Warning To Navigation

[mike ritenour]

I'm hearing rumors from canal workers, here in Lockport that it maybe quite awhile before the canal opens, as in a month or more due to high water and the damage its causing.

Please note that its just a barroom rumor from the guys working on the canal.

In past years the canal closings have held us up, while in transit, for weeks and other times we just breezed through.
We made a record transit in 2008, musta been because they knew OJ was our onboard pilot

Thankfully we are using the St. Lawrence Seaway to head South this summer.

Rit

[Oswego John]

Rit and all,

Have you noticed that more and more cruise ship lines have discovered new ports of call lately along the St Lawrence, a scenic and interesting river.

(I don't know why, but since I was a kid I spelled it St Laurence River.) Doh

It must be the foreign intrigue.

I well remember our cross state and down to NYC trip with you, Ed Haley and myself. I'm trying to dig out of my shoebox file cabinet some of the pictures taken. Maybe I'll have better luck tonight.

Stay tuned,
O J

Eureka, I found a picture of that journey. We are at Castleton-On-Hudson, just south of Albany, NY. You can see the bridge which is the NY Thruway at the western end of the Massachusetts Turnpike.



This is Mike Ritenour applying Swedish Steam to the gin pole crank while resetting the mast and rigging on La Vida.

We are looking south on the Hudson River toward NYC which is a hard two day trip. Better off to stretch it into three days with a stop at Kingston, NY marina.

Ah, sweet memories.
O J

[Carter Brey]

By remarkable coincidence, yours truly will be spending next week at a volunteer on Clearwater, teaching sailing and environment to NYC school kids. It's hands on and on the river, with two sails a day from the 79th Street Boat Basin. http://www.clearwater.org

All very practical stuff, like how on earth can 20 4th-graders weighing 50 lbs each raise a 3,000 lb main sail? (Hint: Note the length of the main halyard compared to the height of the mast, not to mention all those blocks!!!)

Email me if you're in NY with a chance for a drink after dinner!

Neil,

When exactly do you arrive? I actually live on West 79th Street, about a five-minute walk from the boat basin. However, I'm leaving for Europe on Monday afternoon, May 9th.

Carter

[Dick Villamil]

Since Lake Champlain crested yesterday at 103.3 feet (3 feet above flood stage) it has lifted many tree trunks and logs from the shoreline and they are either floating in the lake or partially submerged. I have heard of many power boats (fishermen and pleasure seekers) who have gotten bent props and shafts by hitting the obstacles so far this year. If and when the canals open, I would strongly advise keeping the speed down and keeping a close eye for the debris. It doesn't look like most marinas will have dock service, electric power or pump out in operation for a least 3 weeks to a month since most are flooded out. They may be lauching boats (very slowly and cautiously) but they are still flooded out. It may be a long while before the lake and marina services return to normal so I would call ahead before coming north. By this time every marina is busy and most boats are uncovered with eager boaters working on spring commissioning. Today less tan 5% of the boats are uncovered or being worked on - there is just no place to go! Well, I gotta get back to work filling sandbags.........

[mike ritenour]

ALBANY -- The Erie Canal will be closed for at least two more weeks, and some parts of it may not open until after Memorial Day, Canal Corp. Director Brian Stratton said.

Stratton said Thursday he and other state department leaders are visiting sites throughout the state to see the impact of flooding.

"Hopefully before Memorial Day, we can get the eastern end of the canal open," Stratton said while visiting Auburn in Cayuga County. "We are looking at a fluid situation, literally."

While the Capital Region portion of the canal could open before Memorial Day, Stratton said, the whole system might not be open until some time in June.

In its history, the canal has opened as early as April 1 in the 1940s and as late as mid-June in the 1990s, he said.

It is too soon to tell what the economic impact of the delay could be, Stratton said.

"The permit sales would be relatively small," he said.

The bigger impact is on farmers, restaurants, marinas and other businesses that rely on the canal.

"The economic impact would be more to the villages and the towns and the vendors," Stratton said. "The governor's concern, and rightfully so, is safety. I don't know what the economic impact would be locally."

The state Canal Corp. says the Erie Canal east of the Genesee River in Rochester and all other segments of the canal system will remain closed until at least the week of May 23.

The Erie Canal from Rochester to Tonawanda, just north of Buffalo, remains open. Despite the delay, the Waterford RiverSpark Canal Festival will still be held along the canal at the Waterford Harbor Promenade and Lock E2 Park from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

Heavy rain and melting snowpack in recent weeks have raised water levels throughout the 524-mile canal system, which includes the Erie, Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals.

The entire system was scheduled to open last Sunday, but state officials said Friday that all but the Rochester-to-Tonawanda portion would be closed indefinitely.



Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article ... z1M3nXLcIj

[Russell]

I have already run into several north bound snowbirds who had no idea about the closure. Probably saved them a lot of headache passing this info on to them. Its got to be a mess up there right now for cruisers, marinas overflowing with basicly no place else to go. Stay in the chesapeake for now is what I have told those I ran into so far. Spring in the chesapeake is great cruising before the heat and zero wind of summer kicks in.

[Oswego John]

Russell

Stay in the Chesapeake for a while longer is good advice. It's getting to be a zoo up here.

