Hamilton Harbour

The weather buoys we lifted for the winter are unloaded in Hamilton harbour, one of the busiest Canadian ports on the Great Lakes.

Access to the harbour is via a lift bridge in the middle of a short canal that passes under the Burlington Skyway. Needless to say, it can be a source of frustration for local commuters when a ship enters or leaves the harbour during rush hour.

The lift bridge is only the latest in a series of bridges throughout the history of the harbour.

Circa 1898

As is often the case with navigation lights and buoys, ships will sometimes run into bridges as was the case in 1952:

http://henleyshamilton1.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/bascule-bridge-beginning-and-ending/



The Coast Guard does not have a dock in the harbour, but we are given berthing privileges at the Canadian Centre for Inland Waters since we provide the ships that scientists use for their research on the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem.