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Last Day to Order Your Tickets for the BoatNerd Freighter Trip raffle 5/31 - This is the last day to order your tickets for the BoatNerd Freighter Trip Raffle. If you are the lucky winner you could be cruising the Great Lakes later this summer on a working freighter, or enjoying one of the 11 other prizes. Online orders must be received by 7 p.m. May 31. Your ticket(s) will be promptly mailed to you. In person purchases will be accepted until 1:00 pm on the day of the drawing. Drawing will take place at 2 p.m. on June 2 at the BoatNerd.Com World Headquarters in Port Huron, MI. Winners need not be present at drawing to win and will be notified by mail and/or phone. |
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Port Reports - May 31 Marquette - Rod Burdick Toledo Docks - Bob Vincent |
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June 2 is deadline to make reservations
5/31 - A 3-hour freighter chasing cruise on the lower Detroit River aboard the luxurious Friendship, driven by Capt. Sam Buchanan. Cruise leaves the Portofino's On The River restaurant, in Wyandotte, MI at 10:00 am on June 16. We'll go where the boats are, maybe up the Rouge River. Bring your camera. To make the trip even more interesting, a pizza buffet will be delivered by the mail boat J. W. Westcott. Cash bar on board. Plenty of free, safe parking at Portofino's. Click here for directions. All this for only $25.00. Limited to the first 100 reservations. We must have a minimum of 50 paid reservations, or the cruise will be canceled and checks returned. Checks and reservations must be received no later than June 2, 2007. Click here for Reservations Form. Checks will not be cashed until the week before the cruise. No physical tickets will be issued. Your name will be on the Boarding List. Details on the Gatherings Page. Mail your reservation and check today to: |
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Government wants new caretaker for light tower 5/31 - Duluth - Wanted: A new caretaker for one of Duluth’s most visible but often-overlooked landmarks, the light tower on Park Point. In an age of global positioning systems and sophisticated radar, the 106-year-old black and white light tower on the south breakwater — right next to the Aerial Lift Bridge — has outlived its usefulness, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The tower’s fans say it provides ambience and has historical value. And while it can’t be moved or host a commercial enterprise, it will be made available at no cost to any qualifying government agency as well as a nonprofit, school or community development organization, according to an entry in the Federal Register. The group must use it for educational, recreational or historic preservation purposes. “I just recently heard this was going to happen,” Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson wrote in an e-mail Wednesday to the News Tribune. “We should save it if we have the ability.” The government listed the 68-foot-tall light tower, which has a cylindrical staircase inside, as “excess to the needs of the U.S. government.” But if a new caretaker isn’t found, the light won’t be going to the scrap heap, said Victor Kotwicki of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Detroit. It will be placed back into the federal government’s inventory until it tries to find another taker, he said. Despite a notice of the light tower’s availability in the News Tribune on May 16, Arthur Ullenberg of the U.S. General Services Administration in Chicago said his agency hasn’t received any applications. The deadline is July 2. Ullenberg said a potential owner must fill out a comprehensive application that covers issues such as financial backing and historic preservation or restoration plans. Dennis Gimmestad of the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul also is involved in finding a new owner. He said all the federal agencies are looking to unload property and cut their budgets. He noted a similar public/private partnership with the lighthouse in Two Harbors. “If we don’t find anyone interested in it, then we look at alternative ways to preserve it,” Gimmestad said. “I hope they won’t tear it down. I haven’t heard that in any discussions.” The tower is on the National Register of Historic Places and is protected by the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. Gimmestad said that means the protective rules are flexible enough that the light tower can be rehabilitated and not require more extensive and expensive restoration. A new owner would be responsible for maintaining its structural integrity and appearance. “We know from