The general consensus last week was that the canal system would be open for the Memorial Day Weekend as it marks the unofficial opening to the boating season for many Americans. However this was not to be, the high waters and strong currents that have plagued the area continued throughout the week making it impossible for the Coast Guard to install the navigation marks. They did manage to open some sections of the Erie Canal by Thursday afternoon, which allowed some boats to move a little further upstream and relieve the backlog at the Waterford Welcome Center.

When we first arrived here on May 14th we expected to be delayed a few days before we could carry on. However as the days passed it be apparent that we would be here for awhile so it was decided that we would take turns going home for a few days to tend to personal matters. While we were away this winter my mother broke her leg and had to spend 3 months in a convalescence home recovering, I managed to get home in time to spring her and help get her back to her condo. After a whirlwind couple of days of sorting mail, taking care of paperwork, helping mother and cutting the lawn I returned to Dagny on Thursday afternoon so Bev could go home for a few days.

Fortunately the harbour is well protected so it’s not a big deal to leave a boat for a few days. Mark and Megan had to go home (some people still work) so I’ve been watching Jazzy Lady as well. With the exception of tweaking a few dock lines tending to the boats is easy.

I brought my bike back with me from home on Thursday and today rode north up the Hudson River to visit a few lock stations. As is often the case the front line people are more in touch with current events then the pencil pushers. I discovered that the problems have been caused by 3 things, heavy spring rains, rapid snow melt and the need to dump water from an overflowing reservoir. Apparently the reservoir is under control and water levels have stabilized and are now dropping. As the water currents decrease they can start laying the marks in the river. There are no guarantees but it looks like we will be on our way by Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.

In the meantime life is good at the Waterford Welcome Center. Yesterday one of the staff set up his electric piano outside the Center and entertained us for an hour at the end of his shift. I finally found time to do some re wiring of our chartplotter that I had put off for 2 years. As always, the sun is very hard on the boats so I brought my buffer back with me and hope to get the deck buffed and waxed while we’re here. There are so many little things that get pushed aside, but the next week will be the perfect opportunity to get things done.

Speaking of done, this will be the last blog entry until we get home to Mooney Bay. For now the trip has ground to a halt so there’s not a lot to report but we will do a wrap up when we finally get home.

Today’s picture is of a Snapping Turtle crossing the driveway at Lock 3, I found it fitting that her lack of speed matched ours over the past week.