Home Territory

Waterford, NY Public Library
No LL

Well we got up lazily this morning because leaving early would have forced us to fight the ebb tide. We left around 09:00 and by 13:00 we were in Albany, and by 15:00 we were in Troy.

What a pleasure it was to see "home" again. I say home even though we never lived in Albany or Troy. However they are part of the tri-city area (Albany, Schenectady, Troy) that was our home for more than 25 years. I've worked in Albany and I've taught in Troy so there is a home like connection.

We couldn't have asked for a nicer day to do it. We had clear dry air, puffy clouds, and moderate temperatures. Albany looked great. Troy looked like it always did.

After passing Troy we came to the Federal Lock and we were locked right through with no delay. The lift at that lock is 16 feet, but there is no discernible turbulence as they flood the lock. It must be well designed.

We are now tied up to the north wall at Waterford. This is the place where the Erie Canal meets the Hudson River. There sign in the picture below is right behind our stern.


As I tied us up on the wall, I went to check the tide as is my custom. Then it hit me. There are no tides here. In fact we won't see tides again for quite a long time. How disorienting. No tides, no SSB radio, no anchor light, no side stays to brace yourself with. Both Libby and I were also unable to resist checking the clearance height of all the big bridges we passed under today. Our habits are well fixed now.

We'll stay here in Waterford for 2 or 3 days.

Waterford is a very hospitable place. They provide free docking, with free electricity and free water, although all the electric spots were taken before we got here. Now, I'm up at the libraray using their WiFi signal.