NY State tomorrow

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boatpoker

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Sharon and I are leaving tomorrow morning for Wilson, NY then on to Oswego into the NY State Canal System, Seneca Lake then across to Tonawanda and Lake Erie, Returning to Toronto through the Welland Canal.

Keep an eye out for "DIRT FREE" and say hello.
 

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Dirt Free is looking great. Have a really good trip, and don't forget to post pictures.
 
Damn, I'm gonna miss you by a couple of weeks. I'll be making the Seneca lake run when I get home. Have a great trip!

+1 on Dirt Free looking great. I love a counter stern.
 
If anyone is on Seneca Lk feel free to make a stop at Sampson or give us a shout on vhf. Happy to share local knowledge and a cold refreshment.
Don
'08 MS 34 HT
."Bacchus"
 
+ 1 on Dirt Free! Love this boat perhaps more than any Jay Benford design. Can't quite tell in the photos..how much of a side deck do you have at the pilothouse door?
 
I did "this" loop last month (Quebec, Cape Vincent, Oswego, Erie Canal to Buffalo, Welland Canal, Niagara on the Lake, Toronto, Trenton, Kingston and back to Quebec). Wonderful trip, Erie Canal is very quiet, Niagara on the Lake is a very nice place to discover (easy access with public transportation to Niagara Falls).

I stayed at the Island Yacht Club in Toronto, a great marina to stop, very calm with an easy access to the city. You probably know it but you need a special permit (20$ for visitors) to enter the Inner Harbour in Toronto.

Have a nice trip !
Dominic
 
+ 1 on Dirt Free! Love this boat perhaps more than any Jay Benford design. Can't quite tell in the photos..how much of a side deck do you have at the pilothouse door?

Side deck is about 14" wide.
Just about to leave Wilson for Rochester.
 
We are live-aboards on the Niagara River, let me know if you need any local info or help when you get to Tonawanda. Have a great trip!
 
How's the trip going? Where are you guys at?
 
Sitting under our huge 12X13 bimini enjoying coffee in the rain in Baldwinsville NY. Tomorrow ..... Seneca Falls.

I have never understood why this system is so little used it is my favourite cruising ground. NY State could use some marketing help. Most of my Canadian friends don't even know it's here. 2000 kilometers of beautiful little towns, fascinating small town museums, entertainment or some kind of festival every weekend, free docking ( couple of spots will charge $5), free wifi. many spots with free power, some spots with free laundry facilities, free or $200 pumpouts, the list goes on.

I don't know how long NY can keep pouring money into this system with so little payback but I'm glad they do. Thank you NY and all the very hospitable people of upstate NY.
 
I have never understood why this system is so little used it is my favourite cruising ground. NY State could use some marketing help. Most of my Canadian friends don't even know it's here. 2000 kilometers of beautiful little towns, fascinating small town museums, entertainment or some kind of festival every weekend, free docking ( couple of spots will charge $5), free wifi. many spots with free power, some spots with free laundry facilities, free or $200 pumpouts, the list goes on.

.

Methinks perchance you're missing one of these, "."

As to the reasons for it's moderate use.

1. Outside of major boat population areas, even the ICW is not really that heavily used, although more so than the NY Canals.

2. Seasonal. It's a lot more difficult to have a profitable ice cream shop in the Northeast too. At the best your usage is going to be only 40% or so that you'd have in a warmer year round boating climate.

3. Not conducive to weekend escapes, but only to longer slower excursions. This narrows down the demographics of the boaters considerably. Most people don't have the time to enjoy the Canals.

4. Slow, lots of locks. This is demographics of customer again. This pace isn't for a large group of people, especially younger and this item is somewhat related to the point above.

5. By many it is not seen as a destination but as a means to get somewhere only. In fact, many who start out seeing it only as somewhere to pass through find it far more to their liking than they expected. Then tying to this, it is an area you have to seasonally clear. If I'm looping, I hit it as soon as it opens up late spring and I am on a bit of a schedule needing to clear Chicago and head south in that same season.

6. Very little local cruising as the towns along the Canals are all small.

None of this is to detract from the great area it can be, just simply to answer your question.

