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The dogs, especially treat loving Labrador retrievers, eagerly await the arrival of the Skaneateles Mail Boat. Children too, wait on their docks for the boat. This is a boat with a difference. In addition to passengers and the U.S. mail, this boat carries dog biscuits and lollipops for the kids.
Mail has been delivered on Skaneateles Lake by boat since steamboats were on the water in the 1800s, except during the two world wars. The Barbara S. Wiles, an elegant wooden vessel and the current mail boat, was launched in 1937. It cruised Lake George for 40 years before coming to Skaneateles Lake.
The boat is operated by Mid-Lakes Navigation Co., founded in 1968 by Peter Wiles. The Wiles family sold the tour boat operation to the Eberhardt family last year.
On our perfect late summer day Capt. Ben Eberhardt was at the wheel.
“This is my favorite of all our cruises,” said Eberhardt. “We travel around the entire 16-mile-long lake and we know our mail customers. There are still about a dozen cottagers who have no road access to their property. They have to get everything by boat.”
Mid-Lakes is a subcontractor for the USPS and the first mate on the boat has to undergo training, drug testing, finger printing and be sworn in by the USPS.
Over the years of delivering the mail by water, Capt. Ben’s favorite story is the time when the first mate fell off the bow with the mail in hand and managed to hold his arm up so the mail stayed dry.
No such happening on our voyage with Cecilia Marrinan, a Brown University student, who deftly delivered the mail during our three-hour cruise. The biggest customer. during its season which begins July 1 and continues until the day after Labor Day, is a summer camp at the southern end of the lake.
This summer, during the Finger Lakes Antique Classic Boat Show weekend in late July, an historic mailboat will be returning to Skaneateles Lake for a special mail run.
“The Pat II was built in 1924 and spent time as a St. Lawrence tour boat before becoming a mailboat in 1956 and continued until 1991,” said Eberhardt. “The electric and solar powered boat has now been completely restored by the Finger Lakes Boating Museum and will return here and make a mail run to a family who has been a mailboat customer for 90 years.”
In addition to the mailboat, Mid-Lakes also operates sightseeing, lunch, dinner, brunch and various special event cruises. The season expects to open this year on Mother’s Day weekend.
The meal cruises are a perfect fit for the Eberhardt family since they also operate three restaurants in the village, as well as the historic Sherwood Inn just across the street from the boat dock.
The Sherwood Inn traces its origins back to 1807 when Skaneateles became a popular stop on the stagecoach route between New York City and Niagara Falls. It is one of the oldest continuously operating inns in the state and has led the way in the revival of this lakeside community.
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All had to learn to pronounce the name of the place, which means “long lake” in Iroquois. It is “Skinny-ata-less.”
The boat dock is in a small park which also boasts a lifeguard supervised swimming area. Following a long tradition, students from Skaneateles High School will be jumping into the lake here after their graduation on June 27.
The Skaneateles Community Band performs free concerts in the park on summer weekends. On Sunday summer afternoons polo games are played on the west shore of the lake, a short drive from the village center. The public is invited to come and watch the sport of kings. It has been called the fastest game in the world.
The games are considered a time for family fun. There are no bleachers, so spectators may bring their own seats or sit on the grass. Many families plan picnics either before or after the game. Even if you don’t know anything about the game, this is an opportunity to see handsome horses galloping by while watching the shimmering lake below.
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The Lockwood Lavender Farm is also along the shore of the lake. The 120-acre farm was established in 1854 and has been in the Lockwood family for five generations. During the June through July lavender season, stop and pick up a bouquet of lavender. There is a gift shop filled with lavender-inspired items.
There is an air of elegance, prosperity and genteel refinement about Skaneateles. Many of the homes around the crystal-clear lake have been passed down through four or five generations, though in recent years celebrities and wealthy businesspeople have replaced some ramshackle cottages with vast estates. Back in 1999, the village burst on the world scene when President Bill and Hillary Clinton vacationed here.
Genesee Street (U.S. Route 20), the village’s Main Street, is lined with quaint shops, restaurants and well-preserved, elegant 19th century homes. The village is the only one in the region whose main street backs right up to the curved shore of the lake. For such a small village it is surprisingly well endowed with independent shops and boutiques, galleries, restaurants, and attractions.
Skaneateles, the lake and the village, is an easy two and a half hour drive down the Thruway from Buffalo.
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Last year Skaneateles topped O, The Oprah Magazine’s list of most “charming American towns you haven’t heard of — but should visit as soon as possible.” The magazine rated the village the number one most underrated place to visit. These were places that may not be on your bucket list but deserved a spot.
The reason Skaneateles came out with the top spot: “This picturesque village is located right on the edge of Skaneateles Lake in Upstate New York. With beautiful and serene surroundings, you can spend the days of summer relaxing in a kayak or hiking the trails. Plus, there are premium shopping outlets not far from town.”
William H. Seward, secretary of state under Lincoln and later Johnson, who lived in nearby Auburn, called Skaneateles Lake “the most beautiful body of water in the world” after returning from a trip around the world.
The lake is considered the bluest of the Finger Lakes and according to Indian legend the sky spirits used to lean out of their home to admire themselves in the lake’s reflection when the heavens were nearer to the earth than they are now. The lake spirits fell in love with the sky spirits and absorbed the color of the sky spirit’s robes into the water, thus giving the lake its beautiful deep blue color.
The water is considered some of the state’s cleanest and quenches the thirst of Syracuse area residents, 20 miles to the northeast.
Travel Tip of the Month: For more information visit Skaneateles.com or call 315-685-0552. For Mid-Lakes Navigation Co. visit https://www.midlakesnavigation.com/ or call 315-685-8500.
Deborah Williams lives in Holland, NY. She is a veteran travel writer whose work has appeared in national and international publications. She is the recipient of the Society of American Travel Writers Lowell Thomas Gold Travel Writing Award.