Reliable‘s sole role for many decades was to provide maintenance support of the canal system.

Her crew, like this gent who would go on to be a 2025 Santa Claus, used Reliable, NYS-built tugboat, to do that maintenance. What was an unusual sight was the way she departed the canal system for sea, where she remains.

Hōkūleʻa also transited the canal system as part of her Malama Honua journey.

Of course, she didn’t transit under sail; she was towed and

yet stopped along the way meeting the locals as well as other long-distance and unusual vessels. The photo below was taken by Jeff Gritsavage in Sylvan Beach.

That other voyager was Draken Harald Hårfagre, shown below in Waterford NY and featured in an earlier Dispatches post.

Another unusual vessel was this one, piloted by “ageless wanderer” Robert Youens, who set a record almost exactly a year ago in his 16′ Jon boat. Maybe he sped past you while you were fishing somewhere along the waterway, zoomed past so fast that a minute later you thought you imagined it.

Click on the 13WHAM image below for the source of the next two photos and more of the story.

He must not have stopped much, and rumor is that he’s planning to do it again to beat his previous record.

Another unusual sight was a canoe powered by Peter Frank, below crossing Oneida Lake. See more sights in his huge IG feed here.

Peter sought advice along the way, all along the 4853-mile loop in less than a year and a half.

Neal Moore paddled the west end of the canal system as far as Baldwinsville, and then used his portaging wheels to get to the Hudson River, and then paddled down to NYC, ending a 7000+ mile journey.

For some years, historic Dutch barge Golden Re’al called the canal its US home, although I last knew of it in 2024 looking in great need. I posted photos of its interior on my other blog here almost 20 years ago.

Speaking of barges, Sojourn departed the state canal system back almost a decade ago. John Callaghan caught these photos of the converted cargo to passenger barge back in 2016. Here are some photos of Sojourn as a cargo barge on the inland waterways of Europe.

I know of still more unusual sights and vessels that have transited the artificial river we call the NYS Canals.

Remember this one of Lilliputan scale??

But I’m inviting you to tell your stories of unusual sights along the waterway. Go down to the canals this week; it’s summertime, and you never know when something unusual may pass.