Catsaway is for sale - https://SVCatsaway.com/forsale Live map - https://SVCatsaway.com/map This week the crew of SV Catsaway starts their journey down the Oswego and Erie Canals. Our first locks were nerve wracking! That being said, it was actually quite straightforward. You can call the lock masters on Channel 13. They will let you know if the lock is ready (or if they need to get it ready). When the ‘traffic light’ by the lock turns green and the doors open, then you know you can go in! Approach slowly, and line up the boat so you can grab a rope, ladder, or rod. Make sure you have good (rubber) gloves for the canals - those walls are lined with crazy amounts of stuff! If you are travelling in an upwards filling lock, go to the further point of the lock so that there’s less pressure on the boat. For the downwards locks, watch out for currents as you leave the lock - your boat will want to turn of it’s own accord. Our stops along the Oswego and Erie Canal were: Fulton: free electricity, water, showers, washrooms. A little bit of a sketchy location (neither of us felt comfortable leaving the boat at the harbour, especially since we were the only ones docked). The dock can only handle smaller boats; our 34 footer took the only viable space on the outside concrete wall. Brewerton: We tied up at a NYC Parks wall. Very peaceful, between two bridges and right by the library in case anyone needs WiFi. No amenities. Sylvan Beach: Tied up on a NYC Parks wall. Again, no amenities. We can imagine this would be a nice place in the summer - currently a lot of places looked closed/abandoned. Utica: Tied up at Aqua Vino. Electricity, water and bathrooms (when the restaurant is open) for $1/foot. We took advantage of this water and filled up our solar showers too! Little Falls: Best showers on the Erie Canal! The Little Falls Canal Harbour Marina is run by the city and Rotary Club volunteers. Clubhouse, showers, bathrooms, water, electricity for $1/foot. If you don’t need amenities, it’s 50 cents/foot. Nice bike paths and sweet little town. Antiques, ice cream, history - what more can you want? The weather was great and the kitties enjoyed our time on the canals. The water was flat and calm, and so they liked walking around and looking at the scenery go by when we were underway. Join us next week as finish the Erie Canal and continue to the Hudson River. Credits: “Morning Sun” by Nicolai Heidlas “Erie Canal” by Męski Chór Szantowy "Zawisza Czarny" https://youtu.be/Vzgtn7uzo4w Social Media: instagram.com/svcatsaway facebook.com/svcatsaway twitter.com/svcatsaway ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfDnUI-Bffk

Catsaway is for sale - https://SVCatsaway.com/forsale Live map - https://SVCatsaway.com/map Catsaway rescues a dog! We arrived in Miami and had a great time exploring South Beach and visiting with friends. After several days anchored by the Venetian Causeway, we moved to a mooring ball at Dinner Key Marina. We had just moored when we heard a dog barking on a neighbouring boat. Greg looked up just in time to see the dog jump into the water. We thought it was cute, but then realized that the dog couldn't get back up to the boat by herself, and that no one had seen her go in. She started swimming towards land, with only her little head above water. The wind was 15-20 knots and there were white caps on the water, which made it difficult to keep an eye on her. We quickly launched our dinghy and went after her. As soon as she saw us, she switched course and started swimming towards us. Greg hauled her up on the dinghy, and we turned around to check to see if her owner was on board. After calling several times, we decided it was best to take her to the marina so they could contact her owner. After several days of not knowing (and us considering adopting her!), it turns out that her owner had unexpectedly ended up in the hospital. The staff at Dinner Key Marina did a great job of taking care of Honey, giving her fresh water, toys and even air conditioning when it became hot outside. :) We completed the pet paperwork for the Bahamas. 1) Fill out the form 2) Get an INTERNATIONAL money order from the post office - price per pet ($10) + facsimile return ($5) + VAT (7.5%) 3) Sign up for EFax.com so you can receive incoming faxes for free 4) Mail the form and the international money order to the Department of Agriculture (use the address that's on the website, NOT the one on the form) 5) We sent our application on a Thursday and received the faxed permit on Monday. Next up on our list was provisioning! Below is a rough list of what we bought: -Paper products (paper towel, toilet paper) -Maintenance supplies (oil, filters, coolant) -Cleaning supplies (dish and laundry soap, dust cloths) -Canned goods (tomatoes, pasta sauce, soups, vegetables, meats, seafood) -Dried goods (rice, beans, milk powder, lentils, flour, sugar, salt, popcorn, coffee, tea etc) -Oils and spices -Tinfoil, tupperware, plastic wrap -Long lasting fresh produce (squash, cabbage, citrus, plantains, potatoes, etc) -Fishing supplies (lures, lines) -Extra lighters for our stove -Cat food -Extra thru hull plugs -Splash Zone epoxy for emergency repairs (this epoxy cures underwater) -Self cleaning supplies (shampoo, soap, baby wipes) -extra fuses, sail slides -Beer -Probably more that we can't remember It was a job in itself getting all this stuff to the marina, then onto the boat. Next ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV8A5xpaCHo