In this installment, we are delayed by flooding in Vermont. Make the local news as two bodies are found in the river near our boats, and make it almost to the Canadian border!
Day 47 – Tuesday, 7/11 – New Baltimore, NY to Troy, NY – 47 miles, Travel Time: 2hrs 50min
We had been hearing about the heavy rains and flooding in New York and Vermont. The area around West Point, where we had been just a few days before, had significant flooding, and the railroad lines between New York City and Albany were closed due to flood damage.
On Tuesday morning, we heard that the upper part of the Champlain Canal in New York was closed due to high water. We decided to wait for a couple of days for it to re-open, figuring that the downstream canal may be closed as the water drains down to the Hudson River.
Shady Harbor, where we were, is a nice marina, but there is no real town nearby, and with the recent storm damage, it made sense to travel up-stream a bit to Troy, NY, where there is a town, grocery store, and some sights to see near the marina.
Everyone on the dock was wondering what everyone else would do, and we told them we would brave all of the debris and strong currents in the river and head to Troy. A diving company was working on repairing the docks, and the owner came over and said, “Don’t go to Troy! There is a lot of junk in the river, a huge homeless population near the marina, and dead bodies floating past!” “Ya, right!” I thought he probably was bad-mouthing the marina because they won’t let him work there.
We talked to the Harbor Host, who called some friends that had stayed in Troy a few days before, and they said it was very nice. So, we took off for Troy.
Overall the trip up was uneventful. We did see a lot of sticks, logs, and junk in the river, and at times had to slow to a crawl to maneuver around it. On the way, we went past the biggest travel lift any of us has ever seen, 820 Tons! We passed through Albany, which is quite industrial and arrived in Troy in the early afternoon. Just before we reached Troy, we heard a sailboat that was just ahead of us trying to reach the Coast Guard. As we passed, they looked fine and were pulling up to the Troy Yacht Club, so we assumed that they were reporting one of the many 3-4 ft diameter trees floating downriver.
The current in Troy was pretty strong, but we docked without much problem. One of the other boats that moved to Troy that day was already docked, and we heard that the owner broke his shoulder while docking and fighting the current.
The dock at Troy is at the bottom of a large wall, so you have to be on the flybridge of the boat to see the town. When we looked around, we saw that right next to the dock was “Ryan’s Wake Pub” with the slogan “Life Is Thirsty Work.” Fantastic! The dock is just after a large Lift Bridge, and we were tied up right next to the bridge. Right behind us was the Troy Fire Department Rescue Boat dock. (More on this later).
Once we were settled in, we went up to Ryan’s Wake and then to “Dinosaur BBQ,” which was just under the bridge from the boat and had been “basting” us with BBQ smoke since we arrived. It was some of the best BBQ we’ve had!
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Day 48 – Wednesday 7/12- In Troy, NY – 0 miles, Travel Time: 0hrs 0min
We spent the next three days in Troy. As we had thought, they re-opened the upper Champlain Canal but closed the lower portion. We were glad that we had not ventured up, as we would have been stuck somewhere along the canal, and there were not a lot of facilities along that portion of the route.
On Wednesday morning, we learned that the call to the Coast Guard was because the sailboat had seen a body in the river, and they recovered it downstream in Albany. We must have crossed paths with it at some point yesterday.
In the morning, we just hung around the boat doing projects. Riggs got a trim. It was pretty hot and humid, so we stayed where it was cool. In the early afternoon, we heard firetrucks up on the top of the wall, and a rescue crew took off downstream in the Fire Boat. A short time later, a news crew showed up, and the Fire Boat came back to the dock behind our boat with something under a tarp. They picked up a Police officer, then moved upstream to another dock near the lock.
It turns out that they had found another body in the river, just downstream of our boat. Because the main dock is very public, and a crowd had gathered, they moved to the other landing to take the body off of the boat. We were talking to the Dock Master, who told us they had found a body in the river the day before we arrived. Three in three days. I guess the diver was correct. Bodies do float past!
We checked out the local news to see if we could find any details and saw that our boat showed up in the news article.
In the end, all three turned out to be personal tragedies and not suspicious circumstances. Very sad.
It rained off-and-on most of the day, so we stayed on the boat and watched the debris float past. They stayed out in the river for the most part and didn’t present any danger to the boats. That evening we went to Browns Brewery, also just next to the boat, for dinner with some other boaters.
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My sister Sylvia sent Brenda a cutting when we were still in South Carolina. Brenda has been nursing it along, and it finally bloomed today! Beautiful. Thanks, Syl!
Day 49 – Thursday 7/13 – In Troy, NY – 0 miles, Travel Time: 0hrs 0min
At 12:30 am Wednesday night (actually Thursday morning), someone set off fireworks on the wall right over the boat. The first one was just a big-bang style, and it startled us awake. After the events of the previous day and the crime warnings, my first thought was that it was a gunshot! I got up and crept up from the bedroom to peek out the window. Then the sky lit up as a whole box of fireworks went off. It was a spectacular display, and the noise was made even louder by the echo under the bridge! Once I saw what it was and the “young adults” who shot them off walked under the bridge, I went out to ensure that no hot embers had landed on the boat.
In the morning, we saw that the boat was covered with paper bits and some of the chemicals used in the fireworks. So, I spent most of the day washing the boat and scrubbing stains from the chemicals.
While I was cleaning the boat, Tim & Brenda took a walk into town and did a bit of sightseeing. Troy is the home of the original “Uncle Sam” and the Troy-Built Rototillers!
