This is a Blog about helping Doug Thomas take his 46' Uniflite, "PAX", Through the Welland, Oswego, and Erie Canals to Kingston, New York, on the Hudson River.
Pax Sept 17 St Catherine's to Rochester
We left the dock this morning and headed to the gas dock, to top off with diesel and pump out the holding tank. After pumping and taking on 200 gallons of fuel (Advantage: Sailboats!), we departed St Catherines at 0920.
This was a beautiful day on the water. There was a lot of sun, and hardly any wind, making the run from St Catherine’s to Rochester (about 75 miles) very smooth – almost like driving on the interstate. We arrived in about 7 hours, averaging over 10 kts (Advantage: Powerboats!)
The harbor is at the mouth of the Genesee River, although the town of Rochester is 7-8 miles inland. In fact, there is a set of rapids between the mouth and the town, so you can’t get there by boat. For those travelling on the western half of the Erie Canal, it runs two miles south of town and actually crosses the Genesee river, which becomes an area of shoaling. (We will only be doing the Eastern half, because of the height restriction on the Western part.)
We checked in with US Customs and Border Protection, via videophone, at Shumway Marina, which was right next to the Rochester Yacht Club (RYC), our marina for the night. For those interested, I phoned CBP, to see whether I should call in with my I-68, or use the videophone. There seemed to be some confusion at CBP, so I just cleared with my passport at the videophone.
After tying up to the dock at RYC, we put on shirts with collars and headed to the lounge for a celebratory beverage. Dick and I had a “3 Head Triple Skunk IPA” or something like that, which was much better than it sounded! Following drinks we decided to have dinner there. The food was excellent and we hardily recommend dinner at RYC. Thanks to the members and staff of that great club!
Following dinner I made a foray to obtain more supplies of natural grain beverage. A Herrema’s grocery store was about a half mile as the crow flies, but much longer if you walk on the roads. The club manager gave me the combination to a lock between RYC and Shumway’s Marina, a shortcut that cut the walking time in half. Thank you!
