Fonda, NY – Herkimer, NY - June 26, 2008

When Darrell started the engines this morning one didn’t sound right. So, he went down to the engine room to check. A new alternator belt Darrell had installed had stretched a little. He fixed it and we were off.

It was raining this morning. Not good weather for going through locks. We were going to get wet. We could only hope it would quit raining soon. It did stop while we went through the first three locks, but started again at 11:30 with three locks to go before our intended stop. There were showers off and on the rest of the day.

The Erie Canal locks use one of three methods to allow you to hold your boat in position on the wall as the lock floods or drains. One has several pipes running down both sides of the lock. You pull up next to one of the pipes amidships and run a line around the pipe. You secure one end of the rope to a cleat, then loosely loop the end of the same line around the cleat. As the boat raises or lowers, the line slides up or down the pipe and holds the boat in place. This is the easiest type of lock.

The second type uses rubber coated steel cables anchored top and bottom along the sides of the lock walls. You use the same procedure as above.

The third method simply has ropes hanging down the lock wall in several places on both sides of the lock. This is the most common type of lock we see in the New York Canal System. You bring your boat in between two of these ropes. One takes a forward rope and one holds an aft rope. You really need gloves for this because the ropes are wet, dirty and slimy. You simply hold on to the rope to hold the boat in place. This can get difficult if the wind or the current in the lock is significant. There is current depending on where the flood or drain gates are located in the lock.

We went through lock 17 today. Not only is this the highest lift lock on the Erie Canal, it is believed to be one of only two locks in North America where the entrance gate is lifted above the boater instead of opening with swinging doors. The other is in Ottawa River in Canada. Lock 17 is also the largest single step lock on the Erie Canal, going up 40 feet.

The gate of lock 17 made very ominous sounds when closing. There was clanging and echoing as the gate very slowly lowered. It sounded much like an iron gate in a castle or prison slamming shut.

In addition to several marinas, the canal system offers complimentary tie-up spaces at most locks and towns along the way. Almost all of them are very nice and some even provide electricity. Our stay at Fonda last night was next to a park with picnic tables and a grill. It was a gated area and the park gates closed at 3:30 p.m. There was a sign there that said Welcome Boaters. We forgot to mention in yesterdays posting that the Henry Fonda clan is from Fonda, NY.

We were able to stop for the day earlier than yesterday. We are at Herkimer, NY at a complimentary dock. We tied up at 3:30. There is new building next to the dock which houses a restaurant on one end and a very nice upscale gift shop in the rest of it. There are products from over 50 vendors. Darrell rode the bike to a nearby store to buy oil. He wants to change the oil before we cross Lake Ontario.

In the pictures, look at how smooth and glassy the water is. You could see the reflection of the bridge and the trees in the water. It was beautiful.

Today we went through 6 locks, for a total of 20 locks. We are at an elevation of 383 feet above sea level.