In the morning the Explorers walked to Tim Hortons to splurge on some treats for breakfast. Afterward, they cast off from Tonawanda; leaving under the RIGHT side of the bridge. Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks?
A few miles before the lock at Lockport, two approaching tour boats passed the Explorers in a very narrow canal, forcing them dangerously close to the side of the canal. The first of the two tour boats was a paddle boat and it churned the water up to the point where anything unsecured was falling in the cabin. Because the canal was so narrow, the waves just bounce back and forth for a long time, creating a very choppy surface that lingered well after the paddleboat passed. A short time later, Sidekick Sue looked out the back window and the same two tour boats had apparently turned around in the canal and were approaching from the back.
As the Explorers approached the lock, Captain Mark radioed ahead, requesting a lock opening. The locktender informed him that the tour boats had priority and needed to pass us to enter the locks first. This was a bit of a conundrum because the canal was still very narrow and there wasn’t much room to let them pass. To make matters worse there was a barge tied up to the shore on the port side. The locktender suggested we pull out of the way in front of the barge. Captain Mark tried to pull over in front of the barge, but the water was rough and there wasn’t much room to straighten out. The Wayward Explorer ended up pointed nearly sideways as the tour boats passed behind her stern. So far, so good, but now Captain Mark had to get his boat straightened out. He couldn’t turn clockwise 90° because there was a dividing wall that jutted out from the lock, so he backed up a little and tried to rotate clockwise 270° to pull in behind the tour boats. There was a tense moment when the stern got a little too close to the shore and a rock that was jutting out threatened to catch the kayak that was strapped to the boat. Luckily, all the Wayward Explorer hit was some branches and they were able to get into the lock behind the tour boat.
The tour boats were already both tied to the starboard side of the lock. Captain Mark asked if he could park on the port side and was told he needed to stay on the starboard side because another boat needed the port side. Captain Mark grumbled, but complied, even though there was barely any room on the starboard side and the Wayward Explorer didn’t have access to convenient dock lines that were spaced appropriately for its bow and stern. They were further surprised when “another boat” did not show up to occupy the port side of the lock before the doors closed and the water started pumping. Being near the front or the back of a lock tends to be very difficult because the water being pumped out (or pumped in) often churns up the water in the front and the back, creating very strong currents. With the poorly placed lines and the strong currents, the Explorers really struggled to keep the boat steady in the lock.
The Explorers remembered from a few days ago, that this was a double lock. So they hoped they would get a better position in the next chamber. As the doors of the second chamber opened, they finally understood what the locktender meant by “another boat” that needed the port side of the lock. The locktender was locking another boat through in the opposite direction at the same time. So as this boat entered the first chamber and settled on the Explorer’s port side, the Wayward Explorer and the two tour boat all moved into the next chamber. Since they could “spread out” now, the paddle-wheeler took the port side, leaving plenty of room for the other two on the starboard side. The Wayward Explorers were happy to have more lines to stabilize the boat and a better position, away from the back of the lock.
Once back on the canal, the Explorers noticed that the two tour boats were from the same company. The names of the boats were Lockview IV and Lockview V; clearly, they were tours for people that just wanted to experience the locks. Shortly after they all passed under a lift bridge, one of the tour boat captains radioed captain Mark and asked him to “hold back” because the boats were turning around again to go back through the locks again. Sure enough, they rotated around right in the canal. Captain Mark pulled over as far as he could so they could pass safely, going back the other way, still churning up the water terribly. The Explorers were glad to part ways with these huge tour boats that were too wide to easily pass and played havoc on the water around them.
There were several more lift bridges, but the Wayward Explorer had great timing, and there was only one more slight delay. Captain Mark passed a firetruck that was testing its pump by sucking water from the canal and spraying it back into the middle of the canal. He had to stop and wait until the firefighters diverted the water stream so he could pass. The scenery of the day as a well-defined, narrow canal passing mainly through farm land.
Just before 2:00 PM, the Explorers pulled into the basin in Medina. The timing was good as Sidekick Sue had another HOA meeting… this one she had to conduct rather than just listen passively. She was glad they could turn off the diesel engine before the meeting. While she had her meeting, Captain Mark went for a 10-mile bike ride. When he returned the meeting was breaking up, and the Explorers decide to have an early dinner on board before going out to explore the town. As it was approaching 5:00 PM, most of the stores and attractions in town were closing up. That was fine with the Explorers, as they just wanted to walk along the canal and through the very cute downtown area. The town has a nice Railroad Museum, but it was closed on Tuesdays anyway. They were able to walk through a couple of gift shops that were open a little later. On the canal route, they walked to see a local waterfall, which like the one in Holley, had a spillway from the canal into a river below which fed the waterfall. The river than passed under the canal which is contained in a huge aqueduct at this point. They ran across a “Big Apple” sculpture and passed a lot of interesting architecture and churches that seemed super-sized for the town. Many of the buildings in town have blocks from a sandstone quarry nearby that was discovered during the original building of the canal. The town’s claim to fame is being the source of stone for many famous buildings all over NY state and beyond.
After the walk, the Explorers returned to the boat. Several other ships stopped in Medina for the night. It was a very peaceful night on the dock.
Following the lock tour boats under a lift bridge.
The Wayward Explorer trying to “hold back” in a little wider opening of the canal while the lock tour boats change direction.
Captain Mark waiting for the Fire Dept to divert their water stream so he could pass.
Parked in Medina
Walking through town in Medina.
The waterfall in Medina.
Sidekick Sue at the Big Apple.
The Railroad Museum in Medina
Plaque about the aqueduct in Medina.