City of Oswego

Good news!  All logistics for the Welland Canal crossing are confirmed for July 12. What, you don’t know what that means?  Well, it’s a royal PITA. However, it’s the only way for us to continue the Great Loop and get past Niagara Falls (the easy way) . 

Starting back in April, we did a virtual Spring Rendezvous with the AGLCA (America Great Loop Cruisers Association). Having confirmed with Canadian officials that it was unlikely Loopers would be able to enter Canada due to Covid-19, they gave us information about hiring a Captain and Crew to take the boat through the Welland Canal for us.  Apparently, commercial vessels are allowed to cruise, but they can’t stop and get off the boat in Canada.  By hiring the Captain and crew, we make it a business transaction.  This is a 15-hr process with eight locks. Fred called AGLCA and got the name of a Captain, who gave us two other names to call.  One of these worked out for July 12.  We are now getting closer to that date and all the details are in place. He will get the boat from us at 6:00 am in Youngstown, NY and we will get it back in Buffalo, NY around 9:00 pm. 

Today is laundry day and Fred is working all day. I bet you didn’t know you can wash and dry in the same machine. It’s a 4-hr process, but it does work really well. 

The washer/dryer is in the forward berth under the bed.  We gave up two drawers for it.  

After putting a load of laundry in, we walked to see Fort Ontario.  The outside of it reminded me of Normandy in France.  There were the earthen revetments, slim openings in the stone for rifles and small cannons.  It was originally built in the 1750’s, the British destroyed it in the War of 1812, and it was rebuilt during WWII.  At that time, it was the only place in the United States for refugees from Germany.

Fort Ontario






This is where we will leave Oswego tomorrow and enter Lake Ontario, our first Great Lake.



Comments

  1. Tom PastorJuly 9, 2021 at 5:58 AM

    So, am I understanding correctly that when the Captain takes over your boat on Monday to traverse the part of the trip in Canada, that you cannot be on the boat?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Taurus Great LoopJuly 9, 2021 at 9:06 AM

      That is correct, Tom. Commercial business only from the US and Fred and I don’t qualify. (The US allows Canadians to enter the US for pleasure 🤷‍♀️). Plus, there must be 3 people on board to manage lines in the locks. Fortunately, we are near Niagara Falls so we will play tourists that day.

      Delete
  2. Anna MarieJuly 9, 2021 at 6:40 PM

    I love the fact that you can do laundry on on the boat. Once the weather gets warmer less clothes means less laundry…it’s a celebration!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Taurus Great Loop Statistics

Image
Days on the Great Loop ~ 335 Days at Marinas ~ 329 Numbers of Marinas ~ 101 Lock Walls ~ 3 Barge tie-up ~ 1 Convention Center Wall ~ 1 At Anchor ~ 1 Diesel Fuel Used ~ 6,597.6 Gallons Nautical Miles ~ 4,875 Statute Miles ~ 5,610
Read more

Melbourne, Florida - Our Winter Home

Image
We made it to Melbourne, FL, Taurus’s home for the next three and a half months!  Melbourne is also where our son lives, so we are going to get some good time in seeing him this winter. So great!!  We saw him after work and for dinner today.  It’s been too long. We need Covid-19 to be done please! We left Fort Pierce this morning and had an uneventful cruise.  We saw an old favorite - a tug pushing a barge! We saw some more electric wires crossing the bay for those in the barrier islands. Once we were settled in our new marina, Fred and I took a walk to the Eau Gallie Art District (EGAD). We walked through an older residential neighborhood. There were Aloe Vera plants that are humongous! Aloe Vera plants in the neighborhood near our marina Plus there were cactus There were a couple of historic signs And at the end of the night - Christmas lights!
Read more

Georgetown, SC and Rice!

Image
We spent today in Georgetown, because for the next few days there won’t be much to go see.  We went to the Rice Museum where the  Brown’s Ferry Vessel remnants are located.  It sank in the 18th century in Black River carrying 25 tons of bricks made on a plantation. Artifacts, including green glass English wine bottles, oars, millstones, iron pots, a straight razor and smoking pipes made of gourds.  The items enabled historians to date the time of its sinking to between 1730 and 1740. This period is about 50 years earlier than previous American shipbuilding discoveries. Model of Brown’s Ferry Vessel  The ribs are made from cypress trees  by the water  that were plentiful here in South Carolina.  The planks on the sides were hewn by ax and are all the same thickness.  I’m not sure how you do that with an ax.  Remnants of Brown's Ferry Vessel We also learned about rice growing in South Carolina.  The planters bought 40,000 acres of lan...
Read more