Waterway Updates

The United States Coast Guard has established a regulated navigation area around the construction zone of the Lake Champlain Bridge between Crown Point, NY and Chimney Point, VT. This regulated area is bound by four, white and orange-striped “NO WAKE” buoys in positions: 44-02- 00.7N, 073-25-35.7 W and 44-02-11.4 N, 073-25-27.1 W to the north, and 44-01-56.6 N, 073-25-05.5 W and 44-01-49.9 N, 073-25-09.1 W to the south.
Vessels must transit through the regulated navigation area at a speed of 5 knots or less and in a manner so as to not produce a wake. This “NO WAKE” zone is intended to minimize risk of injury to workers and damage to construction vessels. Additionally, vessels shall not transit, moor, or anchor within a 75 yard radius of the center of the bridge construction zone between Crown Point, NY and Chimney Point, VT in position 44-01-58.2N, 73-25-22.8W during the week of August 22, 2011. The purpose of this additional restriction is to exclude vessels from entering the area where heavy lift bridge construction operations will be conducted. Notification that the additional restriction is in effect will be made via VHF radio
on channel 16 and 22.
Vessels may transit through the regulated navigation area via an alternate, temporary navigation channel that has been established to the west between piers 3 and 4. This temporary channel is marked with red and green lighted buoys. All vessels are advised to transit the area with extreme caution.

We have traveled to the lake for 11 years and just got back last week. We
stayed at Chipman Point in Orwell , VT for 2 nights on our way up. A few
good places to stop are the following:

*Westport Marina, Westport, NY
*Vergennes, VT
*Essex, NY
*Burlington, VT - Community Boat House
*Plattsburgh Boat Basin
*Anchorage at Valcour Island
**Burton Island State Park, St. Albans, VT on the Inland Sea of the lake
just north of Plattsburgh at Cumberland Head, then east through a cut,
under a draw bridge and 5 miles to the island. This is one of our very
favorite places! We call it “boat camping”. There are tent sites on one
side and a small marina on the other, also mooring balls. The island is 3
miles around, no cars, people have to take a ferry from the mainland or
come by their boat. There’s a campstore that sells odds and end things for
camping and also the owner , Juanita, makes great breakfasts and lunches.
You can get a cart load of wood and have a campfire steps from your boat.
There are hiking trails and a beach. It’s a great place to relax, fish,
dinghy, etc.

Barbara and Jim Benjamin and Golden Retriever, Lily
Golden Lily - Nordic Tug 42-092

The New York Department of Transportation has established a temporary navigation channel to the west of the center of the Lake Champlain Bridge between piers 3 and 4. This navigation channel is marked by the following buoys: Green Lighted Buoy LB 1 in position 44-01.94N 073-25.46W, Red Lighted Buoy LB 2 in position 44-01.92N, 073-25.48W, Green Lighted Buoy 3 in position 44-01.91N, 073-25.37W, Red Lighted Buoy LB 4 in position 44-01.88N, 073-25.39W, and Red Lighted Buoy LB 6 in position 44-01.87N, 073-25.21W. The purpose of the temporary navigation channel is to allow vessels to transit through the bridge construction area during heavy-lift operations. Vertical clearance over the temporary navigation channel is reported to be 55 feet when the lake is 98 feet ordinary high water level. All mariners are advised to exercise caution when transiting this area. .

Thanks to David and Kathy Edersheim aboard Nikawa II for these updates.

Page 58, mile 0.2:

Lockview Marina no longer sells gas.

Page 58, mile 7.0:

Castellis Marina is now Frontenac Harbor.

Page 61, mile 11.2, Lock 4, Waterloo: 

Walmart has moved farther down 414. The Chamber of Commerce dock was about a half-mile from the old Walmart. Now over a mile. Right across from the dock is Route 5 & 20 and there is a plaza with a grocery store and other shops.

Page 62, mile 34.0, Watkins Glen:

The contact for Village Marina is Terry Steward, phone 607-742-5100. The marina no longer sells gas but does have a pump-out. 

