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Port reports - March 31 Twin Ports - Al Miller Sandusky and Huron - Jim Spencer Grand Haven - Dick Fox Owen Sound - Ed. Saliwonchyk Soo - Jerry Masson Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski |
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No easy fix for silt-filled Genesee River 3/31 - Rochester- One week after a cement boat hit bottom on the silt-filled Genesee River, federal officials have yet to determine what can be done to fix the worsening problem. The Stephen B. Roman, the last freighter to cruise the river, ran aground last Thursday. While the vessel freed itself after a short time, left unanswered is just how shallow the river is running as it nears Lake Ontario and whether there is money to dredge the waterway as scheduled this spring. The river last was dredged in 2004. Ramifications of the problem go beyond ESSROC, which owns the freighter and its 361 Boxart St. storage facility. A 100-passenger cruise ship is scheduled to stop at the Port of Rochester this summer. Farther up river, the city is discovering similar shoaling near Corn Hill Landing, which could affect the Mary Jemison cruise ship. "This is one of those cases where environmental concerns become an economic concern," Deputy Mayor Patty Malgieri said. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Bruce Sanders said the river water
is too turbid and full of debris to assess the problem. Either way, he said, a
$957,000 earmark was "dropped from the president's budget, and therefore we
had to cancel the dredging." Congress failed to pass a budget for the
current fiscal year and resorted to a patchwork of spending resolutions. From the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle |
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Huron Lightship and Coast Guard Cutter
Bramble Museum open for the season 3/31 - Port Huron - Huron Lightship Museum and The Coast Guard
Cutter Bramble Museum will be opening on April 1st. Admission prices for each museum are adults-$6.00, seniors (55+) and students-$5.00, and children 6 and under are Free. A Passport program providing admission to both vessels, the Port Huron
Museum and the Ft. Gratiot Lighthouse is available for $12.00 for adults,
$10,00 for seniors and $8.00 for students. Children 6 and under are free at
all locations. |
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The Great Lakes Towing Company Seeking Applicants 3/31- Cleveland - Great Lakes Towing Company is seeking applicants for Tug
Captains & Tug Engineers for harbor towing in Toledo, Detroit, Chicago, Burns
Harbor.
Shipyard Expansion Cleveland - The Great Lakes Group is looking for experienced
employees for our new construction and maintenance programs. |
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Updates - March 31 News Photo Gallery updated, and Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter - Help keep this site on line. Gatherings Page updated. Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - March 31 On 31 March 1971, the American Steamship Company's RICHARD J REISS grounded
at Stoneport, Michigan while moving away from her dock. She damaged her number
9 tank. |
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Port Reports - March 30
Marquette - Rod Burdick
The latest CSX Dock update has the Lee A. Tregurtha due in at the Torco Ore
Dock to unload ore. She is due in tentatively on April 6 at 6 p.m.
Timing will most likely change due to ice on Lake Superior, weather, and
possible dock delays at the loading dock. If this schedule holds this will be
the first time ever that the Lee A. Tregurtha has unloaded ore at the Torco
Ore Dock. When she is finished unloading the ore she will proceed to the CSX
Coal Dock to load a coal cargo which would be most likely bound for the Soo. |
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Union switch delays laker’s season start 3/30 - Duluth - The Stewart J. Cort began loading pellets at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe No. 5 Taconite Facility in Superior on Wednesday with the expectation that it would set sail for Burns Harbor that evening. By this time of year, the vessel typically already would have delivered its first load of pellets to the Mittal Steel Co. mill in Burns Harbor, Ind. But this has hardly been a normal fit-out for the first 1,000-footer on the Great Lakes. Ten of the ship’s 22 crew members recently were replaced, as its operator tossed out one union — the American Maritime Officers — in favor of another, the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association. David Weathers, a national executive of the AMO, said crew members who went to work under the Cort’s new MEBA contract would have had to accept about a 20 percent cut in pay. “That’s tough for anyone to swallow,” he observed. In all, 15 AMO members were affected as a result of the Cort’s reshuffling. While only 10 AMO members worked aboard the Cort at any one time, staff rotated between shore leave and active duty. Many of these officers and stewards formed a picket line on the approach to the vessel’s winter berth in Duluth a couple of weeks ago. The Cort is operated by Interlake Leasing III, a subsidiary of Interlake Steamship Co. At Interlake’s insistence, officers aboard other vessels in the company’s fleet switched to MEBA representation about three years ago, and the changes to the Cort represented “sort of a natural progression,” said Mark Barker, Interlake’s treasurer and vice president. The AMO still is challenging Interlake’s prior re-staffing of other lakers with MEBA members. The AMO picket disrupted some of the Cort’s preparations for a return to duty this year, as unionized workers at Fraser Shipyards in Superior, plus other local members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, refused to cross the line. Interlake brought in contractors from Maryland and Virginia to do the work. “We had to regroup a little bit, but the crew has done a great job,” Barker said Wednesday. New crew members took advantage of the delay to familiarize themselves with the inner workings of the Cort, he said. “We wanted to make sure we took enough time so everyone would be comfortable and safe when we set sail,” Barker said. Rob Fluharty, a second assistant engineer who has worked seven years aboard the Cort, said the laker usually leaves the Twin Ports a day or two before the Soo Locks open March 25 and is usually one of the first vessels to pass through them and into the St. Marys River. He said that if the Cort left Wednesday evening, it would be about five days behind its normal schedule. The Cort runs between Superior and Burns Harbor all season long, hauling taconite. The voyage usually takes about 61 hours in good conditions, Fluharty said. He and other displaced AMO members said they will meet the Cort in Burns Harbor, where they will continue picketing. From the Duluth News Tribune |
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Updates - March 30 News Photo Gallery updated, and Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter - Help keep this site on line. Gatherings Page updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - March 30 The c.) CHEMICAL MAR arrived at Brownsville, Texas on March 30, 1983, in
tow of the tug FORT LIBERTE to be scrapped there. Built in 1966, as a.) BIRK.
