Set sail for True Love, a truly enjoyable time!…read more Bottom Line Up Front: We had a wonderful, relaxing, and fun time for a good price. The Good: The history of the John Alden designed schooner is worth reading before you go. We had some more "salty" members of our group that recognized the name of the schooner from the 1956 movie "High Society" starring Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra and after that we were on board for a wonderful time. We even were seated in the seats once occupied by Gene and Bing. We purchased our tickets after being approached by Terry who negotiated a decent price with us because he wanted a full boat for the next trip. Captain Bill was an experienced Captain and is well known in the area. He got us underway and was a delightful host regaling us with stories about the "True Love", Seneca Lake and surroundings, as well as, some stories about racing the "True Love" and his crew, Spencer and Marena. Captain Bill even assisted another sailing boat that was in distress and precariously close to the lake edge. The trip was two hours long and on time. The crew served non-alcoholic and adult beverages (some free, some for a price) while underway and also sold some souvenirs (Whisky and glasses). The Bad: There was nothing bad, from start to finish, this was a very enjoyable trip and the crew definitely enjoyed sharing their love of the "Trie Love" with the joyful passengers. The Ugly: Absolutely nothing other than we could not be out for longer. If you find yourself in Watkins Glen, this is definitely an enjoyable to kick back, relax, and let the wind fill your sails. They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so I am going to end my post with a few that we snapped along the way. May you have fair winds, and following lake waters!

Excellent sailing experience The crew was great and was…read morevery eager to make sure we had a great time The boat was in excellent condition

Captain Brett was great! He explained all of the information we needed to know before we even got…read moreout on the water and answered each any every question we had. We all got to explore the interior and exterior of the boat, and once we were underway, we all had the chance to steer, raise and lower sails, and move the boom as needed. The day was perfect, the lake was peaceful, and we all learned something. We may sign up for the next course in 2024!

Brett was a great host! The wind did not perform for us, but the sunset sure did! We had a casual…read moremotor around the beautiful black river bay. Brett was willing to reschedule or refund due to the lack of wind. We were happy we went out anyway. Thank you for a nice relaxing evening!

This is a scenic sailing destination in Kingston. Lots of locals keep all shapes and types of…read moreboats, and its home to the annual CORK event. The port was originally designed to facilitate the 1976 Olympics. Sure, it's located beside the (in)famous Kingston Penn, but rumour has it that the decommissioning might bring new life to the area. Great restaurants nearby: Portsmouth Tavern, Jina Sushi. Adjacent to the waterfront trail that will lead up to Lake Ontario Park.

This was our fourth trip with Erie Canal Adventures, and the longest yet - we were on the boat for…read more11 days. The canal boats are easy and fun to drive, exceptionally well maintained, nicely equipped (the knives are awful, but aren't they always?), comfortable, and supported by a great team of exceptionally helpful staff. The Erie Canal and upstate New York are amazing. The summer climate is outstanding, mosquitoes are few, the cities and towns along the canal are so much fun to explore, and fellow boaters are friendly and helpful. We only used our A/C two nights out of eleven, and slept out "in the wild" two nights. This year we went west for the first time, after traveling eastbound the last 3 adventures. East and West provide very different experiences. West is far more urban and upscale, east is generally more rural, natural (passing through the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge), and definitely quieter both on and off the canal. A couple of tips...before you choose to tie up for the night, check the distance to the train tracks on the map, and listen for a while before finalizing your decision. The train noise can be thunderous depending on proximity of the tracks, and it varies greatly by location. Go slow, but...at low speed, these boats are almost indestructible. Don't worry, you will be well trained in both the theory and practice of navigation before your trainer turns you loose on the canal, and yes, you will handle it just fine. Bring your own knife, but pretty much everything else will be supplied that you need. We eat in most nights, but you can eat out everywhere to the west, and in most towns to the east if you prefer. Read a book about the history of the canal before you go if you're into that sort of thing (or bring it along to read along the way). It's almost impossible to overestimate the importance of the Erie Canal in creating the country we live in today. Tech support is top notch. We discovered we were missing a screen the first night out...and called in to base to ask for a replacement. They had one fabricated on the first weekday we were out, and delivered it to one of the lift-bridge masters we were heading toward. The bridge master brought it down to us after we passed under the lift bridge. Finally, the moment where you get to pilot your boat over a bridge, and look down on the highway passing underneath your boat is super-cool. I've rented houseboats in Voyageurs National Park and Lake of the Woods in Minnesota/Ontario, Lake Roosevelt in Washington, half a dozen times on the Mississippi River between the Twin Cities and south of Dubuque, and owned a small houseboat on the Mississippi. These canal boats are cooler, as is the Canal. I'd recommend this trip over any of those for the boating experience (unless you're really into fishing...that's a different trip).

What an amazing vacation we had on the Canandaigua ! The boat seems a bit large on their web page,…read morebut it turns out it was perfectly sized for three , and easy enough to pilot and park. It had all the comforts of a small floating hotel room. A Full kitchen , comfortable beds, air conditioning , sheets, linens, towels, pots and pans, silverware and to top it all off, a bicycle for each of us. Erie Canal Adventures has thought of everything. Their three hour training was thorough and easy to understand, and included practice time on the canal and negotiating lock 30 twice. All their employees are patient and helpful as were all the other boaters we encountered. On several occasions we experienced a little difficulty with the docking process and each time other boaters were there to assist. There are many towns along the canal, most of which offer dock space and electrical and water hookups, sometimes for a small fee, but often for free. The boats motor along at a stately 6 mph, which might seem slow in 2025, but it's precisely the right pace on the canal. Even on the hottest days 6 mph was fast enough that there was always a cooling breeze. I can't recommended this vacation highly enough. I'd like to say that it was the vacation of a lifetime, but I strongly suspect I'll be back next year.

This is a must do if you're in town!! The lake is so beautiful and clear and this is the best way…read moreto be able to see all of the beauty and take it all in! The ride was $25 for adults and it includes a 1 hour narrated tour. You're able to see all of the beautiful homes on the water and hear the stories of the owners and developers of the properties. I would highly recommend this boat ride!

We did the dinner cruise and had a wonderful time. It was partially narrated so we learned a little…read moreabout the houses along Skaneateles lake but it wasn't distracting, you were still able to enjoy your company. The drinks were priced well and the food was good.