Trip from Sodus Bay to Schuylerville, NY - August 18 thru August 27th 2005

We took the Lucky Find II on a 10 day jaunt from Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario to Schuylerville, NY on the Champlain Canal to attend the New York State Funeral Director's Association Convention in Saratoga, NY.  In doing so we transited 34 locks each way. We navigated the waters of Sodus Bay, Lake Ontario, the Oswego Canal, the Erie Canal, Oneida Lake and the Champlain Canal.
This was our second canal trip. Our first was in July of 2003 when we covered the Erie canal from Lock 24 Syracuse westbound to Newark, NY. We included some side trips up the Seneca-Cayuga Canal, Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake (Finger Lakes). We had forgotten to pack the camera for that trip.

Trip Itinerary

Click on the pictures to enlarge them

Oswego Harbor is the entrance to the Oswego Canal from Lake Ontario	Between Lake Ontario and Lock 8 in the Oswego Canal
Approaching Lock 7 - Oswego Canal	Minetto Spillway - Oswego Canal
Southbound approach to Lock 1 - Oswego Canal	Bridged raised, gates open & ready to enter.
Tied up at Lock 23 - Erie Canal	Entering Lock 23 - Erie Canal
Tied up for lunch at Kitty's on the Canal in Utica, NY	Kitty's on the Canal - Nicest restaurant we found on this part of the canal - Utica, NY
Approach to Lock 17 in Little Falls, NY	Inside Lock 17 as it begins to empty and lower you down.
In Lock 17 you just keep going down	Finally, 41 feet down which is the steepest lock in the USA. Notice the usual swing gates on the westbound entrance, and a lift gate on the Eastbound side. Talk about an "eerie feeling"!
Direction sign in Waterford showing direction of the Erie Canal and Champlain Canal	First stretch of the Champlain Canal
Lucky Find II tied up at Schuyler Yacht Basin - Transient side of docks	View of permanent docks across form transients at the Schuyler Yacht Basin
Gazebo and picnic area of the Schuyler Yacht Basin	Office and free morning coffee at the Schuyler Yacht Basin
Owners of Schuyler Yacht Basin. This husband and wife team have to be the two most friendly marina owners in the country. They will do anything to make your stay enjoyable.	Lock information sign at the Champlain Canal Lock 1
Met this couple doing the Great Circle Route in Champlain Lock 1	Approaching Lock 2 Westbound in Waterford, NY
Coast Guard Cutter tied up in Waterford, NY	Approaching Amsterdam Public Dock
Public Dock at Amsterdam, NY	Stretch between Amsterdam and Canajoharie, NY
Approaching Lock 17 Westbound in Little Falls, NY	Tie-up wall at the Illion Marina. Owned by the Village of Illion
Gas Dock at the Illion Marina	Cafe at the Illion Marina
We left the Illion Marina at 7AM with the intention to make it as far as Minetto, NY by 5PM. We were in Minetto at 4PM after a quick re-fuel in Brewerton and decided to do the last leg of the trip from Minetto, to our home port in Sodus Bay, before dark. They were calling for rain, wind and cold temps the next day.  We arrived in Oak Park Marina at 8:55PM, in a light drizzle and wind gusts to 35MHP. Lake Ontario wave heights were 5-7 feet for the 25 mile run. We ended up losing a bimini top support pole in the wind off of Port Bay in Lake Ontario. The next 4 days were cold, windy and rainy. Moving on was a good decision on our part, but it made for a long day.	RETURN TO LUCKY FIND II HOME PAGE