Hiram M. Chittenden Locks

The image to the left is down deep in the lock on the puget sound side of the lock. The image to the right is at the top of the lock just prior to the gates opening and letting us into the freshwater of Salmon Bay and Lake Washington.

The "Locks" are an interesting place and I find myself going through them about twice a month. During this transit we had no incidents aboard a beautiful Beneteau 44 Center Cockpit, and none of our lockmates had much trouble either. As I like to say: "The locks are not to be taken lightly, but they are pretty simple and straightforward." My tips include having three people aboard, two 50 foot lines and six fenders, 3 to a side. For recreational traffic, a red and green light will tell whether to enter or not and the lockmaster will tell you where to tie. If you want more tips on locking through, email me at allan@signature-yachts.com and I will be happy to help. Sailboaters need to be careful of the current flowing Westbound and the Railroad Bridge that gives priority to trains, not sailboats. You can learn more about the locks at http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/PublicMenu/Menu.cfm?sitename=lwsc&pagename=mainpage