Unlocking Seattle’s backdoor
Anyone who has never taken a boat through the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and up into the Lake Washington Ship Canal, won’t know the adventure they are missing or the wonderful experience it can be for kids.
The locks, also known as the Ballard Locks, were completed in 1917 and today accommodates some 45,000 vessels a year, making it the busiest lock complex in the United States. It includes two locks, a small one and a larger one. Recreational boaters might be directed to either lock.
Whether they admit it or not, boaters locking through for the first time, risking their precious vessel to the whims of 100-year-old technology, will often suffer some apprehension. However, it really is no big deal as long as you remain calm, take things slow (the speed limit entering the locks is 2.5 knots) and make sure you are properly equipped.
Most importantly, do as you are told. The locks attendants are helpful, friendly and know the job. Everything will work out if you heed their directions.
If you are tied to a marina dock on Puget Sound, or anchored where you can catch a ferry to Seattle, it is a good idea to visit the locks a day or two before you intend to lock through. There you can attend a how-to seminar in the visitor center and pick up a copy of the Guidelines for Boaters booklet.
Then spend some time watching boats lock through, both up into the ship canal and down to Puget Sound. It doesn’t take long to compile a list of good practises.
Equipment-wise, you will need enough fenders for at least one side of the boat, though it might be convenient to have enough for both sides so you are not scrambling to switch them if directed to tie on the other side of the lock.
You will also need two strong 50-foot mooring lines to secure bow and stern. It is possible to tie two shorter lines together to make one long enough to qualify, but make sure the knot is fast and cannot untie. At one end of each line, make an eyesplice or tie a loop at least one foot in size. Again, make it secure.
The locks are controlled by traffic lights, whether approaching from the sea or the lakes. If the lights are red, tie to a waiting pier. When the light turns green, listen for directions over the public address system.
The small lock is used primarily by smaller recreational vessels. It has floats along the walls which ride up and down with the water. Your mooring lines are tied to the floats.
On entry, an attendant will direct you to either side of the lock and to which numbered mooring button to loop your line around. Then, stern first, tie each line securely to a cleat on your boat. As the lock is filled, monitor the lines and make sure the floats are moving with the boat. Alert an attendant if one becomes jammed. Do not untie until after the lock gates are opened and an attendant signals that it is safe to do so.
In the large lock, larger vessels will first tie along the wall, with smaller vessels rafting alongside. If you arrive first in a small vessel, don’t expect to enter the lock first. However, always be prepared to moor to the lock wall — a two-person job.
The large lock does not have floats along the walls to tie up to. When instructed, pass your lines to attendants who will drop the eye-spliced ends over mooring posts ashore. The boat end of each line should be looped around a bow or stern cleat in a half figure eight so that it can be recovered or paid out smoothly as water in the lock rises or falls.
When the gates open, strong currents enter the lock chamber flowing seaward. Keep lines secure until you are told to release them. As a lock official told us: “If you don’t remember anything else, remember this: lake line last.”
So if you’re heading to Lake Union, untie your bow line last. If you are heading to Puget Sound, untie your stern line last.
And then you will be able to enjoy some freshwater adventures, including passing under some opening bridges, swimming, visiting some lovely parks and excellent anchorages.
Want more information? The US Army Corps of Engineers has put together a page of helpful information and videos about getting through the Chittenden Locks.
