Friday, July 12, 2024

Phase two...

First Light is moored to the wall in Oswego, NY. When we arrived, there were only two boats on the wall, one of which was leaving. Now, a couple of hours later, there is a small gaggle of boats sharing the wall with us. As I sit here writing, a parade of boats is passing by on their way to various marinas. A good many of them are boats we have crossed wakes with already. A few left us far behind in Delaware City so it feels like a small accomplishment to have caught up with some of the pack. So the plan to arrive here after the collection of boats that was here departed, while getting here before the next collection arrived, actually worked out just as intended. No deviation required.



There was a slight hitch when two bone-headed cruising boats running fast and in line while heading south to our north, each smacked us with a pretty good wake. We had just enough room to take each of them bow on so, I guess, no harm, no foul. But it was a bone-headed move in any case. A couple of the boats that have pulled in mentioned having been rocked pretty good as well. Some people's kids...

This is a unique (strange?) wall. It runs between two locks that are roughly a half mile apart. All of the marinas are located on the other side of the last lock. Off to our  port side, on the other side of another wall and roughly 10 feet lower than we are, the Oswego river rushes by. The light breeze makes the water we are floating in look like it is flowing the opposite way, which made for a very strange visual from the flybridge as we picked a spot to  land.

There are no support facilities on this wall nor does it look like a good place to leave a boat unattended. (Unless it is surrounded by friends who are keeping an eye out.) Which, I guess, is why so many are headed to a dock. 


Since it seems a good idea to head out onto the lake with a full tank of fuel and an empty holding tank, we will be going though the last lock as soon as possible in the morning, then stopping at one of the marinas ourselves. Filled up and emptied out, it will be off to play in lake Ontario with what looks like a lot of company. Understandable, since all the weather forecasts are for the lake to be in an excellent mood tomorrow. Usually I am a bit of a loner, not particularly interested in or swayed by what other people are doing or thinking. But, given that this is the first time I've ever been on one of the Great Lakes in any kind of boat (flown over them more times than I can remember)? I don't think I'll mind the company.

Lock O-1 has a lift bridge right at the end of the lock so even after they open the doors you have to stay put until they lift the bridge.



Our view from the wall in Phoenix, NY

We passed this today - the little shack says "Uncle Joe's Trading Post". We were wondering if Uncle Joe lives in the giant house behind it...


And in the other weirdness that locks are...This one has a steel beam right across the middle of the lock. If you're going downstream, you have to pull in past it so that when they fill the lock you can get out. It only has a 5' clearance when the lock is full. Wonder whose engineering feat that was???


My granddaughter loves Slime, you know the kind you squeeze in your hands. I wonder if she'd consider this slime to be as fun?



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