Anyone taking a yacht up to the Great Lakes this season; plans? route?

Locks are a piece of cake to single hand, especially with a Hatteras MY with pocket doors which give you easy access to the midship cleat. One loop around the floating bit, pull tight, and tie it off. Done. I watch people struggle with spring lines etc. and just sort of giggle.

I’ll set my fenders when I’m at the dock. If the current/wind is really bad, I just let them dangle. Otherwise, I’ll leave them on deck and toss them over when I get close. This boat has a bow thruster, which I consider cheating, but it adds to the easy factor.

I took my own 58TC up the Tenn-Tom to Chattanooga by myself... on one engine. No thruster. Since then I’ve moved several boats through there by myself. Not bragging or trying to prove anything, it’s just something I’ve been doing for 40+ years.

Let me add one thing. Locks where there are no floating bits/bollards are a bit more challenging, but still no big deal. Just tie one line to the forward spring, and keep the outboard engine in reverse until it’s done. Been there done that too. None of those type locks on the Illinois.

This is where a like button is needed. Thanks for the sentiment.

Dave moved the boat to Polestar as the water in Grafton was getting iffy. At present, there is over 20’ at the railroad bridge which is located between two locks. They regulate that section.

We’ll be removing the arch at some point before we reach the bridge.

Oh yeah, I just realized I haven’t mentioned the fact I’m still in Tennessee. I’ll be heading back on Monday, and we’ll resume the trip at first light on Tuesday.

Not saying it can't be done, but that it shouldn't. I once lost an engine coming out of the Shinnecock locks with a 5 kt current behind me. The boat would have been destroyed were it not for having a deck hand who had to jump off the boat and secure a line to the bumper on a CG truck that happened to be there. Tying off in a lock is another thing that shouldn't be done. I've seen knots jam when the water went down and the result isn't pretty. In places like the Welland Canal they actually require 3 deckhands. But good luck. Hope you have a safe voyage.

Cleat hitches are not knots, and the Welland Canal is nothing like the locks on the Illinois.

Not sure how losing an engine coming out of a lock could put you into such peril, but I’m glad it all worked out. I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around your deck hand jumping in the water and tying off to a truck bumper, but it seems to me that would be a guaranteed way to put your boat on the bank.

Not into the water, onto the seawall where there is nothing to tie off to (except the CG truck that day) just before we'd have hit the 2 whirlpools that would have sent the boat pin-balling down the seawalls. Watch the current in this video, especially as it comes out of the locks and just south of the RR bridge. The CG truck was parked under that RR bridge.

Not trying to be argumentative, but that’s an apple and watermelon comparison.

No comparison to anything, and not saying you're wrong. Just showing why I like to have a mate in high current waters.

And what would the difference be with any of those scenarios if it were a 30’ boat being single handed?

The only real issue I see would be a medical emergency which would leave the operator incapacitated.

These waters and currents are nothing like those. That was my only point.

A 60' would have taken the truck with us (I was on a 38'), and yes the smaller the boat the easier it is to single hand. On Valhalla the aft deck was enclosed and in a current you might get away with one of the mid-ship cleats but you needed a line on the up-current end to keep it in.

Well, when you’re single handing, you don’t have to worry about the safety of the crew, passengers and others.

Yes, I’m breaking your balls a bit, but the contingencies you mentioned in your other post are what I wanted you to address. It’s all good, and it may or may not come down to a decision of me making the final few days of this trip solo if Dave runs out of time. It’s simply an option that wouldn’t concern me in the least.

I went through that canal two years ago with my 42' Ocean . First trip through heading north bound . It was fine till you got to that first bridge then holy crap ! After that it was like white water rafting in my boat ! It was nuts going through the narrow lock its self had my Detriots at 1400 RPM just to keep forward movement around 4 knots .
Second trip through was not as bad , but had to go through the really narrow side of the lock. Anyway, it was not much fun to go through.

Northbound is the easy way. Once you pass the restaurant "F" the 5 mph speed limit. Peddle to the metal until you get to the Sunrise Hwy bridge after the lock, but then PLEASE knock the speed back before the marina. Southbound when the gates are open is the blood pressure stress test. It's like shooting through a fire hose. When you get to the opening of the west lock you get about a 5 kt kick in the butt that wants to turn you sideways (and it's happened several times not to mention the boats that bounce off the sides). When you hit it it's WOT and turn your knuckles white to stay ahead of the current and centered. Often with larger boats I'd call the locks and request they reverse the lights, announce a security and go southbound through the wider north bound side. That's what I did that day but it requires you to then turn to starboard and then port when you come out to avoid a concrete wall. I made the starboard turn, but when I went to turn to port there was no starboard motor. That's when the spin started. Of course it's best to time your lock through for when the locks are closed. The problem when southbound is that Shinnecock and Moriches bays are shallow and larger boats have to hit them on the rising tide.

If you are on the African Queen and Bogart is at the helm, then Shinnecock canal is no problem! Lol

Also make sure your vessel is under 21' clearance before you enter! It is very ,very hard to stop your boat at the bridge and turn around in that SOB canal .

Also the lock tender was useless on my trip. They never replied to me my first pass through. And my second pass through was basically the same.