In 1979, she was renamed b.) COASTAL TRANSPORT by Hall Corp. of Canada, but
never came to the lakes and renamed c.) CHEMICAL MAR in 1981. |
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Port Report - March 29
Stoneport/Alpena - Ben & Chanda McClain |
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Mates needed for tug/barge 3/29 - Menominee - K&K Logistics is looking for mates to work on the Olive L. Moore and Lewis J. Kubber. Please contact Jack VanEnkevort at (906) 466-9959. From Captain David R. Morgan |
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Dillin would fund park on Maumee River in Toledo
3/29 - Toledo - Dillin Corp. will finance a $15 million gap in the
city’s budget for a riverfront park in the Marina District and secure at least
$50 million in private development funds for buildings there by Oct. 1 under a
tentative development agreement Larry Dillin and the Finkbeiner administration
announced yesterday. If Mr. Dillin’s company meets those Oct. 1 targets, the
city will convey 60 acres of the Marina District’s 125 acres to the developer
so that construction may begin by Dec. 31. |
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Note of Thanks from Doug Fairchild's family To Doug Fairchild's "Boat-Chasing Circle of Friends": Where do we begin to express our gratitude for all that you have done for our family? You truly are an amazing group of folks. Doug was a hard-working man, but he also knew how to balance his life with other activities. One that brought him much pleasure was freighter-watching. Undoubtedly, a highlight of this sea-faring activity was the camaraderie shared with other Boat-Nerds. It is with great appreciation that we thank you for the information that was made available on the web site, your telephone calls, condolence cards and the stories shared.
Very sincerely, |
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Updates - March 29 News Photo Gallery updated, and Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter - Help keep this site on line. Gatherings Page updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - March 29
N.M. Paterson & Sons, PRINDOC was sold off-lakes during the week of March 29,
1982, to the Southern Steamship Co., Georgetown, Cayman Islands and was
renamed b.) HANKEY. |
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Whitefish Bay ice jam backs up river shipping 3/28 - Whitefish Bay - If the crew of the new icebreaker Mackinaw was looking for substantial ice to move before spring breakout, they found it on Whitefish Bay Sunday night as gale-force southerly winds clamped the bay shut with heavy broken ice. Assigned to Whitefish Bay, Mackinaw had all she could handle and then some Sunday evening, as 40-45 mph southerly winds filled the previously set steamer track with heavy broken ice. After two commercial ships were squeezed to a halt by the advancing ice, Coast Guard officials decided to close the St. Marys River until Mackinaw could flush a new track through the broken sea of ice. Coast Guard spokesman Mark Gill said heavy “pancake” ice jammed behind Isle Parisienne by a northwest gale last week loosened up in Sunday's southerly gale, collapsing the steamer track set by Mackinaw through the last 10 days. He said fast shore ice from the south side of the channel through the bay was also worked free by the strong wind, clamping the channel shut. Some of the packed ice dislodged from behind Isle Parisienne measured out at eight feet thick, Gill said. When the steamers Arthur M. Anderson and Michipicoten were squeezed to a stop by the heavy, loose and plate ice, Coast Guard officials opted to close the St. Marys River below the jam through the nighttime hours. Just before dawn today five vessels waited out the jam at Soo Locks piers and four more lay at anchor in the lower St. Marys with a tug-barge combination idled in Sault, Ont. and another held at Algoma Steel. Gill said the river shutdown was ordered as a safety measure even though it slowed a cluster of ships anxious to make first passages of the new shipping season. “It was safer to shut everybody down,” Gill said. Mackinaw, meanwhile, freed the two stuck ships, then set to work in an ice-clearing operation that was more ice flushing than ice breaking for the new vessel. The moving jam was made up of broken ice in various sizes, making conventional icebreaking ineffective. However, Mackinaw's unique dual-pod drive enabled the ship to carve out large slabs of floating ice with her strong wake, ushering them out to open water outside Whitefish Point through the night. Gill said Mackinaw's cutting edge icebreaking configuration allowed the ship to move ahead and astern equally well in the ice with the twin pods creating a strong wash alongside the ship's track. Gill said the new Mackinaw performed very well at the ice-flushing operation, noting that the ship's innovative propulsion arrangement allowed Mackinaw to perform better than the recently retired Mackinaw in those conditions. He noted that Mackinaw's two-way steaming capability allowed the ship to move back and forth through the ice without coming about in difficult ice conditions. By early today, Mackinaw re-set a vessel track from the locks out as far as Iroquois Point. Farther out to the west on Whitefish Bay, he described ice conditions as “dynamic” early today. At 7:00 a.m. the Coast Guard allowed the first vessels waiting out the jam to begin moving again in staggered fashion as the strong winds gave way to near calm on the bay. During the night, Gill said, Mackinaw reported a wide variety of weather, all of it stormy. “We had ‘thundersnow,' thunderstorms, heavy rain, high winds ... about every kind of weather you can get,” Gill said of the offshore maelstrom. The Coast Guard official said the lower St. Marys River, normally a trouble spot during spring break-up, “behave itself” through the ice jam and gale conditions far above, but he warned that the lower St. Marys may well cut loose before steadily deteriorating ice conditions give way to soft water. He said large stretches of shore ice remain attached along lower river channels, raising the potential for another jam or two later, as the ice moves steadily downstream. He said two Bay-Class tugs and the tender Hollyhock continue to work lower river channels as fingers are crossed that heavy shore ice stays put a while longer. From the Soo Evening News |
