Well, we went up locks, we went down locks, we went in locks with smooth walls and locks with rough walls, we had locks with ropes to hang onto, pipes to hang onto, and/or cables to hang onto. Locking down is definitely the most pleasurable and easy from a motion standpoint (don't forget we have 9 feet of mast with all the expensive bits at the ends hanging over both ends of the boat - we are effectively a 55 foot powerboat). Locking up is a bit more turbulent when the water first starts coming in and we had to pay attention to keeping the boat parallel to the lock wall. Having said that, Karen and I were able to manage the process and got it down to quite a routine. Thin rubber gloves of the kitchen sink variety were all that were necessary to keep you clean as the ropes tended to get slimy. The lock keepers were extremely friendly and helpful and the lock areas were all really well maintained. The lock keepers normally phoned ahead to the next lock so they could be ready when you arrived. The New York Canal System should be commended for their work. (A note for those planning this same trip and worried, like we were, about going through the locks. The first locks, going up, from Oswego are the worst, partly because of inexperience and anxiety. But it only gets better and those ones really are not that bad. Remember, powerboaters choose to do this for fun and it is set up for them. The only thing making it more difficult for sailboats is the mast hanging out so far on each end of the boat, making maneuvering more tricky. But we were able to dock at alongside walls all the way through and there was lots of room and time to get sorted out in each lock. So donÎéÎ÷t worry about it any more than any other new experience.)

By the time we were through the canal system, we had been through 30 locks and traveled 184 miles. We rose 175 feet above Lake Ontario and then descended 420 feet to the Hudson River. Our favourite lock (Lock 17 for the technically inclined) was just out of Little Falls where we had a 40 foot drop. It was impressive to motor into this 300 foot by 45 foot bathtub and look out over a valley in front of you - makes you hope that reverse gear is working. We then descended at the speed of a very, very slow elevator and watched wet cement walls rise all around us. Then at the bottom of a 40 foot slimy cavern, the exit gate lifted above the water. A lifting lock gate is somewhat unique as most gates open out in front of you but this lock had a lifting gate (There is another lock like this on the Ottawa River). We then motored under the dripping gate (Karen went inside but left me and the charts out) and out into the valley and proceeded down the canal. Most of the canal follows rivers so the countryside is interesting and there are numerous cottages along the banks.

The canal authority has set up numerous tie up areas where we could stop for free (after paying $37.50 for a 10 day pass - we were on the $3.75 a night docking plan being retired and all). A publication by Skipper Bob gives the location and mileage to all these overnite spots as well as marinas for fuel. Needless to say, we took 10 days to go through the canal. You could do it in 3 to 4 days if pressed for time.

There were several towns along the way that make great stopovers for exploring or provisioning. One neat spot was at Phoenix where we were served breakfast on our boat by the Bridge House Brats - a group of kids who assist boaters at the docks and serve breakfast as part of a community sponsored activity.

We almost missed the great power outage. Actually we would have missed it completely as we are self sufficient with the exception that we chose the exact minute of the outage to start pumping diesel fuel into our tank. Pumps do not work without electricity. Somehow we did manage to fill up as the power came on for a while and we picked up on the news the next day. Fortunately we were not in a lock at the time as some of the locks did close down for a short while.