Day 355
Miles Traveled: 5
Total Miles Traveled: 5330
We
traveled only a short distance to get to our destination for the day - The Big
Chute Marine Railway Lock. There were
some thunderstorms predicted for the afternoon and evening so we decided to
stay above the lock and check out the operations.
This
"lock" is one of a kind. The
boats are lifted up onto slings, taken out of the water, and moved over a large
stone hill via a railway to the other side 58 feet lower. It is the only marine railway still in use in
North America . The first marine railway at this site was
completed in 1917, but, it could only handle boats up to 35 feet long. A new railway was completed in 1978 and can
carry boats up to 100 feet in length.
Initially, the Big Chute Railway was to be a temporary "lock"
until enough funds were available to erect a traditional waterway lock. The construction of a traditional lock never
occurred and the marine railway has continued.
Below is
a picture of the railway going down to the lower level water pool.
 |
| Big Chute Marine Railway railway going down to lower pool |
We
watched as several boats were either raised or lowered along this marine
railway. While watching, we noticed a
boat that was the same as ours, a Mainship 350.
Below are pictures of this boat in the slings and cradle being brought
to the upper side of the lock.
 |
| a Mainship going up on the Big Chute Marine Railway |
 |
| a Mainship completing his trip on the Big Chute Marine Railway and getting ready to be put back in the water |
We opted
to go out for lunch at the only restaurant around - The Big Chute
Restaurant. There we were introduced to
a new delicacy - a fried butter tart with ice cream. It was fabulous and sinfully sweet.
 |
| fried butter tart with ice cream DELICIOUS |
For the rest of the afternoon, Dan worked on trip
planning and Angie worked on the blog (this seems to be a common theme for most
days). The predicted thunderstorms for
the afternoon never arrived. Just some
dark clouds and a few sprinkles. Good
news for the rest of the boaters who were traveling on this day.
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