John C. Callaghan
Boater Resources/ Canal Traffic
New York State Canal Corporation
(518) 471-5016
John_Callaghan@canals.state.ny.us 

July 5th Saturday - Kingston. Make reservation since July 4th weekend.
Recommend Ship to Shore restaurant for dinner. Slightly more expensive
than some of the other local fare, but well worth it.

July 6th Sunday - Waterford. You'll be arriving on the last day of
the steam boat meet. Call me ahead and I'll reserve dock space for
you. Some antique shops downtown and places to eat. Nice place to spend
two days (I live there.)  Should be no problem. Most the boats will be
leaving earlier in the day. We'll save you a spot.  July 6th (7th AM)
or on return trip - Broad Street Cafe for breakfast. Walking tour and
perhaps visit the museum (free and small). Nice bike trails along the old
Champlain Canal. Keilty's Irish Pub and AHearn's Hideaway are both bars,
but have good food and I'd recommend both. There's also a pizza place,
Chinese Restaurant, and a diner downtown.

July 7th Monday - You'll proceed up the famed "Waterford Flight" to the
Mohawk River. These 5 locks replaced 16 on the original canal. It's the
highest series of lift locks in the world, raising you 169 feet in 1.5
miles, around the Cohoes Falls. Here is where I depart the schedule. I
recommend you make arrangements to stay at the Schenectady Yacht Club
this night. A wonderful facility with a full array of amenities and
facilities. It is also built atop an original canal lock! You are also
next to an original aqueduct which used to carry the canal over the
river. It makes a great introduction to the canal, and you can view some
original canal archeology while you're there. Frank and company will
take good care of you - John, a former Director of the Canal
Corporation, is Commodore there. You may also run into Doug Nadler,
who runs the Amsterdam waterfront but is a member at Schenectady.

July 8th Tuesday - Tie up for a few minutes at Amsterdam and take a
walk around the park. They've done a wonderful job here but the downtown
revitalization has not yet followed. The facilities are first rate unless
you want to walk into town. Lock up through Lock 11 and tie on the upper
wall. Visit the Guy Park Manor and walk across the street to Russo's Bar
and Grill. Again, this is a bar but the food is legendary.  The service
is not, but once you eat you'll forget all about it.  Resume your trip
and tie up in Canajoharie for the night. If the dock is full you can
tie on the bulkhead wall perpendicular to the channel, but depth is
only 4-5 feet. Make your approach tight to the wall because there is
a delta in the middle of the stream. If you are on the docks there is
shore power but you might not get it if you are on the wall. There is
a nice Italian Restaurant about two blocks into town, take a right, and
one more block. Also, shops and smaller eateries. Great public library
with an incredible collection of Winslow Homers. Nice place on main
street for breakfast in mooring, forget the name.

July 9 Wednesday - You may wish to tie up for a while at Lock 15 (upper
side) and explore some canal ruins on the other side of the river.
State Historic Site, within a short bike ride. Instead of Little Falls,
proceed to the Herkimer Terminal. This is the site of Gems Along the
Mohawk, where you'll find several small shops with specialty items and a
nice restaurant. No shore power there yet, but makes for a nice overnight
stay. If you need power for the night, you could continue on the Ilion
Marina after dinner, or whenever.

July 10th Thursday - The Rome terminal makes a nice tie-up but has
no shore power. Nice park, but not within walking distance of much.
Mexican Restaurant and train station within walking distance across
the bridge.  Riverside Marina has electric and other amenities, and is
relatively close. depends on what you're looking for.

July 11th Friday - Sylvan Beach. Several excellent marinas here. If
you tie to the public wall, it probably will not be a very quiet night,
being a weekend.  You also probably wouldn't get a very good spot. I'd
consider going in to Snug Harbor, then it's just a very short bike ride
or walk across the bridge. Much activity in this lake side resort town.
Snug Harbor is a nice marina on the south side of the canal right across
the bridge from downtown Sylvan Beach.

July 12th Saturday - If the weather is good, go across and cross the
lake, unless you've become enamored of Sylvan Beach. Stop for fuel in
Brewerton at Winter Harbor, cheapest fuel on canal. Great lunch stop also,
stop on the state pier and walk to one of several good restaurants for
lunch. Proceed on to Fulton to the public marina. At 35 feet, you are
just about the maximum length I would take into the slips. There is an
opening in the break wall just above Lock 3. You have a 90 degree tun
to Starboard, then 90 to port, then 90 to Starboard to go into a wet
slip. It's actually not that bad, I tied up several 40 plus footers in
there last year during the cruise. But if the wind is kicking, I'd let
discretion be the better part of valor and tie to the bulkhead wall just
upstream of there. That way you can eyeball the approach and decide what
you want to do. Great town with shops, full amenities at the marina,
Lock 3 Restaurant is terrific.

