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By Migael Sherer
The Ballard Locks are navigated each year by more than 100,000 commercial and pleasure craft. Tourists are fascinated by them. Boaters view them with annoyance, if not outright dread. But those moored “inside” learn how to deal with this unavoidable obstacle between fresh water and Puget Sound – even, at times, how to relax during the process. There are two parallel locks: the large, north lock (825 feet long and 80 feet wide) and the small south lock (150 feet long and 28 feet wide). Both locks fill and drain by gravity via underwater culverts, both carry traffic east (up) and west (down), and both are used for pleasure and commercial vessels. The Locks are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Like most daunting tasks, going through the Locks is more manageable if you take it a step at a time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Be PreparedPrepare yourself before you even cast off by learning (or reviewing) the basics of locking through. Most people talk to other boaters, but by far the best and most entertaining way to learn is to visit the Locks by land. You’ll learn a lot watching the process without the distraction of operating your own boat. Stop at the Visitors Center and pick up a copy of their brochure on locking through. It is clearly written and illustrated for boaters. Then prepare your crew. Before you arrive at the Locks, explain the basics to everyone on board who’ll be assisting you. Be sure they know how to secure a lock line with figure-eight turns around the cleat, rather than with half hitches or other knots. Position your helpers so you can all communicate with each other. Preparing your equipment is the easy part. You need two 50-foot lines, each with an eye on one end. Coil the lines so they’ll pay out smoothly, working out the tangles, and place them at bow and stern for a port or starboard tie (you may not know which until the last minute). Place fenders on both sides of your boat, and keep a boathook handy. Turn off your radar for the safety of those standing and working along the lock walls. Be Alert When Approaching the Locks Within a mile or so, monitor Channel 13 for a general sense of what’s happening with commerical vessel traffic in the locks. They are required to call the Locks. However, pleasure boats should monitor this frequency but keep it clear and only use it for emergencies. Eastbound from Puget Sound, stay within the marked channel. Areas outside the channel are shallow, with mudflats and rocks extending from the south bluffs.
If you’re on a sailboat, note that the Burlington Northern railroad bridge has a charted vertical clearance of 43 feet. The signal for opening is one long and one short blast; in an emergency only, call “Bridge 4” on VHF Channel 13. Beyond the bridge, where the channel narrows, expect to feel a strong current. Rushing water from the spillway south of the small lock flows swiftly, like a river, especially at low tide.
Approaching the Locks from the east, watch for a current pulling you toward the spillway south of the small lock. Be Patient About Waiting When the lock traffic lights are red, which is most often the case, you need to wait. Eastbound into the Ship Canal: For the large lock, there’s a traffic light northwest of the Burlington Northern Bridge, and another at the west tip of the concrete wall that separates the large and small locks. The traffic light for the eastbound small lock is also on the tip of this separation wall. Ships and other large vessels requiring the large lock wait at the timber pier that angles northwest from the railroad bridge. Pleasure boats generally wait at the pier on the south side of the channel. Approaching either pier, be prepared for strong current off the spillway. The timbers are rough and creosote-soaked, and the mooring buttons are often missing. Westbound into Puget Sound: For the large lock, the traffic signal light is on the north wall. Wait east of the turn in this wall. For the small lock, the light is on the concrete wall that separates the two locks. Wait east of this light.
Don’t be confused if you see a yellow light at the east or west end of the large lock. When on, these lights indicate that the submerged saltwater barrier is in the upright position. This barrier is at the freshwater end of the large lock to help prevent heavier salt water from entering the Ship Canal. If your vessel draws more than 14 feet, signal the lockmaster (one long and two short blasts) to lower the barrier.
In crowded conditions, some boaters choose to drift (motors running, of course) rather than to tie to a waiting pier or wall. If so, it’s important to stay out of the way of boats leaving the Locks, and be aware of currents. Don’t crowd in front of boats that have arrived before you; unless instructed otherwise, the general order is first come, first served. Rafting to boats on the waiting piers or walls is customary, but take care not to congest the channels.
On busy weekends and during special events, the wait can be three hours or more. During summers with water restrictions, the wait can extend another hour in order to make most efficient use of each locking. Be patient. Enter the Locks Slowly and as Directed. A green light, often accompanied by an announcement on the public address system, signals that boats may approach the large or small lock. Approach the announced lock slowly and leave room for others to maneuver. Defer to boats that have been waiting ahead of you, and to larger vessels that need more room and will generally be waved in first anyway. Don’t be surprised if a lockwall attendant calls a boat from behind you in order to make best use of space. Sometimes the signal will remain red while priority vessels are called in. Government vessels, commercial passenger vessels on scheduled trips, and freighters, fishing vessels, and towboats may be locked through ahead of pleasure craft. Secure Your Boat in the Lock. As you enter the lock chamber, a lockwall attendant will gesture or call out where you should tie up. It helps the attendants if you clearly confirm their instruction. For the small lock, secure the eye-ends of your bow and stern lines to their respective cleats on board. Eastbound, loop the line (stern line first) around the numbered button the lockwall attendant tells you to try for. If you hold a section of the line like a jump rope and swing it over with the right amount of slack, you might get the button on the first try. Westbound in the small lock, the lockwall attendant will take your line and loop it around the button for you. Pull your boat to the wall and secure both lines to your cleats with unhitched figure-eights. Eastbound in the large lock, the lockwall attendant will throw a line down to you, with unexpected accuracy (“It’s all in the coiling,” they explain). Use a simple knot to attach the eye-end of your line to the attendant’s. He or she will pull up your line and loop the eye over the button on top of the lock wall. Take up the slack and cleat off with figure-eights. Westbound in the large lock, the lockwall attendant will ask you to hand over or heave the eye-end of your line, and will then loop the eye over the button. Once you’re secured to the lock wall, be ready to help another boat to raft outboard. If your boat is rafting (not on the wall), secure the eye-end of the line to your boat, and ask the person on the other boat to loop your line over a cleat or windlass and pass the rest back to you. This way you’ll stay in control of your own line. Filling a lock, especially during crowded weekends, takes ingenuity on the part of the lockwall attendants, and patience on the part of boaters. Each locking is like fitting a jigsaw puzzle, with pieces that are never the same. The skills of boat operators vary widely and can slow down the process. Lockwall attendants quickly learn that this skill doesn’t depend on the size or type of boat. They recognize from a distance the anxious looks of inexperienced skippers and crew. Pay Attention As Your Boat is Raised or Lowered When all boats are secured and the gates begin to close, you’ll be reminded to stand by your lines. In the small lock, this is mainly a precaution against a mooring float hanging up on the wall. If you’re on the wall in the large lock, you’ve got work to do, either taking up or letting out line as the water level rises or falls, generally trying to keep your boat parallel to the wall. This will be easier if your rudder is centered. The gravity transfer of millions of gallons of water takes surprisingly little time (about 10 minutes for the large lock, five minutes for the small). Turbulence is common, so stay alert even if you’re rafted to another boat. When raising or lowering is complete, you’ll be told to tie down your lines; do so as before with figure-eights. Opening the gates creates about a 3-knot current. If your boat weaves excessively, straighten it out by using your rudder, rather than scrambling for fenders and lines. Leave the Locks as Directed Emptying the lock of boats is a methodical process controlled by the lockwall attendants. Don’t release your lines until directed. Motor away slowly. If you’re a westbound sailboat, don’t forget to check the railroad bridge clearance (43 feet). You’re free! Migael Scherer is the author of "A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands and Back Under Sail: Recovering the Spirit of Adventure." ...back to 48° North title page.
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