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Rand Logistics Purchases Manistee 3/28 - Rand Logistics Inc. announced that it purchased the Manistee, a self-unloading bulk carrier, for $2.2 million. The Company previously leased the boat from a subsidiary of Sand Products Corporation, and financed the purchase through debt with its existing lender, GE Capital Corporation. Laurence Levy, Chairman and CEO of Rand Logistics, stated, “We are pleased to have completed this transaction, which will be accretive to earnings. The purchase of the Manistee eliminates $350,000 of annual lease expense, which would have grown to $500,000 after March 31, 2008. The annual interest expense on the $2.2 million of added borrowings will be significantly less than the alternative of continuing to lease the vessel. Additionally, we were also able to reduce the interest rate for our overall U.S. and Canadian borrowings by 50 basis points, which produces further annual savings of approximately $100,000. We remain confident in Rand’s strong fleet and market position on the Great Lakes.” From the World Maritime News Note: Rand Logistics is the parent company of Lower Lakes Towing and Grand River Navigation |
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Port Reports - March 28 Marquette - Rod Burdick |
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Trip Raffle to Benefit BoatNerd Through the generosity of the Interlake Steamship Co., BoatNerd is offering the chance to win a four-six-day trip for four to take place during the 2007 sailing season (between the months of June and September) on the winner's choice of the classic Lee. A. Tregurtha or the Queen of the Lakes Paul R. Tregurtha. The trip is the Grand Prize of BoatNerd¹s first ever raffle and fundraising event. Other prizes will also be given away. All proceeds from this raffle will benefit Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online, the non-profit support organization for the BoatNerd.Com Web site. Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online, Inc. is a non-profit 501(C)(3) corporation. Funds raised will be used to upgrade our equipment, expand our services and pay monthly Internet connection charges. The drawing will take place at 2 p.m. on June 2, 2007 at the BoatNerd.Com
World Headquarters in Port Huron, Mich. Click here to order, or for more information. Tickets are also available by mail, or in person at BoatNerd World Headquarters in Port Huron, MI. |
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New Boatnerd Gathering Cruises Announced On Saturday, May 26, 2007, we are once again pleased to offer the
Boatnerd Badger Gathering. A round-trip crossing of Lake Michigan from
Ludington, Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin , aboard the Lake Michigan
Carferry SS BADGER. It has been four years since we have been able to make
these arrangements. Don't miss this year's fun cruise. On Saturday, June 16, we will repeat last year’s popular Boatnerd Detroit Up River Cruise aboard the Friendship. This cruise will go up the Detroit River, and possibly into the Rouge River. Departing at 10:00 a.m. sharp from the Portofino's On The River in Wyandotte, MI. Cost is $25.00 per person. This will include passage onboard for three hours and a pizza lunch delivered by the J. W. Westcott mail boat. See Gathering Page for directions, full details and sign up form. We must have a minimum of 50 reservations, and a maximum of 100. On Saturday, August 11, we are following on the popularity of the up river cruise on the Friendship, and have planned a Boatnerd Detroit Down River Cruise for This is a four-hour trip that will go down the Livingston Channel to the Detroit River Light and return via the Amherstburg Channel. Cost is $35.00 per person. This will include passage onboard for four (4) hours and a box lunch. Cash bar on board. See Gathering Page for directions, full details and sign up form. We must have a minimum of 50 reservations, and a maximum of 100. All these trips require advance reservations. Make yours now. Don’t be left out. |
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“Know Your Ships” 2007 Now Available The 2007 edition of “Know Your Ships,” the boat watchers’ annual field
guide to the vessels sailing the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway, is off
the press. The 152-page book, now in its 48th edition, contains detailed
information about nearly 2,000 vessels and includes many color photographs
taken from around the lakes and Seaway. This year’s Vessel of the Year is the
classic steamer Edward L. Ryerson, which unexpectedly returned to service in
2006, much to the delight of boat watchers around the lakes. Order “Know Your
Ships” from www.knowyourships.com for immediate shipment; the book will also
be available at many retail outlets around the Great Lakes as spring
approaches. |
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Updates - March 28 News Photo Gallery updated, and More News Photo Gallery updates Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter - Help keep this site on line. Gatherings Page updated. Calendar of Events updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - March 28 The BENJAMIN F FAIRLESS, Captain H. C. Buckley, was the first boat to
transit the Soo Locks for the 1953 shipping season. |
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Port Reports - March 27 Goderich - Ed. Saliwonchyk Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski |
