Burlington Skyway, and beneath that, the Burlington Lift Bridge
The lift operators watch for approaching vessels and work their magic from this little green building beside the lighthouse. The big crane-like tower behind it, along with its mirror on the other shore, lift the bridge when needed. Around the second cross-beam, we have enough to slip under. Freighters usually require somewhat more beams before they fit. That's right, through the bridge. If you've ever had to wait at the lifting bridge in Burlington, right beside the QEW at the Burlington Skyway, chances are you're waiting for one of two kinds of vessels to pass: a freighter to/from the Hamilton Steel plants, or a sailboat. If that lift bridge did not lift, we would have to go through the bridge, which would leave a broken mast for us, and perhaps a bit of a dent or scratch on the somewhat less mobile bridge. Bridge one, boat zero -- although some of those freighters might help even up the score.
To get out of Burlington Bay where our marina sits and into Lake Ontario, we head toward Burlington Bridge, which will rise every half-hour as needed. And lifts only as high as needed. They're really good judges of just how high to lift that sucker, which is just as well, because distances are deceptive from the deck of a boat. Paul warned us of this, how it looks like there's not enough clearance when really you have 20 or 30 feet above the mast to spare, also noting how the lift operators appreciate some alacrity once the bridge has risen far enough. On our first pass through the bridge, Mike kept waiting for the bridge to reach a good height, until finally the lift operator called through the loud speaker some form of "get a move on."
To get out of Burlington Bay where our marina sits and into Lake Ontario, we head toward Burlington Bridge, which will rise every half-hour as needed. And lifts only as high as needed. They're really good judges of just how high to lift that sucker, which is just as well, because distances are deceptive from the deck of a boat. Paul warned us of this, how it looks like there's not enough clearance when really you have 20 or 30 feet above the mast to spare, also noting how the lift operators appreciate some alacrity once the bridge has risen far enough. On our first pass through the bridge, Mike kept waiting for the bridge to reach a good height, until finally the lift operator called through the loud speaker some form of "get a move on."
Going under the Skyway, heading to the lift bridge, sails lowered, Before even entering the channel to get to the bridge, a sailboat drops sail (or at least, it should; haven't seen anyone dumb enough -- or skilled enough -- to go through while under sail) and switches to motor. There are a couple of reasons I can think of for this. There's the obvious safety factor where, if a sudden gust comes up, there's no danger of smashing the mast into the bridge if sails are lowered. Of course, you could wham into the bridge if you haven't timed your run right, or if you can't control your motor steering, but it's less likely. If the wind doesn't blow in your favour and you had sails up, you'd have to tack or jibe your way through, which takes time, and every moment that the bridge remains raised, it's holding back traffic. The operators frown on that, as do the motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians waiting back down on the street.
Also, motor boats have no problems passing under the bridge at any time as they're short enough to get through without raising the bridge, and some of them are driven by idiots who don't appreciate the effect of their wake on other boats. Many motor boat operators are conscientious enough to slow to impulse speed when going under the bridge, but when someone whips through at something closer to warp speed, they leave big waves behind. A sailboat under sail can turn into those waves to try to minimize the tossing effect, but when stationary, really has no choice but to ride it out. If the sails are up when you start bouncing wildly near the bridge, any number of disasters could occur. At least if you're only under motor, you stand a better chance of countering the effect of drifting into the bridge or the sides of the canal.
Also, motor boats have no problems passing under the bridge at any time as they're short enough to get through without raising the bridge, and some of them are driven by idiots who don't appreciate the effect of their wake on other boats. Many motor boat operators are conscientious enough to slow to impulse speed when going under the bridge, but when someone whips through at something closer to warp speed, they leave big waves behind. A sailboat under sail can turn into those waves to try to minimize the tossing effect, but when stationary, really has no choice but to ride it out. If the sails are up when you start bouncing wildly near the bridge, any number of disasters could occur. At least if you're only under motor, you stand a better chance of countering the effect of drifting into the bridge or the sides of the canal.
Through the bridge and on our way into Lake Ontario. So, motor in neutral, we wait for the half-hour. The lift operator sounds his/her air horn to warn motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians that the bridge will soon rise. He/she waits for the pedestrians and cyclists (some of whom walk their bikes across the bridge) to clear the bridge, sometimes having to blow the horn again to prod the slowpokes into getting off the bridge, then the signals for the motorists. The alarms sound, the electronic arms lower and the red lights flash -- rather like a train crossing -- and now the operator is ready to lift the bridge. We have gone through the bridge four times now, and we're getting better at the timing, but basically, for our boat, we wait until the bridge has reached about the first cross-beam, then put the motor in forward and slowly start our approach. By the time the bridge has risen enough to allow our mast through, we're already motoring along well enough that the operator knows we're trying to hurry. So we move along right quickly and, once we're through, little time is wasted before the bridge starts to lower again.
Heading into Lake Ontario and toward the music.
Boats at anchor by the music fest. We dropped anchor near the lower left area here, a bit further out than the other boats. On our first trip out to the bridge, we did a recon mission first to figure out where the entrance to the channel lay and how everything worked. When we did go through, we headed to a park just barely through the bridge to the port where they had a music festival going. We drifted over (not much wind on the Lake that day) and dropped anchor with a bunch of other boats to enjoy the music. Here, we learned why SeaDoo drivers have a less-than-stellar reputation, as a group of 5 or 6 of them thought doing dumb stunts about 10 feet from anchored boats was a blast. The amount of waves generated, subsequently bouncing every anchored vessel nearby, certainly didn't impress me, nor my stomach. Waves on the go aren't too bad, but waves while stationary do not mix with queasy tummies. We probably wouldn't have minded these jerks having fun had the only open space been right behind all those boats. However, when huge sections of unoccupied space lie 30 or 40 feet away (and plenty deep enough according to the GPS), the idiocy of the SeaDoo folks is just staggering. We did manage to stay for three or four bands before my stomach couldn't take the bouncing anymore. Mike is so patient with me mucking up a perfectly good day. We were going to meet up with some others from our marina, but when they finally arrived, about 2 hours after us, I just wanted solid land under my feet again, away from stupid SeaDoo drivers. Mike kindly took me home.
Guy with water-propelled jet pack. It takes all kinds. But before we left, we did see another wacky visitor to the music fest. This guy with a water propelled jet pack.
I saw him just as he managed a rather spectacular face-plant into the Lake. He came up again quickly and kept going, so I assume no permanent damage occurred. Of course, he didn't hang around too long after that, so who knows. We tried to get a picture of his antics, and this is the best we could do. At least he didn't have to contend with the waves ...
I saw him just as he managed a rather spectacular face-plant into the Lake. He came up again quickly and kept going, so I assume no permanent damage occurred. Of course, he didn't hang around too long after that, so who knows. We tried to get a picture of his antics, and this is the best we could do. At least he didn't have to contend with the waves ...
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