Day 90 Friday September 20

Dawson chatting to Mike down the canal

Day 90 Friday September 20 Well we have decided to stay in Utica or about a week. Rain is expected for the next 2 days and going further east could be problematic if there is flooding. We have been told that below lock 19 floods and everyone heads back west so we will stay put. The rain will also slow down the repairs which is a drag. Dawson has taken up running again effective today. It is a good way to explore the area. He is off first thing in the morning. After his run we confer with our fellow boaters about the situation. Voila is leaving to head back west a 2 day trip to hook up with a trucking company. The rest of us are hoping for an update by next Thursday and then making a decision. For some, they will wait it out as their budgets don’t have the flexibility of doling out $5,000 for trucking.

4 sailboats awaiting canal re-opening

 After an hour of comparing notes, learning the lay of the land we head of to Lowes to get some stainless hardware for the installation of a pad eye which is being added to the cockpit so we can fasten our harnesses to it in the event of stormy weather. We also stop at Walmart for a few groceries and to peruse their folding garden tables. We would like to get a small table for the cockpit. In hindsight we had the perfect table in Sudbury. We may still get it shipped. By the time we get back after a 4 kilometre walk to the stores lugging back groceries, we have lunch and Dawson gets on the phone to complete his technical research on Solar panels. Once satisfied he puts in the order to be delivered to Utica in a week. We had planned on doing all this stuff in Annapolis, however being trapped on the Erie canal we might as well do it here. Our biggest challenge is where to get stuff ordered to. We have new halyards being delivered to the Hudson river, along with some charts we ordered, however that is quite out of the way if we choose to get the boat trucked. Guess we will rent a car and drive around to pick up our stuff around New York state.

Julie at Fay street

Signing in for the tour with Tiffany lamp on desk

Dawson at the masher

 It is now 2:00, the designated time to meet up with our fellow boaters to head to the Saranac Brewery for our 3:00 tour. We are expecting a low key tour, but once we get there realize it is a very large “craft” brewery and there are about 50 other people on the tour. Wow. The building alone is amazing. The woodwork, tiffany lamps, grandfather clocks, is just amazing. Julie enjoyed the architechtural tour as much as the brewery tour. It is 5:00 by the time we depart after our tasting opportunity and it is an hour walk back to the boat. We are invited to Ralph and Annette’s for a cocktail and bring over some munchies. It is almost 8:00 by the time we are cooking dinner and heading into our evening routine. A good day on the water! Cheers Julie and Dawson

Beautiful copper pots

Stein heads, one looks like dawson

Julie, MIke, Annette and Ralph outside brewery