It is a beautiful, but very HOT Saturday on the Erie Canal. Our plan this day is to leave Little Falls, head to Sylvan Beach to anchor, float in the Oneida Lake, and then find a marina for the night. Sylvan Beach dock wall has no power hook ups, so tying up to public wall on this very hot and humid August day without power is not an option, so staying at a marina with electric hookup is a must.
We of course go through locks and at this point it is 💤. So won’t subject you to them all. We do actually pass an actual city… Rome, NY.
And on this Saturday, they have a huge carnival carrying on. We can smell funnel cakes and cotton candy all the way to our boat! 😋
We navigate further towards Oneida Lake.
Once we arrive to the threshold of Oneida Lake, it becomes a traffic jams of boats… mainly pontoon boats. Again, we went against our weekend rule. There is nowhere to dock, the marinas don’t answer and really do not look viable for a boat our size anyway. The idea of anchoring in a little cove seems a bit idealistic. No choice, but to move on.
Approaching 5 pm, we call a marina that is highly rated, and guess what? they answer! We found a place for the night, which ends up being two nights. They are great and we are tired. Its been a long day.
We pull in and see a friendly boat! Silver Linings, who we first met in Southport and then in Beaufort and now at Winter Harbor! Small world and so wonderful to meet up with Silver Linings and the beautiful family that travels upon her.
We spend two days at Winter Harbor, mainly because the prior day was long, hot, and exhausting. Another factor in our decision was that this marina is very nice. We welcome the chance to catch our breath after several days on the canal. Another perk, the marina has a loaner car, a Mercedes wagon, but the make is its only redeeming quality, trust me. But it is free and we are in dire need of some perishable items so off to Walmart we go with the muffler announcing our every mile. Oh, one other thing, it is 90 cents a foot for dockage!
Tomorrow we move on to Baldwinsville.
Tom and Jackie — You are now in our old boating stomping grounds — east side of Oneida to the Finger Lakes and north to Ontario. We lived in Baldwinsville for about six years and kept our boat at Cooper’s Marina — probably not called that now, if it even exists. Great area for boaters. Glad you made it through Oneida with no problem. Summer thunder storms and east and west winds can make the lake treacherous. Really enjoying following your trip. I’d forgotten about all the locks east of Oneida. Take care and travel safe.
Thanks Gordon and Sue! Beautiful area!
Wow! Sounds a little iffy at one point. Glad you could find a marina to rest and regroup!
Definitely! ❤