August 22.

From Sylvan Beach we entered the real Erie Canal ditch. Approximately 4.5 miles east of Sylvan Beach just east of Wood Creek is Lock 22 with a lift of 25'1" , a short run of 1.5 miles briought us to Lock 21 with a lift of 25'. We ran eastward crossing under Hwy 46 at New London passing an older dry dock located on the south shore.

Approximately 11.5 miles east of Sylvan Beach we reached Rome and the Mohawk River. Approaching from the west we noticed the radio masts of WRNY and WKAL radio on the north shore. Starting here the canal starts to become far more industrial, with numerous work yards and terminals along both shores. Rome sports a major workyard for Nolyan, Hayes, and Warcup Ltd. located just west of the downtown bridges of Larwence Street and Hwy 69. The Mohawk River is dammed immediately downstream of the Hwy 69 bridge, with the first of the terminals located beside buoy R636. In quick succession eastward we passed the large Hess terminal, with the Mohawk Valley Cement works in the background, then Sears Oil and the USAF Oil docks on the north shore just before reaching the railroad bridge.

The canal begins to angle southward again more or less paralleling the Mohawk river behind low embankments on the south shore in an increasingly deep valley.

This is pure passage with not much to distinguish itself as a vacation area, but the channel is clear, deep and straight. Lock 20 with a small park is found just west of the New York State Thruway, Hwy 90, bridge between markers 583 and 581. Now that we had reached the peak of the range at Lock 20 we began our descent with a drop 16'. Marcy Marina is almost hidden from view on the north shore however it offers only a draft of 4'. From here we approached Utica and a very industrialised area.

This section makes me wonder if much of the wasteland between the canal and the railroad track to the south will ever get fully restored. One of the most interesting marine features of Utica is that Utica Harbour is located off the Erie Canal behind its ownlock. Utica itself has many facilities but, in my opinion, there are only limited places to stop so we maintained the maximum permissible speed to Lock 19, approximately 6 miles further SE, upstream of the rail rail bridge, and has a drop of 21'.

By 16:00 we reached Ilion and pulled in to the Ilion Marina to make some phone calls and take on fuel. we were now 123.5 miles from Oswego, making an average speed of 6 Knts and we had burnt 15.6 (US) gallons of fuel.

The surrounding land begins to rise again now, with the rail tracks and thruway to the north. The NY Thruway crosses the canal again at Herkimerwith giving 30' vertical clearance. All through this area you are advised to stay midstream even though there are indentations along the shore but they are often fouled with submerged wrecks.

Lock 18 is preceded on the downstream passage by R 502 with a drop of 20' tand it is here hat you rejoin the Mohawk River. 3.25 miles east along a deepening valley we reached Lock 17 at Little Falls with the largest lift on the entire canal system of 40.5'. the Casadone Oil Company is on the starboard side. The valley is quite deep here and Lock 17 seems to sneak up on you as you round the bend, past a small island, approaching the gates on the southern side.

Lock 17 is a lock you must be fully prepared to deal with because of its extreme drop of over 40 feet. Few vessels will be able to control the lines from deck and the preferred method is to position a crew member fore and aft looping a line through the rung's of the ladders every several rung's and reset them alternatively as you drop.

The wet sides of the lock close around you and you descend.

Exhilarated as the gates opened we began to pull mid stream. Suddenly the motor died as the lower quay fell away. All attempts to restart her engine proved useless and we were constantly increasing the distance from any mooring. Fortunately many of the local's like to hang out and fish from below the lock and we were able to get a line ashore and pull ourselves back, just in time.

Once secured repeated attempts to get the motor going only proved that it would die the moment one engaged forward. With some friendly assistance from a local man we determined that the transmission was seized. Now Little Falls NY is pretty much in the middle of no where, fortunately the people in this almost" ghost town" were extremely helpful and it was time to break out the beer and contemplate the vagaries of this situation.

We spent most of the next day chasing Volvo parts suppliers from all across the eastern seaboard in search of a replacement transmission. We finally located one in Maryland and arranged to have UPS deliver it in 2 days to our resting place below the lock. There certainly would be no arrival in New York before month end now. 3 days later with the help of a retired machinist, Ford Geister, who was more than hospitable and a saviour. saw a new transmission installed and time to wander the surrounding area. Little Falls was once a thriving mill town which has shrunk to a 1/20th of its original post war population.

Finally underway again with several of the local's who had been so much help as passengers for the day. The Erie Canal follows the Mohawk River here and runs in a cut between tree lined banks. Lock 16, in Mindenville, with a drop of 20.5' is 7.5 miles downstream from Lock 17 where our guests disembarked.