Last night was a cold night on the canal. It was about 40 degrees and 41 degrees as we started out this morning from Gasport. It was pretty funny – the lift bridge that we needed to open had somehow not be assigned an attendant today… so they had to wake up someone on their day off to come open the bridge. When she arrived, dog in tow, she was very apologetic, even though it was not her fault. How does a lift bridge not…Continue Reading “Good day on the Canal”
We got off to a late start from our Buffalo Marina, exhausted from the previous day. But we headed up the Black Rock Canal. The canal is for pleasure craft that cannot fight the current in the Niagara River. It was crazy rapids over in the Niagara River so I was really happy to be in Black Rock Canal. Because it is a slower current there is a Black Rock Lock to lower you down to the Niagara River once you pass the worst parts….Continue Reading “First Night on the Canal”
Today was pretty spectacular – we actually SUCCESSFULLY unstepped the mast! We are truly ready to go into the Erie Canal tomorrow. Both Stew and I are exhausted as there was alot of anxiety associated with this part. But the crew at RCR did a really great job and really knew what they were doing. We also had alot of help from another Freedom owner – Bob Allenick. He sent us a very detailed list of all we needed to do. Without that we would…Continue Reading “The Mast has fallen!”
We have pushed our departure no less than 6 times – starting with the first push in June due to the pandemic. On Sunday night, filled with exhaustion after we found the hot water pipe burst under the bench seat in the salon (spraying all the provisioned food – thankfully mostly jars and cans), the entire sink collapsed and needed replacement, and the newly installed electrical system had not been tested and seemed to have some issues, we made a decision to NOT leave Monday…Continue Reading “Finally on our way!”
I feel like we have been saying goodbye all summer as our plans keep changing. But it was with a heavy heart (and a spiked seltzer) that we said our last goodbyes to good friends and family.
Wow, I honestly cannot believe that it is complete. After all the research and planning and it actually works! Last week I finally decided to take the plunge and rewired and installed everything. After posting my planning diagram on FB a 2010 CS student say it and offered his expertise. Mark Barron was beyond helpful. He stopped by first to take a look at the board I had set up with all the components. We discussed how to proceed and then I got started measuring,…Continue Reading “Lithium Battery Installation”
The physical job of installing the solar panels was not nearly as difficult as the job of deciding what panels and where to put them. I did a ton of research comparing flexible vs ridge panels, mono vs poly, series vs parallel, mounting them on the deck or bimini, building an arch, extending railings etc. I personally did not want to mount them on the bimini as it was so expensive and I worried about putting holes in it etc. I also learned that the…Continue Reading “Solar Panels”
The plan to add solar and replace the current batteries with lithium has been on my mind since last summer. Summer 2019 we sailed lake Ontario and primarily anchored out (30 out of the 35 days!). We installed our cold plate/compressor refrigeration system right before we left. Well, first we connected it to the wrong battery (THE STARTER BATTERY) so in the midst of sailing somewhere between the Welland Canal and Toronto we finally rewired it and connected it to the house battery. Don’t ask…Continue Reading “Solar and Lithium – The Planning”
We had a great time with the kids on July 4th weekend. It was beautiful weather and everyone was available to join the fun! This is Alyssa, she is 29 and works at Preque Isle State Park as an Environmental Tech. This is Matt, Alyssas husband. He is a forensic biologist for the PA State Police.
Well, we finally are living at ground level, instead of 15′ overhead! With a 6′ keel, the cradle and then the hull of the boat we have been high above the Earth, swaying with the snow storms since we moved in on May 1. You need to realize that we had to move in EVERYTHING (we empty the boat each fall before it is pulled out of the water) by taking it up the 15′ ladder, up the swim stairs on the back of the…Continue Reading “Finally in the Water”