experience that there are people out there willing to do a lot to restore these structures,” Kotwicki said. “We normally receive two or three applicants.” The tower’s flashing 35-watt halogen lamp can be seen from 17 miles away, according to the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Canal Park. The Duluth-based U.S. Coast Guard services the light once a year. The structure has a pyramidal steel skeleton frame, with a round lantern room at the top. It was built before the days of welding, so its parts were joined entirely with rivets. The steel tower replaced a wooden lighthouse built in 1889, according to museum records. There are lighthouses on both ends of the Lake Superior-side piers. The one on the Park Point side flashes green, and boat captains and pilots can line up the green light with the light tower to establish a route to the Duluth ship canal, said Thom Holden, director of the maritime museum. The lighthouse on the Canal Park side strobes both a white light to warn stray ships from the rocky shore and a red light to keep them from hitting the concrete pier, Holden said. Kotwicki said it became obsolete because the Coast Guard can just set a pole in the water with electronics to accomplish the same functions. He said the Coast Guard would be willing to maintain the light, but the new owner would be responsible for everything else. Holden said the light tower also has great value for the nautical ambience it brings to the area. Duluth’s Carolyn Sundquist, who serves on the board of advisers for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said there haven’t been any serious discussions in local preservation circles yet about the structure. “The shipping maritime history is so important to this area, we would hope that a group would step up and take care of the preservation of the lighthouse,” Sundquist said. “It will be interesting what will happen.” To apply From the Duluth News Tribune |
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Updates - May 31 News Photo Gallery updated. A special Badger Boatnerd Gathering Photo Gallery. Calendar of Events updated Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 31 On this day in 1950, the WILFRED SYKES arrived at Indiana Harbor at 4:20
p.m. with 17,655 tons of ore in her holds. The SYKES set a new speed record by
traveling from Superior, Wisconsin to Indiana Harbor in 54 hours and 35
minutes. |
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Great Lakes Iron Ore Trade Skips a Beat in
April 5/30 - Cleveland---The Great Lakes iron ore trade totaled 5.7
million net tons in April, a decrease of 4 percent compared to a year ago. |
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Port Reports - May 30 Marquette - Rod Burdick Marquette - Lee Rowe Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer |
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Fake Tug Captain Jailed for 30 Months 5/30 - South Bend, IL - The operator of a Great Lakes tug that sank
in Lake Michigan has been sentenced to 30 months in prison on a variety of
charges – including operating the vessel with a forged master’s license. |
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DeTour Reef Light Station Crib Model will be on Display June 9-10 5/30 – DeTour Village - The DeTour Reef Light Preservation Society (DRLPS) has recently completed a wooden scale model of the historic DeTour Reef Light Station’s unique crib foundation and plans to display the model, in cooperation with the Eastern Upper Peninsula Fine Arts Council (EUPFAC) and the Drummond Island Historical Society (DIHS), at two locations at the eastern end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The lighthouse crib model will be on display Saturday, June 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in DeTour Village at the EUPFAC Arts & Cultural Community Center on Ontario Street located behind the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The model will also be on display on Drummond Island on Sunday, June 10, from noon until 6:00 p.m. at the Drummond Island Historical Society’s Museum located on Water Street. John Covell, the DRLPS volunteer who built the exquisite model, will be on hand to answer questions and deliver a short talk hourly on the history of the crib and the building of the model. Everyone is invited to attend the informative event and admission is free. Crib Model Covell, a tour guide on the lighthouse tours, is especially pleased that we
can at last show people what is holding the lighthouse up. He says “It’s the
one thing we can’t show folks when they come out to visit the lighthouse. Now
we can have an accurate model of the crib which was built using original U.S.
