On to Brewerton, NY

When we went to bed last night the winds were still blowing and were to continue throughout the night and then today. The fenders were rubbing up against the hull as they were compressed between the boat and the concrete wall; the winds were making the straps that hold down the mast whistle and flap; the dock lines were creaking as they got stretched. So instead of sleeping with our head to the stern, in the ‘echo chamber’ (as mentioned previously, every sound on the boat gets amplified here), we put our head where our feet usually go hoping for a good night sleep – which we got  But probably because the winds died down at least where we were. The last couple of hours from 06:00 to 08:00 were restless with the challenges of recent past, present and near future. The locks can be challenging at times for the two of us on a 45 foot, 33,000lbs sailboat with a 50 foot cannon barrel strapped on top hampering movement around the deck.  I can see why some people need extra help going through the locks.

Following up on yesterday’s engine issues, I checked many aspects of the engine and found nothing obvious wrong. The transmission oil and the engine oil appeared to have more than what was needed. Via texting, my brother Rick said that it is bad especially for the engine to have too much oil. It can cause too much pressure in the engine and force oil past the piston rings in to the cylinders…I sucked out some oil and we shoved off; Lock 2 in sight - just ahead.

Into Lock 2, we missed wrapping our mid-ship line around the cable and had to use the boat hook (long pole used for pulling and pushing that all boats have at the ready) to grab the cable and pull us closer to secure us. Once secure, we yelled ‘ready’ only to notice that the doors were already closed and the water was pushing us upward…whew, close timing…the lock attendant told us that the Lock is designed to push us gently towards the wall anyway…yeah right! Julie’s arms are sore from fending off with a 2X2 stick from that gentle push. She mentioned this to me while we sat in the cockpit that she can feel it as she reaches for her anchor/dock drink.

Today, we only had two Locks left on the Oswego Canal and one Lock (Lock 23) on the Erie Canal before stopping at Lake Oneida where we will wait for winds to die down before crossing. Oneida Lake is shallow and 29 miles long so the waves can get quite choppy…and there are probably more than a few masts laying on the bottom. Our revs of the engine would typically move us at 5knts/hour, however with the river current we moved at 3.5 to 4.0knts…it’s a slow go all the way down to Florida…we have four months to do it.

With no engine problems to report, we docked at a free wall in Brewerton, NY and turns out it's the same wall my brother stayed at some 15 years ago on his way down to Trinidad. Rick has been a great help over the years as we would discuss many aspects of the journey…he laughed and shook his head when we purchased a wind generator, “You won’t need that, it won’t provide the amps you need, you will still need to run your genie”…I told him once we are in the trade winds of the Caribbean and I find we don’t get the amps I was expecting, I would make a public admission on this blog that he was right and I was wrong. Most of you know us Sadler’s, that’s a tough thing to do! LOL

Julie went to check for wifi at the local library that was about 200yds away as I called Customs to check-in…every time we stop for the night in a new location we need to check-in with Customs Border Protection (CBP). In a notebook that we always have with us when we call Customs, Julie listed all the required info for future check ins; our User Fee Decal number, Cruising License Number, Canal Pass number, arrival number and pertinent details on our boat; but Officer Hubert asked for our Boat Reporting number…where and how do I get that?

After some cheese and crackers and a couple anchor drinks in the cockpit we walked over the bridge for dinner at The Waterfront restaurant where we can see the west entrance to Oneida Lake. After dinner and several days/weeks of trying to get the proper Apple Ipad (all the cruisers swear by the Ipad for weather apps and navigation, so I broke down and bought an Apple product), we used a ‘life line’ and called a friend in New York City to ask him to order one to his home as we will see him in a few days, not only did he take care of that for us, but while on the line with him, he informed us that this Thursday night he is going to the Jimmy Buffett concert in Jones Beach, Long Island…we hope to make it there in time to buy scalpers tickets!

The scrabble game tonight was not a close one and I think she lost at trying to gas me out when we went to bed as well.