Welland Canal

Yes I see she made it through the Seaway and tied up at the Port of Montreal

Here is a few pictures approaching Montreal with ice breaker Martha L Black leading the way.
She is still in Montreal weather tonight -23 C or -9.4 F COLD

SEAWAY CLOSES TODAY
The Baie St Paul was half way to Montreal heading for Quebec City and had to turn back because of ice in the seaway, she is now trying to get up the Welland Canal to Lake Erie and has been over one hour trying to get into lock one.
She has a 78 ' beam and lock is 80 ' wide and was one third of the way in lock and pushed to much ice in with her she had to back out and tug went in they filled lock then dumped it and tug pushed ice out. Lake Erie will be frozen shore to shore in about one week. Tug has to push ice off wall as ship makes his way. It will be along day to get through canal.
Also USS LIttle Rock is still in Montreal if stays much longer she will have problems.

All those ships were waiting for Lake Pilots to take them down Lake Ontario to Montreal.

USS LITTLE ROCK
USS Little Rock to remain in Montreal until wintry weather conditions improve

1/20 - Montreal, Que. – The U.S.S. Little Rock will remain in port in Montreal until wintry weather conditions improve and the ship can safely move through the St. Lawrence Seaway, Lt. Commander Courtney Hillson confirmed Friday.

“Significant weather conditions prevented the ship from departing Montreal earlier this month and icy conditions continue to intensify,” Hillson said. “The temperatures in Montreal and throughout the transit area have been colder than normal, and included near-record low temperatures, which created significant and historical conditions in the late December, early January time frame.”

Keeping the ship in Montreal until waterways are clear will ensure the safety of ship and crew, and will have limited impact on the ship’s operational schedule, Hillson said. “Little Rock, which was commissioned in Buffalo, New York, Dec. 16, will continue her transit to Mayport, Florida, when weather and seaway conditions permit.”

While in port, the crew of Little Rock will continue to focus on training, readiness and certifications. The vessel is located at section B2 at the western end of the harbor.

WIBV Buffalo

The Welland Canal opens this Thursday March 29/18 to December 31/18 pleasure craft can transit 24 hours a day during that period.
For the larger pleasure craft that are to big for the Erie Canal and have to come up the St Lawrence River to Montreal (NOTE) the changes to that section of seaway through Montreal.
Recreational Boating
Lockage Schedule
The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) will continue its service model for pleasure craft during the 2018 season, with dates and times of locks in operation the same as those for the locks operated by Parks Canada.

The Saint-Lambert, Côte Sainte-Catherine and Beauharnois Locks will be open for passage of pleasure crafts from May 18 to October 8, 2018, following the schedule below:

From May 18 to June 21, 2018 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
From June 22 to September 3, 2018 (Labour Day) 9:00 am to 8:00 pm
From September 4 to October 8, 2018 (Thanksgiving) 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

To guarantee passage at day’s end, pleasure craft must be at the lock one (1) hour before the end of the service interval indicated above. Transit of the South Shore Canal or Beauharnois sections will be permitted if commercial maritime traffic allows.


They use to have a clause that you could give 72 hours notice to transit out side of those dates, but note they have now removed that clause for the 2018 shipping season.

In addition, two (2) daily scheduled lockages are planned during the peak season.

Commercial craft can transit the whole Seaway from March 29 - December 31 - 24 hours a day.
The reason for changes to pleasure craft is all the locks on the Seaway are now fully automated which means when there is a commercial ship in the lock there are no seaway personnel on the locks.
When pleasure craft come they get the labour crew come to lock to get you through in Montreal.
In the Welland Canal they have three man tie crew per shift to follow you through the canal.
There are some tug and barges and older ships that the new machines will not work on them so then the three spare lines men will now have to follow them through the canal so that means you will have to wait until they get them through.
I had many trips last year that we had to wait 24 - 30 hours just to transit the canal. I tell any one that has a low air draft to take the Erie Canal to Buffalo just to avoid the Welland.
Last year family on holidays coming down the Welland for a trip on Lake Ontario sat in Port Colborne for one to two days and on the return trip a day or two were not very happy and a lot of the trips were late night trips.
Tug boats with out barges will now travel the canal with out lines in the lock up and down because they do not want to wait for lines men.

I made my first trip up the Welland Canal on Sunday on a 55' Prestige, she came out of Rochester NY and going to Ohio then put her on a truck and ship her to Seattle Washington. Had a eight hour trip as the canal was not very busy with commercial traffic.
Anyone making the trip this year to the Great Lakes via the Welland Canal should allow extra time as the lock are now fully automated for commercial traffic. They now have only three linesmen per shift to get pleasure craft through canal and they did not call back the other spare linesmen.
Last year I had times where we had to wait up to twenty four to thirty hours to get get started.
Once the Erie Canal opens and the yachts start coming I will let you no how bad the delays are.
Do not rush north as the picture below was taken this morning from my sisters house over looking Georgian Bay.