Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Its the first time i have had the oppurtunity to see someone use this system, other than the Canadian Empress, I know many years ago it did have some comercial traffic using the channels and locks, I believe sand barges and tugs were the main users then.

With all this talk of Anti Invasive Species stringent measures in New York, the Seaway would have been a good idea to have gone through, like you say, Ottawa to Lake Huron. Who Knows?.

That's great - thanks! I didn't know that the Ottawa River locks and channels ever handled cargo traffic. I've only seen pleasure boats, or once the Canadian Empress, in that system.

I did read (in "Canals of Canada") that for a time the Ottawa-Lake Huron route was seriously considered for the Seaway over the St. Lawrence route, but that was a long time - and I think at least two dams - in the past.

What you saw was the second trip for Lac Manitoba and the Montreal Boatman #6 up bound for Thurso Quebec with silos for the Paper Company at Thurso, these silos were shipped on the Stella Prima from Finland and off loaded at Cote Ste Catherine wharf, but not befor Stena Prima sailed to Cleveland and returned to off load. Yesterday Lac Manitoba and the Mtl Boatman # 6 spent the night at St Ann De Bellevue lock and departed during daylight, Once reaching buoy A 18? in the main channel Lac Manitoba went West and Montreal Boatman # 6 went East and took the barges to Montreal, Lac Manitoba is Presently on Lake Ontario, dest. unknown. Montreal Boatman # 6 is not AIS equipped. or it was not working.

On Oct. 18 I had a brief view of Lac Manitoba with a barge and another tug upbound on Lake St Louis above Montreal. Afterwards she disappeared from the Seaway tracking site and stayed off the radar until Oct. 23, when she reappeared and continued upbound without the second tug. Does anyone know where they were in the interim, and what was the cargo?