May 23, 2009 - Detroit, Michigan

Bright and early we departed Northeast Yacht Club, headed out to Erie. It was a calm day, and the city of Cleveland shone in the early morning sunshine.










We had thought of staying at Put-In-Bay, until we realized it was Memorial Day weekend, and the harbor would be a madhouse. So as we approached South Bass Island, with its manic water traffic at the start of the season, we opted to continue on north. This is the car ferry from the mainland, which along with scores of recreational boaters, made the area feel like rush hour!






We passed the South Bass Lighthouse to starboard, and headed toward Detroit.












We could tell we were getting close to home as we passed the Detroit River Light, which marks the south entrance to the Detroit River.











We made way for this freighter in the Livingston Channel.













The familiar sight of the Ambassador Bridge came into view.











Welcome home to Detroit!













Marty thought about all the years she worked in this building, and we both thought about the current fate of GM.



















Along the Detroit River bank, the new Riverfront Park looks inviting.











We hoisted our West End Dock and Detroit Yacht Club pennants as we came toward the Detroit Yacht Club.











On the radio, the harbormaster of the DYC welcomed us home. We spent the next few days reconnecting with our friends, neighbors and relatives at the DYC, in Detroit, and in Michigan. After 18 months and just under 7000 nm, it was good to be back home!

We enjoyed a homegrown sunset at the DYC. We will take up our blog again in a week or so, as we venture on northward toward Tobermory, Ontario and our beloved Stag Island.

May 22, 2009 - Cleveland, Ohio

The Erie Yacht Club appeared asleep, as we made another early departure today at 0630 hours. We have miles to go before we sleep!













The J.S. St. John, this dredging workboat also was up early, and we stood back waiting for her to pass the Erie Harbor Pierhead Light in front of us. They headed east, while we turned west toward Cleveland.









Another offshore day provided only distant views of larger objects on shore, like this nuclear power plant.











We pulled in to the Northeast Yacht Club, just a bit northeast of Cleveland. Monarch was the largest boat here today, and we berthed on the T-end of one of the docks.

That evening, as the wind died, we were treated to a beautiful sunset over the boats at the dock.






This club has wonderful hospitality, with many members enjoying a Friday evening. They made us feel most welcome. They told us this is a “working man’s” club, with members dedicating an annual allotment of hours of labor to club grounds and facilities. They have their own travel lift and crane for mast installation, and winter store boats on premises.

The commodore, Guenter Meschke, was found tending bar, and we were invited to an impromptu perch fry.

A group of members had spent the afternoon fishing, and decided to cook the catch up in the club’s kitchen.

We brought a bean salad to pass, and enjoyed the wonderful fresh perch and French fries, cooked on the outdoor propane fired kettle.

We were presented with a “gift” bag of fresh perch, ready for the freezer. We hadn’t seen such warm hospitality since leaving West End at the Detroit Yacht Club, over 18 months ago!

May 21, 2009 - Erie, PA

As we entered Lake Erie early this morning, the Buffalo skyline was in our wake. How delightful to be back in the Great Lakes! We are so appreciative of the “Sweetwater Sea” after months in saltwater, brackish water and canal water.








Running down Lake Erie, we were off shore in light winds and seas of about two feet. As far as the eye could see, there was fresh water! At the end our 73 nautical mile run, we entered the harbor at Erie, PA, at this entrance light. This is a large harbor, and a great shelter for boats of all kinds.







The harbor has a monument to Commodore Perry, as do many Lake Erie ports.













We made for the Erie Yacht Club, and tied up for the night. We did a quick wash of the boat, to rinse off the last of the canal scum and residual salt. Then, we did a walkabout the club grounds. They have 371 boat slips, just three less than are at the DYC. It is a large harbor, with staff to run a travel lift, as they winter store boats on the premises.






That evening, as the wind died, we were treated to a beautiful sunset over the boats at the dock.

May 20, 2009 -- Buffalo, New York

We departed Medina early, to transit the last portion of the Erie Canal. Medina apparently is the “apple capital” of the area, as evidenced by this larger-than-life apple in a canal side park.











Along the canal was this playscape made to look like a pirate ship.












We came to the last flight of locks on the Erie Canal at Lockport. This had originally been five locks with more gradual lifts, but has been replaced by two locks, each with about 25 feet of lift. A woman lock tender, an unusual sight, operated these locks. She was glad to see us with a woman captain for these lifts!







