That is after we trailer 2,400 miles from Phoenix.

[neptune]

Thanks for all the great advice. Sorry I went a away for a quite awhile.

WFMDFM, I too looked two Albin 28 TEs. I bought the one in Stratford named Ride On. Beautiful newly painted blue hull and nice mahogany lined V berth, with great electronics. I liked the other one as well but it was more $ and I liked the Blue.

Now in this Orwellian world.... I live in SW Michigan and boat is still in Stratford. How and when I start voyage is a complete unknown. All my pre-set plans have been destroyed with the Covid 19 lock downs.

I have been using "Waterway Guide" "Great Lakes Vol 1" by Jeff Jones. It includes the New York Canal system. Its very informative. I may buy the additional book as suggested herein as well.

I figured from Stratford Ct. down around Manhattan up the Hudson and then Erie Canal to Brewerton is 6-7 days. Does this sound about right? Brewerton Marina has agreed to allow me to leave boat there for a duration as go back home and back to work. Then in a month or so I will return to Brewerton and continue the voyage.

Still debating if I take Erie all the way to Buffalo or go up the Oswego canal and hot the Trent Severn. My family has a place in the North Channel of Lake Huron. I might make that a destination.

Thanks

[Nancy]

Neptune, it sounds like a wonderful trip if you're able to pull it off this year. If it were me, my Plan B would be to load my new baby on a truck and bring her home.

Post some photos of your cabin when you have a chance. We *love* photos, and your cabin sounds unusual.

[neptune]

Well Nancy, My initial plan was to start voyage May 15th. That is toast. Maybe June. Boat is ready to splash. But no sense at this point.

I have limited pix but I'll post what I have. At this point I reduced to boat porn. All I can do is look at pix of this beautiful boat. I'd much rather take her for a ride. Frustrating.

Its a 2000 Albin 28 TE with Yanmar 310 and some nice electronics like a large touch screen GPS chart plotter radar.

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[Nancy]

Boat porn - no joke! Beautiful boat! Hope you can get her home sooner rather than later.

[DesertAlbin736]

FYI, since we had been planning a triangle loop trip this summer before COVID-19 hit I signed up on the list for notifications from the NY Canal Corporation. I suggest you do the same. I got an email notice to mariners from them yesterday. It said due to the virus all maintenance on the canals has been suspended until further notice & canals will not open on time. Further notices TBD possibly opening segments on a "regional basis".

[neptune]

Boat arrives by truck Saturday. Went out over the weekend and took boat to Statue of Liberty before she got loaded on truck to be shipped to Lake Michigan.

[Nancy]

Under the circumstances, I think you made a good choice. Will be nice to have your baby home.