Things I Missed 2, Part B

Lyons NY has the one of the best canal ambassador team  I know*. When summer yachts come through, the welcoming committee stop by.  And some interesting boats visit Lyons.  Take Farallone, from yesterday’s post.  By the way, if you’ve not read the additional info on Farallone I added in the comments section, check it out.

Since this sign, propped up beside the wooden tender over the engine is a bit hard to read, let me highlight some of the info:  12 identical Q-boats built for the War Department, second oldest Luders boat in existence (I wonder what’s the oldest.), was personal  launch of two Quartermaster Generals of the US, moved to the west for transport to and from Alcatraz, served as a salmon sport fish boat,  and then after a move back east  has traveled 10,000 in the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast in the past 25 or so years.

Ahoy, Jon.   The owner of the boat back then and maybe still is catboat Jon, a specialist in wooden buckets.

While Farallone was in Lyons, Churchill moved Lois McClure through town as well.

Broadsword also stopped in Lyons, making her one of not that many yachts to have transited the Pacific, the Panama Canal, and the Erie Canal.

That’s lock E-27 in the distance, and Broadsword was headed west,

in the bottom of 27 and

out the top.

All photos, thanks to Bob Stopper in Lyons NY.

*Let me clarify the first sentence.  Many canal towns have ambassadors who are very knowledgeable about the local area.  I’ve found such folks happy to share the insights and assist with problem solving.  Once I stopped at a canal town and was welcomed by the mayor who made sure we had a pleasant stay.  I know the folks in Lyons more than I know most towns because I grew up near there.

 

 

Things I Missed 2

This post is devoted to boats I’ve seen, certainly been intrigued by, and then . . . failed to follow.  The 60′ Farallone, built by Luders for the US government in 1918,  certainly fits that description.  The only time I saw it back in 2017, at 99 years well maintained,  it was for sale, but the “for sale” notice is still up here, and it says nothing about whether it’s been sold. When i googled it again today, I discovered that my friend Tim Hetrick took photos of it six years ago, and includes a detailed account of her life here.  Farallone, where are you?

Both of the next boats I saw only once . . . May 2018, the day the Canal opened for the 100th season.  Troll hailed, or hails,  from Elburg NL.  She’s 58′ aluminum trawler and here are almost 100 photos of her with all the specs.  If you saw it, you’d recall, especially with that name and the orange paint.

Broadsword is the third vessel, and although it was westbound on the Erie Canal, she is now on the IJsselmeer in the Netherlands.  If you saw this 57′ yacht that crosses oceans, you’d remember it.  For lots of pics and info on the Finnish designer who has lived in Maine, click here. For more on Broadsword and sister vessel Koti, click here.

All photos by Will Van Dorp, Farallone was below lock E-2 and Troll and Broadsword upbound at the top of the same lock.

And as long as I have the Covid-19 ankle bracelet keeping me at my desk, there’ll be more Erie Canal posts very soon.

Barge Canal Centennial Day

May 15, 2018 was the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Barge Canal.  That fact was mentioned at the ceremonies opening the Canal to recreational traffic yesterday, and quite a diverse and international flotilla of recreational boats waited, like racers on the starter’s blocks.

But first, do you recognize this captain?

Well, he waved at all these school kids who serenaded him and all the other boats, first of the season, leaving lock E2.  For prices on similar Hinckley 36 picnic boats, click here.

Sonically greeting them also were two Canal vessels:  Governor Cleveland and Grand Erie.

But let’s step back about 15 minutes.  The lower gates of E2 open to reveal the queue.

The nearest boat to the left was driven by the gentleman I asked whether you could identify.  The large vessel to the right — a 78′ Azimut Benetti Spa registered in Grand Rapids MI–was rumored to belong to a well-known professional basketball player.

 

It was the second batch locking through that brought the more unique westbound boats.

The green vessel —Oliver Plunkett-– Canadian registry, was returning from a stint in the Bahamas.  Her PEI fishing pedigree is quite noticeable.

Troll–hailing from Elburg NL– intrigues me, but I can’t point out anything besides an unusual name and bright hull color, both of which you’ve already noticed.

Broadsword, German registry, is a 58′ New Zealand-built Artnautica LRC 58 motoring around the world to the east, although here headed west.

Each of these boats has a story, many stories, I’ll never know.

 

And finally, this Florida-registered Axopar caught my attention too late and too far from the camera.  But, check out these Finnish boat designs.

To see some unusual recreational boat designs, lock E2 is the place to be on opening day.  I would be remiss, however, to leave out reference to commercial vessels . . . several of whom have already locked through, and that may be a story I pick back up in a few days.

The first boat here–a Nordhavn 62– was an unusual vessel to see up in Waterford.

And the person at the helm of the Hinckley, it was Geraldo Rivera, whom you’ve likely heard of.  But, check out his info on this wiki page for lots of tidbits you probably don’t know, eg, he attended SUNY Maritime, he’s a lawyer, he went to West Babylon High School, and some scandals . . .

All photos by Will Van Dorp, who’d love to hear more about any of these boats at points farther west . . .