The city of Troy is located on the Hudson River south of the Troy Lock, which is the first of a series of locks that can lead you on toward the Erie Canal or Champlain Waterway. Troy is about 150 miles north of The Battery on Manhattan Island and only five miles south of Waterford at the start of the Erie Canal.

Many people use Troy as the place to stock up for a long journey on the Erie Canal or Champlain Waterway, where supplies and towns for provisioning can be few and far between. For sailboats that must remove their masts to transit the Erie Canal, you may be better served stopping in Waterford, a little farther north, to have this done at one of the local marinas.

One of the towns most famous residents was “Uncle Sam” Wilson, who during the war of 1812, stamped the words “U.S. Beef” on the meat that left his packing plant. Later on, a caricature of Wilson would be used to personify the United States in the famous “I Want You” posters for the U.S. Army. According to the city of Troy, Wilson is buried in local Oakwood Cemetery.

Use NOAA Chart 12348.

Even though Troy is many miles form the ocean, it is still influenced by a tide that changes the river height three to four feet at each change. While this does not present a huge challenge to most boaters, it is something to be aware of and to keep in mind when transiting the area.

Between South Troy and the Troy Lock, you must navigate under three bridges, which, when approaching from the south, have fixed vertical clearances of 61, 55, and 29, respectively. The last bridge is a lift bridge that will open on signal.

The Troy waterfront has an extensive marina behind Adams Island that caters almost specifically to transient guests. Once you have tied up in the marina, a market, liquor store and pharmacy are within walking distance. City taxi cab service can tote you elsewhere in town should you need to expand your search for supplies.

Local Notices to Mariners are now exclusively available online from the U.S. Coast Guard.

City of Troy