Canterbury Sails by Chasseur: Dunkirk, New York

August 3, 2012 Friday

Chasseur Cruising Statistics:
Cumulative nautical miles: 807
Days since departure: 44
Days underway: 18
States Visited: 3
Great Lakes transited: 3 (soon to be 4)
Hours of fun: Many
Hours of Terror: Few

The reasons we chose the Welland Canal and to ship our mast over transiting the entire Erie Canal are many:
1. We wanted to be a sailboat longer. If we started the Erie canal from Buffalo, it's mast down. We can keep the mast up through the Welland.
2 Terry wants to sail Lake Ontario (4th Great Lake).
3. We can ship our mast for a lot less money from Ontario to New York - less trucking distance and we have a partner (S/V "Cool Hand") to share the cost of renting the truck.
4. This route is highly recommended by professional boat delivery crews.
5. We can keep our cockpit canvas up.
6. May have trouble clearing low bridges on western half of the Erie Canal with cockpit canvas and a mast frame.
7. Damage to our Mast is quite possible in the Western half of the canal with 6 feet hanging over each end of the boat. (Of course the truck could get in an accident before delivery).
8. We will still navigate the eastern half of the Erie Canal which is very beautiful.
9. Just learned as we are composing this post that the western Erie Canal is closed temporarily (time frame unknown), something about a sink hole.

There are a few more costs to this transit. The Welland Canal fee is $200.00 and we don't know what our slip costs will be on Lake Ontario compared to the other Great Lakes. Terry decided to apply for marine radio licenses that are required in international waters, as in Canada (another $220.00), and we will need it when we travel to the Bahamas.
We do change our travel plans often. Weather is always a factor. Sometimes we just don't particularly like the marina where we tie up. Sometimes we just feel like moving the boat - we are happiest at sea and underway. Reading our guidebooks and "Skipper Bob" books sometimes push us out one port in anticipating of the next cool place. We often ask ourselves when looking at the weather patterns, if we have to be "stuck" in port, where would we rather be, and then we go. And sometimes it's all of the above which is why we left Erie, PA for Dunkirk, New York.
As we traveled along the PA shoreline and approached Dunkirk we notice a big change in the topography. Rocky cliffs line the shore and we are starting to see hills and small mountains.
We will be in Dunkirk for at least the weekend waiting for Port Colburn, Ontario's "Canal Days" festival to be over. Port Colburn told us not to come, there would not be any slips for us. As weather permits, we will cross Lake Erie to the north and prepare for The Welland Canal transit (26nm and 8 46ft. descending locks). While we are here in Dunkirk, we will be reading and planning the adventure of going through the locks.

"Only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find his right path." Dag Hammarskjold