Slow start out of Brewerton today as we discovered water in the basins holding the pod drives in the engine room.  Not knowing whether this was a hull leakage, water cooling system leak or just water from washing the boat that funneled to the wrong place concerned us.  So we wet-vacuumed the area and hoping for the best took off down the Oneida River.

The Oneida River winds in broad loops that the Erie Canal designers cut cleverly across in various places to make for more direct and shorter pathways.  After a few miles on the Oneida River, the Erie Canal took over and then we locked through our very last lock of the Erie Canal system – Lock 23.

Oneida River / Erie Canal turnoff. Erie Canal Lock 23 - the last lock for us on the Erie Canal.

Then we came to the crossroads at Three Rivers NY – and had by necessity to take the path to Oswego. The Erie Canal continues onwards to Buffalo NY with side connections to the Finger Lakes of New York.  A trip for another time.  

We turned to starboard and went up the Oswego River/Canal passing through Oswego Canal Locks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 (there is no No. 4):

Oswego Canal Lock 1 (with the yellow bascule bridge right after it) in Phoenix NY

Oswego Canal Lock 2 (with lockmaster footbridge that opened lengthwise to the canal)

Oswego Canal Lock 3 in Fulton NY

Oswego Canal Lock 5 (Minetto NY)

Oswego Canal Lock 6 (Oswego NY)

Oswego Canal Lock 7 (Oswego NY)

Salty Dog (middle boat) on the free wall between the Locks in Oswego

Glimpse of Lake Ontario beyond Lock 8

The Oswego Marina had no room for us on Friday night, but we needed to go there to get some service on the boat.  We enjoyed a quiet still night on the last stretch of the Oswego canal just before Lock 8 in view of Lake Ontario.