43°7′13″ N 79°11′60″ W

We were up at 5:30am getting ready to go through the Welland Canal. This was an exciting day for all of us. The canal has multiple locks & bridges & it normally takes 6-8 hours to go through it from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

We had a light breakfast & were headed for the canal waiting dock by 6:15am. As we approached the dock the yacht named “Eagle” that we saw the night before was still there. The owner greeted us on the dock & helped Catherine & Emily with the lines.

He told me that he had been waiting to enter the canal since 4:00pm the day before & that the most recent update he had from the canal authorities was that it would be at least 4:00pm today before we could enter the canal. Not good news for either of us – especially for Eagle!

With this information at hand we decided to have a 2nd breakfast to help pass the time. Plus, once we were underway there wouldn’t likely be any opportunities to cook any meals until we had exited the canal.

I whipped up one of my breakfast specialties which made the crew happy & then I did the dishes, which made them even happier!

By the time that was all done it was approaching 9:00am & Catherine & Emily were contemplating a little window-shopping excursion at the stores just a few steps away on the street facing the canal. They were just getting ready to leave when the captain of the Eagle came over to tell us that the canal authorities were going to allow us to tag along behind a US Coast Guard ship that was coming shortly. With that good news the shopping plans were abandoned & we began preparing to enter the Welland Canal. With any luck we would be through the canal and on Lake Ontario before dinner time!

A large freighter passed by the pleasure craft waiting dock shortly after 9:00am & then it wasn’t too long after that when the USCG ship “Bristol Bay” came along pushing a work barge in front of it.

As soon as Bristol Bay passed us we cast off from the dock & fell in formation behind with Eagle going in front of us.

Once we passed under the first lift bridge we had to wait in a holding area for about an hour until the freighter in front of us had passed through the lock & then it was our turn. The first lock on the system only drops about 3 feet so there was no need for us to handle any lines. Each boat simply held its position in the middle of the lock.

Once we were underway again we would travel approximately 14 nautical miles before we had to enter the next lock on the system. The Welland Canal is just over 21 nautical miles long & it has a total of 8 locks. Several of the locks are connected together so it makes for a very interesting experience.

Our progress along the canal towards Lock 7 was slow because the USCG ship had limited maneuverability while pushing the barge. Plus, the wind was picking up with frequent gusts over 20 knots. These gusts didn’t create any waves on the canal but they did cause problems with maneuvering boats in lock approaches, etc.

We arrived at Lock 7, near Thorold, Ontario about 2:00 pm. As we approached the holding area we were informed that there were some problems with freighters passing through the locks ahead of us so we would have to wait where we were until at least 5:00pm.

The wind gusts were very strong in the holding area & made it very difficult for us to find a spot to tie up. On top of that, all of the mooring places were made for freighters, not for small boats like ours. After several attempts we finally managed to get safely secured & settled in for a 2-3 hour wait to enter the next lock.

… to be continued 🙀

42°52′32″ N 79°15′20″ W

I was up at 5:30am to prepare for an early departure to Port Colborne. It is a 6 hour passage from Port Dover.

The weather forecast was favorable with lots of sun & very light winds. The beautiful sunrise was certainly encouraging.

I pulled away from the dock at 6:15am and was greeted by a very different version of Lake Erie – compared to my experience approaching Port Dove the day before. The water was perfectly flat with a gentle breeze on my stern. This would be a great day for what was likely to be my my last passage on Lake Erie for quite some time.

Unfortunately this pleasantry was not meant to last. About 20 minutes after I left the dock I had a few thousand unwanted passengers join me for the voyage.

The boat was covered with tiny flys & they especially liked being on the flybridge!

Plus, huge clouds of them were following the boat & looking for a place to land. It was impossible for me to outrun them so my only choice was to retreat to the inside steering station until the invasion was over.

It was a real shame to have to go inside on such a beautiful day. Fortunately after about an hour the breeze picked up enough to clear the forward deck of bugs so I loaded up with sunscreen & bug spray & sat on a lawn chair on the bow of the boat.

I approached Port Colborne about 1:30pm. The large grain elevators at the entrance to the marina & the Welland Canal made my destination easy to spot from a fair distance away.

It was not very long before I was tied up at Sugarloaf Marina. The clouds of bugs stayed on the lake but I had a big cleanup job ahead of me because of all the dead ones still on the boat.

Once I was securely tied up I had a big G&T to cool down & to build up my motivation for the cleanup job that was facing me. Catherine & Emily we’re supposed to arrive in a few hours so I didn’t have too much time to waste! They would have no interest in boarding the boat in it’s current condition.

They arrived from London shortly after 7:00pm. After stowing their belongings aboard we went in search of a restaurant for a late dinner. We found a nice place on a street beside the canal & I pointed out the “waiting” dock for pleasure boats that were ready to enter the Welland Canal. There was a beautiful motor yacht tied up on the dock apparently in the cue to enter the canal.

Time for bed & an early start in the morning.

Cheers!