ExiledInIllinois Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Interesting cam. Spring can't get here soon enough! Since 1964 this has been a winter/spring fixture between Fort Erie & Buffalo. The latest they ever took it out has been April 25th... 1997. They won't remove it until there is less than 250 square miles of ice in the eastern basin that has melted naturally. http://www.iceboom.nypa.gov/ http://www.niagarafrontier.com/icebridge.html "Each Spring, the International Niagara Board of Control determines the date when the ice boom is removed. The decision is based upon the amount of ice remaining in Lake Erie and the weather conditions. Normally, the ice boom has to be removed by April 1st of each year unless there is still more than 250 square miles (650 square kilometres) of ice in the eastern portion of Lake Erie. The earliest removal of the ice boom occurred on March 5th 1998 and the latest removal of the ice boom occurred on April 25th 1997." I think I see the old Chevy making a run from Fort Erie to Buffalo for American Cigarettes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Interesting cam. Spring can't get here soon enough! Since 1964 this has been a winter/spring fixture between Fort Erie & Buffalo. The latest they ever took it out has been April 25th... 1997. They won't remove it until there is less than 250 square miles of ice in the eastern basin that has melted naturally. http://www.iceboom.nypa.gov/ http://www.niagarafr.../icebridge.html "Each Spring, the International Niagara Board of Control determines the date when the ice boom is removed. The decision is based upon the amount of ice remaining in Lake Erie and the weather conditions. Normally, the ice boom has to be removed by April 1st of each year unless there is still more than 250 square miles (650 square kilometres) of ice in the eastern portion of Lake Erie. The earliest removal of the ice boom occurred on March 5th 1998 and the latest removal of the ice boom occurred on April 25th 1997." I think I see the old Chevy making a run from Fort Erie to Buffalo for American Cigarettes! Did you live in Fort Erie? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Did you live in Fort Erie? LoL... No. South Cheektowaga (West Seneca schools). I know how those American cigs can be addictive for Canadians! When I did harbor survey, we would see boats come across Lake Ontario (say a place like Wilson Harbor), dock, spend a little time, and then go back... I always figured they were "stocking up." Anyway, with the ice, I suppose it was easier to drive across years ago and not get caught... You know with all the cameras and such nowadays. I think you said you lived in Fort Erie, right? If I remember... Didn't you swim across the river? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 LoL... No. South Cheektowaga (West Seneca schools). I know how those American cigs can be addictive for Canadians! When I did harbor survey, we would see boats come across Lake Ontario (say a place like Wilson Harbor), dock, spend a little time, and then go back... I always figured they were "stocking up." Anyway, with the ice, I suppose it was easier to drive across years ago and not get caught... You know with all the cameras and such nowadays. I think you said you lived in Fort Erie, right? If I remember... Didn't you swim across the river? Yup, both ways! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 22, 2014 Author Share Posted March 22, 2014 Here we've had 3-4 days (not consecutive) with temps in the 50's and one in the 60's and still ponds are frozen deeply over, even w/the rain! I have never seen it this bad. I wonder if Buffalo will break the 1997 ice boom record (4/25/97)? It is only a about a month way and there is still 5-6 feet thick of ice on the eastern basin of Lake Erie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 (edited) Will it finally be coming out so BFLO can kick off its boating season? Marinas have to be hurting to start their season... http://www.wgrz.com/...update/8064277/ Here's today Sat image: Edited April 28, 2014 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Cool pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Yup, both ways! Did you really? My friend, who was a lifeguard, was telling me that it would impossible with the current. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Did you really? My friend, who was a lifeguard, was telling me that it would impossible with the current. Started from the Peace Bridge, swam across touched the American side and made it back to International Railroad bridge. Damn near drowned from exhaustion doing it, but it can be done. If you don't swim against the current its not a hindrance at all. Same with rip currents in the ocean, don't swim against them, swim parallel to the shore, and when out of the rip current, swim back to shore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted April 29, 2014 Author Share Posted April 29, 2014 Started from the Peace Bridge, swam across touched the American side and made it back to International Railroad bridge. Damn near drowned from exhaustion doing it, but it can be done. If you don't swim against the current its not a hindrance at all. Same with rip currents in the ocean, don't swim against them, swim parallel to the shore, and when out of the rip current, swim back to shore. Did you end up downstream a ways? The first swim would have carried you downstream, then the scecond back the same... ?? Did you have to walk back upstream to where you originally put in for the swim? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Started from the Peace Bridge, swam across touched the American side and made it back to International Railroad bridge. Damn near drowned from exhaustion doing it, but it can be done. If you don't swim against the current its not a hindrance at all. Same with rip currents in the ocean, don't swim against them, swim parallel to the shore, and when out of the rip current, swim back to shore. I'm not following. The current is going downstream and you're swimming across. How do you avoid it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 (edited) I'm not following. The current is going downstream and you're swimming across. How do you avoid it? Reading his post again... He drifted downstream a lot... About 1.5 miles downstream from where he started. If he started @ the Peace Bridge and touched Squaw Island and then swam back and touched the International Bridge in Fort Erie... He answered my question above. He was about 1.5 miles downstream from where he entered the Niagara River @ the Peace Bridge for his swim. I have waterskied the mouth of Lake Erie and the head of The River around the Peace bridge to the International Bridge... Current is calmer there on the Canadian side... Especially where The Lake opens up. It gets swift toward Squaw. The River is really not that wide there from Fort Erie to Squaw Island about 2,000 feet. He drifted a total almost 8,000 feet with his swim! He let the current do most of the work taking