Brockport NY Erie Canal August 8, 2015

We called the Fairport lift bridge operator at 7:20 and asked for a bridge opening at 7:30. There was no problem and we were on our way to Spencerport. This was a most interesting trip. We went under highway 490, we went through an area that was cut out of solid rock some 80 years ago, which went on for miles, and we went through an area where the canal was 100' over the land next to it. The scenery was just amazing, some of the best of the trip. There is a path next to the canal now, that goes all the way to Buffalo. People, walkers, bikers, dogs, were all out in force, many waving and smiling as we went by.

In Rochester we encountered a rower in a skiff. It is always hard to pass them because they go almost as fast as we do. This rower was particularly difficult as he kept moving over directly in front of us. Ideally they would slow down so we could pass them slowly with a small wake. This fellow would not. When I would go to port he did the same. I followed him through a long narrow channel then tried to pass him to starboard when the channel widened. He again pulled in front of us. Finally I went to port an sped up and went around him to port. He was screaming at us as we went by. Then I proceeded at a normal speed. He yelled at Jim too.

A few miles down the canal the same guy pops out from behind a bridge and starts throwing rocks at us! We could not believe it. I have always thought we were pretty vulnerable in the canal if someone had  bad intentions. Well, I was right. Annie got hit twice I think. There is a nickle size gelcoat chip in the side, and my plastic PA/hailer speaker got a hole knocked in it. It could have been much worse, if he had hit a window or solar panels, or some expensive electronics. Kerry tried to call some authority, but we were nowhere really and could not find a number for the canal system.

Of course we were pretty psyched the rest of the day. Every time we came to a bridge we looked really carefully before we went under it. We decided to skip Spencerport and go to Brockport about 8 miles further down the canal, just to get more distance between us. We have passed many rowers, most without incident. This is the second issue we have had. From now on I am going to treat them like I treat the alligators in Florida - stay way away. Of course we are a sitting duck here in Brockport, and I really hope we don't see him again!

We did pick a good day to stop in Brockport. It was a 22 mile trip. This weekend there is 2 day canal day celebration going on. It's a nice downtown area and the place was full of people. It cost $12 to stay for the night. It is staffed with volunteers and each time the shift changes the new volunteers come and introduce themselves, and ask what they can do for us. We had lunch at a nice local craft brewery, then did a lot of walking. Marty has been trying to hit 10,000 steps each day so she has been particularly active.

In the picture above you can see a sailboat with the mast on deck. They are from Ohio and are going South. They also sold every thing. We have seen them before. Their Hunter is named Manatee. They were familiar with Excalibur from Vermilion. She called it "striking". Of course I agreed.  

When we returned to the boat a very loud band was playing at a restaurant we were docked in front of. We decided to move our boats to a different location in case there was music playing all night. It's quiet now. I am grilling steaks tonight for dinner. We brought 2 huge steaks with us left over from the Akron Sail and Power Squadron steak fry, and they really look good.

The steaks were as good as they looked. We had invited Jim and Jola to join us for dinner, but they were still full from lunch, so we will have another dinner from them. Tomorrow we plan to go to Medina, which is about 24 miles. There is a rumor that there are hooligans in Medina that will cast your boat loose at night. We had decided not to go there because of that. Then we met a fellow from the area who said that was a 30 year old rumor, and not true. So today we meet a couple who brought that up when we asked about Medina. With the rower and the rumor, this trip is getting stressful.