Recreation and entertainment is seldom self supporting. I do agree they could do some things marketing wise to build the popularity some, but not a lot. In fact, building it's use isn't going to really impact the losses significantly. It would take commercial traffic for that and it can't be a shipping route. If anything, adding traffic would simply require more resources to manage it.

Some things we have to decide whether to value for their intangible values. City parks, national parks. Even the arts.
 
Sitting under our huge 12X13 bimini enjoying coffee in the rain in Baldwinsville NY. Tomorrow ..... Seneca Falls.

...I don't know how long NY can keep pouring money into this system with so little payback but I'm glad they do. Thank you NY and all the very hospitable people of upstate NY.

Ahh, sounds delightful. I'll be doing the same thing in about a week. Hopefully with a bit less rain. My sister lives there, so it's always a stop for me. Doesn't look like there are any concerts at Paper Mill Island tonight, so at least you'll get a quiet night's sleep. If you're bored later on, and in the mood for some mediocre pizza, It's trivia night at Pizza Man. It's fun, usually lots of locals, but not over crowded. Be prepared with a good team name. Last time we were 'Abraham Lincoln's Beard.' There's a friendly Irish guy who runs it. Pizza Man is on your right a couple of blocks past the big bridge on Syracuse St. And of course, there's always the B'ville diner.

I don't know how they make the canals work, either. But I'm glad they do, and I hope they keep doing it! Happy to hear my fellow New Yorkers are being nice, haha.

I'd be interested to hear more about Seneca Falls. I've never been there, but I'll be headed that way soon, myself. Happy cruising! :thumb:
 
DirtFree; like the looks of your boat. Still, do you miss wide side decks and strong railings?
 
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DirtFree; like the looks of your boat. Still, do you miss wide side decks and strong railings?

I do miss the wide decks. Over the last twelve months we have done 17 new custom windows, new hatch, propane stove, propane locker, paint, non-skid, refrigeration bow thruster, all new AC and DC systems, totally rebuilt the interior, new bimini frame & canvas, cut 8' off the mast and now use the boom to swing a hammock over the water, bow platform, windlass ..... we'll get to the railings this winter and a few other things.
 
I do miss the wide decks. Over the last twelve months we have done 17 new custom windows, new hatch, propane stove, propane locker, paint, non-skid, refrigeration bow thruster, all new AC and DC systems, totally rebuilt the interior, new bimini frame & canvas, cut 8' off the mast and now use the boom to swing a hammock over the water, bow platform, windlass ..... we'll get to the railings this winter and a few other things.

Is Dirt Free for sale? There's vessel that looks suspiciously like yours listed on YW. If so, she's looking so much cleaner now. The white paint on the brow really helped. The new window frames look much better too. You're doing a hell of a job!
 
She is not for sale but that is the listing from when I bought her. I guess the broker forgot to take the listing off YachtWorld.
One of these days when I get time I'll post photos of the rebuild process.
Leaving for Seneca Falls in a couple of hours.
 
One of these days when I get time I'll post photos of the rebuild process.


I'd love to see that. She definitely had a lot of potential, but a few rough edges inside. I'm sure you've worked wonders with her.
 
Looks like you'll get a nice fireworks display in Seneca Falls tonight. I hope the walls aren't too clogged up!
 
Just arrived on the wall in Seneca Falls, lots of space.

The interior you saw on YachWorld was gutted last winter ... and I do mean gutted. Walls glassed, new show/head, granite countertops, new floor members with lots of underdeck storage built in. harches over tankage for easy access/replacement. new soles and a few second berth tricks that are hard to explain but will post photos at some point. The interior is about 90% complete.
 
Just arrived on the wall in Seneca Falls, lots of space.
Perfect timing... Fireworks over the lake tonite... They must have rescheduled them for you!!!

Don
'08 MS 34HT
"Bacchus"
 
And now jet ski races in Watkins Glen. Man, seems like random interesting events just keep popping up in your path! I wonder what's next? Traveling circus in Fairport? Maybe a flash mob at lock CS3? Maybe you should buy some lottery tickets.
 
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