Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Lovesick, Ontario (And Historic Peterborough Lift Lock)

July 19, 2015


Today we traveled 22.8 NM. We completed 10 locks raising us 175.5 feet today.

One of the locks today was the Historic Peterborough Lift lock raising us 65 feet up. It is the Highest Hydraulic Lift Lock in the World!

The Peterborough Lift Lock was completed in 1904 and was considered an engineering marvel at that time. Two huge steel pans (like gigantic bath tubs) are raised and lowered with boats inside them. Each of the two pans weighs 1300 tons when filled.  With one pan up and the other down the two balance each other.  It doesn't matter how many boats are in either pan. A boat displaces its own weight in water.  When it is time to lower one pan and raise the other, one extra foot of water (130 tons) is allowed to enter the upper pan.  This extra weight allows the upper pan to push down and raise the lower pan to the top level.


We were delayed for an hour due to Lock 26 having a maintenance issue. We are docked at the top of Lock 30 in Lovesick, Ontario. This Lock dock-age is unique as this Lock is on an island and only accessible by boat.


The following photos are of the Historic Peterborough Lift Lock:






Pictured above: That's the pan in top left corner which will come down and raise our pan up. 









Garmin making history.



 Pictured above: Reached the top of the lock. Rear view from our boat.


We keep stopping traffic!


First livestock we've seen in Canada.
















At port, Top of Lock 30, Lovesick, Ontario



No comments:

Post a Comment