Lighthouse Service drawings of 1930. We hope it’s the first in a series of
models that will be on display in the lighthouse.” The model will be placed on
permanent display at the Lighthouse in mid-June. The DRL is a unique example of the crib foundation lighthouse type. It sits atop a 60’ by 60’ square by 22’ tall box-like wooden crib built with 180,000 board feet of lumber. This crib was assembled onshore at DeTour Village and towed to the lighthouse’s designated location. Once there, it was sunk onto a 75’ by 75’ square leveled bed of crushed rock. The crib’s interior compartments were filled with rock and the outer ones with concrete. Additional concrete was poured around its base forming an apron, and rock riprap was placed on top and beyond the concrete apron to further protect the structure. |
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Remembering the Escanaba 5/30 - Bay City - Her name was known in every port of the Great Lakes. She was both a rescue ship and an ice breaker. She was born in peacetime in Bay City and died in war. And on Memorial Day, it's appropriate to remember the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba. Hundreds of Bay City men worked for 11 months at the Defoe Boat and Motor Works to complete construction of the 165-foot cutter in September 1932, and she was commissioned a month later during festive ceremonies at the shipyard. It was the height of the Great Depression and the contract to construct the Escanaba and a sister ship was a boon to the area's economy, giving work to hundreds of men. The ship, though named for a town in the Upper Peninsula, became part of Bay City and part of its people. So it was with great shock and sorrow that the news flashed to local residents in June 1943 that the Escanaba, transferred to the U.S. Navy as part of its Atlantic Fleet to screen convoys between the U.S. or Canada and Greenland, had gone down with all hands but two. ''I know it was sad when the Escanaba was lost,'' said Don Comtois, of the Saginaw River Marine Historical Society. ''She had a sister ship constructed here, launched in 1934, the Onondaga. That ship had the same dimensions as the Escanaba. She ended up in the war in the Pacific, primarily in the Seattle area.'' He said the Escanaba was one of many ships constructed by Defoe that saw duty during World War II. The death of the Escanaba and her crew was a front-page banner headline in The Times, providing as much information about the ship's unfortunate end as could be pried from the War Department. The death of the proud Coast Guard vessel affected many people across the state, especially those in Grand Haven where the Escanaba had been stationed prior to the war and would have returned once the war was concluded. Coast Guard reports show that a memorial service attended by 20,000 people was held in Grand Haven after the news of the sinking. To this day, the ship and crew are honored every year during a Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven. Some artifacts from the ship are on display there. According to Coast Guard reports, the Escanaba, which joined the Atlantic Fleet in January 1942, had encountered a number of German submarines during patrols and often used depth charges - large barrels of explosives that detonated under water at various depths - to damage or sink the subs. It is likely that the Escanaba scored two kills of submarines while protecting a convoy in June 1942, although no official confirmation was ever obtained from the German records. The Escanaba crew of 103 men also went into action on several missions when ships were hit by torpedoes and sank, causing hundreds of crewmen to swim in frigid waters hoping to be rescued. On Feb. 3, 1943, the Escanaba rescued a number of crewmen from the SS Dorchester while on a run from St. Johns, Newfoundland, to Greenland. The crew of the Escanaba discovered that the men in the water were either unconscious or suffering so badly from hypothermia that they could not even grab a rescue line. So men from the Escanaba developed a method used later in the war by others to climb down the side of the ships on rope ladders to latch onto floating bodies, secure lines to them and haul them aboard the ship. Hundreds of lives were saved including 38 men out of 50 who were believed to be dead and floating in the water but were revived once aboard the Escanaba. The luck of the Escanaba ran out in the early morning darkness of June 13, 1943, two days out from Greenland enroute to St. Johns, when crewmen from other ships saw a large cloud rise from the spot of the ship. There had been an explosion and it sank in 3 minutes. When the rescue ships pulled within range, they found two men out of 103 still alive. Helmsman Raymond F. O'Malley of Chicago was one of the survivors and he reported hearing three or four bursts of what he thought were from a machine gun. No one ever knew for sure if a gun was fired or if what he heard was the amplified sound through loudspeakers of a torpedo in the water. The other man to survive the ordeal was Boatswain's Mate Melvin A. Baldwin of Staples, Minn. Both he and O'Malley now are deceased, with O'Malley passing away in March. The Coast Guard reported later that if it was not a torpedo strike, it could