The Erie Canal cruises experienced yet another year of popularity last month, achieving sellout status for the sixth consecutive year, according to organizers.
The three Lyons 2023 Fun on the Erie Weekend Canal Cruises attracted 150 participants, some traveling from places as varied as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio. Many attendees were treated to unique experiences, including observing wildlife, particularly the spectacle of bald eagles in action. For 46 of the attendees, it was their inaugural voyage on the Erie Canal and through its famed lock system.
One highlight included the Sunday cruise where passengers witnessed a rare maneuver in the double Lock 2/3 of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal at the entrance to Seneca Falls. After being raised 25 feet in Lock 2, passengers were met with an unexpected sight: eight other boats waiting inside Lock 3. The boats’ orchestrated movements culminated in the cruise boat’s elevation by another 25 feet, eventually passing through Seneca Falls and Waterloo, and culminating at Stivers Seneca Marine on Seneca Lake’s northeastern tip.
Lyons Rotary and the Lyons Erie Canalway Greeters sponsored the cruises, with Stopper providing narration and Finger Lakes Water Adventures supplying the cruise boat.
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