We completed the Erie Canal today, only completing about half of its length as we turned north to follow the Oswego Canal north to Canada. The past 10 days have included a week-long hiatus with family in the Adirondacks. Yes, some fish were caught. We spent the time before our break in ILION and returned there to resume our journey. It’s a great town and we met some great people and had some fun experiences there. Little knowing that danger lurked in the depths…

We left ILION on Sunday, June 29, headed towards Brewerton and Oswego. The run to Brewerton included five locks and a 24 mile run across Lake Oneida for a total of 53.7 miles.

At the third lock of the day, Hervey had some difficulty maneuvering the boat. He feared for the starboard (right) transmission and shut down that engine for the next 15 miles or so, until we got into Lake Oneida. We had run aground in a pile of debris earlier on the Erie Canal and thought we had gotten away unscathed. Little did we know.

After a brief test, we were able to start and run the starboard engine to make the 23-mile crossing to Winter Harbor Marina it was about three hours of very pleasant cruising, spoiled only by the suspicion of disaster looming…

When we first checked in at the marina Monday morning, they said they could have a look at our boat on Wednesday. But after looking at our prop in the sunlight, we could see there was something jammed inside.

So they hauled us out at noon on Monday and finished removing the tree from our prop and installing 2 replacement props I had stored in the engine room, all by 2 PM. No other damage to the shafts or running gear and we thought we were in the clear.

We stayed an extra day to see our brother boat launched (“Why Knot”, owned by Darrel Grob of Denver) and to complete some minor projects. We went out to dinner on the second night (July 1 — Canada Day!) and ordered an Uber to take us to a chain steakhouse. As we were being driven there, we saw the Euclid Restaurant (200 years old in 2027!) and changed our plans on the fly. The steak and prime rib were great and the strong drinks were cheaper, but the ambiance was real and not piped in. Hervey asked one waitress if she was looking forward to the 200th year celebration and she said, “I hope I won’t be here.” Odd but charming.

July 2: It felt like we had dodged a big disaster. We backed out of the haul-out channel tentatively and with some help, but with no real difficulty. The engines and transmission seemed to be working just fine. With relief, we turned west for our last lock on the Erie Canal and our journey to Oswego, NY and Canada.

In the first lock on the Oswego Canal, disaster seemed to strike, again. The oil pressure in the starboard engine dropped to zero and the engine stopped in the middle of maneuvering to tie up in the lock. It started again after a moment, but cut out again about 15 minutes later as we struggled with the same issue in the next lock. Hervey tried the same operation a few times and the interval between the initial start and collapse kept halving. So we tied up to the wall at the beginning of the next lock and called for help. I was referred to Mr. Kevin Rooky from Minetto, NY. After calling him, he agreed to meet us at the Minetto, NY municipal dock in about an hour. We ran on one engine (at regular speed!) and met him as agreed.

After 20 minutes of working with the engine, he diagnosed the issue as a loose nut on the throttle! After about 30 minutes, he returned with the proper nut (English threads!) and tested everything: we were back in business. He appreciated the engines and the boat: a remarkable and very skilled mechanic.

From here, we are on to Kingston, Ontario CANADA tomorrow, July 3, trying to avoid the craziness of July 4 in the big pleasure boating port of Oswego. Next is the long-awaited Trent Severn Waterway (three weeks?) and Georgian Bay!