We knew we were getting close to Buffalo, NY, as we saw this canal side yard ornament.












After exiting the Erie Canal, we made sure to turn left – west – and not right which would have taken us over Niagara Falls! Then we made our way into the last lock of our northward trip, in Buffalo, NY.

We docked for the night at Buffalo Yacht Club. They were having their first sailboat race of the season, so we put chairs on our foredeck and watched them in the harbor and beyond on Lake Erie. As the sun set, we joined the club members for a weenie roast at the clubhouse. All the clubs we visit show us warm hospitality.

May 19, 2009 - Medina, New York

The morning greeted us crisp (43 degrees) and sunny, with a snapping breeze. Leaving Fairport, we called for an opening of the Main Street Lift Bridge. This bridge is in the Guinness Book of World Records because one end is higher than the other, it is built on a slant and no two angles on the entire bridge are the same. We had chatted with the bridge tender the day before, as we crossed over on our walk.





We noted an unusual feature of the local locks, a type of drain, which creates a large boiling dome of water on the lower level near the lock entrance.










This area of the canal is fairly level, and after lock 33, we had 65 miles until the next lock. We had smooth sailing, with the occasional high school crew rowing team practicing.











With no locks on this stretch, we instead had to contend with bridges just off the water’s surface, and we had to radio the bridge tenders to raise these for us. Fortunately, there is lots of warning both on the charts and on the canal sides.















There isn’t enough room for a canoe to pass under these bridges.












And they raise straight up for our passage, after stopping vehicular traffic.












In most cases, the bridge tender is responsible for the lift of two – or maybe three – bridges. So, after he lets you through one, you wait patiently while he races along the canal side to let you through the next bridge.









And once in a while, we see a major obstruction coming down the canal from a bridge opening, and Monarch waits to the side for the commercial traffic to pass.










We passed Albion, NY, and made a note to stop next time. The downtown looks most interesting.













The orchards that we passed were in bloom. When we came through 18 months ago, they were laden with apples.










The farms along the canal are well kept.













This stretch of the canal has a road that passes directly under the canal. It is named Culvert Road, appropriately enough!

We came into Medina for the night, and docked along the wall. We were the only boat to spend tonight here.

We strolled the downtown, which has historic buildings constructed with Medina sandstone. This sandstone was a very popular building material around 1900, and has been used in such far-flung structures as the Brooklyn Bridge and Buckingham Palace. At the peak of its popularity, over 2000 men were employed in area sandstone extraction operations.

After dinner aboard, we went for a stroll along the banks of the canal and saw the Medina Falls. Directly upstream of the falls, the Oak Orchard Creek passes 45 feet below the canal, which forms an aqueduct above the creek.

We continue to be impressed by the early 1800s engineering expertise that made this canal system possible.

May 17, 2009 - Newark, New York

We left Baldwinsville early this morning, with the temperature a chilly 43 degrees. Along the way, we saw this big canal workboat.











Soon after, we saw the remnants of the 900 foot long Montezuma Aqueduct, where the canal of 1862 crossed above the Seneca River.












Jerry had rigged a “bridge feeler”, this pole on the bow of the boat. Working like a car’s curb feeler, this pole is just three inches taller than our radar unit it its reclining position. It will “tick” a low bridge before the boat structure will, allowing time for a quick reverse if necessary. After the rain yesterday, canal water levels are up in some places over a foot. We will have to approach all bridges with caution.

As we approached the lowest bridge on the entire Erie Canal, we spoke to the nearby lock tender who was locking us through. He advised us that if we needed 3 – 5 more inches of clearance at this tricky bridge, he could let water out through the adjacent dam in a matter of minutes. He stood by on his radio in case we needed that assist. As it turned out, we didn’t, and we just barely cleared the bridge by some three inches.



This historic home is in Clyde, NY.













In Newark, NY we made fast for the night at the brand-new town dock, the walkway with new slate tiles and the park newly sodded.











The dock master’s office is in this new building, which houses the shower, restrooms and free washer/dryer for boaters. The bridge abutment is painted with an historic mural. We were glad to be tied up with power, as the high today reached 57 degrees and the winds were piping. We had the heat on tonight!