June 5, 2012 - Oswego, NY

As we approach Lake Oneida, Mariner’s Landing looks like a good spot for a night’s stop, but it’s much too soon for us.

The wild yellow iris, or yellow flags, grows along the canal.

We felt at home in Brewerton – like the Detroit Yacht Club, the cottonwood seeds were like snow in the air and like smoke on the water.

We moored at Winter Harbor in Brewerton, to pick up provisions and parts for some mechanical work we need to do. The marina is most accommodating, with courtesy cars to run to Wal-Mart, West and other stores.

The moon was almost full as we retired for the night after a fine perch dinner at the Waterfront Restaurant.

Now, we’re ready for the Oswego Canal and then our entry into the Great Lakes. We weren’t surprised to see more rain coming our way, as we’ve had daily showers for a couple of weeks. 

No chance for a wrong turn at this junction. The Erie Canal is connected to Lake Ontario by the 23.7-mile long Oswego Canal, with seven locks which will drop us 118 feet to Lake Ontario. 

At Henley Park in Phoenix, you can get a variety of services like restaurant-prepared meals, a run to the grocery store, and other necessities from a group of local young folks called the Bridge House Brats. 

The lock opens, and then the lockmaster raises the bridge for Monarch.

This delightful little mansion sat right on the banks of the canal.

Arriving in Oswego, New York, we see the local artists have been at work decorating the canal’s walls. Oswego has been a noted freshwater point since the early 19th century, and it’s where we will await calm conditions to cross Lake Ontario to the far shore and the province of Ontario. 

As dusk fell, and just before the lock closed for the night, the tug Margot passed loaded with mysterious cargo, just inches from Monarch’s side.

Under Utica Street bridge, four boats waited for calm weather. The canal was calm, but the spillway paralleling it was full of rapids.

The small sailing catamaran behind us had been waiting for an entire week for the right conditions to cross.

As we had two days to kill, we explored Oswego, located on both sides of the Oswego River. This ocean-racing sailboat was stopping over; its homeport is Bay Harbor, Michigan. 

Across the way, we could see the main street heading uphill. 

There was a great walking trail along the waterfront.

We dined out at the Water Street Café, in what used to be the county courthouse, with a view of the canal.

Here are the restaurant’s mascots. We discovered a short cut back to Monarch, over the Harbor Rail Trail walkway.

Here comes the tug Margot with another load, this time a grain barge. In the 19th century, grain dominated Oswego’s commerce; in 1850 alone, 18 local mills produced 8,750 barrels of flour a day. Tomorrow’s prediction is for calmer seas, so we plan to make our crossing. (Just a heads up. We will be crossing from Oswego into Ontario and will not have as ready access to the internet as in the US. We will try to post as often as we can - JR.)