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Local Knowledge
By Greg Breining — Spring
2004
“There’s lots of things that float here,” says Bill Stannard, senior manager for Meridian Yachts, in describing his home waters in and around Puget Sound. Not all of them are boats. Logs and deadheads washed to sea from rivers are a hazard, able to knock off props and shafts. “Watch your depth,” Stannard adds. “The water is really deep here, but when it shoals, it shoals quickly.”
Otherwise, the most unusual challenge of navigating
from Lake Union to Puget Sound is passing through the Ballard Locks on
the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Before attempting your first passage,
check out some advice from the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers (www.nws.usace.army.mil).
You’ll have to click on a few links from the main Web site, but
it will be worth it. The Corps can also provide the booklet “Guidelines
for Boaters.” Call the lockmaster
(206-783-7000).
As for equipment at the locks, you’ll need two or more mooring lines, each at least 50 feet long with an eye that’s at least 12 inches in diameter in one end. You should also have fenders in place on both sides of the boat to fend off the lock wall and other boats that may be directed to tie up to your boat.
Currents in the ship canal run to 3 knots and are strongest in early spring near the Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge located just downstream from the locks. So take your time and be sure to follow instructions carefully while locking through.
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