-

We had the engine on 3 hours and 22 minutes, only went 15.3 miles, but we went 195.9 feet UP. We are officially in the land of the locks. Our first full day on the Erie Canal. Just to confuse us, Lock #1 is actually the Troy Federal lock we traversed yesterday.  Since yesterday afternoon, we've been looking at the gates of Lock 2, which you have seen.  The first challenge is known as the "Flight of Five", locks 2,3,4,5 and six in rapid succession which raise us up almost 200 feet. In lock #2, waiting for the water to finish rising. This 25 foot sailboat has some miles on it.  Home ported in San Diego, California, Doug sailed it in the Singlehanded Transpac Race from San Francisco to Hawaii, then up to Sitka, Alaska and back to San Francisco.  From there, he had it trucked to New Jersey and is going up to Lake Ontario, down the St Lawrence Seaway to the Canadian Maritimes and back to the East Coast of the USA.  And he still appears to be sane! I have no idea why ...

  Our longest day yet.  A whopping 2.5 miles!  We could see the lock from the dock and were tied up at the Waterford Canal Welcome Center by 9:30AM.  The downside:  The Welcome Center is undergoing upgrades and there is no power, no water, no pump out and only half of the usual amount of dock space.  Nonetheless, here we are. This is technically the first lock of the Erie canal, but it is on the Hudson River and owned by the Federal Govmint. (Paul talk) Gates are half open. Gates are now open. These are easy for the crew.  One line wrapped around the pipe and up we go. We are at the new height and heading out of the lock. Looking back at the closed gates. We are now still on the Hudson, but no longer in the tidal effects of the Atlantic. Decisions, decisions...  How do you like the curly, super clamp, tripod I used for my action camera? We chose to go to the left! An homage to the motive power of the original canal, this mule refuses to move. Ano...