have been a mine or even an accident internally that caused the ship's magazine to explode. The explosion tore the vessel apart, based on reports at the time. Commanding the ship was Lt. Cmdr. Carl U. Peterson of Newtonville, Mass., who went down with the ship. Three other sailors were from west Michigan. Another Bay City-built Coast Guard cutter, the Raritan, was close to the Escanaba and picked up the two survivors. The German reports indicate there were at least six U-boats in the area at the time and it isn't known if one of them fired a torpedo. While four of the sub logs indicated no firings at that time, two other subs had been sunk and never reported back. The Escanaba also plays a prominent role in the Grand Haven Coast Guard station, says Lt. Cmdr. Steve Lowe. The history of the Escanaba serves as inspiration for the young Coast Guard personnel on the Great Lakes, especially those in Grand Haven. ''In fact, the park across the street from the station is called Escanaba Park and that's where we hold a service each year in memory of the Escanaba and crew,'' Lowe said. From the Bay City Times |
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Final week to Order Your Tickets for the BoatNerd Freighter Trip raffle 5/30 - This is the last week to order your tickets for the BoatNerd Freighter Trip Raffle. If you are the lucky winner you could be cruising the Great Lakes later this summer on a working freighter or enjoying one of the 11 other prizes. Drawing will take place at 2 p.m. on June 2 at the BoatNerd.Com World Headquarters in Port Huron, MI. Online orders must be received by 7 p.m. May 31 and in person purchases will be accepted until 1:00 pm on the day of the drawing. Your ticket(s) will be promptly mailed to you. Winners need not be present at drawing to win and will be notified by mail and/or phone. |
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Updates - May 30 News Photo Gallery updated. A special Badger Boatnerd Gathering Photo Gallery. Calendar of Events updated Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 30 On 30 May 1896, ALGERIA (3-mast wooden schooner-barge, 285 foot, 2,038
gross tons) was launched by J. Davidson (Hull #75) at West Bay City, Michigan.
She lasted until 1906, when she foundered near Cleveland, Ohio. |
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Labor strike continues to idle freighters 5/29 - Sarnia - The three Great Lakes freighters that have been sitting idle since their crews went on a labor strike May 10 have racked up a $5,000 bill for the Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Co. Matt Burke, editor of the American Maritime Officers' newsletter, said contract negotiations between the union and the Lakewood, Ohio, steamship company have ceased. Burke said the crews won't go back to work without an agreement. Until then, the Wolverine, the David Z and the Earl W, 630-feet long, self-unloading bulk carriers, will remain moored at the docks south of the Blue Water Bridge at a cost of $268 a day. The "river class" ships carry ore, stone and coal throughout the Great Lakes. Chuck Canestraight, president of Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company,
said it's logical to keep the freighters at the dock because they aren't
interfering with commercial trade and are close to a marine service yard.
It's similar to having the vessels moored for the winter, he said, expect the
company is supposed to be making money this time of year. Union members want the company to agree to the same contract other Great Lakes operators have signed. Canestraight has said those companies deal with larger-capacity vessels with which his company cannot compete. In August 2006, the Wolverine, the David Z and the Earl W were sold from the Oglebay Norton Marine Services Co. to Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Co. for $18.7 million. They're managed by Lower Lakes Transportation Co. of Williamsville, N.Y. From the Port Huron Times-Herald |
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Port Reports - May 29 Alpena - Ben & Chanda McClain Marquette - Rod Burdick Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski Holland - Bob VandeVusse Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey Saginaw Bay - Ross Ruehle |
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Abino lighthouse in spotlight again with debate over access contract 5/29 - Buffalo - Some Canadians feel foreign guests are keeping them from a piece of their own history. The Point Abino lighthouse in Fort Erie, Ont., erected in 1917, was declared a Canadian national historic site in 1998. The lighthouse sits at the tip of Point Abino on northeastern Lake Erie. The only access road is the private property of the Point Abino Association, a homeowners group that maintains a community of 58 residents, most of them Americans. Renewal of a contract allowing public access was about to be a done deal, until Crystal Beach resident Harvey Glenn condemned the agreement at a Town Council meeting last Monday. “It is too restrictive and one-sided,” Glenn said. The Council postponed its decision for a week and will meet again today to determine a new, four-year deal with the association. The proposed contract allowed individuals to visit the five-story lighthouse on foot or by bicycle on weekdays and weekends from June 21 until Labor Day between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. — if they sign a waiver promising to abide by rules drawn up by the association. “You know the Golden Rule?” asked Glenn. “He who holds the gold makes the rules, and right now that’s the PAA. If no one said anything, that contract would have been signed, sealed and delivered.” After reviewing the contract, Glenn felt the association was asking for too much. “I can’t see a lawyer in the world saying, ‘Go ahead; sign the waiver.’ I found a lot of holes in that agreement,” he said. He said the newly drafted contract frees the homeowners association of any possible liability that may ensue with public visits and even restricts how visitors can talk when making the walk from the front gate to the lighthouse. The association also allows minibus and trolley vehicles to transport visitors to and from the lighthouse and keeper’s dwelling during visitation hours. The town also pays the association an annual fee of $4,000 for use of the private road that leads to the lighthouse. Paul Kassay, also against the agreement, has no idea how the money is used. “I don’t know where it goes, but it is a way to control.” He doesn’t think the town should sign any agreement with the homeowners’ group. “They are telling Canadians what to do,” Kassay said. “These people certainly display no shortage of arrogance. Do they forget that they are guests in a foreign country?” “Personally, I am disappointed that the local or federal government has not designated that road a public road. It is a sore point for the local people. They just can’t get there.” A spokesperson from the association who did not want identified said he
doesn’t understand Glenn’s opposition to the contract. “Our objective is to be
friendly to our neighbors,” he said. “Joggers often sign fulltime visiting
agreements. All people have to do is ask. It is really a non-issue.” “We don’t want to take anyone’s privacy away,” Truckenbrodt said. “But this
negates our Charter of Rights and Freedom.” “It is really sad that is has come
to this because [the lighthouse] has been an American and Canadian playground.
We had such a wonderful rapport together.” |
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June 2 is deadline to make reservations for BoatNerd Detroit Up River Cruise A 3-hour freighter chasing cruise on the lower Detroit River aboard the luxurious Friendship, driven by Capt. Sam Buchanan. Cruise leaves the Portofino's On The River restaurant, in Wyandotte, MI at 10:00 am on June 16. We'll go where the boats are, maybe up the Rouge River. Bring your camera. To make the trip even more interesting, a pizza buffet will be delivered by the mail boat J. W. Westcott. Cash bar on board. Plenty of free, safe parking at Portofino's. Click here for directions. All this for only $25.00. Limited to the first 100 reservations. We must have a minimum of 50 paid reservations, or the cruise will be canceled and checks returned. Checks and reservations must be received no later than June 2, 2007. Click here for Reservations Form. Checks will not be cashed until the week before the cruise. No physical tickets will be issued. Your name will be on the Boarding List. Mail your reservation and check today to: |
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Updates - May 29 News Photo Gallery updated. A special Badger Boatnerd Gathering Photo Gallery. Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 29 The 71-foot tug and patrol boat CARTER H HARRISON was launched at Chicago,
Illinois on 29 May 1901, for the City of Chicago Police Department. |
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Port Reports - May 28 Hamilton Eric Holmes |
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Port Authority board to take SS Boyer
under its wing 5/28 - The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority's board of directors
agreed yesterday to take responsibility from the city for the SS Willis B.
Boyer museum ship. |
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Two Failures Do Not End Dreams of a Rochester-to-Toronto Ferry 5/28 - Rochester, NY - Two years ago, this city of 190,000 people — with more per-capita murders, high school dropouts and children living in poverty than any other in the state — paid $32 million for a high-speed ferry. It was considered a way to help revive the local economy by shuttling thousands of passengers a day to and from Canada, across Lake Ontario. The idea was not a new one, and a recent, short-lived attempt gave cause for concern about the city’s venture. In the summer of 2004, two private investors had launched a ferry that took two and a half hours to journey between Rochester and Toronto. But they went out of business after just 11 weeks when low ridership, unexpected breakdowns and rising fuel prices left them unable to shoulder the costs of the operation. The investors’ 770-passenger vessel, the Spirit of Ontario, was seized by creditors and remained moored in the ferry terminal here for months. After no one stepped forward to take over the service, the city bought the vessel in February 2005 and got into the ferry business itself, offering three round trips