The Empire State Navy
Of all the waterways in fable and lore, the Erie Canal is famed least for its maritime nature. Lake Superior may have swallowed the Edmund Fitzgerald, and the North Atlantic holed the Titanic, but they sing of the Erie Canal for a mule named Sal. The triumph of the canal was over land, not water. Fully 363 miles long, scaling mountains 500 ft. above sea-level with 83 locks, fording natural rivers on aqueducts or "water bridges," it was a pick and shovel and trowel job of a stupendous scale, so grandiose that some called it madness. Yet the original "Clinton's Ditch" helped write the destiny of North America, so greatly that in return it required expansion and major rebuilding twice, within its first ninety years.
New York Thruway Contract Awarded
The New York State Thruway Authority has awarded a contract to Penn Yan Marine Manufacturing Corporation for construction of a custom work boat for inspection and maintenance in the Tappan Zee Bridge area of New York. The model selected is Penn Yan's 2001 Spector, which is 20.5 ft. long, with an eight ft. beam. The model features Penn Yan's new Center Console with a unique forward deck, making it especially suited to the requirements of the job, by providing a large lockable equipment locker, as well as a large work platform at the bow, leaving considerable uncluttered cockpit area available. Powered by a Johnson 115 hp OceanPro outboard motor, the vessel will attain speeds of 36-38 mph.