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Boatnerd Changing Servers 3/27 - Update - The changeover to a new server took place on Monday, March 26 at 11 p.m. If you are reading this message your are viewing the new server. Until the changeover is completed, we will not be able to update the News Photo Gallery. We have all the pictures ready to post and will accept any News pictures that you send it. We should be able to get them all posted early in the week. With our primary server replaced we still are in need of funding to replace the server that hosts the Public Gallery, Links page, etc. These projects are funded by Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping, the 501 (c)(3) non-profit support group for BoatNerd.Com. If you enjoy this site please consider supporting us through our fund raising raffle All tickets sold support these upgrades and pay for our monthly connection charges. Original Article - The server used to host BoatNerd is failing, after 5 years of
faithful service it is time for replacement. Our infrastructure teams have
purchased the new server and have been moving parts of the site over. While
the actual move we make to the other server will be instantaneous, your
service provider may cause you to temporarily display an incorrect page. |
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Digging for history: 3/27 - OGDEN DUNES, Ind. - A local archeological team thinks it is
on the verge of confirming another link between Northwest Indiana and the
underground railroad -- this time in the form of a shipwreck. Barski, who is a member of the team named after Northwest Indiana historian
William Briggs, said the group has begun analyzing the shipwreck and has
combed through historical records in LaPorte and Porter counties for
information about the role the area played in providing fugitive slaves with
an exit route to freedom in Canada. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - March 27 The MATAAFA, Captain Emory A. Massman, opened the Port of Cleveland for the
1947 season. She arrived with a cargo of 375 new automobiles from Detroit. |
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Boatnerd Changing Servers 3/26 - Update - Due to continuing problems, the changeover date to a new server has been moved to Monday, March 26 at 11:00pm. Until the changeover is completed, we will not be able to update the News Photo Gallery. We have all the pictures ready to post and will accept any News pictures that you send it. We should be able to get them all posted early in the week. Original Article - The server used to host BoatNerd is failing, after 5 years of
faithful service it is time for replacement. Our infrastructure teams have
purchased the new server and have been moving parts of the site over. While
the actual move we make to the other server will be instantaneous, your
service provider may cause you to temporarily display an incorrect page. |
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Port Reports - March 26 Soo - Jerry Masson Goderich - Dale Baechler Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey Goderich - Dale Baechler St. Lawrence Seaway - Ron Walsh Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski |
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Today in Great Lakes History - March 26 The Str. JOHN T HUTCHINSON, Captain Harold Jacobsen, upbound for the head
of the lakes, was the first boat of the 1949 shipping season to transit the
Soo Locks. |
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Soo Locks Open to Fog Delays 3/25 - The opening of navigation at the Soo was halted overnight due to thick fog in the river system. Early morning visibility was zero and boats remained in the same place when the locks opened at 12:01 a.m. By mid morning the fog started to lift with visibility between a quarter of a mile to a mile and a half in places. Coast Guard Captain of the Port opened the river to navigation giving the Roger Blough permission to start downbound from the locks. Ready to get underway above the locks downbound was the CSL Laurentian and Michipicoten. Two upbound ships, the Canadian Transport and H Lee White, locked through overnight and were underway in the upper river with cutter Mackinaw. Also upbound in the lower river is Saginaw and Arthur M. Anderson with cutters Mobile Bay and Neah Bay. Water level reading in the upper river was minus 22 inches Sunday morning, the lower river was minus 10 inches. Reported by Jerry Masson |
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Roger Blough to open Soo Locks Season 3/25 - Sault Ste. Marie - Bathed in bright spring sunshine despite the ice below, Roger Blough waited at the west approach pier above the Soo Locks for the stroke of midnight and opening of the Poe Lock for the season. Blough arrived through the broken ice downbound with the season's first load of iron ore early Saturday afternoon to wait out the last few hours before the shipping season opens. Two upbound vessels were in the St. Marys River Saturday afternoon but chose to drop anchor near DeTour, then proceeded up river later in the evening. From the Soo Evening News |
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Port Reports - March 25 St. Marys River - Jerry Masson & Theresa Parker Upbound Saturday evening was the Canadian Transport near Detour and H Lee White in the Straits area. Canadian Transport was heading for the locks at 7:30 p.m. The Cutter Mobile Bay joined the Neah Bay in the lower St Marys River to reopen ice tracks and groom the turns. Cutter Mackinaw was working the upper river out to the ice edge. Further down river the Neah Bay broke through the ice bridge between Neebish Island and the mainland on the down bound St Marys River at the Neebish Island ferry dock area of the river, this is just above rock cut. Locals report that at last check the ice was 32" thick. Neah Bay cut through as if it wasn't even there. Toronto - Charlie Gibbons Marquette - Rod Burdick |
