The Welland Canal
Tuesday, June 28
Our engine repair and subsequent refueling had gone much faster than we had expected - so much so that we realized that we probably had time to do our run of the Welland today (we had originally assumed that we'd need to overnight in port Colborne and do it the following morning). We knew that in the worst case, the passage through the canal could be a hellish twelve hours, but we hoped that traffic was light and that we could do the 40km distance in much less time than that. So, after doing a bit of hasty last-minute consulting regarding the rules of the canal, we pulled into the recreational craft dock right next to its entrance. On shore, we consulted the posted instructions and Roland called the number for the lockmaster, announcing his intent to enter the canal.
After answering various questions, Simply Blue was successfully registered to enter the Welland Canal. We were told to remain moored and await a phone call (estimated time 1 to 2 hours) before proceeding. We took advantage of the downtime by walking around a bit of the quaint downtown of Port Colborne, including getting some english toffee and an ice cream at Candy Safari.
courtesy RHanel
Fortunately, we only had to wait about an hour, and as I was in the middle of eating my delicious toffee crunch ice cream, Roland's phone rang. We were told to maintain readiness at our boat and to proceed immediately after a large bulk carrier came through underneath Bridge #21 - the final moveable structure on the south end of the canal. We hurried back to the dock to await.
Waiting for Heavy Traffic
Soon a klaxon sounded, and the nearby vertical lift bridge - an old but sturdy steel truss structure from the 1930s - began to rise into the sky. A few minutes later, an immense bulk carrier, rusty and banged from years of use, glided underneath. We fired up the engine and made ready to proceed.
The are two general objectives of the lockmasters of the Welland Canal - maximize throughput and minimize disruption to the public at large. To achieve these goals, traffic is bunched up - combined together - as much as is reasonably possible. And, when general public infrastructure is moved (such as a lift bridge), it is left open or up for the least possible amount of time. Therefore, we were told to immediately zip in behind the big carrier as soon as we could and get by the lifted bridge.
courtesy RHanel
We quickly motored underneath bridge 21 and into the Welland Canal. At this point, we were committed to the system. We could not disembark and we had to keep moving forward according to the guidance of canal staff, who Roland communicated with on the VHF radio.
A short distance ahead was another movable bridge, this time of swing construction. We didn't have to wait for this one, and it swung up as we approached. Beyond, we glided into Lock Eight. This was what is called an equalization lock, and only minimally changes in height. Its function is to align with minor changes in the water level of Lake Erie. We were told to maintain position in the middle of the lock while the equalization process took place. Roland had a bit trouble maintaining Simply Blue's position, and we veered back and forth in the canal for a bit before he got things settled down.
Soon the lock's opposite doors were opened, and we were released into the next segment of the canal. This stretch was quite long, and it would be a full twenty five kilometres before we reached the next block point (Bridge 11). Being in a fully operational industrial-class canal and having to follow orders, watch signal lights, and not crash into anything was a bit stressful, and we were glad that we could just motor for a while without much thinking.
Speaking of the motor, it was doing quite well. We watched the engine gauges carefully, and - happily - everything looked solid. Even after an hour of mid-speed motoring, the temperature was stable at the "below half" mark, at around 150-160 degrees. Oil pressure was also nominal, and we saw no recurrence of low pressure at idle. Our cleaning of the cooling system had been a success.
Along this stretch, it occurred to me that we would be exiting the canal very close to where my cousins Marc and Sue lived, in a suburb of St Catherines called Port Dalhousie. I sent my cousin a text telling him we were coming through, and he graciously invited us to stay the night at his place when we had made it all the way through.
courtesy RHanel
Traffic at Bridge 11
We stopped briefly ahead of bridge 11, waiting to coordinate with some heavy southbound marine traffic. Once past bridge 11, we soon neared lock 7 and the start of the "real" part of the Welland - the drop down the Niagara Escarpment. We would be losing significant elevation along this stretch.
