We decided to sleep in this Father’s Day morning. By the time we woke up, our catamaran friends were long gone and headed on their way west. We weren’t really that far behind them when we left the marina around 8 am. We are getting pretty good at leaving walls by using the technique we learned about in Delaware City. We actually call it “the Delaware City thing.” Something about the way it was explained there really clicked with us, and it just made sense. It also helps that we’ve been pulling up to walls in locks and pushing off walls in locks 20+ times in the last few days.

It was still cold, windy, and overcast today, but thankfully there was no rain. I was still bundled up like the younger brother in A Christmas Story, and Owen was wearing a t-shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, winter hat,…and shorts. I don’t get it.

We knew we wanted to make the 40ish miles to Sylvan Beach today, but we were concerned there might not be enough room there for us on the free wall. Sylvan Beach is the last stop before the long and shallow Oneida Lake. We knew the lake had big waves today and would be better tomorrow. We wanted a front row seat to get across the lake tomorrow.

There were just four locks between Ilion and Sylvan Beach, and we were in them alone. There’s a little comfort in being in a lock alone. You don’t really know how good other people are at controlling their boats in a lock. When it was windy, we were pretty comfortable with our catamaran friends because they really knew what they were doing. There were a couple times the boat got away from them (It’s the locks with just ropes hanging down. Who thought this was a good idea?), and they were able to get it under control because they knew what they were doing. Sometimes, though, there are people who lose it in a lock and have no idea what to do or do the wrong thing or are concentrating so hard on one issue they don’t see the other consequences of what they are doing. And when you’re in a lock alone, you might not worry so much if the boat swings out a little bit away from the wall to avoid getting goop on the fenders and boat.

The last stretch before Sylvan Beach was slow going. There were a lot of little boats out and about, and some of them were not paying attention. It’s also an area with homes with docks, and they do NOT want wakes around their docks. The area is monitored by sheriff deputies in boats.

We pulled up to the wall in Sylvan Beach and were happy to see our catamaran friends again. Once again, they helped us pull up to the wall. This wall had just rings to hold the lines of the boat and not cleats, making it hard to just pull up to the wall and tie up.

There were several boats already there and more arrived later. We helped the new arrivals tie up and exchanged pleasantries and boat cards. One of the boats we had met in Kentucky. All the others were new to us.

We took a little walk around the area to explore, and we ended up at the Canal View Restaurant. There was an hour wait, so we walked around a little more. There was a little amusement park next door. We were 8 minutes into our walk when the restaurant called and said a table was ready. Fastest hour ever!

The restaurant was full of Sylvan Beach memorabilia. It was a resort area in the Golden Age, and the restaurant had photos of resort guests, old post cards, little souvenirs sold at the time, old pennants, and old advertisements from the bygone era all over the walls. I wish the restaurant had been emptier so I could look around more. At our table, there were two photos for the movie, “The Sterile Cuckoo,” starring Liza Minnelli, some of which was filmed at Sylvan Beach. I had never heard of it before. There was also a small shadow box that contained a tiny change purse with “Sylvan Beach, NY” written on it, and a notice from a local hotel that “Changing on the property or in cars in the parking lot is strictly prohibited.” I guess you had to arrive ready to swim in those days and leave in your wet swimsuit.

When we got back to the boat, the local AGLCA harbor host arrived to welcome us and offer any assistance we might need. It was nice to talk to him and get some local info. His friend told us about Utica greens, a side dish we have to try. It’s escarole cooked down and coated with bread crumbs, and each restaurant has its own take on additions to the dish. The man said he doesn’t like vegetables, but Utica greens are the exception. I wish we had tried them.

We were planning on an early start, so we went to bed after sunset but before it was dark. Happy Father’s Day, O!