Welland Canal

If you look at picture you will see yellow machines near Center of lock they are Hands Free Mooring Machines they tie up commercial ships so that leaves 240’ of usable space at both ends of lock for yachts plus they use roving tie crews now and they will only put out three sets of lines

Since the installed the Hands Free Mooring Machines they laid off 140 lines men.
In spring time and fall time when the rush is on you are usually rafting all the time.
In lock 1 - 2 3- 7 up bound they have slowed the fills from 12 minutes to 25 minutes you could do those locks with no lines but in the flight locks they can not slow the fill times so your are pushed on the wall all the way up you want good fenders.
Yes if you are at the head off the lock you are ahead of the filling valves.
They now use a roving crew for you complete trip you spend more time waiting for tie crew to get to the next lock.
In the old days when every lock had lines men I could go from L1 - L 7 in three hours not it takes at least five hours.

Installing Hands Free Mooring Machines 3 min video

Hands Free Mooring Machine in Action

Cold Trip To Fort Lauderdale
Today the MV BBC Europe arrived over two months late to load 11 American yachts in Sarnia Ontario.
The yachts have been waiting for over two months at a Marina in Port Huron Michigan.
They loaded three today and the wind tonight and tomorrow are going to be about 60 MPH
I sure hope they winterized them for the trip out the St Lawrence.
Weather tonight will only be -2C
There will be five yachts in the hold and six on deck.
Will try and get more pictures tomorrow or when they come down the Welland Canal.

They only loaded one boat today had to stop do to high winds.
There are 12 commercial ship that have gone to anchor in Lake Erie do to winds

As of 5 pm tonight they have loaded 6 and are prepping one more now

Another busy day loading had about 2" snow last night and about -3 C
Trying to get the last two on tonight 80' Mangusta and 108' Pershing

Yes it is

Yes she was brand new this year took her up canal last June

.
All done loading the 80' Mangusta is there somewhere. She should depart Friday out the cold St Lawrence River to Fort Lauderdale.
I hope they are winterized good. I should see them in the Welland Canal Sunday.
The St Lawrence Seaway closes the locks December 31/21 for the winter.
There are 11 yachts on board five on deck and six in the hold.

Few more pictures

BBC Europe departing Sarnia Ontario this morning Dec. 12/21 long cold trip south