We went up the Amerstburg Channel, it took a bit more work on Anders part because they had all the lighted bouys out and replaced them with winter markers. Basically it looks like the winter markers are just sticks painted with florecent red and green paint. They are hard to spot so the guys have to shine the light on them sometime to find them. Most of the ships behind us were going to take the livingstone (exclamation point alley) I guess because its a straight shot and the lighted bouys are still there. But after clearing the Amersburg Channel we could still hear guys waiting to go into the livingston Channel so once again Anders had saved some time. We got to Ojibway again around 8PM. It had just started snowing. Amazing too the harbor behind the dock is completely frozen solid now. I can't believe the changes after being here just 3 days ago! We had a good nights sleep and woke up to blowing snow all over the place. The ice in the river was forming pretty well too, it was strange though as the ice was running down the river so fast that if you looked at it , it gave you the feeling you were moving! Pretty much showed me just how fast the current in that river is!

Cold day in Windsor

What a difference 3 days makes!!

Stolt Aspiration

Lots of ice in the river.

Winter sunset on the river

I guess winter is here now for sure!

Algonova

Anders was listening to the water levels pretty regularly again. Yep another Gale on Lake Erie was making the water drop again. When it hit minus 1 below chart datum he radioed to Mike the first mate to lighten the drafts so we'ld be sure to be able to leave here. By the time we were finished another hour later the level had dropped another 2". Amazing ....I guess its because Lake Erie is so shallow when the wind blows the water gets pushed into which ever direction the wind is blowing too. We actually see that first hand at our house being on the lake, somedays we have a beach, somedays we don't! Anyway by the time we had cleared the channel and to the Detroit River light the water level was already coming back up again! The Algonova radioed Anders at one point to tell him that ice had formed pretty solid in the west end of Lake Erie and had slowed his ship down from 12 knots to 6! Anders decided he'ld better stay up in the wheelhouse until we cleared this area. It was my first sight of real solid ice in the Lakes. At first the ice was just as it had been , the kind when the ship goes through it , the ice just breaks and slides. But it wasn't long before it looked like we were in this huge big open pasture covered with snow. It was beautiful actually because there was a full moon, and all you could see was white everywhere. The ship on the other hand had another opinion. It wasn't long before she was slowing down because the ice was so thick. We were making what looked like a highway behind us, just one solid open road. Very handy for the ship behind us, we were making a clear path for her! At one point the ship had slowed down to 4knots. Amazing that the ice can stop a ship of this size. I guess it was pretty thick though. It took a few hours of this before the ship cleared the ice field, but when we were clear Anders and I went down to get some sleep. Another day in the Welland Canal tomorrow! At this point the crew on the ship is getting pretty anxious. They've been told this is the last trip then on their way to lay up in Hamilton. I can't wait to get home myself. Its great being with Anders on the ship, but I admit I really miss being home with the Dogs, cats the house! I honestly realize that I could never live the life they live. Being away from home months at a time. Many of them gone 3 months at a time. Sure I love the water and being on the ship but thats too long for me. I'm pretty excited about the trip up the seaway even though its only a short while up, I've never been there on a ship, just driving along the North Shore of Ontario, on our way to Montreal once. ( Where we had a lunch of Spaggetti for $81.00!!! )

Yeah the last trip though the canal!!! But where WAS it???!!! There was snowing coming down pretty hard

and yep the wind was blowing yet again. Well at least Santa would have snow for his sleigh!

Anders had to send a guy up on the bow to spot for him since he couldn't see that far ahead! Anders went up to the wheelhouse much earlier than his 1/2 hour to the piers this time. I don't think we actually SAW the piers until we were a boatlength away from them. I went outside to try to make a snowman to decorate the ship but couldn't get past a 12" ball since the snow wasn't sticky enough. It was blowing pretty hard though and snowing like CRAZY! The guys basically thought I was nuts I think but it was kinda fun..:o) There were 4 ships heading downbound and one heading up so far. The flight locks were only opened on the west side so traffic control would be doing some juggling probably.

Yep the piers are up there...somewhere!!!

