Tammee Poinan Grimes, CSNY board president and captain/owner of Colonial Belle, has provided these excellent photos of the Bicentennial flotilla. Tammee’s photos provide a view of the send-off from a water perspective.

It seems unavoidable that some of these “dispatches” will be asynchronous, but they can be arranged in chronological order at some point once the Seneca Chief voyage is complete. Similarly, details, corrections, and reflections on the event can be added in the comments, please.

Notice the very large crowd of well-wishers on the land. Let me take liberties with Chapter 1 of Moby Dick here for my own reflections: “What do you see?…. thousands upon thousands .. fixed in canal reveries. Some leaning against the spiles; some seated upon the pier-heads… as if striving to get a still better view of the departure. What do they here?

But look! here come more crowds, pacing straight for the water… They must get just as nigh the water as they possibly can without falling.”

Spirit of Buffalo sees them off, as does the 125-year-young fireboat E. M. Cotter.

It appears another crowd had gathered on the stern of one of the vessels in the Naval and Military Park.

In 1825, Seneca Chief also had a flotilla that included the following: Chief, Superior, Commodore Perry, Buffalo, and Noah’s Ark. Other vessels joined the flotilla at various points transiting the Canal.

The procession passes the Buffalo Main Light as well as the Buffalo North Breakwater South End Light.

Many thanks to Tammee for these photos.

We are looking for correspondents to take photos along the entire voyage to New York City. A schedule of stops can be found here.