WanderlustandWhimSea

Saturday I made the transition from the big waters of Lake Erie to the blissful calm of the Erie Canal. Last year I explored every cleat on the western canal so this summer is filled with familiarity. I know where the free walls are with complimentary electricity, the good diners, the convenient super markets and the hassle free laundry facilities. The greedy marina in Buffalo charged me $130 a night, the most I have ever paid for dockage. At the end of a 10 hour day across Lake Erie it was the safest stop, but I ground my teeth at the price. At least the showers were clean. Conversely, when I arrived at Brockport and said I wanted to stay 5 nights at $20 per night, the nice lady said well you shouldn’t have to pay for 5 how about if I only charge you for 3! That’s an offer I couldn’t refuse and the difference between a greedy commercial facility and a town that just wants your commerce.

I don’t usually do food pictures but had to share the Western New York tradition of Beef on Weck. Weck is the bun, which is like a Kaiser roll but with salt and fennel seeds on top. I usually eat at the bar when traveling solo, as I meet more interesting people. When I asked the bartender what Beef on Weck was, there was a collective gasp from the other patrons that I was so deprived. The roast beef is thinly sliced with clean your sinuses horseradish, not to be missed if you find yourself in northwestern New York.

WhimSea achieved her lifetime top speed of 9.4 knots on Saturday afternoon. This was of course the extra push from the Niagara River as it heads toward the falls. This was the protected canal side, can’t imagine what it would have been like on the actual river.

The only crazy thing that happened on Saturday was a sculling boat decided it would be ok to cut directly in front of WhimSea. They decided this maneuver was a good choice despite several blasts from the air horn to alert them to my location. The closest point of approach was TOO CLOSE. I’m going to need to put a real horn on the list for next years upgrades!