Heard on the radio, today is "Bridge Day" in Chicago, when the bridges will open every hour for 15 minutes for all the (mostly) sailboats to go down the rivers to the marinas. 
Today is "Bridge Day" in Chicago
- Thread starter dlandersson
- Start date
It's a scheduled event that is progressive, not hourly. One group of up to 3 dozen boats on Wednesday's starting at 9:30am and Saturday's starting at 8:30am.
Two or three teams of bridge tenders sort of leap frog from bridge to bridge as we progress up river to the lock. We go through one bridge at a time and wait for the next, often in a rather small area the length of a short city block. It can get tense when a barge or tour boat comes through. We applaud when they occasionally get two or three bridges up simultaneously.
From my yacht yard, we go through 24 draw bridges. For the other yards I think it's 27. When things go well, it generally takes about four hours to get to the lock, about 3 miles, and out to the lake.
Two or three teams of bridge tenders sort of leap frog from bridge to bridge as we progress up river to the lock. We go through one bridge at a time and wait for the next, often in a rather small area the length of a short city block. It can get tense when a barge or tour boat comes through. We applaud when they occasionally get two or three bridges up simultaneously.
From my yacht yard, we go through 24 draw bridges. For the other yards I think it's 27. When things go well, it generally takes about four hours to get to the lock, about 3 miles, and out to the lake.
And I thought I had it bad having to go through 3 bridges on the ICW each way when I want to go out sailing. You don't have to do this every time you want to sail, Do you?
Heavens no. I probably wouldn't be sailing in Chicago if we did. Just once in the spring moving from winter storage (on the hard) along the Chicago River to the various city harbors on the lake and then back in the fall. All Chicago lakefront recreational harbors in are closed in the winter. Too much ice.
Others store their boats along the Calumet River on the south side (just one or two bridges) or at various facilities along the lakeshore. The big yachts migrate to Florida and the Bahamas for the winter.
Canal Street Marina, where I store my boat, happens to be just 10-15 minutes from my office and about 25-35 minutes from home. Overall, it's the most convenient option for me.
P.S. : I just remembered this YouTube video. It makes it look a little more crazy than it really is, but you can see why I say there can be tense moments. I prefer to quickly tie up along the side, but that's not always possible.
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