GL: Maximum draft

[fred]

Mike,

The Erie Canal is supposed to be 12 feet draft, but the reality is
different.  There are trouble spots where the depth may be only 6-7 feet and
you will hit bottom.  However the shallow bottom spots are always loose slush
and there is generally a canal corp tug on station or nearby, which will
happily pull you through.

A few years ago, I followed a 100 foot sailboat
with 10 foot draft, and they got stuck and were pulled out 4-5 times.
Trouble areas are Schenectady, Utica, and also the Genessee River crossing.
All of those have dredges and tugs permanently on station.  Hail them on
channel 13.  If no tug is nearby, call any lift-bridge or lock and they'll get
you a tug.  This service is completely for free.

Fred
Tug 44
http://www.tug44.org/

----------------------------------------
From:
"Michael Stontz" <stontz2 at cox.net>
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2007 10:30 AM
To: great-loop at lists.samurai.com
Subject: GL: Maximum draft 

Greetings.
I'm new on this list and am planning a partial great loop trip next year,
hopefully on the Erie Canal.  I have ordered some of the guides and hoping
this list can help me get started in the mean time.
First, on the boat will
be me and my 3 children, 2 adult men and a teenage
girl.  We have a sailboat,
a ketch, with a seven foot draft.  I see the NY
canal web site says draft is
12 feet or 14 feet, but I wonder if there are
shoals that would stop us.  If,
say the Erie canal is shoaled, is there
another deeper route possible?  I
suppose I have a lot more questions, but
first need to know if the boat can
do it.

Mike Stontz