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Ship blessings ring 3/25 - Port Huron - They are vessels that link all nations, provide necessities for life and protect the boundaries of our country. Ships and seafarers - sometimes at great risk - play a vital role in local and world operations and economy. Hundreds gathered Saturday for the first-ever Blessing of the Fleet ceremony outside the Great Lakes Maritime Center at Vantage Point in Port Huron. The event was organized to mark the start of the Great Lakes shipping season, which excites local freighter watchers, who have tired of seeing only ice chunks move down the St. Clair River, said coordinator Peter Werle, lead volunteer at the center. Most Great Lakes freighters cease travel during the winter months when the major ship-canal locks close. The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie open today. Ontario's Welland Canal opened Tuesday and the Montreal/Lake Ontario portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway opened Wednesday. Depending on weather, the U.S. Coast Guard likely will start marking the shipping channel with buoys within two weeks, said Lt. Cmdr. Mike Davanzo, captain of the Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock. At Saturday's event, three Port Huron pastors stood along the St. Clair River and gave formal thanks for the ships and seafarers and prayed for their safety. "We give thanks for all the resources of the Earth and sea and for the ships that distribute them," said the Rev. Simeon Iber, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church in Port Huron, as he faced a large crowd standing on the maritime center's deck. "We thank God for those on whose labor we depend for the necessities of life; for seafarers and all who leave their homes and communities to serve others; for the skills of seamanship; for modern aids to navigation and for all engaged in the shipping industry." As Iber and others spoke, the freighter, Cuyahoga, moved behind him, heading north toward the Blue Water Bridge. The U.S. Naval Sea Cadet ship Grayfox, lined with standing sailors, sat in the river as part of the ceremony. Werle said he wants to enhance the event next year by having Selfridge Air Force Base jets flyover and several choirs perform. He said he arranged the ceremony to get people down to the water and recognize the city's maritime heritage. "It's one of those things we are trying to reclaim." Honoring seafarers A graduate of The California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, Calf., Bousseloub has traveled all over the world navigating ships and handling cargo. He's delivered war supplies to Kuwait and transported giant windmill blades from Spain to Philadelphia. "I have two homes, here and on a ship," he said Saturday after the ceremony. It can be a risky job, he said. "Every day there is a new experience that could be a dangerous experience." For him, there is no shipping season. He spends most of his time on the ocean and travels all year. For those who work the Great Lakes, there is a break from sea travel. Capt. Billy Cline of the International Ship Masters' Association works for Gaelic Tugboat Co. in Detroit. Cline of Kimball Township has been laid off this winter and begins work again in the next couple of weeks. Cline, who has been sailing for more than 30 years on the Great Lakes, rang a bell at the ceremony Saturday to honor fallen seamen. U.S. Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Mike Chandler, operations officer on the Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock, and Port Huron Power Squadron Commander Rudy Sloup also tolled the bell to honor those who have died. To help keep other from the same fate, the ceremony participants prayed for seafarers' safety. "Bless these ships and these boats, the equipment and all who serve on them and who would use them. Protect them from the dangers of wind and rain and of the perils of the deep. Bring us all to the harbor of light and peace," said the Rev. Peggy Konkel, pastor at Unity Church of Blue Water. From the Port Huron Times-Herald |
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Boatnerd Changing Servers 3/25 - The server used to host BoatNerd is failing, after 5 years of
faithful service it is time for replacement. Our infrastructure teams have
purchased the new server and have been moving parts of the site over. While
the actual move we make to the other server will be instantaneous, your
service provider may cause you to temporarily display an incorrect page. |
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No Saturday News Photo Updates 3/25 - Due to server problems (see above article) we have not been able to post the News Gallery pictures received Friday and Saturday, and we have received some good shots. We hope to have the problems worked out shortly and be able to get everything posted. Keep sending in your pictures. We will get upload them as soon as possible. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - March 25 The AMASA STONE was christened in ceremonies at Wyandotte, Michigan. The
STONE was the first Interlake boat to be built with special passenger
accommodations. Hull in use as a dock in Charlevoix, Michigan. |
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Port Reports - March 24 Toronto - Charlie Gibbons Twin Ports - Al Miller St. Lawrence Seaway - Ron Beaupre Bayfield - Tim Eldred |
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U.S.-Flag Lakers to Combat Spread of Fish Virus 3/24 - Cleveland---The members of Lake Carriers’ Association (LCA)
are implementing a ballast water management plan to help slow the spread of
Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) to uninfected Great Lakes waters in 2007.
Lake Carriers’ Association represents the vast majority of U.S.-Flag vessels
operating on the Great Lakes. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - March 24 ALPENA (Hull#177) was launched on March 24, 1909, at Wyandotte, Michigan by
Detroit Ship Building Co. for the Wyandotte Transportation Co. Renamed b.)
