Buffalo

For what was supposed to be our last sailing day of the trip, it was a bust. There was no wind to speak of almost the entire day. We had the mainsail up but really didn't sail. It got so hot that we stopped for a swim. With a mile or two to go the wind picked up and there were several sailboats out just outside Buffalo harbor. We briefly contemplated a pleasure sail but after being in the boat and in the heat all day, we went in to get fuel and dock. It is lucky that we did. As we were docking the wind shot up to hurricane levels pushing the boat away from the dock just as we started to turn in. We barely got tied up and the winds shot up and it started to pour. We waited out the rain before finishing docking (mainly electrical hookup). We went out to the water to a bar for a relaxing drink and saw some of the other sailboats come in. There was one that looked a mess. The foresail looked broken or at least improperly furled and the mainsail was a mess tied to the boom. We were glad to have gotten in when we did. The wind and bad weather died and we went to dinner.

Approaching Buffalo. Sails are all packed away for the last time. Tomorrow we go to Tonawanda for demasting.

Sailboats having fun as we approach Buffalo. Little did they know what was coming.

A closer view approaching Buffalo.

Entering the channel to the marina.

Docked with Buffalo in the background. The storm had passed by this time.

A lighthouse in a channel in the innermost part of the harbor. There were a couple layers of break walls.

Museum ships that you can tour. Two ships and a submarine. We got in too late to consider a tour.

Further down the channel/river that had the lighthouse pictured above.

A later view of the lighthouse. You can see a break wall in the background.

The place on the water that we went to after the storm was Sully's Harbor Bar and Grill. We all had Wrench NEIPA by Industrial Arts Brewing. It is a solid NE IPA. For dinner we went to Pearl Street Grill and Brewery. I had a kielbasa with kraut, beans and potato pancake that was very good. I had their Trainwreck German Altbier which was very good. This is not a common type to find and they did a good job with it. I also had a Lake Effect Pale Ale that was also very good.

The marina that we stayed at is Erie Basin Marina. It is a big place and we had a long walk to the showers and bathrooms. They did have big showers and more than typical probably due to how big the marina is. The facilities were in a very public area near Sully's.

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