Finally a good weather window! RCR Yachts, the boat yard that we were going to use to take down our mast in Buffalo, seemed to be very busy. The appointment time was so late in the day that we would have to spend yet another expensive night in Buffalo, so we made a call to go down the Niagara River to a place called Wardell's. It's another boatyard in Tonawanda which is the start of the Erie Canal. Comments on the internet were mixed, so I was a bit apprehensive. Anyway, we went up the Black Rock Canal under the Peace River Bridge on the Niagara River, down to Wardell's. My first mate made herself scarce as I assisted one experienced worker on deck and the owner controlled the lift. Their help was invaluable and together we did a great job. The supports I designed worked perfectly and the mast now sits securely across the entire length of the boat.

We spent the night in North Tonawanda in a place called Gateway Harbor. They have a wall there you can tie up to with power, water, clean washrooms and modern showers for $30.00 per night. Our only problem was sleeping. Every 2 hours a train would run through town blowing its crossing horn and then when the bars closed an onslaught of drunk partiers headed to the boardwalk hollering and swearing. We somehow managed to get a few hours of sleep.