End of the Canal and the End of Boating Season

The twin cities of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda form the western terminus of the Erie Canal and are historically known as a lumber capitol. The Canal officially ends where it enters the Niagara River. We got the feeling most boaters go from west to east on the Canal as the dock where we stayed is in Gateway Park and this sign says Gateway Harbor.

Paul asked if I wanted to turn around and do it again from west to east; I said “no thanks” or something like that. We didn’t actually go to Buffalo, which I learned is New York’s second largest city. Evidently it’s much easier going there by bus than by water as you have to go against the current of the Niagara River.

We spent two nights at the town dock and made a grocery run on foot (their rate is $20/night with new showers/restrooms). The football game on local TV was the NY Jets/Dolphins game with Brett Farve starting for the Jets which we thought was rather ironic. It sure was strange seeing him in a different uniform after all those years as a Packer. Alison told us she watched the game at home as a GB station picked up the Jets games this year – too funny!

We decided awhile back that we would rather finish the Loop in the Spring so this is the end of our travels for this year. The days will be getting short, it’s getting quite cool at night and after 5,061 miles, we both need a little break. This way we can take our time and enjoy the Great Lakes part of the trip and not feel rushed.

On Monday, Sept. 8th we headed over to Smith Boys Marina on Tonawanda Island, just a short trip. There’s a lot of current running through there as it’s just off the Niagara River. Smith Boys was recommended as a good place to pull the boat and store it for the winter. Here we are being hauled out on Wednesday.

The anti-fouling paint Paul applied to the bottom held up really well. However, since we sat lower in the water than usual (dinghy davits, extra equipment), our stern and part of the gelcoat were susceptible to barnacles. Here’s a shot of the nasty creatures.

Power washing has no effect on them; they’re hard as rocks.

So…..out came the scrapers. Even the prop was covered with barnacles.

Hooray for power tools! Paul worked really hard and did a great job. I mostly gave moral support and worked on the inside.

We actually stayed on the boat for two nights after it was out of the water. We had electricity and water but couldn’t use the refrigeration as it’s a water-cooled system. So we got ice and used our freezer as an ice box. We of course didn’t bring a ladder with us so we had to improvise to get up and down. With the swim ladder extended and the 2-step ladder we found at Home Depot (we had a rental car by this time) there wasn’t too big of a gap. A couple of times with Ginger in one arm, a bag in the other, rain pouring down, I was thankful I didn’t kill myself. I kept telling myself this was just adding to the adventure (especially with the bathroom situation - after we winterized the “heads” we couldn’t use them again). It was a pretty strange two days!

We had planned to store indoors but since our cradle (wooden frame to support the boat) is back home, they had to put us on jack stands outdoors. They’ll be shrink wrapping the boat later – hopefully before one of their famous snowstorms. This is what the “Restless Wind” looked like when we left her.

We found that we had a LOT of stuff to haul home after living aboard for a whole year. That little Impala was loaded! Ironically it was exactly one year to the day since we began this journey. We left Green Bay last Sept. 12th - we probably couldn’t have done that if we’d planned it! Here's a view of our living area in the middle of packing - yikes!

We drove in rain all day Friday (effects of Hurricane Ike) and stayed with our son, Eric, in Milwaukee that night. We returned the rental car there and Eric drove us the rest of the way on Saturday. Now we were even more loaded down as now we had Eric’s laundry in the car too. Ginger and I were very cozy in the back seat – often we’ve been glad she’s only a 6 lb. dog.

So, we’re safely back at our land home. Thank you for your interest in our travels and for your good thoughts and prayers for our safety. We plan to head back to the boat in May to get the boat ready, put the mast up and head onto Lake Erie and complete “The Loop” before the end of summer.

Check back next May for further adventures of the crew of “Restless Wind”.

Thankfully,
Paul, Emy and Ginger