Great Loop: Canal Time – Waterford

Day 147: June 13, 2023

Albany & The Troy Lock

It was our final day on the Hudson. It took us up to Albany, where we had to make a quick stop for fuel, which was at the Albany Yacht Club. Founded in 1873, they are one of the oldest yacht clubs in America.

Once fueled up, we did a short trip up to Waterford. Just before Waterford is Troy and the Troy Lock—the first of many locks we will be doing over the upcoming weeks.

The lock was a bit different from the ones we’ve done in the past. It had fixed poles running vertically. The lock master instructed people on the radio to tie a bow and stern line and then run it behind the pole. So, you only have one point to tie onto mid-ship. Most people in the locks just tied a line around the pole to their mid cleat.

Waterford

In the afternoon, we walked around the town to check out the sites. The main attraction for us was the first Erie Canal Lock (E2)—both the new and old, original locks.

It’s a pretty cool park area and has remnants of the original lock system that predated the current locks. If you look at the pictures, you see a few that looks like rapids between two walls. That is the old lock system. We would not have been going through those!

Dinner with Legacy

We met Carol & Gary on Legacy at the Pig Roast in Shady Harbor when they were moored at the end of our dock. We quickly became acquainted with Barbara wooing Carol with her harp playing. We all took the next step of starting their Fomo Fleet indoctrination at dinner in Waterford. Certainly, an indication of many good times to follow.

Peebles Island

After dinner we decided to get in another walk. We crossed the single-lane bridge and explored Peebles Island. The island was made a park by New York in 1972. Prior to that it was a private island that contained a large factory dedicated to making material for shirts. According to the signs it was the largest manufacturer of material in 1940. However, by 1960 the factory was too small and closed down.

The island had many trails and allowed us to stretch out our legs. And we saw many deer!

It was also a good photo opportunity with Legacy, Lil Sudden, Coda, and Saga all tied up to the wall just off the Hudson and before the lock.