Buffalo and Dunkirk, NY

After visiting Niagara Falls on Monday, we finally left Smith Boys in N. Tonawanda. They treated us very fairly for winter storage and would highly recommend their facility to other boaters. Lizzie came along with us and Kyle was the wheel man. We needed to go through one more lock before Lake Erie. Paul and Lizzie held the lines while we were very slowly raised about 5 ft. at Black Rock Lock to reach the level of Lake Erie. That makes SEVENTY locks in all on our trip. We traveled down the Black Rock Canal and through the Conrail swing bridge which was open; we requested a bascule bridge to open for us. Here’s Capt. Paul on the radio.

Two more fixed bridges were no problem for our mast height of 55 ft. Erie Basin Marina in Buffalo was our destination. The area is actually dredged to form the shape of a buffalo. As near as we could figure, we were in the hind quarters of the beast. Kyle eventually met us there; he took the opportunity to get a new muffler on his car outside “the city”. It was a bit tricky being on the wall; we needed our 2-step ladder to get on and off the boat. The rate was $1.90/foot and the best amenity was the observation tower nearby.

This is the view of the sun setting over Lake Erie from the tower.

We had dinner on board and enjoyed Eric’s birthday cake in his honor.

Tuesday about mid-day, we left for Dunkirk, NY and Kyle and Lizzie were off to Brooklyn. We didn’t realize it until much later but our extra clothes and bags stored in the car trunk went along with them! We think there are only a few things we need mailed to us so I guess that’s not too bad.

We sailed with motor assist in light variable winds the 33 miles to the Dunkirk Yacht Club. It’s rather unique as their entire facility is built over the water. You can hear the sounds of the water beneath you in the bathroom and shower. The power plant to the left keeps the water from freezing over winter. It’s supposedly a great fishing spot; they also had a very strong free wifi signal (always a plus).

We have never been made to feel more welcome than at this yacht club of about 100 members. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. Paul was invited to coffee with the guys every morning and someone was usually making breakfast in their clubhouse kitchen.

We were told about some of the members' restoration of a 1927 John Alden Yawl Malibar Junior. They were having a party the next night at the workshop and they made sure we had a ride. So we got to see the results of their labor of love of the past SEVEN years. The rigging, spars and sails were lost in a fire at the workshop in 1998. The whole process is quite a story. Here's two of the guys showing Paul the topside of Muirgen, which means "she who is from the sea" in Gaelic.

Here's a view of the transom. These guys are real craftsmen; we were so impressed with the quality of the work done and especially their dedication. They also have a lot of fun along the way - a great group of people.

Here's a link to the website if anyone has more interest in reading about the restoration. They've done an excellent job with photographing and documenting the project which will hopefully be completed next June.

http://web.mac.com/bjurlin/Site/MUIRGEN.html

Another really interesting thing about our visit was meeting Tom and Jon, two Cleveland State rowers who are rowing to raise funds and awareness for Habitat for Humanity. Their goal is to reach KEY WEST! Here's their craft, a 1972 converted 19' O'Day Mariner. The boat is cleverly renamed Not For Sail. Good luck and God Bless to those guys!

Here's a link to their website and blog http://www.habitatcrew.com/Habitat-Crew-Home.php

Our one night in Dunkirk stretched to three as it rained for two days after we arrived, besides we were having fun. We were on the water 7 1/2 hours on Friday making it to Presque Isle State Park just off Erie, PA. We crossed the watery state line sometime Friday afternoon. We anchored one night and are currently in a slip at the marina at Wolverine Park. We hiked for a few grocery items in the rain as we never did find that darned free trolley!

All for now from the crew of Restless Wind. Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!