Our journey lead us across Lake Ontario to Oswego NY, the terminus of the Oswego Canal. A beautiful evening sail brought both cat and boy into the cockpit briefly. As the night hours set in, the fair following winds turned to a windward smash for the next 16 hours. We arrived in Oswego NY only to overheat our engine, a problem that would plague us on/off for much of our time in the canals.  There we shared a dock with Grampus, a vessel previously owned by a good friend of mine. The newly raised mast was lowered (for bridge clearance) and we were off.

Guillotine Guard Gate

The galley is becoming functional although the water still tastes of new hoses. The engine compartments isn’t complete, so there is an air of diesel and it sounds like a locomotive down below. We spend each day, all day in the cockpit, which is long for us, and longer for mister 5.. Ori. But there is train spotting, CSX and Amtrak run down opposite sides of the Hudson.

I have transited 151 locks with Eleanor Tarr and yet they still induce anxiety. Maneuvering in tight quarters is not what I, or our vessel do best.. we do it, but we don’t like it. We made it through unscathed. The Oswego Canal takes you up to the Erie Canal, which then takes you down to the Hudson River, and then on down to the Atlantic Ocean.

At Castleton Boat Club we restep the mast, and stay for a day of rigging. As we continue to travel south we begin to shear engine mounts, one at a time. The engine is old,but the mounts are brand new… but i made them. Most things I made have worked out well, but a combination of poor (rushed) design and ill selected welding rod left these mounts brittle and vulnerable. As each mount sheared i would hoist the engine clear of its mounts and shim/coble a replacement. ( The engine was later removed entirely and set on a whole new bed.) Having improvised an engine mount the night before, this is a little hair raising as we approach a little back water called the New York Harbour.