arrived about 1345.
A short distance further is lock 8 which
showed us closed gates
and a red light. My wife spotted the ship
in the distance and
quickly explained that we didn't belong in
such big company.Fulton, NY, between Oswego Canal locks 2 and 3 - We awoke to moderate rain and a bit of thunder in the distance. This was the first rain we had all week, and we were spoiled by not having to think about it. We slept in a bit, had a leisurely breakfast. The canvassed bow area was a bit damp as we didn't put up the vinyl or canvas covers overnight, so we moved the table into the cabin for breakfast. Afterwards, I did the only non-chart or guidebook reading of the trip. We both brought some summer reading, but we hadn't touched it all week as there was too much else to do.
About 1130, the rain was lessening, and we cast off for lock 3. There is no lock 4, so next we reached lock 5 at 1245. As Dennis Bisson pointed out in his description of the Oswego canal, there really isn't a good place to tie up at either end of lock 5. Further, this lock has a dam on the east, a power plant on the west, the lock is in the middle, and there really isn't anywhere else to go. It was the one time I was hoping the trusty Yanmar diesel engine wouldn't let us down. There are walls at either end of 5, but they're in very rough condition. Don't plan on stopping at 5.
We waited a short while at 5 for another
MLN boat heading back
from Oswego to clear the lock. We arrived
at lock 6 at 1330. After
our call, they had the lock ready for us,
and we locked right
through. I believe they alerted 7 to our
presence, and that lock
was ready when we arrived about 1345.
A short distance further is lock 8 which
showed us closed gates
and a red light. My wife spotted the ship
in the distance and
quickly explained that we didn't belong in
such big company.
We tied up just before lock 8 at 1400, and had a picnic lunch under the shade of a small pavilion on the lock grounds. We walked around the grounds a bit, but given the time (1500), we decided it was time to head back as we planned to return to Phoenix that afternoon.
There was some delay at 7; apparently the lock operators didn't hear my calls, so we tied up, and I climbed the stairs to see what was up. They responded quickly, readied the lock, and we were on our way back south.
We docked at Phoenix at 2030, assisted by the volunteers at the dock. There was a band concert in progress and the dock staff had some apple pie for sale; we were too late for dinner at the dock. A bit later, the town fire siren sounded for a long time allowing us to audibly locate every dog within 2 miles. I hadn't heard such a canine chorus in a long time.
