We left Waterford around 9am after pumping out. We wanted to let the others get a head start as we didn’t want to lock through with a bunch of other boats. We are heading on the Mohawk River which is part of the Erie Canal. “Proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, the canal links the waters of Lake Erie in the west to the Hudson River in the east. An engineering marvel when it was built, some called it the Eighth Wonder of the World.” Here we go! We had out first lock almost immediately and then a succession of 8 more before we reached our final destination of the day at Riverlink Park in Amsterdam, New York around 5pm. We had also made plans to meet our friends Sonia and Duane Finch from their boat Trinity. They had completed their loop in January (in Florida) and returned home to New York, but we stayed in touch and they drove down to meet us. Once docked with Duane’s help, we found a spot to have dinner on a patio and enjoyed each other’s company and stories. They drove us around to pick up some stuff, then we had to say goodbye. It was awesome to see them and sad to see them go. They are some friends we’ll always stay in touch with with our shared adventures on The Great Loop! Lauren and I retrieved Frank and explored a little more of the town. There was a cool pedestrian bridge that had art installations and great view. We planned our next stop at Lock E17, LIttle Falls, Erie Canal. There is a free dock there so we think it should be a good stop. We’re still not in a hurry so no need to try to go for long daily trips…
