Torghatten is a famous landmark in Norway due the hole through right through the mountain. A hiking trail leads up and through the hole and back down the other side, and you also can hike over the top to the summit of Torghatten. We did both. Below are trip highlights from May 15th through 17th,…
Tag Archives | trawler
Stad
Stad, a headland on Norway’s southwest coast, is one of 24 areas listed in the Norwegian Coastal Pilot as likely to have rough seas in certain wind and tide conditions. Stad is considered the worst and is so notorious for dangerous conditions that an escort service is provided for small boats and funds have been…
North –
To? –
As I’m writing this we’re tied up at Ft Pierce enjoying the company of those darn Kiwis aboard ‘Southern Star’.
It’s always fun to catch up with Jenny and Ted. They’ve just finished a pretty extensive run of the Bahamas so plenty of isl…
North –
To? -As I’m writing this we’re tied up at Ft Pierce enjoying the company of those darn Kiwis aboard ‘Southern Star’.It’s always fun to catch up with Jenny and Ted. They’ve just finished a pretty extensive run of the Bahamas so plenty of island st…
June 20 – Seneca Falls, NY
Seneca Falls Town Dock
“Not until we are lost do we begin to find ourselves.” —Henry David Thoreau
The Cayuga-Seneca Canal is actually two short canals that join the Erie Canal to Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. The first lock is about four miles south of the Erie Canal, this lock takes you into Cayuga Lake. We decided to complete the Cayuga-Seneca Canal so we took a right after lock 1 and followed a well-defined canal about 8 miles to Seneca Lake. We’ve now done all the canals in New York.
CONTINUE READING HERE…»
Cuddles
The crew of Red Head may never win any obedience awards. They’ve never rescued a child from a well or won at Westminster. But there is one area where all of the crew, past and present, are number one – cuddling.Dyna cuddled Dylan when he was a puppy.Dy…
Ketchikan to Wrangell
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…