Arriving ahead of lock 7, we were directed by canal officials to loiter in an area known as the "Guard Gate". We spent a good fifty minutes puttering around in this open space, doing a slow dance with another pleasure craft - a large recreational fishing cruiser rental. Roland found the time useful, as it allowed him to refine his slow speed motoring skills with Simply Blue.
courtesy RHanel
We carefully watched the many signal lights down towards the lock, looking for changes in the fairly complex signals that would inform us that we were allowed to proceed. It soon became apparent that we were waiting for a large freighter to be raised and released. Once it trundled by, the limit of approach lights gradually extinguished and the lock entrance lights cycled through to green. It was now time to enter the core of the canal system, and we had to be on our toes. We had deployed as many fenders as we had on board, and additionally I deployed a plank on the docking side to further insulate Simply Blue from damage.
courtesy RHanel
Line Duty
I wondered a bit about how mooring would work, considering that it was clear that our own mooring lines would be insufficient. It turned out to be fairly straightforward: as we entered a lock, we were guided to one side or the other (we knew which side in advance). A couple of workers would then guide us into a section along the lock wall, then threw us coils of stiff rope. We were instructed to hold onto these ropes - one of us at the stern and the other at the bow - and keep ourselves in place. After this had been done for all craft in the lock, the "going down" signal was given and we slowly began to slide down the wall as the water level in the lock was lowered.
courtesy RHanel
courtesy RHanel
Although the boat did a slow back and forth oscillation as we descended, it was all fairly placid, and we soon got to know how much force to apply or release on the ropes to minimize the motion. Both Roland and the canal literature indicated that it was much more turbulent and difficult when going the other way - "uphill", as it were. In fact, when going up-canal, the canal authority requires you to have at least 3 personnel aboard to aid in stabilizing your vessel.
Looking tired
Lock seven, six, five... all passed without incident. We began to get the rhythm of the lock system, to understand its processes. Roland was becoming less stressed with the many repeated dockings he had to make. It was quite interesting and enjoyable, this experience of traveling through this vital link of commerce, all business-like and efficient. It was also impressive and even in some ways beautiful - huge steel doors and concrete walls, immense chunks of machinery both floating and fixed, whooping klaxons, throbbing engines, and electrical buzzings - all operating with practiced efficiency.
Although it was clear we were traveling through the canal much faster than the pessimistic 12-hour worst case estimate, it was also becoming clear that we were not going to be finished until after sunset. I called ahead to Marc and told him of our rate of progress (and offered to bow out of his offer), but he would have none of it. "Call me when you reach the end", he said, "no matter what time it is".
Truth be told, we were both pretty bagged at this point. If you recall, we had just done a so-called "all nighter", and at this point, had effectively had no good sleep for 30+ hours. Whatever our overnight accommodations would be tonight, we were looking forward to them.
Freighter on a Hill
We arrived at the approach to lock one at about 10pm, where we had to wait about fifteen minutes for upbound traffic. By 10:40pm we were through the lock and down at the level of Lake Ontario. We had made it through the Welland Canal.
Our immediate next concern was where to put Simply Blue for the night. Roland had not had time to examine his nautical charts, but a quick glance revealed a marina around the outside of the huge Lake Ontario breakwater that might work - although the entrance to it looked quite shallow. Roland is usually one for a quiet anchorage, but given the late time and my desire not to keep my cousin up too late, he agreed.
It took an interminably long time to motor out of the huge breakwater mouth of the Welland. When we finally neared the open lake, we began to encounter a very stiff north wind. The waves began to pick up, too, and as we neared the mouth, they became truly large. It was fully night, and apart from the blinking of the red and green nav lights at the end of the breakwater, it was pitch black. We began to be concerned about making the short dodge around the outside and back in to where the marina was located. After a bit of rushed discussion, we decided to make a 180 and turn back in towards the canal. Roland had noticed a recreational craft dock just outside the lock, and felt more comfortable about mooring there (than heading out into the rough waters of Lake Ontario, no matter for how short a time).
Another long motor back to the dock ensued, and, shortly after 11:20pm, we were safely moored. I called Marc, who said he'd be down in fifteen to twenty minutes to pick us up. Not being in an official overnight spot, Roland felt uncomfortable leaving Simply Blue alone, and elected to stay on board for the night. Marc pulled soon pulled up, and after a brief intro to Roland, we (sans Roland) headed off to his house in Port Dalhousie, where - despite it being midnight - he barbecued me up a steak with baked potatoes and vegetables (and, of course, a glass of red wine). You are a trooper for staying up nearly until 1 a.m., Marc - many thanks!
Click below to watch a video wrap-up for June 28:
Video wrap-up for June 28
Interactive trackmap with photo points - Welland Canal - click map to view
June 28 - The Welland Canal
Start Time:
3:33p.m.
End Time:
10:43p.m.
Duration:
7h10m
Distance:
39.24 km
(24.38 mi)
Average Speed:
5.5 km/hr
(3.4 mph)
Start Elevation:
571ft
(174m)
*
Max Elevation:
585ft
(178m)
*
Min Elevation:
268ft
(82m)
*
End Elevation:
268ft
(82m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain:
12ft
(4m)
*
Total Elevation Loss:
289ft
(88m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph
