Sad News from Albin Motor

[dkirsop]

In my latest order from Albin Motor was the funeral notice for Stefan's wife - Maude Maria. I met Stefan and his wife while on holiday in Sweden in August 2017. They were a charming couple that together built the business over the decades into what is a vital resource to those of us who still enjoy these wonderful boats. Maude personally selected and fitted the Albin cap that I wear at rendezvous events. I know Stefan will really miss her and I will remember her. She passed away 17 March 2021.

[DesertAlbin736]

Sad news indeed. Not sure we'll ever get to do it, but renting an Albin 25 to do the Gota Canal in Sweden is one of our bucket list items (one place we can't trailer our boat to!). Hope Albin Motor stays in business. Would hate to see that source for parts disappear.

[dkirsop]

Even if you can't rent an Albin go anyways. It was one of our best holidays. We toured Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Do Iceland first, it's so expensive everywhere else seems cheap. Even the $100Can for 2 beers and a pizza in Norway!

[WillieC]

We had big plans to see Norway, where the Starfleet Commander has a town named after her family. Then COVID. I hope we can still pull that one off one day.

[DesertAlbin736]

We enjoyed watching the "Atlantic Crossing" Masterpiece Theater docudrama series recently aired on PBS about the late Norwegian Crown Princess Martha's "relationship" with FDR during WW2. She was a niece of the king of Sweden. Kyle Maclachlan, (fictional Portland, OR mayor on "Portlandia", Dale Cooper character on Twin Peaks, Sex & the City TV series) played FDR.

As OT aside, we're in the midst of planning a road trip to Tonawanda, NY later for this summer to launch at Tonawanda & traverse Erie Canal to Troy, NY, Hudson River to NYC, New Jersey coast ICW to Cape May, Delaware Bay to C&D Canal & on to Chesapeake Bay. I'm signed up for NY canal email notices to mariners & so far this spring it's been crazy. The lifting gear on the downstream "guillotine" style gate on Lock 17 in Little Falls, NY broke down & may take weeks to fix (unique parts for the 100 year old lift gate mechanism have to be fabricated from scratch in a machine shop). Westbound boat traffic is backed up to Lock 8 in Scotia, NY, 55 miles to the east. Meanwhile Locks 29 & 30 160 miles to the west between the towns of Macedon & Palmyra in western NY are out of service while work is being done on the canal banks on the segment between the locks. When that stretch does open the water level will be lowered to 5 foot depth until further notice. No problem for us with 2.5 foot draft, but our friends who we plan to meet in Tonawanda & buddy boat the rest of the way to the Chesapeake have a full keel cutter sailboat that draws 4 foot 7 inches. Close shave! A lot of crossed fingers going on!

Lock 17 is the "tallest" lock on the canal, a 40 foot lift. Or in our case a 40 foot drop since we'll be eastbound going "downstream", entering the swing gate at the west end, dropping 40 and exiting under the "guillotine" lifting gate on east end.

Lock17.jpg