I have thought about biking the canal & or kayaking as I have road freight trains along parts of the Hudson & hitched around that area & really like it in the warmer months. i know most of the barge traffic dock son Marsec Level 1 ports & require a TWIC card for access & are mostly all licensed & above board operations run thru the unions with US Merchant Marine licensed Captains & AB licensed crew who take their operations pretty seriously & doubtful that they would take a passenger for insurance reasons, fear of being fired & or Safety reasons similar to truckers but much worse (especially a fuel barge). I bet that you could hitch a ride with a pleasure boater making the trip much easier. Let u know.