No. 258 Hiram M. Chittenden Locks

Hiram Chittened Locks
3015 NW 54th St, Seattle, WA 98107
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Looking west towards Puget Sound from the Small Lock

The Hiram Chittened Locks, named after Army Major Hirman Martin Chittenden, opened to boat traffic in 1917. The locks are located on the western corner of Salmon Bay along the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Locally they are also known as "Ballard Locks" although there is a pathway that connects Ballard with the Magnolia Neighborhood to south.

Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lock infrastructure stretches nearly 400 feet across one of the widest bodies of water along the ship canal. Lake Union freshwater table is 20 feet above the salt waters of the puget sound. To prevent saltwater intrusion from the tidal puget sound entering the fresh waters of Lake Union and Lake Washington and disturbing the freshwater ecosystem a 40 foot tall dam was installed. 

The purpose of the Hiram Locks is to maintain the freshwater table of Lake Union at or above 20 feet above the saltwater puget sound table. This main function is done by a 235 foot long spillway with 6 hydraulic gates that are 32 feet long and 12 feet tall. They can be open or closed depending on the amount of drainage required. The Lake Union and Lake Washington water table has to be maintained within certain tolerances because of infrastructures east of the locks such as floating bridges, moorings, channel markers, and vessel clearances under bridges need to be accurate. 

During the summer time the spillway openings are reduced to raise the lake levels for recreational boaters and also store fresh water in case of drought conditions. 

In order for boats to pass to and from the lakes into the puget sound there are 2 ship locks at the north end. The large lock is 80 feet wide and 825 feet in length, and the smaller lock is 30 feet wide by 150 feet in length. Both locks can raise or lower boats in under 15 minutes. Everything from canoes, kayaks, pleasure yachts, sailboats to commercial fishing boats and container ships pass through the locks transporting over 1 million tons of cargo, fuel and seafood.

Control Light for the Small Lock 

Large Spillway to control Lake Water 

Boat exit the large lock into Lake Union

Between the large and small locks

West Larg Lock Gate closed

Control Tower for the lock system 

Looking down the 825 foot long large lock

Spillway from Ballard side

Salmon Waves," artist Paul Sorey

Salmon Waves," artist Paul Sorey

USCG Crew prepares the 45 FRB for the lock

USCG 45' FRB takes a ride on the boat elevator

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No. 252 Center for Wooden Boats, South Lake Union Seattle

Center for Wooden Boats   Website: http://cwb.org/
1010 Valley St
Seattle, WA
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Founded in the 1970s by Dick Wagner of Seattle, the Center for Wooden Boats has evolved into a living maritime museum that preserves, documents, educates visitors on the local history of wooden boats. Beginning as boat rental business from his houseboat under the Aurora bridge in the 1960s.
The CWB now has over 170 boats including sailboats, rowboats, pedal boats and electrical powered boats at three locations South Lake Union, Northlake Workshop and at Cama Beach State Park on Camano Island.

CWB Lagoon 

CWB Main Lodge 

CWB Lagoon

Wooden canoes waiting for paddlers

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No. 186 A different angle on Seattle Skyline from below Interstate I-5

North Passage Point Park
600 NE Northlake Way
Seattle, WA 98105

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North Passage Point Park is a small 0.8 green space on the north shore of Lake Union directly under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge that spans the Portage Bay Canal. For it being tucked away and its small size it makes up for with views of Queen Anne, Space Needle and the Eastlake Ave Draw Bride to the east. Dedicated in 1977 after the construction of the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge project its the sister park to the South Passage Point Park on the opposite shoreline.

