Seaway Queen and Algowood Memories

[Guest]

That sounds like a great trip Denny! Thanks for sharing your memories with us all.

[Denny]

Forgot to add also to this post that I had “Two for the price of one” as besides getting the ride of my life aboard the Seaway Queen, I was also very fortunate and lucky to have seen and photographed the Tarantau on her last trip through the Welland as she was then being towed for scrap at the time. Also to add more to this post and thread, I got to see the new CSL Niagara at the time and while on the Seaway Queen I also got good closeup photos of the Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin first being built at the Port Waller Dry Docks. So as you can see, the 1999 year along with the Welland Canal Trip was a wonderful and memorable trip for me in many ways especially having my Dad along and taking it all in and sharing it with me as well. I always think about the two years that both him and I did those Welland Trips every October as we did them in both 1998 and again in 1999 some of the best times of my life back then!

[Denny]

Thanks Howard and I sincerely hope to see others like yourself feel the very same way as well about this story. This is in the top five at least of my favorites and best kept stories for all boatnerds. To add some more to this story and thread, the 1999 season was a special one not just from the Welland adventure but because the 1999 season I had set records which were unthinkable and unimaginable even to this very day and some of those records still stand today. For instance I had made it to the river 28 times that season and this tied the 1994 season total also with 28 trips. But, the difference was that it took until October in 1994 to get the 20th trip. In 1999 I was lucky to get it by September! The 1999 season was also a great year and vacation at the Soo in which I’ll share someday with another story and memories. The point to all this mumbo jumbo is that before I had my “Super Year in 1999” between 1994-1999 I was struggling badly at the river and needed to get over the hump badly and to prove to myself, others and critics and Yes I do have critics out there that I could climb the mountain again!

[Howard Sprague]

What a great story Denny! Thanks for sharing and I hope you will consider sharing more stories going forward.

[Denny]

I just wanted to add one of my best memories ever of the Algowood and a one time only story for you all. This occurred in late October 1999 while visiting the Welland Canal with my late Dad and two good friends Rick and Pat. We were all having the times of our lives and we had very rare Indian Summer weather and very warm for late October then. Well we got up on Saturday morning October 30 and followed the Seaway Queen down the Canal from Lock Number 2 to Lock 1. I could see that the Seaway Queen was tying up so I walked over to ask the crew and line-handlers what was going on and they said we have a ship in Lock 1 we’re waiting on. Well a crewman then asked me “Would you like to come aboard?” Needless to say I was as shocked and stunned as I could be. He then repeated the question. So I then said, “I have to check with my Dad first.” So I ran over and asked and he said “What are you waiting for then and get going and go already!” Before I knew it I was walking up the ladder and onto the deck of the Seaway Queen. We were waiting for the Algowood to pass us as they were up in Lock 1. When they got out they passed us as we then waited for them and man did I get a view and photos then of Algowood. So on the Seaway Queen, they then said tell ya what we’re gonna head into Lock 1 and tie up and let you off here and how’s that sound okay? I said Wow and you bet let’s do it already! Before I knew what was going on that’s exactly what we did and it was a thrill and moment in time that I’ll never forget as I was on top of the boatnerd world and mountain. The best part was having my Dad there with me to see it as he was so happy and proud for me. My two friends even they were amazed as we joked about it. They asked where I was and my Dad told them he’s up there on the boat! When I got off, we watched the Queen sail out of Lock 1 and the skipper gave me a thundering salute and he stepped out and waved and I thanked him and crew for a memory that I’ll always and forever cherish. Later that fall in late November, the Queen ironically would be the last ship I’d see during the 1999 season. Sorry for such a very long post but wanted to share this with all of you.