AAAHHHHHHHHH and ON THE WATER AGAIN

July 8, 2011    Date Line Oswego, NY

Yesterday at 11:40 AM my bottom touched water again.  It was so nice to be wet again.  The hot sun reflecting on the black pavement and then on my black bottom made me very hot, and my 62,000 pounds sitting on 9 points was uncomfortable as well---but I think I said that before.  Jim from Winter Harbor took me out and opened up my Cats.  They really purred with the new turbochargers.

Rich and Carol had gone to the Eisenhower Lock in Up State and they asked me to include a few pictures that they took.  They told me that the freighter coming into the lock filled the lock from front to back and there was 1.5 feet on each side between the lock wall and the its hull.  I don’t think that Rich could have put that boat in the lock, but he is getting better.  I can tell you that Carol would love to have the winches they had to hold the boat in place in the lock rather than the ropes and cables she has to use.  The self unloading crane was huge on this ship. There are interesting water pressures as the freighter moves in and out of the lock.  Because she is so big, there is huge quantity of water of water is pushed out of the lock as she enters and there is only a 1.5 feet for the water squeeze out of on her side, pulling out of the lock she creates the same effect as the water rushes in to fill the void her forward movement creates.

Rich took a picture of this panel that explains how the lock works.

Today at 7:45 we got on our way.  We went down one lock and then came upon this sign.  Rich turned me north and up the Oswego Canal, we started on our way to Lake Ontario.  I saw this interesting bridge at a place call Minette and asked Rich to take a picture so I could share with you.  The day was uneventful for the next five locks.  The last lock for the day is under repair and it had a scheduled opening time of 2:30. I and several other boats got there by 1:30.  Rich told Carol he would guide me close to a wall and she would have to jump off and tie me up.  She did one helluva job.  The crew of my new friend “Plain Jane” helped us cast off and into the lock we went.  There were six other boats in the lock with me, which are more boats than I had ever been in a lock with.  Well Rich got me out and we traveled about ¼ of a mile and Carol again had to jump off me and tie me up to a wall---great job Carol.  I have one more lock tomorrow morning and then it’s off to Lake Ontario.  I can hardly wait.  Rich said he would make my Cats roar for the 40+ mile trip to Kingston, Ontario.

While I was tied up at Oswego, this work boat went by.  Its captain can’t tell where he is going so the two men on the port side give him hand signals as to which direction to head.