6 locks -75 feet

Before we left this morning, I went over to Roger and told him I had two stupid questions. So we went down below to access his engine raw water strainer to answer my questions. The seacock was open, but there was air in the strainer and water was not being pulled through. We took off the strainer and water should have come pouring into the boat, but it did not. So the inlet hose was blocked. We put the strainer back on and made sure it was not leaking, which meant extra effort while tightening it. Not sure why that was necessary. Then we started the engine and a wad of seaweed got sucked through the hose into the strainer. BINGO! Clean out the strainer, make sure it wasn't leaking and no more overheating!

The lock walls are very slimy. Some folks have taken to drawing in the slime as the water is pumped out of the lock. The markings are surprisingly permanent. So in lock 8 on the eastern end of the southern wall, Tari used the handle of the boat hook to inscribe, "John was here".

We landed at the Schenectady Yacht Club - a yacht club in name only. It is not an upscale place, but it does have fuel, showers, laundry and a swimming pool. The boat haul out well is part of the very original Erie Canal. Not much left, but it is cool to think the walls were constructed in the 1820's as part of the first version of the canal. If the walls are no longer original, at least the ditch is. 🙂

Tomorrow is our last day on the canal. And the last six locks.