Hugh Strobel has shared photos with Dispatches previously here and here. Dispatches is delighted to receive more shared images from Hugh a few days ago.

He writes, “The attached photos reflect an unplanned invitation for a short cruise on the canal at Fort Plain Lock 15. The friendly Steamboat Society crews invited me for coffee and wood-fired pancakes aboard the white craft.”

Dispatches would love to hear from more 21st-century steamboaters. I did catch part of one of their meets back in 2014. I’m glad it was acknowledged here.

“Then they suggested a short cruise upstream. I boarded the coal fired Black Eagle for the trip.”

I’d love to know more about today’s whereabouts of Black Eagle.

“Another highlight was a steam whistle exchange with a passing CSX freight train on the North side of the canal.”

I’ll bet those rail engineers had a story to tell when they got off their shift.

Many thanks to Hugh for sharing these. They remind me of a Hudson River steamboat called Hestia, which I saw almost two decades ago. For photos, click here, here, and here. For a sidewheel steamer from Europe shared by the late Jan van der Doe, click here.

Using the Dispatches search window, I’ve compiled a menu of past dispatches posts with steamers here. You can use the search window to compile your own menu of steamers and anything else. Try it.