Greg and Susan, Never fear! You not only do not need your dinghy on the New York Canal System, you would be hard pressed to find a place where you could actually use it. You can stop every night in the Erie, Oswego, Champlain and Cayuga-Seneca Canals and tie up for free at town terminals and lock walls. Many of the sites now have water and electric. A very few of them charge a nominal fee like $10-15 per night. It is very easy to plan your stops every night so you are within walking distance of stores and restaurants. By in large, the New York Canal System is one of the best kept secrets of cruising on the East Coast. And to top it all off this year, the usage fee has been waived. Thus, the entire canal system is free. You can't stop at all the wonderful places along this great waterway unless you take the whole summer. I know, we have done just that several times. Have a great trip and plan to enjoy yourself. Waterford is usually a bit crowded, but once past Waterford the boats thin out a great deal and dockage is usually easy to find. Weekends and holidays can be busy, but most of the rest of the time except for a very few spots you will find yourself tied up where 10 boats could tie up and you will be the only vessel there. Bob Skipper Bob Publications Http://SkipperBob.home.att.net