Saturday, June 8, 2013

Open Water on Lake Oneida and Soggy Liverpool


Open Water on Lake Oneida and Soggy Liverpool

Leaving at first light we cruised across the open waters of Lake Oneida – a little over 20 miles with no locks and only a distant view of the shore. We were fortunate that the windy weather of the previous days died overnight to provide us a calm and glassy crossing. Several of our friends had been stuck in Sylvan Beach waiting for the calmer weather while we cruised in late and were able to leave early. 



 

 

 
Our arrival in Brewerton gave us time to walk the streets, search the flea market and wipe out the Ess-Kay ship store. I had noticed that Ess-Kay stocked most of the remaining charts and guides we need, so we now have both electronic and paper charts ensuring we know exactly where we are at all times - even if we don’t know where that is. While we were at the Ess-Kay Yards, we met Don Robertson who also owns a Kadey Krogen that he is working on for future cruising. Steve and Don have chatted “Krogen” over the last several years since they had mutual work acquaintances who helped them connect.  A tour of Don’s unique Krogen layout was a treat. His boat while the same length as ours has two full heads and a mid-ship master. While we also envied his pilot house doors, we are glad to be cruising and not still working on our boat.







Back in town walking along main drag we noticed several newly refurbished buildings. After Steve took a few photos, a woman chased him down the street. It turns out Joyce is the owner of the building we admired and the moving force for the redevelopment.  Her buildings are currently the show places along this stretch of Hwy 11, and we hope others will catch her enthusiasm since the town has much unrealized potential.  We hope to see even more progress on our next visit. Oh yes, the flea market did yield a few buttons for my stash!

The heavy “low clouds” in the morning made us even more grateful for the fine calm weather we had enjoyed for our crossing of Lake Oneida.  As we pulled into our only lock of the day, the clouds released a few drops. I was also glad that my anchoring spot is mostly protected.  Even the lock tender was envious of my shelter as he had to run around outside to get us through. As we moved on up the Oswego River and past the turn for Lake Ontario into the Seneca River, the rain continued and increased. (Our plan is to follow the Erie Canal all the way to Tonawanda where it ends near Niagara Falls and Buffalo. Most loopers turn north at this junction and go to Canada via Lake Ontario. That trip is in our future.) 
 
 I tried to be grateful that the boat was getting washed with fresh water, but the rain masked our view of the lovely riverside homes along this stretch of the canal. So sorry about the photos – I tried to give you a sample.  We also deviated from the main canal a few miles further along going southward toward Syracuse.  We stopped at the Village of Liverpool at their lovely Lake Onondaga Park Municipal Marina. They actually have very few options for transient visitors like us, but the Dock Master, John, after many phone calls, was able to find us a slip to borrow from a boater who has not yet put his boat in the water. We sit here with power, super clean restrooms, and a misty view of the lake/Syracuse.  The constant rain and “cool” temps, however, make me wonder if we aren’t in Liverpool, England. The village is quaint even in the rain and comes with a grocery, post office, library, laundry and barber shop, plus several eateries of the non-chain variety. As a special treat, Don returned to carry us off to a super grocery store – Wegmans. We had not seen such a huge and well stocked store since our stop in Elizabeth City or our own Florida Publix. Fully restocked we planned to take a bus into the big city for a tour of the Erie Canal Museum is housed in the only original Weighlift building remaining. My misreading of the schedule put us at the wrong bus stop at the right time – close enough to see the bus sail by. What else can we do in rainy weather? I caught up on planning and made banana break while Steve rebuilt his mast yoke with a two by four he liberated from a dumpster. Life in the slow lane continues……












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