BTW: Next time you see Ed Haley, ask him about what he went through in the canal with Mokita. He turned to writing poetry to make him forget.

And the poetry was pretty good, at that.

Take care,
O J

[Duncan]

According to Vermont and Quebec officials, the water levels have crested in Lake Champlain (and the Richelieu River, which drains the lake).
They said this was a "100 year flood" for the Richelieu.
Hopefully this means good things for the Erie Canal, as well.

[Bob Brown]

Duncan,

Those are the Beacon Newburgh bridges. There are two bridges one older then the other. They carry I84 traffic.

That is the Clearwater. Pete Seeger, who turned 95 this year, built another sailboat called the Woody Guthrie. She is a 1/3 scale Replica of the Clearwater. Pete sailed her to gigs around N.E for years until he could no longer handle the boat. He then donated her to the Beacon Sloop Club which I believe he is a founding member. The Beacon Sloop club located 1/4 mile S. of the bridge is an environmental club which takes the public out sailing for free 5 nights a week. The guests get to learn what they can do at home and work to make the environment and the Hudson River a cleaner place. Then they enjoy the beauty of the Hudson. You usually can see the Woody Guthrie in Beacon Harbor, she sports a light blue hull.

http://www.beaconsloop.org/

[Russell]

Now thats something I didnt know, going to keep my eye out for the Woodie Gurthrie if I do another delivery up the hudson! (no plans to take my own boat up there).

[mike ritenour]

News from New York State Canal Corporation

For more information contact: Office of Media Relations & Public Affairs, 518-436-2983

Most of Erie Canal Open to Boaters This Weekend

Champlain and Central New York Canals Still Closed Due to High Waters

ALBANY, NY (05/13/2011)(readMedia)--
Two additional stretches of the Erie Canal will be opened to navigation beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday, May 14, the New York State Canal Corporation announced today.

These areas are a 153-mile-long section from Waterford in Saratoga County to Brewerton in Onondaga County, and a 51-mile-long section from Clyde in Wayne County to the Genesee River in Rochester in Monroe County.

A 77-mile-long section of the Erie Canal between Rochester and Tonawanda has been open to navigation since May 1.

Still closed to boaters because of high waters are the 56-mile-long section of the Erie Canal from Brewerton to Clyde, the Champlain Canal, the Oswego Canal, the Genesee River and the Cayuga-Seneca Canal.

"This opening is a testament to the efforts of the hard working men and women who make this historic waterway run as smoothly as it did when it first opened," said Canal Director Brian U. Stratton. "Despite the extreme conditions we've experienced recently, I'm pleased to say that all but a small section of the Canal shortly will be open for business."

Persistent high waters and excessive currents of resulting from recent heavy rains had delayed the opening of parts of the Canal system. The water levels and currents resulted in unsafe conditions for Canal workers to place buoys and other navigation aids, and to install necessary water control devices.

Stratton said that Canal crews are hoping to have all of the 524-mile Canal system open to the public before the Memorial Day weekend. Water conditions are re-evaluated daily.

"We recognize the economic impact that the Canal System has to canal communities all across New York, and are doing our best to get the entire Canal operational," Stratton said.

-30-

The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes and the Niagara River with communities rich in history and culture. For more information regarding events, recreational and vacation opportunities along the Canal System, please visit www.canals.ny.gov or call 1-800-4CANAL4.

For information about events along the New York State Canal system, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or visit www.canals.ny.gov.

The New York State Thruway Authority/Canal Corporation offers a free email service called TRANSalert to its customers via email or text messaging to inform them of major incidents and emergencies that may affect travel on the Thruway or navigation on the Canal System. To sign-up for Thruway TRANSalerts please visit the weblink www.thruway.ny.gov/tas/ .

[Duncan]

Duncan,

Those are the Beacon Newburgh bridges. There are two bridges one older then the other. They carry I84 traffic.

That is the Clearwater. Pete Seeger, who turned 95 this year, built another sailboat called the Woody Guthrie. She is a 1/3 scale Replica of the Clearwater. Pete sailed her to gigs around N.E for years until he could no longer handle the boat. He then donated her to the Beacon Sloop Club which I believe he is a founding member. The Beacon Sloop club located 1/4 mile S. of the bridge is an environmental club which takes the public out sailing for free 5 nights a week. The guests get to learn what they can do at home and work to make the environment and the Hudson River a cleaner place. Then they enjoy the beauty of the Hudson. You usually can see the Woody Guthrie in Beacon Harbor, she sports a light blue hull.

http://www.beaconsloop.org/

Hi Bob
Thanks for the ID and the information. I had a great time sailing through your beautiful area!

[mike ritenour]

NEW YORK STATE CANAL SYSTEM NOTICE TO MARINERS.

Mariners are advised, due to continued high water and excessive flows, the Champlain Canal, Cayuga-Seneca Canal, Oswego Canal, Genesee River and Erie Canal from Lock E-23 (Brewerton) to Lock E-26 (Clyde) remain closed for navigation.

All other portions of the Erie Canal will be open for navigation at 7:00 am on Saturday, May 14, 2011. Further notices will be issued as the remaining closed segments are expected to open.

For updates and information monitor 1-800-4CANAL4 and www.canals.ny.gov.
06:41:29AM 5/14/11