In the late afternoon, we got another round of heavy rain, which, once past, gave us a spectacular sunset.
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Day 50 – Friday 7/14 – In Troy, NY – 0 miles, Travel Time: 0hrs 0min
We checked Friday morning, and the NY Canal Website said the Champlain Canal was still closed. We called a few of the lock-keepers and they said that the water was going down, and they hoped to get the okay to reopen later that day.
We decided to walk the mile to the grocery store and then Uber back as we both needed bottled water, soda, and other supplies. On the way to the store, a family of ducks crossed the road. Brenda H. (ever the Girl Scout) jumped out and stopped traffic so that they could cross. In the process, she spooked the ducks, who ran away from her rather than toward the far side of the road. “Why did the ducky cross the road? To get away from Brenda!”
After shopping, we took a walk into downtown Troy. There is a big urban renewal effort, and the downtown seems to be making a comeback. There are lots of very well-done wall murals all around town.
Notice the clock that shows direction rather than time. We think it used to be hooked up to a weather vane to show the current wind direction as we don’t think the building (an old bank) changed position very often.
There was also a great old two-story hardware store. We didn’t need anything, but it’s fun to look around!
When we returned to the boats, we had an email from the Canal Authority that they would be re-opening the Canal on Saturday morning! Woo Hoo!
We went to Ryan’s Wake for a beer and then to Browns for dinner.
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Day 51 – Saturday, 7/15 – Troy, NY to Fort Edward, NY – 51 miles, Travel Time: 7hrs 46min – 7 Locks
In the morning, we went to the Troy farmers market, one of the largest we’ve seen. It is on both sides of the street for several city blocks! We picked up some baked goods and a few veggies. We got back to the boat at 9:30 and cast off for the Champlain Canal!
Right after the marina was our first lock of the day, this is the “Federal Lock” and is a full-sized lock. This was Brenda and Tim’s first “Real Lock,” and they handled it fine.
We went past the turn-off to the Erie Canal and onto the Champlain Canal, which is just a continuation of the Hudson River we’ve been on since New York City. On our last Loop trip, we took the Erie Canal route. This time we went up the Champlain Canal, through Burlington, VT, and into Canada north of Montreal.
We then started the locks on the Champlain Canal. There is lots of information about the Erie Canal locks, but strangely not so much about the Champlain Canal Locks. We found them very similar, smaller than the big river locks but large enough to accommodate both of us and two or three other boats.
The water on the Champlain Canal was still quite high. The locks were not an issue. However, several bridges only have 16 feet of clearance at “normal” water levels. We needed 15 ft, 6 inches. The water was up between 12 to 18 inches, so we had a few tight fits! We met up with a boat called “Mother Ocean,” and he thought his clearance “Air Draft” was 16 feet, however when we got to a railroad bridge (the lowest on the route), and after creeping up to the bridge and standing on the back of his boat, ended up turning around and removing his radar dome.
After completing seven locks, we arrived in Fort Edward, NY, and had an enjoyable night at a Free Dock with power provided by the New York Canal Authority. A very rare amenity!
We walked up the street into town and ordered a pizza to go, then carried it next door to the local microbrewery to eat it. The two businesses have an understanding, the pizza place doesn’t sell beer, and the brewery doesn’t sell food!
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Day 52 – Sunday, 7/16 – Fort Edward, NY to Orwell, VT – 46 miles, Travel Time: 7hrs 24min – 5 Locks
We left Fort Edward and continued up the Champlain Canal. Our goal for the day was Orwell, Vermont. A small marina on the southern end of Lake Champlain. At Fort Edward, you leave the Hudson River and enter a dug portion of the canal.
We had five locks to do, with the final lock being a “down” lock to the level of the lake.
The weather was overcast, and we had an occasional rain shower. We entered Lake Champlain proper after completing our last lock in the USA (Lock C-12) in Whitehall, NY. We were only a few miles away from Orwell and the “Chipman Point Marina” when the clouds opened up! We had to crawl along as we had almost zero visibility. Fortunately, the rain only lasted about 15 minutes, and by the time we reached Chipman Point, it had stopped completely.
The only thing in Chipman Point is Chipman Point Marina. The town is several miles away. We had dinner on the boat and turned in early for our final push to Burlington, Vermont.
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Day 53 – Monday, 7/17 – Orwell, VT to Burlington, VT – 53 miles, Travel Time: 3hrs 57min – 0 Locks
Our trip to Burlington on Monday was very nice. There was a little bit of smoke haze but not enough to block the views of the Vermont Green Mountains. We were in the open lake, and although we did see a few sticks and logs, it was much clearer than the last week or so.
We cruised past Fort Ticonderoga, and then under the Lake Champlain Bridge and past the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse into the lake proper. Here we could run a bit faster as it was mostly open water.
The terrain here is impressive. Some cliffs rise 200 ft right next to the water, and the water around them is 200+ feet deep. We saw depths over 400 ft several times while traveling up Lake Champlain.
We arrived in Burlington Harbor just after 2:00 in the afternoon. Our marina was right next to the Coast Guard Station so we felt pretty safe. We pumped out our tanks and filled them up with “cheap” ($4.17/gallon) US Diesel and then went to our slips.
We had dinner on the boats in the evening and called it an early evening.
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Thanks for visiting! –Tom & Brenda
1 Comment
Great fun post!! Thank you!