Chesapeake boaters who have cruised the inland waterways north and south of the Chesapeake Bay know how important they are and often view them as the pathways to great adventures. Did you know the Erie Canal and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association (AIWA) are celebrating anniversaries? 2024 was the 25th anniversary of AIWA and 2025 is the bicentennial of the Erie Canal.
As the Erie Canal turns 200, the communities along the entire 524-mile New York State canal system are expected to roll out the red carpet to boaters, whether they are cruising the length of the canal or just checking out waters by trailered boat for the day or weekend. A premier recreational boat waterway, the canal has a historic infrastructure that mostly still runs on simple waterpower, offering a ribbon of navigable canals, locks, rivers, and lakes across upstate New York connecting the East Coast with the Great Lakes and Canada. The villages, towns, and cities that line the shores offer a wealth of tourism opportunities for visiting boaters. For Bay boaters who take on the Great Loop counterclockwise, the canal system is where they will encounter the first of more than 100 locks. Learn more at eriecanalway.org/bicentennial.
South of the Chesapeake, the AIWA marked its 25th anniversary in November at the organization’s 2024 annual meeting in Charleston, SC. AIWA is a national nonprofit that was founded in 1999. Its mission is to secure funding to support the maintenance of the 1100-mile Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, which runs from Norfolk to Key West and is known as “America’s Marine Highway 95.”
Thanks to AIWA’s efforts, in the past three years, more than $135 million has been allocated by Congress to maintain depths, improve navigation, and support port infrastructure on the waterway. Find more information at atlanticintracoastal.org.