We got up early on Wednesday morning the 13th and did a 4 mile run along the Erie Canal. It was finally a cool morning which made our run very pleasant. Once back to the boat we showered and got underway. We locked through Lock 7 and then we went through the five locks at the Waterford Flight. (The Flight consist of five consecutive locks which make up a total drop of elevation of approximately 160 feet.) Once we got to the bottom of Lock 2 (Waterford, NY) we tied up at the Waterford Visitors Center. This is a popular stop for cruisers heading south. The reason it is so popular, is that you get two night’s dockage with power, water and showers for $10.00. In addition, the town has a laundromat, pharmacy, grocery stores and restaurants all within walking distance. So we took full advantage of this nice place and did our laundry, went grocery shopping and had a fantastic dinner at Verdiles, an Italian restaurant that was recommended by our good friends Karen and Jerry. We also had breakfast at Don and Paul’s. We loved this place. It was a full house at 10:00 on a Wednesday morning. They even had a pool table in a small back room. We had to sit at the bar which was great because we had front row seats and were able to watch the waitresses juggling their tasks of refilling the coffee mug trays, making coffee, running the cash register, handling the customer’s needs, etc. Our waitress was telling one of the gentleman where her hidden tattoos were located. It was very entertaining indeed not to mention we both had breakfast for $8.00.

The next day we left at O’Dark Thirty (Just before sunrise.) went through the last Lock in Troy New York and headed to Hop-O-Nose Marina where we finally put the mast back up. So that is exactly what we did. The following day by 11:00 AM, the mast was up and we spent the rest of the day putting Scheherazade back together. She is now a sailboat again. We celebrated our hard work by joining MaryBeth and Joe for a fabulous dinner at the Creekside Restaurant which is located at the marina.

Today we got up at O’Dark Thirty again, and completed a 70-mile trip along with S/V Sapphire to Haverstraw Bay where we are anchored and will spend the night.