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Ballard Locks Leader shares navigation secrets

Be ready and you'll sail right through
The big boats go through the large locks in Ballard.

The Ballard Locks can be daunting for beginning boaters. But Lock Leader Jim Wilcox says it doesn't have to be that way.

"Be ready. Don't come into the locks and learn it there. Learn ahead of time. Do it before you get to the locks," he says.

And Jim says it's not just for the big boats.

"We allow kayaks to go through. We do not allow intertubes, paddleboards or anything like that. But we do allow kayaks and rowboats to go through the small lock only."

The proper equipment is key.

"Make sure you got lines, fenders for both sides of your boat."

He says 50-foot lines are required for the large locks.

And it's the best deal in town.

"It's free. Your government at work for free. "

Before you go through, you may want to check out the locks tutorial online. Or even better, a personal lesson!

"Anybody can come down and talk to us. Anybody on the wall. Anytime. We're more than happy to go through the whole procedure with you one on one."

More on the locks here.

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