Ship looks a little cold with all the snow and ice on her! Thankfully the snow stopped but of course its getting Dark again. I don't know if I"m going to know what time of day to sleep when we finally get home...:o)

We were able to get a tie up to the east wall above lock 7 and waited an hour and a half... I could see that once again...another long night in the canal!! The bridges were freezing when they tried to opened them, the ship arrestors weren't going up or were freezing when down. ( ship arrestor...a new word for me...its the big wire that comes down in front of the ship before they enter the lock..so that if the ship doesn't stop in time the wire will keep the ship from banging into the gates ) Regardless the trip was delayed constantly for one thing or another.

I may complain alot about how long it takes in the canal and how tired I get, but its still a pretty fun place to go its where I can watch Anders work the most and its pretty interesting for sure. Listening to the mates call the spots until your in the lock part way, then the lockmaster letting you know when you have 25 meters to go, then 10, then 5, then 3 then 1. Each time Anders repeats it back to them, then tells the mates and the mates repeat it back too.

After being in the locks so many times I surprised Anders by telling him when he had 25 meters then 10 since I started reconizing the spots. It was pretty funny actually. I told him maybe I should get a job at the locks or 3 mate or something. Ha Ha!! JUST KIDDING!! Not me, I'm along for the ride!!!

During the trip that night we heard that the H. Lee White was stuck in the ice on Lake Erie in that same spot we had gone through last night. We actually met them right after clearing the ice field. They were stuck there for 12 hours I guess...glad that wasn't us!!! Although after slowing down to 4 knots I guess we came pretty close also!

We also found out that the Hamilton Bridge was frozen in the down position and now there were 9 ships waiting at anchor to get into the Harbor and probably just as many waiting to get out!! We were all hoping that it would get repaired when we got there. Since it was Christmas eve, then Tomorrow was Christmas , then of course there is Boxing Day..we didn't expect anyone would be working on it for awhile.....

All during the trip in the canal this trip, we were looking at all the Christmas lights and the pretty snow falling making it very beautiful. But I couldn't help but feel bad for all the guys working on the ships who wouldn't be with their families for Christmas. We past by all the pretty houses lit up for the holidays. I could see families in their homes celebrating together with a nice big Christmas eve dinner or a couple toasting in the season with a glass of wine. People rushing to and fro in their cars getting that last minutes Christmas gift or on their way to be with family or friends. There was alot of well wishes though on the radio tonight between the ships and the lock controllers and to the crew members as well. But its not like being home for sure. Although at least on our part knowing that this was the last trip and we were headed to lay up everyone was pretty excited about getting home!

We got up around 9:30am Christmas morning. The Galley staff was busy preparing the big Christmas Feast for the crew. We grabbed some muffins and I vowed I was not going to eat lunch today so that I could eat like an "oinker" tonight for dinner! Anders and I both called our Children and other family members to wish them a Merry Christmas. Can't WAIT to see them all soon!!

We got to Tibbetts Point around 1PM that afternoon and got to the dock where the ship would unload its last load for the season by night fall. It was really beautiful sailing through the Thousand Islands. Anders told me as we were entering not to talk to him until I had counted 1000 Islands..ha ha ha First I thought , hmmm there can't really be a thousand islands..but holy cow..they were ALL over the place. Some so small that a house just sat on it nothing else..so if you walk out your front door...plop!!! in the water you go!!! I can't believe how close we got to some of the houses, the channels were pretty narrow! Then the Castles..oh wow...beautiful! By the time we got docked I was exhausted, and I knew Anders was. We got to bed around 8:30 that night and got called around 6:30 am .

This the the boat house for the Heart Castle...boat house....geez

This is Heart Castle..the 2nd mate told me that the story goes that the guy who owned this built it for his wife but she died before it was finished so he stopped building it. No one has ever lived in it. The Island was acutally altered a litte to be shaped more like a heart as well....how romantic...but so sad too!

This is the entrance to Heart Castle..those are Hart Deer at the entrance.

This is the otherside of the Island..not sure what they used this "little" castle for..maybe it was to be

for the hired help...:o)

So Christmas was almost over. We've had a fun day in the river. Well the guys were working pretty hard actually. It takes a bit more concentration in the river here then on the other ones I've been to on the ship. The currents here are alot different and alot stronger. Anders had the first Mate up in the wheelhouse to help read charts for the trip up and back and to help him look for the markers. We had Christmas dinner in the wheelhouse since Anders had to work. It sure was good!! Anders had prime rib, I had turkey and all the fixings. There was tons of pies, cookies, candy and the works down there too. What a feast!

