Albany to Whitehall

We were excited when we departed Albany as this would be the day we were to begin the locks. The first we encountered was in Troy, NY called the Federal Lock; we immediately noticed the spillway running along side of the lock, an impressive amount of water was flowing over it toward the river below. We radioed the lockmaster, the gates opened and the light changed to green indicating they were ready for us to enter. This lock had steel posts along the side and we were instructed to pull up to one, we had a line cleated to the boat amidships which we wrapped around the post allowing us to hold the free end. As the boat rose, the tension on this line needed to be adjusted. The gates closed and we rose 14 feet, the gates opened and out we went to continue on our way. We subsequently arrived at Waterford and a fork in the river, if we were to turn left, this would take us to the Erie Canal. If we continued on the Hudson River and took the more northern route we would begin what is known as the “Great Northeast Journey’, this historic waterway links the Hudson River, Champlain Canal, Lake George, Lake Champlain to the Richelieu River and Chambly Canal of Quebec. It is also known as the Lakes to Locks Passage. We chose this “road less traveled”. The Champlain Canal connects the Hudson River with Lake Champlain; beginning at Troy it covers a distance of 64 statute miles. There are 11 locks in this series. The process involves rising 139 feet with 8 locks then descending 44 feet in the remaining 3 locks prior to reaching Whitehall, NY at the beginning of Lake Champlain. Entering Lock 1 we found lines draped over the lock walls, we pulled up to one, Leslie was on the bow where she was able to reach over and pick up the line. Harry then stopped the engines and rushed to the back window where he reached out with the boat hook to catch a second line. Once both lines were secured and the large steel gates were closed; we were in a canyon of concrete. Then a rumble could be heard, bubbles began to surface and we were slowly lifted to the high water mark on the wall. Once the water was level with the river upstream, the gates opened and we cruised out and continued on our journey. We completed the journey of the Champlain Canal in two days, ending in Whitehall, NY, the birthplace of the U.S. Navy. In 1776, ships were constructed in Whitehall for our nation’s first Navy. We chose to stop in Whitehall to tour the museum and enjoy the history of this village at the entry point of Lake Champlain. It was our good fortune to arrive this weekend as a group of steamboat enthusiasts also arrived with their steamboats. They tooted their whistles as they cruised into town. Tomorrow we will begin our exploration of Lake Champlain, the sixth largest freshwater lake in the United States.