Hey Robert,
What the hey, on second thought I decided to let the folks share some info and ideas on some of the beautiful sailing up here in NYS. Besides that, they'll never be able to decipher or break our secret code.
It's snowing like crazy today and this gives me something to do, so enjoy.
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From: Oswego John
To: Sea Hunt
Posted: Sun 1/3/10 3:19 am
Subject: CD XXXX
Hi Robert,
It is a good thing that you posted about the email. I probably would have never seen it without your heads up.You are quite correct about Ithaca being roughly a two hour drive from Oswego under normal conditions. Yesterday afternoon the snow machine, after an abnormally long delay, finally started up for the season. Tonight's weather report said that for at least the next week we will have daily snow.
If that boat is under wraps for the winter, it is highly unlikely that anyone would want to uncover it to show, and for a thorough checkup. For $XXXX K, I highly doubt that the boat will be gone before spring thaw.
The good news is that there is an exceptionally beautiful water route from Ithaca back to the major waterways. Ithaca, home of Cornell University, lies at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake, one of the beautiful Finger Lakes. The lake varies in width, plus or minus 3 miles wide for about 38 miles northward to Seneca Falls, passing through the famous wineries on either side of the lake. Just a little past Seneca Falls is the juncture of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and the Erie Canal. Seneca Falls offers free overnight tie-ups and lots of boating amenities. This area is one of the most beautiful scenic spots on Earth.
Once you pick up the Erie Canal, it will take you eastward to the Albany, NY area and the Hudson River. The Erie is also very beautiful. The foothills of the Adirondacks to the north and the Catskills to the south. A large portion is comprised of the historic Mohawk River. (James Fenimore Cooper's Leather Stocking Tales) locale.
One important thing to mention, when locking through the canals, the mast must be lowered for passing under dozens of rail and highway bridges. (NY Thruway). After passing through the last lock, just south of Albany is a wonderful boating club/marina/watering hole that allows free overnight tie-up as well as free use of their do it yourself gin pole to reset your mast and rigging. This place is called Castleton-On-Hudson, on the east side of the river, just north and within eyesight of the Berkshire Bridge, an arm of the NYS Thruway going to New England.
From there is a full days sail southward and a stop at Kingston, NY. Then southward again past West Point Military Academy, past Rip Van Winkle country, under the Tappan-Zee Bridge and the sight of the towers of Manhattan in the distance. We generally stop at the Liberty View (Statue of Liberty) Marina on the west side, opposite the lower tip (Battery) of Manhattan.
Figure on a short day on Cayuga Lake, three days crossing NYS on the Erie and two full days southward on the Hudson. There are free overnight tie-ups on the canals and Kingston. Maybe $40.00 or so fee at Liberty Landing Marina. You sail or motor on Cayuga and the Hudson. You can only motor on the canals, your mast is laid flat on your deck pads. You must have radio communication with the lock attendants on approach. A second backup, handheld radio is a good idea. Pumpout stations are along the way. There was a $5.00 daily fee on the canal but much cheaper for several days canal passage.
There is much info and great pictures on
http://www.nycanals.com/cayuga-Seneca_Canal
Click on the tabs on the upper right of the web page for different areas of the trip. Also, I forgot to mention that there will be a two or more hour trip across Oneida Lake, part of the canal route, just north of Syracuse.
I will definitely try to learn something about the XXXX. If you have any questions, I will be glad to try to answer them. Good luck with your search.
O J
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