Hot times on the canal

Middleport was charming and offered us our first taste of life on the canal. We were tied up next to a trio of boats from Niagara, one of the couples on board was from Canada. They gave us an earful of their exploits and a lot of great advice about the canal and where to stay. We have started to hone our systems of starboard docking in the current which keeps wanting to push our stern out, arranging dock lines around the mast and lines which are holding the mast supports in place, and getting the hang of contacting roving lift bridge operators by radio and cell phone. It can get pretty wild! We went under 7 lift bridges today, only about 4 tomorrow but 2 locks to go as well to get to Fairport. Just as you might settle in to read a bit, all of a sudden it is time to spring into action to do something...I am the Lt. Uhuru of the ship: in other words the communications officer. So my job is to plan ahead for the lift bridges, note where we are on the charts, and then call at the appropriate moment (or radio) to let the bridge operators know where we are and when they might expect us. Since some of them operate more than one bridge at more than one town (and unbelievably enough we are not the only boat on the canal), their job is much easier with good communications and we are less likely to have to wait. Now we are in Holley, NY and I have found another haven for the computer-addicted: the Holley Free Public Library. There is a brand new and squeaky-clean wooden dock on the east side of the Holley lift bridge with free shower, power, water, whoo hoooooo!!! Wayne is provisioning at the Jubliee Foods while I get to chill (literally!) here in the air-conditioned comfort and blog away. The canal offers none of the challenging weather of the Great Lakes, but other challenges such as bridges and locks abound. I remember with fondness now the trip down the Detroit River, past the Renaissance Center in the early morning light, past enormous steel foundries and manufacturing plants belching pollution, past the legendary Enrico Fermi nuclear plant and spotting so far on the horizon the Perry Monument of South Bass Island. Sailing from there to Cleveland with charming captain Gene was a gas. Geneva-on-the-Lake offered a great Fish Fry at the High Tide, then games galore at the arcades. The best of these was the Air Hockey, at which I was so terrible and got clobbered by Wayne. I did win the Skee Ball however, having developed my "skills" earlier in life. From Geneva, the most notable highlights were the lovely State Park Marinas and the BAD ASS weather from Erie, PA to Barcelona, NY. We set out with a big ole head wind in the morning, which only got worse and worse. The waves kept crashing over the bow, the boat rocking and rolling, until Wayne finally said, "I can't stand this any more, we cannot make it to our original choice of harbors, we have to stop!" Barcelona was a little cesspool of a town, but it was very good to get anywhere out of the weather. Those days seem so long past, now that we have tasted canal life! It is so hot and steamy that we were unable to even manage a run today, despite the well-maintained, tree-lined trails that encircle the little town here. The best I could manage was a pilates session under the trees by the dock with a little breeze and a lot of shade. Despite the daily 2 or 3 beers, we continue to lose weight as boat life is constantly on the go. There is apparently no way to survive boat life without a goodly supply of "cold ones" and the time to enjoy them. We have been blessed with both! Tomorrow we are on to Fairport and a rendez-vous with the lovely Kathy Francis Gearinger.