Hi friends and family!
Today started at first light, as we were shooting for a rather optimistic target for mileage. We cast off and started the last little bit of the Erie Canal.
Things were going well until we reached Buffalo. We found that Black Rock Lock that bypasses the very strong Niagra River current doesn’t start operating until 11:00am on weekends. This caused a huge headache. We didn’t have any time to spare, and we sure didn’t feel like tying up to the wall outside the lock to wait for two hours.
So, we started down the Niagra against the current , doing pretty well for a bit. We then started hitting a more formidable current, slowing our progress to just 1 knot. Then, if you can believe it, we started going backwards!
So, we turned Neverland around and picked up the swift current and quickly jumped to 10 knots! Neverland will only do 6 knots so that certainly explained not going anywhere!
So we went back and waited for the lock, which wasn’t that long after all the time we spent on our little circus.
Once locked through, we went under the International Bridge (a cool swing bridge) and proceeded to Erie Basin Marina for some much needed diesel.
Fueled up, we set out across Lake Erie on a raw, overcast day. We had 2 foot waves and a good wind behind us, so we were making good time, although not nearly fast enough to make our target of North East Marina. We decided to head for Dunkirk, NY instead.
Lake Erie decided to show us her teeth later in the afternoon, handing us 4-5 foot waves. Houston and I were both very happy when we finally got docked up at the pier in Dunkirk and stepped on dry land!
We will make the short trip to North East in the morning. Hoping for calmer seas!
