May 12, 2009 - Lock #12, Erie Canal, New York

Right at the end of our overnight dock is the first lock of the Waterford Flight of Five – five locks in quick succession.



This is in the middle of the flight. We were kept busy with entering, grabbing lines, holding on and fending off, and exiting. Then repeat! We take turns piloting for each lock entry and exit, to keep both our close-quarters skills honed!








The view as the boat rises is impressive. We can see the mountains begin to appear at eye level in the distance.












Many of the locks are adjacent to spillways, which create a challenging bit of turbulence near entry.












The view from inside our lock often shows the spillway, sometimes with intrepid fishermen after the catch of the day.

In the evening, we tied along the wall adjacent to Lock 12, for a much deserved good night’s sleep, after locking through ten locks today.