Many thanks to Fred Wehner of Tug44 for this very informative report.

Sunday I took a car tour thru the wrecked area of the Erie Canal and was 
amazed by what I saw. All the dams where the ribs were bent or sprung have 
been fixed, not just jury-rigged as I expected, but new ribs are already in 
place. Sighting down the line of each of them, they’re all straight now 
and they are working as designed. The moveable steel plates that hold the 
water back are once again suspended from the chains so the dams are fully 
functional. The locks are all working already, and traffic is moving down 
the canal as before. The grounds of most of those locks are ruined, but 
the locks are working.

It all looks bad still, there are huge piles of logs and debris, some piled 
50 feet high, covering much of the lock grounds. Most guard rails are torn 
away, including many at the tops of dams, and temporarily replaced with 
construction netting. Several Lock Operators offices and other buildings 
were destroyed, but replaced with temporary structures.

Overnighting at some locks may be restricted in the spring, but there is a 
good chance that they will be available by then.

Some locks had new river channels gouged out thru their parking lots, 
making them into islands .. those now have causeways built to access them.

All the fill and buildings and cars and trucks that were washed away all 
went into the river, and major dredging operations are already in 
progress.

All floating debris is already removed from the river, in fact it’s now 
cleaner than normal.

Local marinas are also all in good shape now.

At Lock E-11, the beautiful historic William Johnson house (1742) looked 
close to collapse last month, but it has already been reframed and much new 
concrete for foundations has already been poured, and the original stones 
from the walls have been collected and it will be rebuilt shortly.

There’s still a lot of work to be done, mostly cosmetic, plus a few 
thousand more truck loads of fill are needed, but there is now no question 
that the Erie Canal will be open normally in the spring.

This is an extremely impressive performance by the new Canal Corp 
management, and employees and contractors. These guys really know what 
they are doing, and no wonder they all look tired when I see them lately!

It is now safe to plan your canal trip shortly after the May 1st opening.

Fred
Tug 44

5 years ago this morning I had to tell my children that their dad had died. It seems like yesterday but still like forever ago. 5 years ago today I lost the best friend I ever had.

Elaine Reib

Exactly five years ago today, I got out of bed and checked my email and saw
there was one from Skipper Bob. The evening before, I had sent him my
latest batch of updates for the New York Canals book. The email was a
short thank you note from Bob, time-stamped exactly 8 AM that morning. I
could picture Bob sitting at his desk, probably looking forward to doing
some editing on the books that morning.

It turned out sending me that email was the last thing Bob did … and then
he slumped to the floor and died. The email remained on his screen
afterwards.

Bob is a great guy. He wrote the Skipper Bob books to asist the long
distance cruisers, and with the help of his wife Elaine Reib, he did a
mighty fine job.

I first saw a copy of the New York Canals book, on my first visit up here
in 2003. I was amazed how it contained absolutely everything I needed to
know for my cruise, and I got my own copy the first chance I had. Kathy
and I spend many days planning our future trips with the Skipper Bob book
open as the ultimate reference. It wasn’t very wordy, but it was concise
and to the point, the perfect cruiser’s helm reference. I loved the book,
so I contacted Bob and started helping with it.

Since about 2004, I had been sending Bob all kinds of updates and
corrections, so that the book might be correct and complete and benefit
future boaters, as it had done for me. The books are now continued by Ted
Stehle, who continues Bob’s excellent work, and I continue to send Ted
updates for it. Bob is often in my mind as I gather info for the next
updates.

When Bob died, he left a big gap, but I always talk about Bob in the
present tense as he will always be around. He will live on in the memory
of those who knew him, those who worked with him, and his family. Skipper
Bob is out there on the canals and waterways somewhere even now. You may
not see him on your cruises, but he’s out there with you.

Skipper Bob, December 11th, 2006. May he cruise with us forever.

Fred Wehner