Champlain Canal

This morning we untied our lines and headed north- it felt great to be traveling again! We soon passed the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse. built in 1874.

Now its on the National Historic Registry 

Next up was Albany, the capital of New York, and the end of tidal influence on the Hudson. Hard to believe the tide comes 140+ miles up the Hudson. Tides are a pain because they change the current in the river every few hours. Going against the tide can slow us down by more than 3 miles per hour (a significant amount considering our cruising speed is 7-12 mph). Tides also mean that dock lines have to be able to accommodate the rising and falling water levels. Anyway, we are pleased to be out of the tidal reach.

Gothic style government building

Empire State Plaza

A lift bridge

Soon after Albany we came to Troy and the Federal Lock.

Inside the lock

Decision time- left to the Erie Canal or right to the Champlain Canal

We hesitated for just a minute- should we take the Erie Canal rather than the Champlain?? We wavered, but stuck with our plan to do the Champlain route.

Looks like the Mississippi River, right?

So peaceful- we had the water to ourselves.

Until this behemoth appeared

Big boy

We passed through locks 1, 2, 3 and 4 on the Champlain Canal with ease. We were the only boat locking through. Each lock master called the next lock to advise them of our approach, so the gates were open and the lights were green for us. Awesome!

We are in Schuylerville, NY for the night. The marina is small but nice, and dockage is free if you eat at the nearby restaurant- what a deal!