June 10th. Port Delhousie , CA to Ashtabula, OH.

June 10^th. Port Delhousie, CA to Ashtabula, OH.

We left Port Delhousie, CA at 6:00 a little bit right after sunset.

. The St. Lawrence Seaway has three sections:

· Montreal/Lake Ontario (Origin of Seaway to Cape Vincent)

· Lake Ontario (Cape Vincent to Breakwater, Port Weller)

· Welland Canal (Breakwater. Port Weller to Long Point).

In the Welland Canal, because of the higher incidence of water turbulence, “all upbound pleasure craft transiting from Locks 1 to 7 must have a minimum of three persons on board”.

In Port Weller in St. Catharine, at 6:48, we were picking up our pilot Roger, ex lock crew. Roger played the “third person” also.

Transit may exceed 12 hours and the crew should be prepared to man the craft continuously for that time, but the fact that Roger knew every one in the canal, helped to expedite the openings.

There is a ferry crossing at Port Robinson near Nautical Mile 12.5. The wakes can wash over the ferry boarding docks and splash waiting passengers. So No Wake is strictly reinforced.

There is a $200 toll for the canal.

http://www.wellandcanal.com/

http://www.wellandcanal.com/

http://www.mtbr.com/trails/canada-ontario/wellandcanaltrail.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Welland_Canal

We waited at the entrance of the Welland Canal that was going to raise us about 300 ft from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie on the St. Lawrece Seaway, a total of 26.1 nautical miles. (Info to be updated) The assigned VHF channels are 68 and 8.

Lock #1 was thriller! It was Ximena’s first monster lock. She thought she was going to fall overboard holding on to the bow line. The experience was pretty close to a rollercoaster fall. This lock is the tamer and waking up. After this lock she graduated! The locks filled up 25 millions gallons of water in 12 minutes (info to be updated), that created a very strong movement of water.

Lock #3 to #6 are like one huge one with three chambers. At 8:20 we were going through the third lock into the chambers.

The rest of the monster locks were a piece of cake with the exception of lock #7 that sounds like a train is going to break through the walls. It was the last one with Roger he jumped off the boat and kept his way. So did us.

ise us in to the Erie Lake. This was

We were passing lock #7 at 9:38. At (9:50 we were out of lock # 7 and Roger jumped off the boat).

From Lock #7 to #8 there are 13 miles and is only a 2’ lift.

At 11:30 we were approaching lock #8 that will raise us in to the Erie Lake. This was our last lock of the trip of a total 38 locks that we did on Sayonara II.

At 12:17 we pulled up at Port Colbonrne, CA to fill up and get ready to go back to US waters. We put in around 1700 litters or 447 gallons of diesel.

At 13:14 we were back out into the Erie Lake. We cruised across Erie Lake at about 23 knots for about five hours and fifteen minutes until we got to Ashtabula, OH bridge in Ashtabula, OH.

Nancy, the queen of the town is interested in buying a 64 ft boat was waiting at the dock for us.

At 17:35 we pulled up at Sutherland marine. She owes half of the marinas in the town and the Oil business in the area. She provided us with 310 gallons of diesel that will get us ready to get to Detroit, MI tomorrow.

We had an early dinner at “Bridge Street Bistro”.

After that she gave us a ride to one of her marinas, showed us her house and her boat, and the new canal that she is dredging in order to fit bigger boats in the next couple of years.