Brockport

We took our time leaving Bushnell's Basin, sleeping in til 8:00 and throwing our lines by 9:30. We quickly passed through Locks 31 and 32. These locks were the first we'd seen with wire tubing instead of ropes to hang on to. Each lock lifted us 25 feet. Lock 32 opened up to a dark and dreary rock cut with nothing to look at except an occasional fishing boat. We passed under many guard gates on the Erie Canal. They are kept in the open position when conditions are good. They are closed to protect the canal from high water flow coming from swollen rivers. At times, boats can be stuck between guard gates but they can tie up along the canal walls. It's a safe place to wait for conditions to improve.

Osimo in Lock 32

Beth holding Mystic to the Lock 32 wall

Approaching Lock 32

Locking through at 32

Guard Gates

Good Morning Sunshine

Lots of stationary bridges to slip under

Tow Path Gazebo

So many unique boats on the canal

So many places to stop and explore - Pittsford

Friendly people, excited to see boats pass through

We crossed the Genesee River which we'd heard was shallow but there was plenty of water for Mystic. The canal sits above the houses here. We see the rooftops and treetops. After the ugly rock cut we pop out into suburban Rochester and the scenery improves. We heard there were homeless tent cities along the canal but we only saw bicyclists camping. We passed under a series of beautiful arched bridges. Kayakers paddled beneath them and pedestrians stood in the center of the span to watch us pass below. Everyone on the Loop takes photos of these bridges. I was not the exception!

Still a lot of debris in the canal

Wildlife along the tow path

Sign visible from the canal

Dredging

Guard Gates looking pretty low

Beautiful Arched Bridges

Genesee River work boat

The Guard Gate at the other end

Tight quarters

Grand Erie Yacht Club

Erie Canal Bridge Mural

Organic Farmstead

We encountered many lift bridges along the western Erie Canal. To request passage, we would call ahead on our vhf. Usually the Bridgetender could let us through immediately. At Spencerport, the Bridgetender roams between two bridges. If you approach the first while the tender is at the second, you'll have to wait. This was the case at Spencerport so we tied off at the free wall and chatted with Loopers and cyclists we met. A biker offered to trade us all of his groups bikes for our sailboat. Laughing, we declined. We told them we'd see them in Brockport. They would beat us there by hours!

First bridge in Spencerport

Osimo waiting for the Spencerport Bridge to open

Locals fishing along canal in Spencerport

Mystic Passing under the Spencerport Lift Bridge

The Bridgetender returned and called us on the vhf, asking that we get back on the waterway ready to pass under the bridge. We waved goodbye to our new friends and prepared to continue our journey. Brockport also has two lift bridges. We only needed to pass under the first one to get to the free wall. We paid $15 for electric. Brockport is much quieter than Fairport and Spencerport. Mystic and Osimo settled in along the wall with several other boats. We were delighted to discover Stoneyard Brew Pub, only a few blocks away. We stopped in and tried the Vanilla Cream Ale and the Chocolate Almond Stout. Both were great!

The western section of the canal is heavily traveled by bicyclists and kayakers. Tonight we have several groups of bikers camping beside our boats. We hear them chatting quietly, late into the night. Harvester Park is an Erie Canal traveler's paradise.

We met a couple on a Down East style lobster boat named Minerva. It's much like my brother in law's boat, Izzy, only with a lot of custom teak. I took photos to show Mark this beautiful custom made vessel.