Communicating on the Canal
I've always been interested in the way people communicate. We use
different communication skills depending on the situation we
happen to be in. It's the same on the canal. The person
responsible for keeping track of all the ships in the Welland
Canal receives frequent radio location reports from all the ships.
Lock masters communicate with the ship captains using a panel of
lights located at the entrance to the lock. We saw one at the
entrance to lock #4. Within the lock, a ship indicates its
readiness by using its whistle (it sounds more like a horn !).
The mooring crew at the lock responsible for tying the ship
communicates with the sailors by hand signals. Here are some
examples. Stop showing off Trig!
We're likely to hear a ship use its whistle when it apporaches a
bridge. Also, when a ship arrives in a lock it will use two short
whistle blasts to indicate that all mooring cables can be secured.
When it is ready to leave, it sends out one short blast.
I find it amazing how much information can be communicated by the
Lock signal-light panels.
