Travelers Set Sail Along Erie Canal

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NY1's travel reporter sets sail along the Erie Canal to show you how you can learn the ins and outs of the canal and boating and even get behind the wheel. NY1's Valarie D'Elia filed the following report.

Retired airline pilot Bain Kramer is more at home in the cockpit but this week, he and his wife are chartering a boat with friends along the Erie Canal.

"It’s the first time for me that I’ve gone slowly," he says. "Usually, I go quickly through life."

With a sense of history and a stocked galley, this pair of New Jersey couples is heading west on the canal that, as the famous Thomas S. Allen folk song goes, runs from Albany to Buffalo.

"The idea is to relax," says Sarah Wiles with the Mid-Lakes Navigation Company. "Get to know the people on the canal. Get the know the towns and villages. See what there is around the next bend, because there is always something."

Something like Lockport, home of the canal museum and original towpaths once used by mules pulling barges and now occupied by bikers.

Before cruising solo, boaters learn the ropes of navigating locks and low bridges with little worry about getting stuck.

"You're right in the middle of the real world," Wiles says. "You’re not way out at sea. Just give us a call."

The boating season lasts from May to early October and costs about $3,000 a week for a boat that accommodates at least four.

I thought it was a great idea, coming to New York State, which is beautiful anyway and doing something like this," said Diane Zawalich. "An adventure."

For more information, go to www.midlakesnav.com.

As is common practice in the travel industry, Travel With Val often receives complimentary travel or reduced "media" rates at hotels, resorts and attractions, including those that may be featured in these reports. Such consideration is not taken in exchange for any express or implied promise or understanding of any nature, particularly regarding the content of these reports. These reports only feature travel providers personally recommended by Valarie D’Elia in the exercise of her independent editorial judgment, and do not represent the endorsement of Time Warner Cable or any third party.