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Comments
Great honest guy!
PC BYC, Holland, MI
Shawn, look's like a nasty day up there, I have at least another month.
BD is out, gloomy looking up there also.
2018 Cherokee 39RL Land Yacht (Sorry...)
i have a hemi rebel and my friend has eco
i get 14mpg mixed he gets dang near 20
If you are interested here is a time lapse video of heading through the Waterford flight of 5 locks down to where the Mowawk meets the Hudson.
Regards,
Ian
The Third “B”
Secretary, Ravena Coeymans Yacht Club
https://www.rcyachtclub.com/
We did a nice run up to Rock Hall (about 1.5 -2 hr round trip) on Saturday for lunch. Was really smooth out and was sure nice! Love the pics Diggin!
We have a Halloween dock crawl this weekend with even a little two piece band we sponsored on our dock. Should be a lot of fun!
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
2018 Cherokee 39RL Land Yacht (Sorry...)
If you are interested, I have a couple posted for lock 17 both east and west bound - this is the highest lift on the system (and maybe the US) at 40'
@GMSLITHO Click on the here in the original post - or a few words back
Regards,
Ian
The Third “B”
Secretary, Ravena Coeymans Yacht Club
https://www.rcyachtclub.com/
From someone who has only experienced a lock-through of about 5' (max) vertical drop/rise in the Chicago Locks, I do have a couple of questions. And please forgive my naïveté - but I am fascinated by the process you have/had to go through.
1) Is this just a seasonal trip (spring launch/fall take-out)? Or do you do this fairly regularly?
2) What's the average "real" time it takes to go through one of those locks - and the entire trip?
2) In the lock, how did you stay tight to the wall? Are the lines/ropes long enough? Or is there some other system? And any currents to deal with as the water drains?
Again - awesome vid!
1) Is this just a seasonal trip (spring launch/fall take-out)? Or do you do this fairly regularly?
In this instance it's to take to storage and in May we'll be back up again to home port, the Crescent Boat Club. We have done an overnight to go to Waterford to stay there - just to get away for the night, walk to town for dinner and then farmer's market the Sunday morning (may have seen it in the video). Being a 2 hour trip each way we don't do it that often just for the sake of it! More often we track west through lock 7 to Scotia or Schenectady for an overnight or even lunch and back.
2) What's the average "real" time it takes to go through one of those locks - and the entire trip?
The flight is around 2 hours but in season when busy it may be up to 4. A point of contention at the moment with the staffing of the locks is that it presents delays as they have the lockmasters ferrying between them. We were lucky yesterday with minimal delays and was under 2 hours. Each lock in the flight is around 35' so each is around a 20 minute exercise to raise or lower plus travel time between each. Lock 7 is around 30 mins to traverse if they are ready for you.
3) In the lock, how did you stay tight to the wall? Are the lines/ropes long enough? Or is there some other system? And any currents to deal with as the water drains?
In the flight there are ropes hanging free (they hang all the way to the bottom) as well as plastic coated steel cables fixed both end, some locks have poles (about 6" diameter) as well or instead of cables and each has at least 4 ladders - 2 each side at each end. Where possible I go for a cable or ladder as they are fixed and use the boat hook to grab it as I slide up to the wall. If at the bottom I then use a lock hook - a basic steel U shaped hook with a handle - and at the helm reach out and slide up the cable or step it up the rungs until the top then use the boat hook before it gets out of reach; opposite going down - boat hook then lock hook down. The Admiral usually grabs a rope with a boat hook sitting at the stern as a backup safety but I can do the locks myself from the helm. Some do the same, others put a rope around the pole and hold and slide up and down, some cleat it so they don't need to hang on; personal preference.
Think of the lock as a bathtub - drains from the center and going down is usually pretty gentle with a bit of pulling out from the wall. Going up, the water is coming in through the drains in the center and if you have 30' of head water, for the first 6' or so it can get a bit squirly depending on what the lockmaster does with the valves - if he throws them open I am hanging on pretty well at first. Lock 7 I traverse most often can be a gentle ride up or an arm tugging exercise. Lock 4 in the flight (the 3rd one we go through in the video) you may notice takes longer because it drains slower as there is an issue with one set of valves. Plus westbound at the moment you need to port side lock otherwise the pull is pretty severe. Lock 17 is the same - always a port side west bound locking based on how it had to be built with the vales and pipes.
Hope that enlightens those that may not have had the chance to lock through.
Regards,
Ian
The Third “B”
Secretary, Ravena Coeymans Yacht Club
https://www.rcyachtclub.com/
Here in Chicago the controlling lock for the main branch of the river drains - or fills, as the case may be, through the gates themselves as they open/close. No "floor" drains here.
So depending on the current and the amount of water flow through the gate, you can get a tremendous amount of pressure flowing against the boat.
Sometimes if you don't have someone tight on the line at the bow, the current will flow between the bow and the wall with enough force to pull the boat free - and the lockmasters aren't too happy when that happens and you've got a "floater" bouncing around. (Been there, done that. LOL)
I like the idea of the fixed cables. It would seem to be much easier than holding a slimy rope - which is what we usually do.
Thanks again for enlightening us!
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Thanks