The Eye of the Needle

Back at work on the water and there has been very moderate temperatures and not much wind so far considering it is the month of November. The working area to date has been along the St. Lawrence Seaway between Beauharnois and Brockville so perhaps the wind gods are holding back till we head up to Lake Ontario later in the week.

One of the more challenging and interesting tasks given the size of my ship and the amount of windage created by its superstructure is to transit the various locks in the Seaway. It is by no means as difficult as a Seaway pilot trying to maneouvre a 'Saltie' into and out of a lock (as shown below), but it can be stressful enough on a windy day.

Part of the difficulty is that, compared to the larger vessels, my ship is only 50 feet wide. With the Seaway locks being 80 feet wide, a laker or Saltie at 75 to 78 feet can slide along the approach wall and just squeeze into the lock keeping the fore and aft alignment of their vessel in line with the lock. The extra room on either side of the lock when my ship enters or leaves means room for the stern to get pushed a-kilter by the wind. Fortunately, those problems were for another day as the wind was light when passing through the American Locks.

Chinese Lanterns at the Botanical Gardins

One of the nicer benefits of cycling around the bike path at Parc Maisonneuve is its proximity to the Botanical Gardens and the wonderful Japanese and Chinese gardens. Taking advantage of the mild October weather I biked over to the park and took in the Magic Lantern exhibit. Here are a few pictures I took along the way.

As I head back to my ship during the blustery November season, it is comforting to reflect on these serene images of fantasy boats on tranquil waters.

Winter on the way

As much as I enjoy biking, nothing can induce me to brave Montreal's streets in the ice and snow. Still, I admire those increasing numbers of cyclists who bundle up and continue pedaling throughout the year. It is encouraging to see that many of these cyclists don garments with reflective material and use front and rear lights to make themselves visible when most commuting occurs during the long hours of winter darkness.

Unfortunately, there are many other oblivious ones who ride around the black winter nights with dark clothing and no lights (no doubt continuing the practice from the summer and fall seasons). I wish these people the best of luck, but I would wish more vociferously that they utilize appropriate safe cycling practice and be visible!

City Cycling in Spain

Calle Caballeros, Valencia

While on holiday in Spain this summer, I had a chance to visit three of its major cities: Barcelona, Valencia and Bilbao. This was not a cycling holiday but, as an avid Montreal cyclist, I could not help but observe the state of bicycle culture in these centres. While the levels of cycling activity vary from city to city, I was pleasantly surprised by the overall presence, which city cycling is displaying on the transportation landscape in these urban areas.

My expectations about what I would see in Spain were rather clichéd. I imagined hot-headed Latin drivers screeching and honking through the narrow city streets. I found instead that drivers in Spain are generally very respectful of cyclists and pedestrians, although they expect the same courtesy in return. This contrasts with my experience living in Montreal, where cyclists and pedestrians feel they take universal precedence over cars, and where crossing against traffic lights is common. Such action would be hazardous in these Spanish metropolises, where motorists drive efficiently and quickly with the assumption that cyclists and pedestrians will observe the rules of the road.

The roads did not seem congested and the air quality was very good. This may be partly explained by the fact that I saw these cities in August when most Spaniards are away on holiday. It may also be due to the excellent public transportation systems, which provide frequent and inexpensive services on clean and air-conditioned metros (subways), trams and buses. If travelling on public transportation in Canadian cities were as comfortable and affordable, more motorists might be lured out of their cars.

Bicing Stand, Barcelona

Barcelona and Valencia have public bicycle-sharing systems. In Barcelona, the system is called Bicing and has been in place for about three years. It is designed for residents of the city, who have to buy an annual membership. There is no day use feature as with the Bixi in Montreal. Their system has triggered some controversy. There have been issues regarding the maintenance of the bicycles and problems with the stands where they are secured. In addition, some citizens have expressed opinions online of the municipality favouring the service over offering facilities for cyclists with their own bicycles. However, I did see a lot of people using the funky red and white Bicing bicycles around the city. There are also a lot of bicycle rental companies where tourists can rent by the hour, day or week.

Valenbici Stand, Valencia

Valencia inaugurated its own bicycle sharing program, Valenbisi, in June of 2010. In August, stations were still in the process of being installed around the city. In contrast to Montreal and Barcelona where the stations are moveable structures, Valencia is building the bike stands into the sidewalks, demonstrating a strong commitment to the program. The Valenbisi system allows for annual membership, but also offers a weekly pass, which will make it attractive to tourists visiting the city.

While not as extensive as the bike routes in Montreal, where cycling is increasingly a means of commuting for residents, the network of paths in each Spanish city demonstrates that efforts are being made to establish routes for riders as a means of transport rather than for recreation. However, the limited number of bicycle paths, combined with excellent public transport systems and the extreme heat in the summer, particularly in Barcelona and Valencia, may deter residents from  commuting by bicycle for the time being.

Bike Path along the Nervion River, Bilbao

This situation is similar to Montreal where the initial bicycle paths were geared towards recreational use such as the Lachine Canal path. As bicycle culture becomes more predominant, and bicycle-sharing programs grow, the network of paths will become more extensive and functional. One of the most positive aspects of bicycle-sharing programs is the constant visibility of the stations and bicycles throughout a city, creating a visual imprint in the minds of citizens and reinforcing the image of the bicycle as an integral component of urban transport.

Christopher Columbus Column, Barcelona

Roy Lichtenstein Sculpture, Bacelona

One common sight in these cities is that of cyclists mingling with pedestrians on sidewalks. In Montreal, this engenders outrage and bad feeling among pedestrians upset by cyclists looking for quick routes to get to their destination. In Spain, I saw cyclists and pedestrians sharing the space without any consternation. There are probably several reasons for this, but I think the primary one was that, given the warm weather, cyclists were moving at the same languid pace as the pedestrians themselves. We could perhaps learn a lesson from this: that part of the enjoyment of cycling is taking the time to enjoy our surroundings, rather than speeding from A to B.

Plaza de la Riena, Valencia

Between the Cathedral and Basilica, Valencia

First timer

This blog has no agenda except to put words to some of my thoughts about two of my passions: cycling in and around Montreal, and sailing (well, steaming actually) the waters of the Great Lakes. I have been doing both of these activities for over twenty years now.

The first is an activity of pleasure and exercise while the second is one of work and enjoyment as a captain in the Canadian Coast Guard.

Any views expressed in this blog are my own.