June 10-11, 2019 – We went through Lock 8 (and 9) twice yesterday with Mom and Dad- once up, and once down. Locking down was definitely nicer, as the water departing the lock chamber doesn’t yield the turbulence that it does when filling the chamber.
So there was a sense of deja vu as we headed out to Amsterdam, where there is a tie-up at a wall adjacent to their Riverlink Park. We anticipated staying two nights, as the winds were to pick up and gust to 30 mph the next day. It was already getting a bit blustery, and the boat seemed to take a lot more wrestling on the lines at Lock 9 and 10. The flags at the top of lock would go one way, the wind would eddy inside the empty chamber and push us the other way, and then as we rose up to where our big flybridge enclosure is exposed, the wind pushes us the other way. Do it in 30 mph gusts? No thanks!
As we rounded one bend close to Amsterdam, we came upon a massive power plant. Investigating it later, turns out it was built in the 1920s, as a coal-burning steam to electric powerplant, later put out of business in the 1950s as hydroelectric became more plentiful.
We arrived at the Amsterdam wall to find one other pleasure boat, and a workboat; after an early start, and getting a real workout in the last two locks, we were glad to call it an early day and get docked in time for lunch.
That night it stormed and rained, and Tuesday the high winds arrived as advertised. We were surprised to see the river level rise several feet, and hoped that wouldn’t translate to bridge clearance issues when we headed out.
Several more boats came in, during the day, and the nightmares they described in the locks confirmed that we had made the right decision, to stay put. One boat had gotten totally crosswise in the lock, and his bow had fiberglass damage and plenty of yellow paint (rubbed off some part of the lock structure. Ughhh.