Mother Nature Wins Again
17 May 2019
Allan Gray
Monday morning dawned cool and cloudy but luckily the rains held off and we managed to get Dagny's mast down by 10:30 without any issues. Mark and Larry had arrived in time on Jazzy Lady to give us a hand with the final preparations making the task that much easier. The goal was to get Jazzy Lady demasted as well so we could both continue on towards Waterford on Tuesdsy morning. However, the rains returned after lunch making deck work a little risky so once we had all the new supports built we elected to call it a day. Everyone was tired, wet, and cold so the safest thing to do was regroup and finish the job on Tuesday morning.
Despite the unfavourable forecast we managed to find a break in the rain and had Jazzy Lady's mast hauled and secured on deck by 9:00 a.m. We were all concerned that the free wall would be filling up at Waterford so Bev and I headed out at 10:00 a.m. to try and secure a spot for both boats. We rode a favourable tide for the first half of the 35 mile trip but then gradually started to fight the tide and river current. As in most areas of the northeast spring floods have caused lots of problems and this area has not been spared. We were constantly dodging debris in the water and the closer we got to the dam at Troy the worse it got. During our final 2 miles to the lock we saw numerous trees and deadheads of various sizes but managed to miss everything and with a huge sigh of relief entered the lock unscathed. We quickly locked through and motored the last 2 miles to Waterford where we managed to find a few empty spots on the wall.
As has often been the case during our journey north Mother Nature has intervened to change our plans and today was no exception. Normally we can get home from Waterford in 2 days, the canal was scheduled to open on Friday the 17th so we figured we would be home by Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon at the latest. WRONG. Due to high water levels from heavy rains and heavy snow melt the canals are closed until further notice. Currently there are 21 boats tied up here with more to come over the next few days.
Luckily the town of Waterford has a great Welcome Center at the locks and as news spread that we're all stranded the locals are bending over backwards to help. There is a 2 day festival here over the weekend to celebrate the canal as well as numerous other activities to keep us busy.
Bev and I have already walked the towpath along the old Champlain Canal as well as hiked up to the waterfalls at Cohoes. The down time will give us the opportunity to do a lot of small chores that always get pushed aside and of course we'll have lots of time to walk the dock and talk. With any luck we'll be on our way sooner than expected, in the meantime we'll enjoy the great hospitality.
Today's picture is of the waterfalls on the Mohawk river at Cohoes.