him two times his total swim! Swim, float, swim float... You will make it across. Then back again, swim, float, swim... I am thinking he touched the American side somewhere on Squaw near the treatment plant. It probably isn't that hard... Like I said, I waterskied there... But then one has a PFD on. Edited April 30, 2014 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Thanks. I was going to try to look that up, but never got to it. I couldn't picture how far the railroad bridge was from the Peace Bridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 Pretty neat if you look @ the Ice Boom Cam... I think it is starting to come out. It looks like a derrick boat is out there right now. I guess it is pretty bad if they beat the first week of May record? There has to be a lot of angry recreational interests/buisnesses that want to get the season started. Power companies would take some take some PR heat if they let the winter drag on into May. IMO, no reason why they can't flush it down the Niagara, there are other ways to protect property and the power intakes @ the dams above The Falls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 Thanks. I was going to try to look that up, but never got to it. I couldn't picture how far the railroad bridge was from the Peace Bridge. Yeah, for some reason I didn't pick up when he said: "...International Bridge." Leaving @ one spot you kind of just assume the swimmer tries and hit that spot again. Then I realized from skiing there how far the water really moves you and an idled boat. It would be suicide to fight the current, just like he said about rip currents... You just gotta let it take you... Even far from where you started. In this case to where you get on shore. With rip currents, you let it take you out, then sideways, then back in. His "back in" was walking on shore from the International Bridge back to the Peace Bridge almost 2 miles. Unless he wanted to be @ the International Bridge... LoL. FiSD is right, you just don't fight it... Swim, float until you get to shore anywhere, as long as you get to shore. Its about under 2 miles from the Peace Bridge to International Bridge. The current does stabilize out after Squaw Island... Same with channel depth on the American side. I used to work @ Black Rock Lock and coal ships & tankers would make it around that stretch of Grand Island... Heck, the entrance to the main canal of "New" Erie Barge Canal (actually the Black Rock Channel is considered part of the system) is @ Tonawanda Harbor. Yet, @ the mouth of The Lake by the Peace Bridge, forget about it when it comes to a vessel other than something like a speed boat... That is where the bulk of the 5 foot drops happens (same escarpment that runs along Main Street: Onodaga Escarpment) and is too swift and shallow with shoals, etc... The main reason for the Black Rock Channel and Lock is to get over the Onodaga Escarpment. Again, you can see this escarment when driving down Main Street or roads like the 290 and Kensington Expressway. When you think of the current under the Peace Bridge, water is flowing over that rock formation. Intersting thing about where I work now... The Chicago Diversion works because the elevation of the bottom of the canals in Chicago are roughly the same elevation of the bottom of the Niagara river/spillway that funnels over The Falls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Reading his post again... He drifted downstream a lot... About 1.5 miles downstream from where he started. If he started @ the Peace Bridge and touched Squaw Island and then swam back and touched the International Bridge in Fort Erie... He answered my question above. He was about 1.5 miles downstream from where he entered the Niagara River @ the Peace Bridge for his swim. I have waterskied the mouth of Lake Erie and the head of The River around the Peace bridge to the International Bridge... Current is calmer there on the Canadian side... Especially where The Lake opens up. It gets swift toward Squaw. The River is really not that wide there from Fort Erie to Squaw Island about 2,000 feet. He drifted a total almost 8,000 feet with his swim! He let the current do most of the work taking him two times his total swim! Swim, float, swim float... You will make it across. Then back again, swim, float, swim... I am thinking he touched the American side somewhere on Squaw near the treatment plant. It probably isn't that hard... Like I said, I waterskied there... But then one has a PFD on. Ding Ding Ding we have a winner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 Ding Ding Ding we have a winner. Some times I am slow... Okay... Most of the time! ;-) :-) @ Black Rock many boats will shoot downriver over the rapids. Then going back to The Lake, take the lock & Channel. Just from the top of my head, I think the current @ the upper rapids is about 10+ mph... So heading back to The Lake via the rapids (not the lock and channel), one will have to make @ least 11 mph to make any headway... And the beating your boat, passengers and you have to endure... ;-) ;-) That was a heck of a swim! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Some times I am slow... Okay... Most of the time! ;-) :-) @ Black Rock many boats will shoot downriver over the rapids. Then going back to The Lake, take the lock & Channel. Just from the top of my head, I think the current @ the upper rapids is about 10+ mph... So heading back to The Lake via the rapids (not the lock and channel), one will have to make @ least 11 mph to make any headway... And the beating your boat, passengers and you have to endure... ;-) ;-) That was a heck of a swim! :-) No problem, I am a river master from the Old Fort Erie down river about 5 miles or so. We used to walk up to the Old Fort Erie, jump in there and float down past the town of Fort Erie a mile or so. Sometimes we used inner tubes, sometimes just tread water. How far we would go down river would depend on far we felt like walking back home that day. Good times. Especially with a mask and snorkel you can see all the fish and junk under the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted May 1, 2014 Author Share Posted May 1, 2014 No problem, I am a river master from the Old Fort Erie down river about 5 miles or so. We used to walk up to the Old Fort Erie, jump in there and float down past the town of Fort Erie a mile or so. Sometimes we used inner tubes, sometimes just tread water. How far we would go down river would depend on far we felt like walking back home that day. Good times. Especially with a mask and snorkel you can see all the fish and junk under the water. Cool... Anyway... The Corps started yanking The Boom out yesterday: http://wivb.com/2014/04/29/corps-begins-removal-of-ice-boom/ Summer won't be long now... As the hunks of ice get flushed away! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted May 1, 2014 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Where are all the unofficial ice boom threads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts