July 12, 2019 – Around the Great Loop on the Answer

*No WiFi for two weeks

We left Brewerton on Thursday in good spirits. The boat was not leaking and it looked as though the locks would be opening in a day or two. The Oswego Canal opened all their locks but Erie opened Lock 23 and continued to keep Locks 25-28 open but still no Lock 24. We decided to leave anyway and hang out on the free wall on the east side of Lock 24 with buddy boat, Bahama Voyager who had been there for close to a week. Since there are no services, we made sure to fill up with water at the marina and checked to see that we had enough gas for the generator. We had enough propane for cooking so we were good to go.

On the way to the lock, we saw another Manatee, named Manatee. This is rare. Kadey Krogen only made 99 of these boats (98 still in operation) and since we purchased ours in 2005, we have only seen two others, both on Rondout Creek. This one was a bit unusual as it had an orange hull. They are hull #62, built in 1987, the original owners. They have completed many different parts of the loop and this is their 29th looping voyage. Many modifications – not a standard dinghy but a 90hp engine on the towed dink and instead of a standard boom, one that is equipped to lift their motorcycle off the upper deck of the boat.

Friday arrived with no news about the locks so we will be staying in Baldwinsville another day. Took a walk around the town, went to the Visitor’s Center and ate dinner in the local B’ville Diner, a place we were advised not to miss if we stayed in Baldwinsville. The diner is old fashioned, with red vinyl seating and checkerboard tiles. It has a large menu of sandwiches, burgers, and home-styled cooking. Food was good and prices were reasonable.

Lots of discussion after dinner about the opening of the locks and we all awaited confirmation. During this time, we had a brief introduction to using the Navionics and AquaMaps apps on the iPad. This data is more current than the paper charts and will be a good back-up for the new Garmin since we can both be checking charts in the pilot house. Finally, we had confirmation that the lock would reopen at 7am on June 29th with a strict “No Wake, no more than 5mph between lock 24 and 25 ” – we could get through but it would be slow going. The plan was to leave in the morning but since Bahama Voyager wanted to spend a day on the west side of the lock to recharge, refill, and clean the boat after spending a week without services, we decided to spend the day with them so that we could travel west together.

We were the first boats through the lock when it opened in the morning. Wanting to make sure we would be able to secure services on the west side, we felt it best to leave early as a few smaller boats were arriving on the west side, docked and waiting for the big July 4th celebration next week. Baldwinsville was having a large fireworks display and a concert and we heard that many local boats dock and leave their boats until the event. Saturday was probably a bit early as there were only two boats docked so there was plenty of space with services. Another looper, El Tejon arrived on the west side of Lock 24 in the early afternoon. They have traveled before with Bahama Voyager so we all went out to dinner that evening – to the diner again since they hadn’t been there yet.

El Tejon left early the next morning as they were meeting family for the July 4th holiday and wanted to get underway. We left a little later, traveling with Bahama Voyager which proved to be the best scenario possible. Shortly before we reached Lock 25, we lost power – engine couldn’t seem to get into gear and there was no movement. At first, it seemed as though the prop was missing. Bahama Voyager rafted to us and started to tow us while we called SeaTow for assistance. Since SeaTow doesn’t operate in the Erie Canal, they were trying to make local connections for us. In the meantime, we traveled slowly west – we were a sight since we have an 13’8” beam and their catamaran has a beam of 17.5′. The lock master was called and advised that we could go through the lock, rafted. As we continued in this format, awaiting a phone call about a professional tow, they discussed other possibilities for the loss of power. Since the shaft was still turning while we were under tow, it was doubtful that we lost the prop. The idea that it may be the transmission since the engine didn’t seem to be going into gear seemed likely. Here, we started this journey with a NEW engine, NEW shaft & NEW prop and did not anticipate having any of these issues.

During this time, we made a number of phone calls to marinas/mechanics trying to find someone who would be able to work on the boat. The one closest to where we were going advised that he does not do that kind of work and that our boat was too big to be pulled out of the water in his marina (not what was posted online). When we left for this journey, the engine only had 12.9 hours. Hard to believe that this was happening. By the time we heard from SeaTow/TowUS, we were close to Lyons which was where we were planning to stop anyway, so advised them not to bother. Fortunately, El Tejon was there and was coordinating space for both of us. It was an easy enough docking but we still needed to locate a mechanic who would be mobile.

Once we were situated, the three captains had their heads in the engine compartment. The conclusion was that the key in the shaft was broken and this involved replacement of the key and possibly the coupler. While it could not be fixed immediately – parts and a mechanic would be needed – having the diagnosis was invaluable. They took a video, sent it to a few people – including the person who supplied the shaft and prop last year, and all concluded this was the problem. The search for a mechanic was first thing on the agenda for Monday morning.

Monday morning was spent on the phone. In addition to calling local marinas and mobile mechanics (which was proven inaccurate – never revised their postings), calls were placed to the two closest Harbor Hosts. The Harbor Host from Fairport, Dan Schwab, was able to give us a few leads and called a few people that he knew also. One of his leads led to a mechanic on contract to a local marina and he would be able to come to the boat and see what needed to be done. Unfortunately, it was going to take a day or two before he could come because of prior work commitments. The mechanic stopped by on Tuesday evening, took a look and agreed with the diagnosis. On Wednesday, he tried to get parts and also conferred with the guy at Propeller Works who had worked on our prop last week. With the July 4th holiday, it looks like parts would not be available until Saturday.

Took a small diversion and visited the Peppermint Museum. Lyons was once known as the peppermint capital of the world. There were many farms that grew peppermint, spearmint, and wintergreen. They were one of the largest exporters of peppermint oil for many years. They celebrate this heritage by hosting a three-day festival each July.

We spent a few quiet days on the Lyons wall – reading, walking and of course, laundry. The locks were quiet, only a few boats passed and we were alone on the wall.