Here we are at Canadian Salt at Johnstown near Prescott. It sure was cool watching Anders dock the ship here! I had NO idea what he was doing but I knew he did. Obviously using the current to his advantage..the first mate actually told him he'ld never seen anyone dock here like that and for sure it was the best he'ld ever seen it done. Hmmm was I surprised? Nope...thats my sailor guy! (Yep, I might be bragging..but I got bragging rights!)

Downtown Brockville. I know this is just a picture of a town..but I thought it was pretty with all the colors

plus..look how close we are..and how high up compared to that hotel over there...neat..:o)

This is just so beautiful. The sea smoke might be an annoyance to the sailor guy for finding markers..but I think it looks really awesome.

Little house on its own Island...and theres a nice little exclamation point . :o)

The guys working hard to get the ship cleaned up for layup.

Wow

Neat huh?

This would make a nice poster " For God so loved the World"....

Okay, now WHERE are we going???

Here ya go Theresa..theres some light houses coming now...:o)

Pretty huh? Still Green?? sorry!!!

Now I heard a story that the movie "The Shining" was filmed here..

Another Lighthouse picture for Theresa...:o)

Ooo and another one!! Built in 1870

Ohhh isn't this one cute???

The American Narrows??

Here we come to the Thousand Islands Bridge again

Now these guys have a light house in their back yard and an anchor on the front of their house...wonder if they are "boatnerds"

Just a pretty picture...858...859...860..still counting islands!!

Oh look another lighthouse Theresa!!

But this one might be a better one!

"From a distance..................."

Working hard in the Wheelhouse

The American Narrows

View from the wheelhouse , Way up HIGH!!!

" Everything is beautiful....."

Anders called the CoastGuard or someone later on today and asked about the Burlington Bridge..and yes it was finally working!! YEAH!!! So glad we wouldn't be joining the 11 ships that ended up being anchored there waiting for it to go up again! We wished everyone a Happy Boxing Day today! After clearing the seaway Anders and I went down to relax and to watch.........football on TV in his room.

Later on in the evening the Lake had some pretty good swells going. The ship was rocking enough to make me walk funny through the hallway and for Anders to have to push his chair into a corner and to tie his bathroom door opened so it wouldn't slam shut!! ha ha Sometime during the night the mate in the wheelhouse called Anders to tell him they were ready to run spillage. So Anders told them to turn the ship into the wind and some other stuff and we went back to sleep. It wasn't long before the ship was really rocking though so Anders went up to the wheelhouse. I could tell immediatly as soon as he was there because the ship stopped rocking just like that. He sure knows what hes doing but of course I guess thats why hes the Captain guy on the ship...:o) He was back down in about 45 minutes or so and we went back to sleep. We got a call about an hour before Burlington Piers, we were almost home!!

I guess I moved a bit when I took this..sun just coming up in the harbor

The Burlingon Pier

Waves coming up on the shore as the sun is rising...

Burlington Piers

Hi Mr. Bridge Guy! Thanks for fixing the Bridge!!!

One Last lighthouse for the year!!

Busy Day in the harbor

Candian Miner ..hmmm he must be a bit delayed as we saw him yesterday coming out of the river.

Even a Ship looks beautiful with the suns rays on it....

Don't you think?

Anders heading the ship towards her winter resting spot...he would be "parking"

her behind the Atlantic Superior who was loading . The sun was just coming up and

shinning really bright!

Guess who?

Yep he had to Parallel Park again..that is pretty awesome..I swear it looked like we were "bumper to bumper"

with the Atlantic Superior but I think there was like 50' between us. As soon as we got "parked"

the guys got to work laying up the ship. The mates and the deck hands were busy from the minute we got there

til late in the afternoon putting out the wires. They wrap them so many times around its really hard work. There was a crane there to lift the anchor chains on the dock too, I was in the galley when they dropped the back anchor

It was really loud!! Anders spent the day paying off the crew, having them sign off the ship and other forms. I think everyone was about done at the same time and before you knew it we were all waiting for

a line of taxis to come pick us up. Some guys flying to Newfoundland, some to Thunder Bay, some guys

lived right around the Welland Canal. They are from all over the place. The enginneers stay on the ship longer to do...well "engineer stuff". I'm glad Anders is the Captain so I could bring him home!

So thats the end of my latest Adventure. I hope you enjoyed the story.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !