Tuesday night we tied up at Lock 7 in Niskayuna and had dinner with our friends Fred and Mary who live nearby. That is always a treat to see them.
Fred is retired but he used to be a pilot and a flight instructor. Fred once asked me if it didn't seem like magic that an airplane weighing tons could actually lift itself off the ground and fly. I answered, "No, that seems perfectly natural to me."
What seems unnatural is that on Tuesday, Tarwathie sailed from sea level to +211 feet (64 meters) above sea level. Today, we are doing the reverse. Sailing vessels are meant to roam the seven seas around the globe, but to do so at sea level.
What is Tarwathie's altitude record? I don't remember exactly, somewhere around 300 feet somewhere along the Erie Canal.
What is the world's highest altitude that a vessel like Tarwathie can reach? I don't know. That's a great trivia question. Perhaps a reader will tell me. My guess is that it is in Europe near the Danube River.
What is the world'w lowest altitude that a vessel like Tarwathie can reach? Being below sea level is even more bizarre, but not impossible. Once again, I'll depend on readers to tell me.
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How about the Sea of Galilee at -686 ft below sea level -- would be interesting to get there with a westsail 32 though!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about the world, but The harbor at Duluth MN is maintained at 600 feet. Likely the highest in this country. I say maintained, because there is an international accord to not allow Lake Superior to exceed 602 feet.
ReplyDeleteJust one of the little tidbits I picked up in my college summer job 35 yrs ago aboard the excursion boat plying the Duluth Harbor.
Duluth also lays claim to being the world's most inland seaport. Don't know if that's true, either, but that's what they claim at over 1,490 miles inland.