43°13′40″ N 78°1′19″ W
Aug 18 – Holley, NY
We left Fairport at 6:30am Friday morning.
It rained heavy the night before so the flybridge area was soaking wet & had to be dried off before we could leave the dock.
Once underway we encountered several fixed height bridges. The NY Canal Authority cautions boaters that clearance is limited to 14.5 feet & that it could be less than that if water levels are high.
It is a bit nerve wracking approaching these bridges but our bimini frame is lowered to 13.5 feet so we should be OK until we pass the last bridge on the route (near Buffalo ). We checked, double-checked & then checked again to be sure & we have had no trouble so far (touch wood & fingers crossed!)
The lock master at one of the locks we passed through today told us that just a few days ago a houseboat had it’s bimini badly damaged at the low bridge just in front of the lock. Not a good day for that boater!
We are starting to see more sailboats headed south with their masts & rigging all tied up on the deck. Some of the sailboats we saw appeared to have no room at all on deck for crew to get around. Must be a real challenge for them to handle lines in the locks & when docking. Especially in the locks ’cause the boat moves around a lot during the up & down process.
We passed through a section of the canal today south of Rochester called the rock cut – & the name is very appropriate!
No problem with depth in this section but not a lot of room to maneuver.
This went on for several miles & then the landscape changed to a more rural setting.
The Canal Authority has done an excellent job maintaining the canal & the adjacent shorelines. In many sections the towpath along the banks of the canal is paved for miles & we see many people out biking & walking along them – especially in areas close to the towns.
There are lots of small towns along the canal route & they each offer free dock space along the canal wall for up to 48 hours. Some even provide free electricity & bathrooms & showers as an incentive for transient boaters to stop & spend a day or two in their community. This is very refreshing compared to further south (before the Erie Canal starts) where we paid up to $4.50 a foot US$153.00 + tax) for overnight dockage & the amenities were often not as nice as we could get along the canal route for free!
We passed through Spencerport, which had the 2nd of 16 lift bridges between here & Lockport.
This was a really pretty place & it would have been nice to stop here for a day or so – but it was only 1:00pm & we wanted to get a little further on before we stopped for the night.
We went another 15 miles & stopped for the night at the Town of Holley. It is also a pretty place but the town is a block or so away from the dock wall so it is a lot quieter.
The area along the canal is really well done with a welcome center, picnic tables, bathrooms & showers & free self serve pump out – which we gladly used.
As suppertime approached we thought we were going to have a very quiet night because we were the only boat on the dock & most of the locals had disappeared. But a large van pulled up to the dock around 6:00pm & some fellas in a rock band called “Who Dat” started setting up drums, microphones, guitars & amplifiers.
I told Catherine that I hoped these guys are not into heavy metal or it could be a long night! 🙀
Shortly after the band was set up lots of people arrived with lawn chairs, blankets, etc. & the band started playing what I would call classic soft rock – Beatles, Van Morrison, etc.
They were really good! Catherine & I mixed up a couple of drinks & we sat on the boat’s transom bench to enjoy the music & atmosphere.
By the time it was getting dark there was a party happening! People were even sitting on lawn chairs on the other side of the canal & a few small local boats tied up too.
Our boat still has it’s previous home port (Switzerland Point, FL) on the transom.
This has turned out to be a great conversation starter wherever we stop. People are interested to know how we got this far & where our final destination is.
During one of the band’s brief breaks a local couple approached us & wanted to know our story….
Amy & her husband Joe (hope I got their names right) have a farm & orchard nearby & are big boosters of the canal. They were telling us that in the 70s the State of NY was considering closing the canal (because of the cost of maintaining it) & local communities & farmers convinced the State to keep it open because it was important for tourism & also for all of the farmers (like them) along the canal who depended upon the canal as an important source of water for irrigating their crops.
Holley turned out to be a very enjoyable stop & we would like to return again some day.
Next stop – Tonawanda!
Cheers!