SIDNEY E SMITH JR in 1968, and c.) ALPENA in 1971. Scrapped at Port Colborne,
Ontario in 1973. |
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Port Reports - March 23 Goderich - Dale Baechler Sarnia - Frank Frisk, Angie Williams & Marc Dease Escanaba - Rod Burdick Cleveland - Matt St. Lawrence Seaway - Ron Beaupre |
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Maritime students on Wisconsin schooner rescue 3 off Florida Keys 3/23 - ISLAMORADA, Fla. - Maritime academy students on an excursion aboard a Wisconsin-based schooner got a real-life lesson early Thursday when they rescued three fishermen who were clinging to a sinking boat off the Florida Keys. The 16 students from the Riviera Beach (Fla.) Maritime Academy were on the Denis Sullivan, a 19th-century replica Great Lakes schooner, as part of a 10-day nautical and marine science expedition. They were with teachers and the crew of the ship when they heard a "May Day" call from a 33-foot fishing boat with three men aboard saying they were sinking about 11 miles southeast of Islamorada, according to a statement from the Coast Guard. While the Coast Guard dispatched rescue crews to the scene, students and teachers on the 137-foot, three-masted schooner saw distress flares fired in the air and made their way to the sinking ship just after midnight. A crew member eventually pulled two of the men to safety and a third man was able to swim to the ship's ladder, the Coast Guard said. The three men, taken ashore by Coast Guard boat, were transported to Mariner's Hospital near Marathon. Two had serious injuries and the condition of the third man was not available. The fishermen's vessel punched a 1-foot hole in the schooner's hull while the rescue was under way. Coast Guard crews temporarily repaired the hole with help from the students, and the ship continued on its way to Key West. The Denis Sullivan is on a winter cruise in southern waters before making the return trip through the St. Lawrence Seaway to Milwaukee for the summer. The vessel is based at Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin in Milwaukee. |
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Free program announced at Great Lakes Maritime Center for Saturday 3/23 - Port Huron - Saturday night, March 24, at 7:00 pm, at the Great Lakes Maritime Center at Vantage Point in Port Huron, the program, "River Rat Chasing!" will be presented by the Lake Huron Lore Marine Society. The program is free and open to the public. |
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Diamond Queen Memorial Day Cruise to Port Huron 3/23 - Detroit - The annual Memorial Day Diamond Queen cruise departs from Hart Plaza, on May 28, and cruises to the St. Clair Inn for dinner and out into Lake Huron a short distance, weather permitting. There is a Continental breakfast and a buffet luncheon on board. The cruise will follow the shipping channel upbound to meet all downbound ships, and only divert from the shipping channel down bound to visit the old St. Clair Flats area to see the Old Club and other interesting buildings and sites there. Tickets are $85 by reservation only. Departs Hart Plaza at 8:00 am and returns at 9:15 pm. Call 313-843-9376 for information. |
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Updates - March 23 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter - Help keep this site on line. Gatherings Page updated. Calendar of Events updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - March 23 The National Transportation Safety Board unanimously voted on March
23,1978, to reject the U. S. Coast Guard's official report supporting the
theory of faulty hatches in their EDMUND FITZGERALD investigation. Later the
N.T.S.B. revised its verdict and reached a majority vote to agree that the
sinking was caused by taking on water through one or more hatch covers damaged
by the impact of heavy seas over her deck. This is contrary to the Lake
Carriers Association's contention that her foundering was caused by flooding
through bottom and ballast tank damage resulting from bottoming on the Six
Fathom Shoal between Caribou and Michipicoten Islands. |
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Ceremony to bless the fleet will be Saturday in Port Huron 3/22 - Port Huron - Three local pastors and representatives from the International Ship Masters Association will lead a "blessing of the fleet" ceremony at 11:00 am, Saturday at the Great Lakes Maritime Center at Vantage Point, 51 Water St., Port Huron. Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Port Huron Power Squadron, the Sea Scouts and the Sea Cadets will be on hand. There will be performances from singers and a Detroit pipe band. For additional information, call Peter Werle at (810) 985-4817 |
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BoatNerd Soo Locks Engineer's Day Cruise date changed to Friday 3/22 - Due to a scheduling conflict, we have changed the Annual Engineer's Weekend Freighter Chasing Cruise to Friday, June 29. See the Gathering Page for complete details. |
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First ships of spring set sail 3/22 - Port Huron - Closed since mid-January for winter maintenance, three major ship-canal locks are opening this week. The Welland Canal opened Tuesday, the Montreal/Lake Ontario portion of the St. Lawrence Seaway opened Wednesday and the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie will open Sunday. Freighter crews are gearing up for the shipping season after taking a winter break during the lock closures. The season is expected to bring a mix of high demand and low Great Lakes water levels, which could cut profits. Although some freighters continued to traverse the St. Clair River this winter carrying heating oil from Nanticoke, Ontario, and salt from Goderich, Ontario, many stop shipping in winter because of restricted access to ports. Crews work hard from March to January on the freighters, which carry cargo such as iron ore, limestone and steel throughout the Great Lakes region and around the world. "It's tough work," said Frank Frisk, a retired cook-porter with the Interlake Steamship Co. who now works at BoatNerd.com in Port Huron. But journeying through the locks is exhilarating. "When you're standing out there on deck or the pilot house and the boat moves that 30 feet, it's really wild," he said. Mark Gill, supervisor of the vessel traffic service for St. Marys River near the Soo Locks, said crews will be working hard until Sunday breaking up ice to allow ship passage. There has been more ice this year than last year, he said. "It's been a tough year on the breakers themselves. We're certainly going to have an uphill battle looking toward