July 13th Sunday - Why not continue down river to Oswego? Nice lake port,
with mix of private and public docking and lots of municipal bulkhead
wall. "Mooring" won't be so bad on a Monday. SUNDAY TOO? Lots to see and
do, including Lighthouse Museum, and historic Army Tug.  Dining downtown
at Captain's Table. Very nice stop. Lock down through and sample the
waters of Lake Ontario.

July 14th Monday - Back up the Oswego. Stop for lunch at Phoenix,
and meet the Bridge Brats. Great little lunch stop and hospitality in
this town is through the roof.  Tie up on the city wall just above
the lock and kids will run over to your boat with menus and run to
the restaurants for you. It's a good way for the kids in town to do
something productive and helpful to the community during the summer.
Continue on to Baldinsville. Skip Syracuse for now.  Stop at public dock
and eat dinner at Lock 24 restaurant. Nice park and facilities.

July 15th Tuesday - Proceed directly to Union Springs on Cayuga Lake.
Stay at Castelli's Marina (call ahead for reservations.) Walk to town
which has a restaurant and pharmacy.

July 16th Wednesday - Staying at Castelli's will get you into Ithaca
early today.  You'll have a little extra time there, which you'll
enjoy. You'll have to make reservations at the public marina. For
planning, I assume you'll only stay one night. If you want to stay two,
just adjust the rest of the schedule for that.

July 17th Thursday - Seneca Falls. Try to get a spot with power. There is
one bar right on the water, so avoid tying up right there. The closer you
get to the gazebo and community center (up by the 2nd bridge) the quieter
it will be. This is a great stop, and the town in "It's A Wonderful Life"
was modeled after Seneca Falls. Lots to see and do. Bailey's Ice Cream
shop a must.

-If you skip Castelli's and already did Seneca Falls, go straight to
Syracuse, and now you're two days ahead of my original proposed schedule.

July 18th Friday - Syracuse Inner Harbor. Must watch trestle bridge for
height it should be marked. Probably about 15.9'. Nice facility downtown,
but industrial area. Long walk or short bike to Carousel Mall. Good stop
if you can get under the bridge.

July 19th Saturday - Brewerton. Late in the day, lake might be choppy.
Brewerton makes a nice overnight stop if you enjoyed your lunch stop
here previously. Go to bed early and underway at first light for best
lake crossing.  Usually fetches up west to east and doesn't normally
build to more than 5', and typically not even that much. Lake is long
and shallow. I've lost a day waiting for weather at the lake before,
so if it's no issue for you a day can be gained by simply crossing the
lake whenever you get there. If this is the case, you might make it back
to Rome this night, and you'd by almost 3 days ahead of where I had you.

July 20 Sunday - Utica (Or Rome) New municipal marina right on Canal.
Nice restaurant right there: Kitty's on the Canal. Deck seating, but
shouldn't really be noisy at night, especially on a Monday. Short bike
ride to downtown.  Several private marinas nearby if you so chose.

- If you stayed in Rome, you can make the Little Falls/Herkimer area
this night.

July 21 Monday - Lunch stop at Little Falls. Go past harbor facility,
probably still under construction during your trip. Tie up on the public
wall at Benton Place. There is a sign that says no overnight mooring, but
it makes a great day stop. Antique stores, several eateries, and shops.
Spend as much time here during the day as you like, your afternoon
journey won't be too far. Go to St. Johnsville Marina if it's getting
late, or back to Canajoharie if you're making good time.

- If you're still ahead of schedule, maybe back to Schenectady?

July 22 Tuesday - Amsterdam if you so choose. Take a cab ride across
bridge (or bike) to Perillo's Armory Grill for dinner. Make sure you
get a key to the gate from the dockhand.

July 23 Wednesday - Waterford. You can go from Schenectady to Troy,
which has a nice marina and Fresno's Steakhouse right on the river.

July 24th Thursday - Lunch stop in Catskill. Restaurant right by Catskill
Creek entrance - docking available. Back to Kingston. Cruise up Rondout
past shipyard to old entrance of canal just for the heck of it, very
interesting.

July 25th Friday - Haverstraw, or Terrytown, ...

July 26th Saturday - Home
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