Sunday 060715– in Buffalo NY

Weather/Sea   Sunny warm nights cool

Captain - John C. Kwak crew Paul Berthe

On June 3^rd we passed thru the last of the Erie Canal locks, #34 and #35, located in Lockport and then we went to Tonawanda and tied to a Town Dock at a charge of $25.00. Good services electric and showers.

The next day moved to Wardell’s Marina to step the mast. The cost of mast stepping is $7.00 per foot of mast times 56’ or $392.00 plus tax.  We were there with another boat and we spent all day and the next helping each other with our rigging. The other boat was an older Benetau  36 but new to the owner.        I spent a lot of time sorting out his jib roller furler and in mast roller furler an education for both the owner and me. We were able to stay at Wardell’s overnight but the next morning we both moved to a steel sheet piling wall across the Creek and continued to work on the rigging.

We finally got his jib up but had to redo it later because it was short and needed an extension line to raise it off the deck. He thought he bought a 150% Genoa with the boat but actually it was a 100% Yankee Jib. Then we got my jib up and it fit nicely but I had forgotten to put the furling line on first, so we had to wind the line by hand around the drum. A trial run showed that the Jib and furling system worked as advertised. A great concern since this was the first time that the new jib was raised on the furler.

I had bought a new 130% genoa from Samalot Marine and made by Doyle Sails and it certainly is a great improvement over the old, floppy, blown out, Genoa. We still need to see how it sails.

From Tonawanda we sailed into the Niagara River and yes we turned to port not to starboard over the falls. We hailed the Back Rock Lock on the VHF and were told to wait so we tied to the wall until it opened. This is the beginning of the Black Rock Canal which bypassed a stretch of the Niagara river that drops 7’ and has strong currents. Then passed thru  a RR bridge Rotator Type and then thru Ferry Street bridge which was an old Bascule type.

I called the Buffalo Yacht Club and was given a slip with reciprocity. Because it was Saterday I did not have to pay till Monday, very trusting an nice folks. They have 700 members and great facilities. An on the premises Restaurant is excellent, Paul and I had Dinner there Saterday.

We went to West Marine today with Pauls cousin who happens to live in Buffalo. I bought some rigging parts for the main sail and we hope to raise it tomorrow in the cool of the morning.

John