Charles River, Mass.; dam of Charles River Basin Commission.
33 C.F.R. § 207.10
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) The movements of all vessels or boats in and near the lock shall be under the direction of the superintendent in charge of these structures and his assistants, whose orders and signals shall be obeyed.
(b) Every vessel using the lock and drawing more than 10 feet shall be accurately and distinctly marked at the bow and stern, showing the exact draft of water at such portions of the vessel.
(c) All steam vessels desiring to pass through the lock shall signal for the same by two long and two short blasts of the whistle.
(d)(1) All vessels passing through the lock shall have their outboard spars, if any, rigged in, and booms amidships, and secured. All standing and running rigging must be triced in to keep it from blowing out and fouling the drawbridge. Every vessel of 200 tons and under shall be provided with at least two, and every vessel of more than 200 tons shall be provided with at least four good and sufficient lines, cables, or hawsers. Anchors shall either be stowed or shall hang from hawse pipes, hauled up close, clear of the water if possible. Vessels with anchors under foot or hanging from catheads will not be permitted to enter the lock.
(2) All vessels must be sufficiently manned and must have a sufficient number of round and fore-and-aft fenders to protect the lock from injury. All heavy rope fenders must be securely lashed to prevent their falling into the lock and interfering with the gates.
(e) All vessels approaching the lock while any other vessel going in the opposite direction is in or about to enter it shall be stopped where they will not obstruct the free passage of such other vessel.
(f) It shall be the duty of every master or person in charge of any vessel upon approaching the lock from the upstream end to ascertain by personal observation whether or not the upper lock gate is open, and a vessel shall not be permitted to come within 100 feet of the upper lock gate until the gate has been wholly withdrawn into its recess.
(g) All towboats, whether towing or not, and other steam vessels of less than 100 tons gross may enter the lock under their own power and without having lines out, but all other vessels, including those which are accompanied by towboats, must attach not less than two good and sufficient lines, cables, or hawsers to the bollards or other fixtures provided for the purpose to check the speed of the vessel and to stop it as soon as it has gone far enough to permit the lock gate behind it to be closed, and each line, cable, or hawser shall be attended on board while passing into the lock by one or more of the vessel's crew. Where vessels are so long that in order to get them wholly within the lock it is necessary to approach within 150 feet of the lock gate ahead, the speed of the vessel must be slow and fully under control by the lines, cables, or hawsers. Steam vessels of more than 100 tons gross, not including towboats, will not be permitted to turn their propellers on entering the lock after the bow of the vessel has entered, but will be drawn in by means of capstans on the lock walls or otherwise, and their speed must be checked and the vessel stopped by lines, cables, or hawsers as in other cases. All steam vessels may leave the lock under their own power. The master or person in charge of a vessel shall arrange to have any line, cable, or hawser handed or thrown from the lock walls by the superintendent or his assistants, made fast on the vessel as requested or directed, so that in cases of emergency such line, cable, or hawser may also be used to check the speed of and stop the vessel.
(h) When a vessel is in position in the lock it shall be securely fastened in a manner satisfactory to the superintendent, or his assistant in charge of the lock at the time, to prevent the vessel from moving about while the lock is being filled or emptied, and the lines, cables, and hawsers used for this purpose shall be attended as far as is necessary or required while the filling or emptying is in progress.
(i) No vessel which has iron or irons projecting from it or lumber or other cargo projecting over its sides shall enter the lock, except at such time and with such precautions to prevent damage to the lock or its appurtenances as the superintendent, or the assistant in charge of the lock at the time, may require.
(j) All persons, whether in charge of vessels or not, are prohibited from willfully or carelessly damaging the lock, any of its appurtenances or the grounds adjacent thereto, and from throwing any material of any kind into the lock. No line shall be attached to anything except the bollards and other fixtures provided for the purpose.
(k) Upon each passage through the lock, the master or clerk of a vessel shall make a statement of the kind and tonnage of the freight carried.
(l) No person shall cause or permit any vessel or boat of which he is in charge to remain in the lock or its approaches for a longer time than is necessary for the passage of the lock, unless he is especially permitted to do so by the superintendent or the assistant in charge of the lock at the time, and if such vessel or boat is, in the opinion of such superintendent or assistant, in a position to obstruct navigation it shall be removed at once as requested or directed by such superintendent or assistant.
(m) All registered merchant vessels shall pass through the lock in the order directed by the superintendent or the assistant in charge of the lock at the time. Unregistered craft will not be allowed to pass through the lock separately unless especially permitted by such superintendent or assistant.
(n) The lock shall be operated promptly for the passage of all vessels upon signal excepting only in such cases as are specifically provided for in this section.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-33.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026