Day 18: Ketchikan to Santa Anna Anchorage: We can’t seem to get away from the cruise ships. We barely have time to sneak out of the marina at 5:30 this morning just in front of a Celeberty ship as she is coming into port. We meet a Carnival ship just a mile north as we […]
June 19 – 15 Years on the Erie Canal
We’re headed east today, we went 50 miles, did seven locks that lowered us 110′ and went under 88 bridges…other than that there is nothing new to tell you about. So I guess I’ll share a little more history on the Erie Canal.
The first company to offer travel on the canal was the Canal Navigation Company. One could travel upon the canal for the small fee of four cents per mile which accounted for board and lodging. A tourist at that time would have paid approximately $2.80 per day. Horses would tow the boats while walking along a towpath paved next to the canal. The boats, held up to 30 people and would travel nearly 80 miles per day switching horses every six hours.
The first company to offer travel on the canal was the Canal Navigation Company. One could travel upon the canal for the small fee of four cents per mile which accounted for board and lodging. A tourist at that time would have paid approximately $2.80 per day. Horses would tow the boats while walking along a towpath paved next to the canal. The boats, held up to 30 people and would travel nearly 80 miles per day switching horses every six hours.
A typical packet boat could accommodate about 30 people. It was about 60-70 feet long, with accommodations for a dining room, where two rows of tables were set. At night, mattresses were spread on the seats of the table and cots were suspended from the roof. The deck was perhaps the biggest attraction of the packet boats. Tourists could see nature, sing, dance, play instruments and completely immerse themselves in this totally new experience. However, passengers quickly discovered that there were many complications that could hamper their experience. Deck-top activity was interrupted every quarter mile by low bridges. When the captain screamed “Low bridge, everybody down!” passengers had to either scamper back into the cabin or lay face down on the deck to avoid getting knocked off the boat. Considering these bridges were a common occurrence, it made recreation on the deck extremely difficult. Inside the boat wasn’t much better either, there was not much of a view and the heat in the summer was unbearable.
The Erie Canal Song was written in 1905 to memorializes life on the Erie Canal between 1825 to 1880 when the mule barges made boomtowns out of Utica, Rome, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo, and transformed New York into the Empire State. It’s the most recognized of all the Erie Canal folksongs. It’s interesting to note that the cover depicts a boy riding a mule leaned down to fit under a bridge, but in actuality the song is about the people on the boats and the way they had to duck down or get off the roof to fit under bridges.
You can listen to the song here
Ketchikan to Sitka
Even though I had tested started the engine already, I still had a little trepidation when I turned the key to start the engine on June 13. The engine quickly started, and all was well as we headed north up Clarence Strait.
Since our goal was Sitka and the tides and currents favorable, we decided to route ourselves into Frederick Sound through Rocky Pass rather than the Wrangell Narrows. Our anchorage for the night was the entrance bight outside Red Bay on the north end of Prince of Wales Island. The conditions were calm so only the wakes of passing cruise ships rocked us overnight.
After passing through Rocky Pass and continuing up Keku Strait, we headed to Honey Dew Anchorage on the northwest end of Kuiu Island. We shared the anchorage with a local boat from Petersburg.
From here we headed to one of our favorite anchorages, Ell Cove, about 30 miles further north along the east shore of Baranof Island. We were surprised to have the anchorage to ourselves for the night.
The last night, June 19, before heading into Sitka, was in the cove just outside the entrance to deGroff Bay on Krestoff Island. We like this anchorage over deGroff because it can be entered/exited at all tide levels and it doesn’t have the navigational challenges of the narrows at the south end of deGroff Bay.
The next morning, after a short 11-mile journey we were tied up in Sitka’s Eliason Harbor.
Miles traveled this leg – 309.5; engine hours – 48.6
Total miles traveled – 1024.0; engine hours – 153.0
Skeg attached! Minor Milestone
One of the tasks I have to get out of the way before I can move onto the rest of the drive train is setting the skeg. The skeg is a single piece of very heavy walled Stainless Steel channel. Almost 6 feet long and weights about 60 lbs.
Skeg fitte…
Skeg attached! Minor Milestone
One of the tasks I have to get out of the way before I can move onto the rest of the drive train is setting the skeg. The skeg is a single piece of very heavy walled Stainless Steel channel. Almost 6 feet long and weights about 60 lbs.Skeg fitted into …
Nesahaugen
Before arriving in Fjærland, we had planned to hike up to the Flatbrehytta Mountain Cabin, 3,280 ft (1000 m) up at the head of Fjærlandsfjord. But the Fjærland information center said the trail wasn’t passable yet due to snow and suggested Nesahaugen instead for great views. Below are trip highlights from May 9th, 2018 in…
June 17 – Waterfalls and Small Town Charm
Spencerport Town Dock
“It’s the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly.” —Bertrand Russell
We made another stop along the way today. The small town of Holley has a pretty park that provides free docking. It’s just a short walk through the park to the Holley Canal Falls. The falls are about 35 ft and are feed from the overflow water from the Erie Canal. The water empties into the East Branch of Sandy Creek and eventually makes its way to Lake Ontario. It made a nice place to stretch our legs and have lunch.
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Tender NMEA2000 System
Frequent readers of this blog know we like NMEA2000 and have become very dependent upon Maretron N2KView at the core of our monitoring and control system on Dirona. The screens above are our underway and at rest monitoring displays for Dirona. They are repeated in the pilot house, salon, and master stateroom. Knowing how much…
Jostedalsbreen
Jostedalsbreen, at 188 sq miles (486 sq km), is the largest icecap in mainland Europe. The icecap extends close to Fjærland at the head of Fjærlandsfjord, a northerly arm of Sognefjord, Norway’s longest fjord. From the guest dock at Fjærland we made an easy bike trip to Jostedalsbreen at Supphellebreen Glacier. On the way back…
June 15, 2018 – Tobermory to Little Current
Good day on the water. Headed out of Tobermory in the morning with flat beautiful seas. We enjoyed this town with all it’s shops, ice cream, restaurants and great people!
Bye, bye Tobermory!
Great day on…