Sunday," he said. Big business While Monday's recorded water level for the Lake Michigan-Huron system was 577.2 feet above sea level, close to the average reading for March 2006, the water level on Lake Superior could play the biggest role in shipping this year, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Detroit. The water level in Lake Superior, which last week measured 14 inches below the March 2006 average, could fall within 3 or 4 inches of the record low by summer's end. The Corps of Engineers is forecasting a water level similar to last summer for the Lake Michigan-Huron system. But even a variation of a few inches can reduce the profit for shipping companies. A typical freighter has the ability to carry 270 tons of cargo per inch of water, which means several hundred thousands of dollars can be lost if the water level is down several inches. "You'll end up seeing low freighter passages, because they won't be able to carry their maximum load to their destinations," Gill said. Frisk said the water levels are cyclical and that long periods of low water may be caused by global warming. Despite seasonal struggles, local economies benefit from the shipping season, Frisk said, as ship watchers travel throughout the region watching freighters. He said freighter traffic, a major tourist draw to the Port Huron area, remains popular. "It's magnetic. Its like NASCAR on the water," Frisk said. Ballast law By getting a permit, the shipping company agrees it will not discharge its ballast in Michigan waterways or that it will use a state-approved method to clean the ballast water. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality will not allow ships to stop in Michigan ports if they do not have the permit, said spokesman Bob McCann. Ballast is water, mixed with sediment and seaweed, the weight of which keeps ships stable during voyages. It's been identified as the medium that's carried invasive species, such as zebra mussels, ruffe fish and viral hemorrhagic septicemia - a quick-spreading virus from Europe that's deadly to fish. There are 182 invasive species plaguing the Great Lakes, spurring the conservation group Great Lakes United to propose a ban on overseas ships in the Great Lakes until they learn how to stop discharging contaminated ballast water. The shipping industry is concerned about the Michigan law's effect on business, said Bob Dorn, senior vice president of the Interlake Steamship Co. in Cleveland. "We're working with (the Lake Carriers Association) and the appropriate people in Lansing to understand what the issue is all about and get a little more clarification," Dorn said. "Clearly it's an issue that must be addressed without stopping commerce." From the Port Huron Times-Herald |
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Port Reports - March 22 Soo - Jerry Masson Milwaukee - John Vogel St. Lawrence Seaway - Kent Malo Hamilton - Eric Holmes Goderich - Duane Jessup & Dale Baechler |
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Pentwater, Manistee out of luck for
dredging this year 3/22 - Ludington - Recreational boats and freighters may have trouble entering some Great Lakes harbors, including Pentwater and Manistee this year, thanks to a loss of federal funding for dredging. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers budget does not include any money for dredging recreational harbors, including Pentwater, Arcadia and Leland, which shoal every year and typically are dredged every year. Manistee, which has a commercial harbor, also appears to be out of luck. While the city was on the Corps’ three-year schedule for dredging this summer, the Corps’ Washington, D.C., budget office didn’t include money for the work to be done. Still, there may be hope for Manistee. “There are some issues still being worked out,” said Tom O’Bryan, a civil
engineer in the Corps’ Grand Haven office. “Manistee was submitted, but during
budget cuts it didn’t make the cut,” he said. “Our district is quite aware of
(Manistee harbor’s need for dredging), but there was no money set aside.” Pentwater Village Manager Tim Taylor said the village will do its own profiling of the harbor situation to find out how much shoaling has occurred since last year. “We’re going to have to do that ourselves,” Taylor said, “to see where we have obstructions.” Even if there is shoaling, there is no funding available currently for removal. The harbor should be dredged to 15 feet deep to allow sailboats and other large boats to use the busy port, Taylor said. “It is disappointing,” he said of hearing the news about the lack of federal funding. “It’s a crushing blow to our community if we have problems. The lake is our commerce.” All of the state’s recreational harbors lost dredging funds in order to keep more commercial harbor projects on the schedule as commercial ports are considered more of a national interest, O’Bryan said. “Obviously, recreational harbors bring in millions of tourist dollars, but Washington does not look at it that way. Commercial harbors provide products … it’s a more national issue than tourism.” Ludington was dredged on schedule, once every three years, in 2007. The contractor MCM Marine is still in the local harbor, planning to finish up its 2006 work this spring, as soon as the weather allows. That may work in Ludington’s favor, since federal budget cuts mean the harbor is being dredged to only 27.5 feet instead of the usual 29.5 feet, O’Bryan said. After this spring’s work the next Ludington dredging should take place in 2009. Ludington will receive about $177,000 in Corps’ project money for maintenance to the head of the south breakwater for about two weeks during the summer. U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, hosted a meeting in Muskegon for area municipalities in February, saying he was still working to try to secure the funding. This week, upon learning that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not include in its 2007 budget funding for recreational harbor projects throughout Michigan, he issued the following statement: “My staff and I work hard every year to ensure that all harbors are adequately dredged for commercial and recreational watercraft in Michigan’s Second Congressional District, and every year up until now we have been successful. I will continue to aggressively work with the Democratic leadership in the House and Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin in the Senate to achieve more positive outcomes.” |
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Updates - March 22 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter - Help keep this site on line. Gatherings Page updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - March 22 On this day in 1952, the new 647 foot CASON J CALLAWAY slid down the ways
