Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs): A Canadian approved PFD is designed to keep you afloat in the water. PFDs were designed for use in recreational boating and are generally smaller, less bulky and more comfortable than lifejackets.
The Erie Canal, in New York state (shown below), was 360 mi (580 km) long, and connected New York with the Great Lakes via the Hudson River. Locks were built to overcome the 571-ft (174-m) difference between the level of the river and that of Lake Erie.
The Erie Canal, which linked the waters of Lake Erie and the Hudson River, was completed in 1825. Discussions surrounding such a canal had been going on for a long time and the War of 1812 caused many observers to back the canal as a means of preventing a Canadian monopoly on Great Lakes traffic.