AC/DC

We live in both Edison and Westinghouse’s electronic world while on Carrie Rose. Of course, we do at home also but on the boat we are in charge, for better or worse, and not an anonymous utility. Electricity is a direct experience while on the water. We make decisions based on the availability of either Edison’s direct current (DC) and/or Westinghouse’s alternating current (AC).

A bit of background, Edison first lit up New York City with DC but DC has limitations. I am no expert but it is difficult to transport DC long distances without losing power. So, Westinghouse came along with AC and solved the engineering dilemma. Thus, we live in a world of high-tension wires.

It is Wednesday and we are at Carillon Lock. This is not only a lock but also a gargantuan dam and electrical generating plant. We are directly under nine of the twelve high-tension wires that are coming off the transformers on top of the dam’s generating station.

Earlier in the day, while locked in its enormous concrete sarcophagus, we descended along with seven other boats 65 feet in one smooth motion. It took 45 minutes. The dam, hydroelectric station, and the lock form an elongated complex across the Ottawa River. We approached it after travelling 18.5 miles through a tranquil mountain lined river. And as is usual, we rounded a bend and there was the lock’s 65-foot gate glistening in the sun. To the right was the erectors set looking top of the power plant and to the right of that the concrete piers of the dam.

The pent up power of the restrained river was, well, electric. Far to the left of the above was the tiny opening to the lock hidden behind a massive grey concrete bulwark. The wind, current, and waves were concentrated there. We began to surf with the wind and the waves behind us. I alternated from steering to the autopilot as I used the binoculars to try to get a sense of what to expect once we rounded the concrete wall.

From experience this wall should provide some protection from the current, eddies and wind driven waves, but I do not take that for granted. The first inclination when heading into what looks like a dangerous situation is to slow down, but if you do, you are lost. Power is the key and Carrie Rose has plenty of it. We came around the blind curve to see seven boats clinging onto the massive wall that was at the level of Carrie Rose’s salon deck.

It was not apparent what the boats were tied to. Then I saw two horizontal cables strung at varying heights across the wall. I pointed the bow at the wall and came in at close to 4 knots. The plan; to swing in alongside, get the stern close enough to the wall — without hitting it — for Charlotte to tie the stern on. Then I will quickly stop and use the bow thruster to keep my nose in against the wall as I tie the forward line.

A boater was standing on the top of the wall and came to help. I asked him to grab the stern line, which he did and in an instant we were secure. It was surprisingly calm and we were both stunned to have done it.

The wind was howling above but we were protected. I turned and saw the maelstrom we had passed through. Now tucked in behind the abutment we were in smooth water. That is when I felt my heart pumping hard. I took a few deep abdominal breaths and slowly the palpitations ceased. Someone came to tell me that the 65-foot lock gate was having its regular scheduled maintenance, so we had about an hour to wait.

The rest went smoothly. It is odd being tied to another boat that is tied to a floating dock inside a massive concrete and steel enclosure full of water. We slowly descended 65 feet deeper and deeper into this cavern, and the lockmaster sitting on the gate above got smaller and smaller. The gate opened straight up — a first for us — and delivered us into the Ottawa River. The shear audacity of humans to build such a structure is difficult to comprehend.

That aside, once out the bottom of the lock we tied to the wall with two other boats we had recently met to spend the rest of the day and night. The odd thing is that in such a place as this, brimming with electromagnetic energy, the lock station does not provide any electric to plug into. So, that night we relied on the direct current stored in our two deep cycle house batteries.

These batteries are kept charged in a multitude of ways. There is the charger that works when we plug into an outside source of electricity. There are the two 55-watt solar panels I installed on the pilothouse roof. There is a 4 kilowatt diesel generator and then there is the alternator mounted on the main engine like in any car.

So that day and night, while lying under the 654,000 megawatts being generated by the power of the Ottawa River dropping 65 feet, we lived in Edison’s DC world and slept soundly under its hum.