at the Rouge River yard of Great Lakes Engineering Works. Chris H. Johnson was
appointed her first Captain. |
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Detroit Historical Society to re-open the
Dossin Great Lakes Museum 3/21 - Detroit— After an extremely successful 10-week renovation and
Grand Re-Opening last fall at its flagship Detroit Historical Museum, the
Detroit Historical Society has turned its attention to the Dossin Great Lakes
Museum in the new year. When guests visit the Dossin Museum this spring, they will notice more than $100,000 in upgrades, including the following new exhibits: Era of Elegance: Cruising on the Lakes will bring together artifacts, photographs, and stories to recall a time when luxurious steamers sailed the Great Lakes – forerunners of today’s modern cruise lines. Maritime Marvels will display a treasury of Great Lakes artifacts
from the Museum’s extensive collection. Bob-Lo: Entertainment Island brings
back the memories and magic of the iconic amusement park that entertained
millions of Detroiters from 1898 to 1993. Great Lakes Signal Flags
demonstrates how sailors in the region communicate using these colorful
banners and gives visitors the chance to send their own messages. At that time, Walter, Roy, and Russell Dossin pledged part of their fortune
-- earned as owners of the exclusive Pepsi-Cola bottling franchise in Michigan
and northern Ohio – and their fame -- as sponsors of several legendary
hydroplane racing boats -- to build a new museum. On July 24, 1961, the Dossin
Great Lakes Museum opened to the public on the same site where the J. T. Wing
had been moored. Permanent exhibits include the Miss Pepsi vintage 1940s championship hydroplane, a bow anchor from the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, the pilothouse from the Great Lakes freighter S.S. William Clay Ford, and the largest known collection of scale model ships in the world . For more information, call (313) 821-2661 or visit www.detroithistorical.org . |
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Thunder Bay Shipping outlook good 3/21 - Thunder Bay, Ont. - One of the sure signs of spring is seeing
a coast guard cutter breaking up the ice in the Thunder Bay harbour for the
start of the shipping season by week’s end. That would be the United States
Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay, which is currently opening shipping channels
in the harbour. |
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Port Reports - March 21 Midland - Les Spencer Hamilton - Eric Holmes |
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Great Lakes group urges foreign ship ban
3/21 - Milwaukee - The St. Lawrence Seaway opened for its 49th consecutive season Wednesday, but not everyone is thrilled about another summer of overseas ships doing business in the Great Lakes. Frustrated by the mounting number of invasive species arriving in the bellies of overseas freighters, some conservationists are proposing a simple but radical solution: Ban the ships from the Great Lakes until they can figure out how to stop discharging contaminated ballast water. "This is being done out of frustration," said Jennifer Nalbone of the conservation group Great Lakes United. "This is a decision
we've made because the federal government has failed to protect the Great
Lakes." Dean Haen, president of the Wisconsin Commercial Ports Association, said he supported federal legislation to regulate contaminated ballast discharges, but finding the technology remained a challenge. "If our state wants to do anything with regards to ballast water, I'd suggest they help fund research to develop technology to stop invasive species and keep the economy moving," he said. Nalbone said there were alternatives to moving foreign cargo into the region, among them transferring it from overseas ships onto trains. She said it might be inconvenient, but it made economic and environmental sense because of the costs of coping with the unwanted species that overseas ships are bringing in. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
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Shippers fight Michigan law regulating ballast water 3/21 - Detroit - Shipping interests in the U.S. and Canada have banded together to try to strike down a Michigan law that attempts to stop the spread of invasive species such as zebra mussels into the Great Lakes. Four shipping companies, four shipping associations and one dock company filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Detroit asking a judge to declare the Michigan Ballast Water Act unconstitutional. "It's disappointing that these groups are choosing to ignore this law that really is designed to keep our Great Lakes protected," Michigan Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Robert McCann said today. The state law, which took effect Jan. 1 as the first such law in the nation, requires all oceangoing ships visiting Michigan ports to obtain permits and to promise not to discharge untreated ballast water. Ballast water, used to stabilize ships when they are carrying little or no cargo, is typically taken on after ships empty their cargo and emptied before ships take on cargo. Foreign ballast water has been blamed for introducing destructive species such as zebra mussels and sea lamprey to Great Lakes waters. The shippers, including the Seaway Great Lakes Trade Association and the U.S. Great Lakes Shipping Association, argue in the lawsuit filed Thursday the law is unconstitutional because it interferes with interstate commerce. They also say it casts much too wide a net because only a tiny fraction of the fewer than 100 ships that visit Michigan ports each year discharge their ballast water. So far, only two companies have sought permits for 12 ships -- a Bulgarian company sought permits for 10 ships and an Ontario company for two ships, officials said. State Sen. Patty Birkholz, R-Saugatuck, said she introduced her legislation
after the federal government failed to act against the obvious source for
invasive species entering the Great Lakes. "I am just shocked," Birkholz said
of the suit by the shippers. "If anything, we ought to be suing them." |
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Updates - March 21 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter - Help keep this site on line. Gatherings Page updated. Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - March 21 The J L MAUTHE successfully completed her sea trials on western Lake Erie
in 1953. She achieved a speed of 17.3 mph during the trials. The hull of the
MAUTHE sails today as the barge PATHFINDER. |