Another beautiful day weather wise, but without any wind... But mostly just transiting locks, so not so bad.
We didn't get the super early start we were hoping for because I enjoy sleep too much, but got up to the Iroquois locks and radioed in with them letting us know we'd be able to go through at 10:50. This ment waiting around for an hour, so we relaxed on the boat while tied up to the dock. They radioed at 10:15 to say what I heard was the pleasure craft south bound (we were north bound), to go ahead. They radioed again, and then finally someone drove out to tell us they ment us, and to get going. Talking to the guy in the locks, they were saying the pleasure vessel down bound (us) to go ahead. Anyways, after annoying the lock master we made it through, and motored downstream to the american locks.
At the american locks, we tied up to a dock designated for pleasure craft. I'm not sure how in use it is, and we didn't have any good information about what to do. There was a box that said phone on it, but it had no phone, and a sign that mentioned VHF channel 12. We hailed them, they said to go to channel 13, which we did and then go no response from anyone there. I have no idea what went wrong in all the communication, but eventually someone came down to the dock, we paid, and they said to go ahead. So we got into the lock, tied up to the floating bollards they use (they slide up and down as the lock operates) and then waited around while a few other boats came in. The drop was pretty impressive, and then we got spit out the other side 38 feet lower through the Eisenhower lock.
We motored down to the next lock, Snell lock, and dropped another 45 feet. We continued on a little ways and anchored at Pilon Island, just past Cornwall. Probably about 2 knots of current here, so kind of funny as the boat sits in the current even as the wind shifts around which is kind of funky. I think we hit 8.5 knots of speed over ground today as well with the current while puttering along at just over 5 knots boat speed. I'm glad we aren't planning on coming back up the river this way!
Did a bunch of swimming at anchor again, and got in a game of settlers finally. Tomorrow's plan is more casual, and we'll head down to Vallyfield which we've heard a lot of good things about and where we have a slip booked, our first time back on land since we left.