Looking up at Ship Canal Bridge I-5

Shallow Draft Propeller from Tugboat "Artic Bear"

Eastlake Ave Draw Bridge

Sailboat passing through the Eastlake Ave Draw Bridge

Downtown Seattle view

Zoom View of Seattle Space Needle

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No. 184 Watch Sailboats Duck and Dodge on Lake Union Tuesday Nights

Seattle Duck Dodge Races are back May 14th
Tuesday Nights on Lake Union starting at 7PM

website: http://www.duckdodge.org/
Gas Works Park
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Duck Dodge is a weekly Tuesday evening sailing event on Lake Union in Seattle.  It's a sight to behold as dozens of sailboats duck and dodge each other by sailing around the lake in a large circle. Sailboats ranging from dinghy, day sailors to cruisers and race boats head out on the water around 7pm Tuesday Nights through out the summer. You can't miss the large contingent on Lake Union from I-5 or any shoreline. 

Depending on the wind speeds you might see a fast pace duck and dodge with tacking and colorful spinnakers if the wind is up. On low wind days the boats seeimgly crawl or even sail backwards.

Tuesday Night Racing

2013 Duck Doge Race Schedule 


May 14th        Funky Hat Night
May 21st        Sam Garvin Memorial Night 
May 28th       Viking Night
June 4th          This Theme Intentionally Left Blank
June 11th        Thrift Shop Night
June 18th        Wild West Night
June 25th        Pirate Night
July 2nd          Red White and Blue Night
July 9th           Egyptian Night
July 16th          No Duck Dodge - Race Week
July 23rd         Pick Your Own Theme Night
July 30th          Prom Night
August 6th       Show your Team Spirit
August 13th     48 Parallel Tropical Night
August 20th     Pajama Night
August 27th      Toga Night
September 4th   Committee Re-Appreciation
November 2rd    Rum Run

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No. 145 Fisherman's Terminal

3919 18th Avenue West

Seattle, WA

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Fishermen's Terminal is located on Salmon Bay in the Interbay neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, east of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and immediately west of the Ballard Bridge.

Fisherman's Terminal

Operated by the Port of Seattle, the Fishermen’s Terminal in Ballard Interbay is home to 600 vessels many of which are commercial fishing vessels that spend months on the open sea off the coast of Alaska fishing for crab and halibut.

Fishermen's Terminal is home to the Fishermen's Memorial, a bronze and stone sculpture with plaques memorializing more than 500 local commercial fishermen and women who have been lost at sea since the beginning of the 20th century.

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No. 127 Historic Ships Wharf

Historic Ships Wharf at Lake Union Park

Lake Union Park
860 Terry Ave N
Seattle, WA

The Historic Ships Wharf, located behind the  old Naval Reserve Center, is home to several historic vessels that have been awarded National Landmark Status, including the steamer Virginia V, the tugboat Arthur Foss, the fireboat Duwamish, and the lightship Swiftsure.
The Historic Ships Wharf also hosts a steady stream of historic visiting vessels, from square riggers to schooners to workboats.

The Arthur Foss, built in 1889, is one of the oldest wooden-hulled tugboats afloat in the United States. In 1898, in response to the Alaskan gold rush, she transported barges full of gold seeking miners and supplies up the Inside Passage. There are no other Alaskan Gold Rush vessels still operating today. She was cast by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio to play in its 1933 production Tugboat Annie. In World War II, Arthur Foss journeyed south to join the war effort. Before the Battle of Wake Island began in late 1941, she was the last vessel to get away. After the war, she served the economy of the Northwest by working in the timber industry.

Lightship 83, now called Swiftsure, was built for the U.S. Lighthouse Service as the Blunts Reef, California lightship. She is the oldest surviving example of an American lightship with its original marine steam engine. She weathered severe storms and heavy damage from ramming by a steam schooner during her first six years of service. She later rescued 155 survivors from a stranded coastal steamer. Sails were used to help keep her on station in the early years. Replaced at Blunts Reef in 1930, she became the San Francisco lightship. Swiftsure was decommissioned in 1960, after 56 years of continuous duty, and purchased by Northwest Seaport in 1966. The Swiftsure can be viewed at Lake Union Park in Seattle.

1933 Salmon Troller "TWILIGHT"

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