The Boat/Technical

8.12.2017

>>> LOCKS

There are 35 locks on the canal between Tonawanda (where the canal meets the Niagara River) and Troy/Albany (where the canal meets the Hudson River). Many of the locks and their machinery are from the early 20th century and are wonderful examples of the strong, heavy, simple electromechanical systems that grew out of the industrial age. Following pictures are from Lock 24.

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8.7.2017

We’ve been living on the boat for a bit over 4 weeks (two at east 55th, one in-route to Buffalo and one on the Erie Canal), and are beginning to get a sense of how the boat and it’s systems are working based on real experience. So far the verdict has been mainly favorable.

Following are some highlights

THE GOOD:

• Fuel consumption seems to be in line with what we expected (1/2 gallon of diesel per hour at 5 to 5.5 knots – 6 to 6.5 miles per hour). This is important because we have a relatively small fuel tank – 35 gallons plus we carry 15 gallons in jerry cans on deck. By comparison, one of the sailboats we are traveling with has a 100 gallon tank.

• Water consumption has so far been very manageable – and we expect it will continue to be, as long as we are staying at marinas or at canal wall at tie-ups that have shore power and city water hook-ups. Several years ago we installed a city water inlet on the boat and can connect the boat to the water supply with a 50’ garden type hose. When we stay at tie ups that don’t provide water or when we are anchoring or staying on a mooring ball, we will need to carefully manage water use (62 gallons of shower and washing water in our water tank and 8 gallons of drinking water in 3 jugs). When on city water we can take long showers and let the water run while washing dishes. We haven’t yet figured out if we want to buy a reverse osmosis water maker.

• Electrical power management has also been favorable. We installed a new 300 amp hour AGM battery bank and replaced our power hungry incandescent light bulbs with LEDs (please don’t ask what they cost), added a separate engine starter battery and upgraded to new energy efficient instruments. We also added a 100 amp alternator and 3.5 Kw diesel powered generator. We’ve only used the generator one evening – 90 degrees and humid – no shore power. Fired up the generator and ran the air conditioner for 2 hours to cool down the cabin. Boat was comfortable the rest of the night. The generator burns 1/10 gallon of diesel fuel per hour. We’ll learn more once we are anchoring out on a more regular basis.

 

THE BAD

• Second or third day out, the pump motor on the vaccuflush toilet (like on an airplane) began popping the circuit breaker. After consulting with the manufacturer, we ordered a backup pump and bellows and learned about/implemented the manufacturer’s recommendation for lubricating the bellows. Existing system is once again working and we have spares.

• The third time I turned on the VHF (marine band) radio in the nav station, it came on but the display was just a blank orange glow ( diagnosis - kaput). West marine immediately replaced the defective radio – but we still haven’t been able to get the AIS (automatic identification ship tracking system) function on the radio to display on the main navigation instrument at the helm. Still awaiting a call-back from the folks at Standard Horizon - hummm…

THE UGLY

• We had our 57’ (250+ pound) mast taken down by RCR Marine in Buffalo. They were AMAZING! Their crew was careful and diligent and would not let us leave till the shoring (securing) of the now horizontal mast was secure on the horses we built – including the third one they insisted on adding: so why ugly? We decided not to fill our fuel tank till we got to the entrance of the canal so we could enter with the maximum amount of fuel possible (there are very few fuel stops along the 350 mile canal). We pulled into Wardell’s Marine at the entrance to the canal to fill up. He asked who took our mast down and Sheila innocently answered RCR. He refused to sell us fuel because we didn’t use him (and his rickety old crane) to take our mast down. After much cajoling, negotiating and yes – a bit of begging – he relented and sold us diesel… what a &%$#@*&.

• There is a very lovely city owned marina in the Buffalo harbor. The marina was recently refurbished and docks are in first rate condition – BUT the marina opens to the harbor and is very susceptible to waves rolling in from the lake. The surge in the basin was so bad, we had to double dock lines and brace ourselves every time we got on and off the boat. Good location and nice facilities – but we WOULD NOT recommend staying there if other alternatives are available. (Sheila’s comment – once we were off the wall and in a dock I didn’t think it was too rock and rolly.)

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General information and terminology

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Our soon to be home is a 1991, 38 foot Freedom sailboat.  She is equipped with:

V-birth, (forward cabin) which will be the master bedroom for the next year,

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Salon (main section of the boat) with television, dining table and two bench seats that can turn into beds when needed; 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Galley (kitchen) with three burner stove, oven, deep sink, top loading refrigerator with small freezer section, microwave and a reasonable amount of storage.

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Topside (above deck) she has a roomy cockpit with soft cushions, gas grill, bimini (sun awning) and a variety of lines that we will use for multiple purposes – you’ll start to understand once we are underway.

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We will be taking a dingy with a 6 horsepower engine, folding bicycles and a double kayak with us as well.

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