Strong wind puts our boating season on notice

	At left: Pruned willow. Above left: On the water. Above: Classic Chris Craft goes by the other way.

    01 Oct. 02: We had some time in the afternoon, so we went up on the Tonawanda Creek section of the canal, which is closer to home, and launched at West Canal Park and Marina, which  is just off Niagara Falls Boulevard in the Town of Wheatfield, about 10 miles or less from the beginning of the canal at North Tonawanda. The wind was very strong, such that we had trouble getting out of the launch zone, and then could barely make any headway. After a few minutes of fighting the wind, we decided to anchor for a while, but the anchor kept dislodging when the boat began to charge around and catch the wind on one side and then on the other. It was frustrating, but being on the water is always good. We agreed that the boat and motor are best for the canalized section of the canal up further in Niagara County where we prefer to go when we can, and we also agreed that a bigger electric motor may be best for a bigger boat, down the road. This may have been the last trip of this season, unless we get a warm day matching up with a day off in the next few weeks. I'm going to hold off on winterizing the boat until the end of October, just in case.