Day 5-6 Waterford to Albany NY, Erie Canal and The Hudson River.

by s/v Black Diamond · Published August 31, 2013 · Updated February 19, 2014

Travelling with two boats containing 6 children under 13, starting at the age of 4. Yes, we needing a few breaks along the way, considering all this, we have been making pretty good progress. We pretty much made it through the canals, Oswego to Watertown, to the top of the Hudson in about 6 to 7 days. I guess if you were in a real rush, it could be done in 4-5 days, but that would be no fun right!

The largest lift/drop in the world, within the shortest distance is the 3-4 locks dropping you down to Waterford, NY. This is the junction where the Erie Canal, Lake Champlain Canal and Hudson Meet. It is also where you start having to deal with tides and tidal currents. Can you believe that the top of the Hudson experiences 3-4 foot tides and a tidal current of 2 knots. These currents can either give you a lift and increase your speed over the ground, or slow you down if you are running against them.

: Scenic Route

: Largest Drop to Waterford, NY.

: Waterford, NY

Last lock is the Troy City Federal Lock, a little more formal, lots of commercial traffic, from here to New York City, there will be lots of Barge Traffic, keep a good watch, especially if travelling at night. The barges will display lights that will notify you if they are towing a long line, pushing or pulling. Very important, at one time at night, I almost crossed a long 1000 foot tow line. Always be careful around these guys.

Albany, NY. along the Hudson.

Battleship in Albany, NY., Now a Museum.

We arrived in Albany at about 3pm, settled in, even had time to do all the laundry from the last week.

: Tiki Bar

: Marlin on top of the Tiki Bar.

: Enjoying a drink in the evening in the Tiki bar, as cruise ship goes by.

: Albany Yacht Club.

Albany Yacht club is small, only a few slips, but cute and cozy. The members are amazing and very friendly. My favourite feature was the little Tiki Bar over looking the river. It was an abandoned gazebo from one of the local parks. The members claimed it, and had a local artist beautify it. On the front of it please notice the large stuffed marlin! The drinks are free at this bar. There is a cooler – have a seat and just grab a beer and relax. At some point you might want to throw a few beers back in for some others to enjoy.