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Welland Canal Winter time

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by Rodger, Jan 14, 2011.

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  1. Rodger, Jan 14, 2011
    #1
    Rodger

    Rodger Senior Member

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    Attached are several photos of the Welland Canal the most people never see...especially those Captains from the South! The Welland Canal is 30 miles long and the first 7 miles from Lake Ontario are drained during the winter for maintenance. Pictures from Lock 1 to Bridge 4 are included in this post. The balance from Bridge 4 to Lock 7 are in the next post.

    Attached Files:

  2. Rodger, Jan 14, 2011
    #2
    Rodger

    Rodger Senior Member

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    Attached are the winter photos from Bridge 4 to Lock 7. Enjoy!

    Attached Files:

  3. Rodger, Jan 14, 2011
    #3
    Rodger

    Rodger Senior Member

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    Welland Canal - Opening Day

    The Welland Canal opens for the navigation season in mid-March each year. For those "Southern" Captains, if you think some of the debris in the Canal causes you problems during the summer, how would you like to navigate through this stuff! At least there would be plenty of ice for your cocktails!!
    The Welland Canal locks are 80 feet wide - the ship is 78 feet wide...not a lot of space for all the ice. To get into the lock, the ship must come part way into the lock until the lock is filled with ice. Then the ship must back out so they can close the gates and dump the lock to flush the ice out. The lock is then re-filled and the ship is brought in. Just image how long a passage this makes!!

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  4. NYCAP123, Jan 14, 2011
    #4
    NYCAP123

    NYCAP123 Senior Member

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    Facinating!:)
  5. chesapeake46, Jan 14, 2011
    #5
    chesapeake46

    chesapeake46 Senior Member

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    Agreed, thanks for posting them.
  6. viking 58, Jan 14, 2011
    #6
    viking 58

    viking 58 YF Historian

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    great post. thanks
  7. thatcher, Jan 14, 2011
    #7
    thatcher

    thatcher Member

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    that's why I like this place, I never knew that.
  8. CaptEvan, Jan 15, 2011
    #8
    CaptEvan

    CaptEvan Senior Member

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    Thanks Rodger.

    So much better to go through in the warmer season. Great pictures. I did not realize they drained so much to maintain the whole system. It would be interesting to see 4-6 with no water, and the gates open.

    A special appreciation for your guidance through the locks over the years. Our friends Dave and Linda Tuls appreciated your attention in August while fulfilling their Loop return to MIchigan.

    Note YF members; give Rodger St Amand a PM if you need to transit the Welland.
  9. Capt J, Jan 15, 2011
    #9
    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Wow, it looks like such a piddly stream when drained. I've been through twice. Very cool photo's especially the freightor. Was that the last one through before they closed for the winter? I've seen one go through on the lock that has 2 sides, and it barely fit in there......was really neat.
  10. Capt Buddy, Jan 16, 2011
    #10
    Capt Buddy

    Capt Buddy Member

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    Thanks for posting!
  11. PropBet, Jan 16, 2011
    #11
    PropBet

    PropBet Senior Member

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    Very cool, and educational. Thanks for posting.
  12. GFC, Jan 17, 2011
    #12
    GFC

    GFC Senior Member

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    Very interesting photos. I never knew they drained the canal each winter for maintenance, though that makes sense. Thanks for posting them.

    Coincidentally, the locks on the Snake and Columbia rivers are now closed for maintenance for up to 14 weeks. Normally they are open all winter but the downstream gates on four of the locks are being replaced. All commercial and recreational river traffic that has to pass through the locks has been halted until about mid-March.
  13. Rodger, Jan 18, 2011
    #13
    Rodger

    Rodger Senior Member

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    Welland Canal - Ship stuck in ice in lock 7

    The following photos detail the troubles of the Federal Kivalina, a salty from Hong Kong that got stuck in ice at Lock 7 of the Welland Canal. The ship was loaded with 26,000 tonnes of grain (equal to 300 railroad box cars) and was stuck for approximately 30 hours before it could be freed. As you can see from the pictures, it took a huge effort to free her. The tugs were unable to get the job done until ice was removed by a back hoe and melted with the help of steam generators.

    The Welland Canal is 30 miles long and runs between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario with total lift of 326 feet. This is accomplished with 8 locks, the first seven locks are located in the first seven miles of the canal south of Lake Ontario. Each of these locks have a lift 46.5 feet, take 12 minutes to fill and hold 21 million imperial gallons per fill. Lock 8, located at the Lake Erie end of the canal, is a control lock with a lift varying between 2 and 5 feet.

    The locks, which are 80 feet wide, can handle ships up to 78 feet wide, 740 feet long with a draft up to 26.5 feet. The Welland Canal operates from March 25 to December 30 each year.

    A fully loaded ships pays approximately $23,000 to transit the canal.

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  14. Capt J, Jan 18, 2011
    #14
    Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    And I felt $200 for a yacht was expensive. hehehe