How High's the Water mama??!!

We had another boat come into our anchorage last night.  And this morning they quickly called us on the radio when they saw us hauling up the anchor. They wondered what the crazy old people were doing... and now we might be wondering just a tad also!

We headed out at about 820a even though it was still raining and everyone else was hunkered down mostly at marinas as there are not many good anchoring spots along the upper Hudson. The nice couple anchored with us just wanted to make sure we knew that several locks on the Erie Canal were closed due to flooding and they also told us that the lock at Troy, NY was going to close. Shortly after this news we called the lock and they told us it was open. We should have asked about the Champlain canal locks!  We were excited to be on our way and figured we would get to a good anchorage in a recommended spot for tonight.  Even if the locks were closed going up the Hudson to Lake Champlain we would be in a good position when they opened.  Besides we understood the weather report from the night before to say most of the rain was south of Albany.

Then it started raining harder and visibility was bad! We have a few pictures of this gray day but some had to be deleted as the lens on my camera got wet and blurred the photos. Here is our view from the bridge:

We zig zagged our way up river.... so many small logs floating in the river... some times small trees! Walter had to constantly wipe the isinglass off inside and outside. He mentioned that our “next boat” would have an enclosed pilot house with glass and windshield wipers! Our next boat?!

The first bridge we went under was the Castleton-on-Hudson pictured here:  Notice how many other boats are traveling today!

Albany in the Rain. Capital of New York

Then we passed Albany on the west side of the river. And later Troy on the east side.

Troy, NY

Then came the scary Troy Lock and not because it was our first experience with a big lock but because of the turbulence from the water spilling over the dam next to the lock and because there were “TREES” … three BIG logs floating IN the lock. Any one of those logs could have ruined our props. Walter had rigged the ball fenders ahead of time and I went out to rig the lines for tying up on either side and stayed on deck awaiting instructions from the lock master...... I was soaked! We were told not to tie up but just float since we were alone in the lock. I do not know how Walter did it but he managed to go around or push aside those logs when there was really no room to do this!!

Excess Water flowing over Dam at Troy Lock

Starting in to the Troy Lock

One of Three Logs Floating in Lock!

This is a rail road swing bridge near downtown Albany.

It would have opened for us but Walter thought we could get under it and we did along with several other bridges like this bridge but he did have to lower the mast. 

THEN came the bridge we could not get under! It was suppose to be 22 feet clearance and we had gone under others that were 20 feet off the water and one that was showing 18 ft clearance. This was right before our anchoring spot and we so wanted to get there... I stood in the rain on the sun deck roof as Walter approached the bridge SLOWLY. I stooped down to be eye level with the underside of the bridge... it seemed impossible that we could not make it but I knew we had to stop and go back.... we would not make it... I should have known when a man on the bridge with an umbrella stopped to watch what he thought was going to be a crash! The water in this part of the Hudson must have come up at least 5 feet!

Sadly we went back only a short distance to the beautiful Waterford docks. We could see that they were filled in front of the floating dock but did find one place at the back end on the park wall there. It was pouring rain and no one was coming to help us so I had to load the Landing Loop and capture a cleat on the wall... I had only practiced this and the wind was blowing the boat off shore. I missed the first time but did it the second time! Walter had to control the boat so I had to tie up the spring line! I jumped off the boat landing all my weigh on my leg with the bad knee and it never hurt! Praise God! I tied it enough so Walter could turn off the engines and jump down and help. By that time another captain came down apologizing for not being able to get there fast enough to help. I sure gained lots of confidence though doing this. Okay! I amazed myself!! Ha!

Then we turned on the generator and tried to warm up AND ordered a pizza! Yea, the boat ahead of us had just had one delivered and we got the number from them..yummy! We had an early breakfast and it was now 2p and we were hungry! We had hardly started eating when lock master from Lock # 2 came down and talked to all of us about what was going to happen. The land across from the city docks was already flooded and the water would also rise above the docks... people from town had come to watch this happen I guess...lots of curious cars driving into the park and stopping. We were told they would move all of us to a safe place above lock #3 on the Erie Canal. They will be letting the water out of locks 8 to 15, opening the dam and boats in higher locks will be sitting on the ground later tonight!

We were told to be ready to move when we saw the boats ahead of us moving... two sail boats still had to unstep their masts so we went ahead of them. We rigged the fenders for both sides but we were told it would be a starboard tie so only rigged lines on that side... later in the lock we didn't fit on the starboard side so I had to quickly change my lines... boat shoes are wonderful but they are not waterproof. Walter and I both were swimming in our shoes before it was over. We were the last boat to leave the Waterford city docks pictured here.

All my pictures of locks are blurred from a wet lens on my phone camera. But here is the tug boat belonging to the New York State Canal System where we are safely tied up. They have been wonderful guiding us in here and helping to tie us securely to their tug.. many boats are in this pool awaiting the rain to quit and the flood waters to ebb.

Oh! I know about the slime now! The lock walls have ropes that you hold on to and they are slimy! Walter got to wrap a line around a steel cable but I had to hold the bare rope provided that goes all the way down to the bottom of the lock.. it stays in the water and it is SLIMY! I was trying to take pictures so I took off my gloves and at one point I had slime running down inside my jacket to my elbows!

Here is the Canal crew (orange jackets) waiting for us to come and tie up just ahead of the boat you see already tied.

We are finally dry and warm now... it was a rough day. As soon as we could, we got out of our wet clothes quickly and, not knowing it, I grabbed a pair of jeans I have not been able to zip up! They fit! Well, that was a fun thing to discover at the end of a LONG WET DAY! :-)