Page 36 - 2009 Lake St. Clair Guide Magazine

The BLUEWATER Photo of the tall ship and us
ANGLERS invite you to as we travelled to the next lock

our 33rd Annual
Salmon Derby

May 1 - May 10, 2009

Over 100 individual prize packages
Prizes for on-shore catch as well as via boat!

Please visit www.bluewateranglers.com
for details and to register for this event.

My Tug Trip from Brooklyn...Continued from page 35 ing it out.

stove, oven, dishwasher, and bar...large living room area also.

Although the boat was easy to handle, finding dockage was a If you have any interest in the Boat & Bed, or a charter, send me an
little tough with the size and draft. We either stayed at a ma- email at mshafer123@comcast.net..... otherwise, just give us a toot
when you pass us by on your boat!
rina or just pulled
over next to a A Little Bit about the Erie Canal: Proposed in 1808 and completed
lock and spent in 1825, the canal links the waters of Lake Erie in the west to the
the night along Hudson River in the east. An engineering marvel when it was built,
the river. After some called it the Eighth Wonder of the World. With the exception
almost 900 miles of a few places where black powder was used to blast through rock
of no depth prob- formations, all 363 miles were built by men and horses. It included
lems, our first 18 aqueducts to carry the canal over ravines and rivers, and 83
one came at the locks, with a rise of 568 feet from the Hudson River to Lake Erie.
last fuel stop in
the Detroit River At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Allegheny Moun-
near Belle Isle. tains in Pennsylvania were the Western Frontier. The Northwest
Pulling out of the Territories that would later become Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and
fuel dock we got stuck. We have a 8’ draft, and unfortunately Ohio were rich in timber, minerals, and fertile land for farming and
found 7’ of water. After gunning the engine for a half hour, she it took weeks to reach these precious resources.
finally worked herself free.

I have been boating for about 25 years, and have owned two Within 15 years of the Canal’s opening, New York was the busiest
other tugs, 42’ and 56’ both army tugs, 1929 and 1952. I port in America, moving more freight than Boston, Baltimore and
have owned probably 20 some different boats in my past (a New Orleans combined. The effect of the Canal was immediate and
real boat junky) from old wood boats, Chris Crafts, Matthews, dramatic and settlers poured west. The explosion of trade began,
Rybovich Navy boats, Navy personnel carriers, to offshores, to spurred by freight rates from Buffalo to New York of $10 per ton
tugs, to a steel custom boat that I lived on for a couple years, by Canal, compared with $100 per ton by road. In 1829, there were
3,640 bushels of wheat transported down the Canal from Buffalo.
to lots of in-between boats. I usually buy a boat because
By 1837 this figure had increased to 500,000 bushels; four years
it would be neat to have, but with all the unique boats I’ve
purchased and refurbished it has usually worked out to make later it reached one million. In nine years, Canal tolls more than
money, luckily. The big tug has taken a lot more money and recouped the entire $7 million cost of construction.

time, but it has been worth the effort. The impact on the state of New York can be seen by looking at a

Over the winter we kept the tug on the North Channel by the mod- Me & our
Harsens ferry at my friend Jack Olsen’s. This summer hope- ern mascot
fully you’ll be able to cruise by her on the St. Clair River, just map. “Woody”
north of the Walpole Island ferry in Algonac. With
the
We are hoping to rent the tug out like a bed and breakfast, excep-
without the breakfast. The boat would stay tied up, and people tion of
could rent it out for weekends or days. It has four separate Bing-
staterooms and sleeps 4 couples comfortably. Also, we are ham-
thinking of possible charters... No boat is any fun without tak- ton

The author, publisher, or seller assumes no liability with respect to the use of information contained herein. Page 36