The Erie Canal wasn’t supposed to open until August 7th. Sue and I took an Amtrak train to Chicago for a two week visit while we waited for the canal to open. We made it back to the boat Wednesday afternoon. Thursday afternoon, we get an email from the canal authority that locks 16-20 will be open Friday morning at 7AM.
What?!?!? It’s lock 19 and 20 that were not scheduled to open until August 7th. They were the ones that were stopping through traffic. I would have expected an email that said the entire canal is now open, but no, just a simple 16-20 will be open tomorrow.
We belong to the AGLCA, the America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association. They’ve been a great help to boaters during the virus and the falls outs such as the Erie Canal delayed opening. They’ve been in constant contact with the Canal Authority and have been passing on as much information as possible. They’ve also been trying to coordinate all the boats so we don’t overload the canal when they open.
Well, they were surprised by the email too. They called and got verification, the canal is fully open for through traffic. No need to coordinate the boats; most are weeks away, as they’ve been planning on it opening in August.
We kicked it into high gear and were able to get cradles built to hold the mast on Friday. On Saturday, we had the crane pick up our mast and lower it onto the boat. Sunday morning, we’re leaving Catskill and heading up the Hudson River to Waterford, which is the start of the Erie Canal. If all goes as planned, we’ll enter the canal Monday morning.
Kurt & Sue Sail 