Sweden is bisected by a series of rivers, lakes, and canals so that it’s possible to travel all the way from the one coast to the other by boat. The Gota Canal originates on Sweden’s east coast near Stockholm, the Trollhattan Canal together with the Gota River leads inland from Gothenburg, and the two meet in the giant inland lake of Vanern.
Vanern is 145’/44m above sea level, so access to the lake from the west coast is via a series of six locks. The primary locks are located in the town of Trollhattan, the site of Sweden’s first large-scale hydropower plant. After a number of unsuccessful attempts in the 1700s, the locks were first opened for transit in 1800, allowing goods to be easily transported from the coast into the interior of the country. The locks were rebuilt in 1844, and then again in 1916, to support larger ships – freighters up to 290’/89m long and 44’/13m wide can transit the locks.
Madrone was dwarfed by the giant lock walls and doors of the locks. Angie controlled the bow with a line to a set of vertically-spaced bollards set into the lock wall while Mike hooked an escape ladder with a boat hook from the stern. As the water level rose in the lock, it was a constant dance to keep the boat in one place – close enough to the wall to stay in control, but far enough away to not get scratched up by the rough lock walls.
For efficiency, the locks are operated remotely via monitoring cameras from a central control site, so there are no other people around. Like magic, the forward door slowly swings open after the lock is filled, and Madrone is at the highest point she’s ever been!
