THURSDAY JUNE 16TH 2011

THE BIG CHUTE

A gorgeous morning as our friends, and fellow Minnesotans, from the SOUTHERN BELLE help cast us off. They will be right behind us in the Big Chute so we have traded cameras and will meet up on the other side to retrieve then. So these photos were taken by the captain and crew of the SOUTHERN BELLE.




The Big Chute Marine Railway is the only one of it’s kind in North America still in use. Here’s a bit of back-story on it. In 1914 there were contracts for 3 locks to be built. Two were completed but WWI began and there was a shortage of manpower and resources. The marine railway was built as a temporary solution. Finally in the 1960’s they got around to dealing with the temporary solution and were going to put a traditional lock system in. Only by this time, the Lamprey eel had arrived to the Canadian waters as far as the bottom of the Big Chute. The eel had already caused a devastating impact on the fishing industry and they didn’t want it to get any further into the water system. So they built a bigger and better marine railway.  To this date, no lamprey has hitched a ride all the way to the other side.

The Big Chute is a modified railroad car with straps in it like those in a boatlift. The water here is crystal clear so you can get a good sense of what the railcar looks like and see the sets of straps.












The park rangers who operated the Chute drive it along the rails into the water and direct us exactly what to do. Ross maneuvered the ODDYSEA over a set of the straps, which are then lifted and tightened to the point were the boat is balanced on her keel.
















The Chute is driven by a system of pulleys along rail tracks. It seems to function a lot like the cable cars of San Francisco. Except for the going in the water part.

















The props are lower than our keel, so the boat needed to be positioned in order that they could hang off the back. We’d be going nowhere fast if they got squished.










Here’s our view from the boat when we are at the highest point.











It is approximately a 60 ‘ drop down to the other side.













The railway car enters the water on the opposite side. Driving in far enough that there is enough water in it to float us and allow us to drive away.













Ross firing up the boat and pulling out.

















Parting ways with the SOUTHERN BELLE at the bottom of Big Chute.