Visit the past - get out and dive the wreck off Kingston General Hospital

A combination of work done by POW members, divers from G.L.U.E. and others has made a visit to the wreck off Kingston General Hospital really accessible to most divers. The picture above was taken today and there's some video taken by Kevin Leblanc on You Tube too. Check out other pics on Flickr too. The great news is that less than a week after a line was laid to the wreck, at least 24 divers have enjoyed this wreck already. What a shame that the City doesn't appreciate the need for access and the provision of basic facilities for divers seeking to enjoy the wrecks that lie at various points along the City's shores. I've heard it said that the City doesn't want to encourage more divers because there isn't the infrastructure to support them - but what comes first - the investment or the divers? Kingston's councillors would do well to look at the facilities provided to divers at sites along the St Lawrence - and reflect on the income these divers bring to local restaurants and other businesses.

Line laid to a wreck offshore from KGH

Following up on an exploratory dive last week, local divers, many of them POW members, tonight placed a line from shore near Kingston General Hospital to a wreck that lies in 60 feet of water, just 20 minutes gentle swim away. The line starts around the 20 foot depth contour and is most easily located by entering the water somewhere near the middle of the car park close to Murney Tower and swimming eastwards along the 20 foot contour until you pick it up. It's bright yellow and leads almost directly south to the bow of the wreck.

The wreck is in very good condition; one of the more intact examples of what is certainly a sailing vessel and probably associated with use on the canal systems. It's almost a hundred feet long and about 24 feet wide. Care should be taken by visiting divers to avoid disturbing and damaging many upright features that have stood the test of time.

The wreck is well known already; it features on local charts, but it has not previously been of great interest, since it lies in the path of frequent boat traffic and didn't have any line to it from shore. For ease of reference, it may be useful (borrowing the example of the KPH wreck) to refer to it as the KGH wreck, unless and until someone can provide a precise identity.

Visibility tonight was about 40 feet on the wreck and the water temperature about 64F.

Plans for a General Meeting...

It is intended to hold a General Meeting for members in Kingston on the evening of Saturday, September 6th. The venue is still to be confirmed, but there will be a barbecue after the brief gathering, which is being arranged to allow members to provide input and feedback to our Board - and get together to share dive stories and ideas about the way ahead. There will be no charge, but those attending are asked to contact me at mike.hill@mac.com to enable planning on food quantities to be completed. Beverages will not be provided. Please bring your own favourite tipple...

Lots of good work going on...

Work to maintain and improve the moorings that give some protection to our local wrecks is often done without fuss and fanfare. But, it is an important activity and one of the cornerstones of our group's constitution. Divers from Collins Bay, actively supported by Northern Tech Diver and Seadeucer Charters, veteran POW members like Rick Neilson and folk from the Dolphin Scuba Club have all been busily contributing to mooring work recently. Their efforts are gratefully acknowledged. Check out the various websites and blogs to keep up with the work in progress.

China Wreck receives a new mooring...

Some more great work by our mooring director, Harold Vandenberg and divers out of Collins Bay has resulted in a new block being placed on the wreck of the China. This was not accomplished easily. Three trips were actually required to locate a suitable block, prepare it for movement and then, finally, shift it across the Lake to the required location. The block selected lay close to the Annie Falconer, so movement was quite a business, taking some 90 minutes of slow motoring to complete. The new block and line lie close to the stern of the China, giving divers who visit a very early view of the vessel's large prop. For those who are registered with the site, there are some excellent pictures, once again from Tom Rutledge, on the Ontario DIving Forum website. Some can also be found on Tom's Flickr page, which has a marvelous catalogue of underwater wreck photographs.

Summer Newsletter now available online...

Fanfares of trumpets and audible sighs of relief from the compilers accompanied the final button press today that sent our Summer Newsletter to the web. Interested parties can download and read it by clicking here and selecting the download option from the first paragraph. The Newsletter has features on the discovery of HMS Ontario, a bio piece on this year's Thibault Award Winner, Barbara Carson and latest mooring news. Hopefully, there will be something for everyone. Now we start the Fall preparation...

Annie Falconer Mooring Improved...

Harold, our Mooring Director, with Tom Rutledge and Mike Hill, made a working visit this morning to the Annie Falconer to place a more permanent, heavy-duty line and POW Buoy on the wreck. These replace the excellent temporary mooring facilities put in place earlier by George and Sue of Ducks Dive. Everything went smoothly with the exchange, giving the divers time to tour the wreck in a leisurely fashion and to conduct a successful search for an abandoned mooring block, which it's hoped we can free from a very firm position in the silt and move for use at the site of the China. The conditions below the surface were excellent; viz of about 60 feet or more (20m) and a bottom temperature of 55F (13C). Topsides, the Lake was quite lumpy, with a breezy Sou'wester blowing strongly.