Day 6 – July 27

We headed out of Kingston at 6:30am with winds light and from the North creating a calm Lake Ontario. We arrived at the Port of Oswego at 12:30pm with all four boats running without any problems. However we are convinced Bob put on a few extra miles with his zig zag path across the lake. Our first order of business was check into Customs then to fuel up and pump out. Of course in the State of New York, these are duties you need to perform yourself as attends will not come aboard your vessel to fuel or pump out. Soon afterwards we headed to our first lock on the Oswego Canal, requiring the mandatory gloving for the dock lines. Although we had heard many stories of US locking, we found the task very easy. Simply call ahead on Channel 13, ask for the lock, when the light turns green enter and grab one of the slimy ropes to steady your vessel. The water rises very quickly and with none of the turbulence we experience on the Rideau. These locks are attended by one person and there is no help offered for taking lines or pushing you off the walls, just learn to do it yourself. Exiting is real easy as there are no abutments and one simply drives straight out.

As the day was wearing on we decided to make our first stop at the Town of Fulton for their free docks and power. Seems back home we need to learn a few things about making our towns more inviting to boaters. Our only challenge was getting 49 feet of boat onto a 20 foot dock in a 60 foot wide area, and as the pictures tells some fancy piloting and line adjustments we all made it in.