a day. But the city did no better than the investors, and by the end of 2005, the operation was $10 million in the red. When a new mayor took office in January 2006, he put the boat on the market. “I had to stop the bleeding,” the mayor, Robert J. Duffy, said in an interview. A German company whose fleet shuttles between Spain and Morocco bought the ferry last month, marking the end of a costly and contentious chapter in a city that has been beset by financial difficulties since the collapse of its manufacturing industry in the 1990s. During the past 14 years, Rochester has lost 41 percent of its manufacturing jobs. That puts it among the top three cities, with Detroit and Newark, N.J., to lose such a large proportion of its industrial work force. Rochester is already facing a $30 million deficit in its next budget. After it pays its share of insurance and other fees related to the failed ferry operation, the city will be saddled with at least an additional $20 million in debt. So as the Spirit of Ontario begins sailing the Strait of Gibraltar, the future of Rochester’s port remains in question. The ferry terminal, once promoted as a destination for tourists and locals alike, sits virtually empty. Most of the stores have closed, the ticket counter is sealed, and the second floor, proposed home to a nightclub that never opened, is out of bounds to visitors. After dark, the parking lot, with room for nearly 800 vehicles, is deserted and eerily silent, save for the sound of a chain hitting a flagpole with no flag. The Nutty Bavarian, which sells cashews and almonds, is one of the holdouts, along with a hamburger restaurant and a custard shop. “We’re here only because we can’t afford to get out,” said Mike Manioci, 65, a retired city worker who in 2004 opened the Nutty Bavarian with a childhood friend. “The place was supposed to be a destination. But the crowds never came.” Commercial boats have plied Lake Ontario between the Port of Rochester and Toronto since the 1800s. In the 19th century, they carried fur, timber and mail, and during Prohibition, in the 1920s and early ’30s, rum runners dodged federal patrols to deliver Canadian liquor that was sold at Rochester speakeasies. The port, lined with warehouses and mills, hummed with activity back then. On weekends, thousands of people rode the trolley from downtown to a lakeshore amusement park that disappeared after the Depression, along with most of the nearby mills. In the late 1990s, William A. Johnson Jr., who was then the mayor, came up with the idea of redeveloping the port, which sits on the eastern edge of Charlotte, a middle-class neighborhood. The city, state and federal governments together spent more than $150 million on the project. At the time, Rochester was staggering from the losses of jobs and tax revenues brought by the downsizing of its largest employer, Eastman Kodak, which had reduced its 80,000-person work force by nearly 80 percent as the advent of digital cameras devastated its film business. At the same time, Xerox, founded here in 1906, was on its way to shrinking its local work force by about half, and Delphi Automotive Systems, a major producer of auto parts, with a plant here, was fighting its way through bankruptcy. The city was desperate, Mr. Johnson said, and the ferry, even after it had failed in the hands of private investors, seemed like a possible way out. “The ferry was sitting here, and the city had already invested a lot of money, so essentially there was an opportunity that was presented to us,” said Mr. Johnson, who retired in 2005 after 12 years in office. But a state audit requested by two state legislators and released last year said that there were “clear warnings that were known, or should have been known, by city officials” that should have alerted them to the “extremely risky nature of this venture.” The audit also pointed to flaws in the ferry’s private operation — from its business plan to a lack of capital and little customer enthusiasm in Toronto. And to complicate matters, a proposal to allow gambling on board was rejected by the Legislature. Robert Duffy, who succeeded Mr. Johnson as mayor, has adopted the slogan “One City” as the motto for his administration. It encapsulates what is perhaps Rochester’s greatest challenge: unifying a community where restored historic homes and cozy cafes sit a few blocks from boarded-up houses and streets where heroin is sold in broad daylight. Mayor Duffy said he was open to the idea of giving the ferry another try, as long as it was privately financed. In the meantime, he said, he hoped to recruit a developer to build marinas on the Genesee River, near the port and condominiums at the ferry terminal. “In some ways, the ferry gave us a little hope of what could have been, but then we had the rug pulled from under our feet,” said Brian Labigan, president of the neighborhood association in Charlotte. “We just hope the city won’t forget us. It would be nice to see what was started come to a happy end.” From the New York Times |
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June 2 is deadline to make reservations
for BoatNerd Detroit Up River Cruise A 3-hour freighter chasing cruise on the lower Detroit River aboard the luxurious Friendship, driven by Capt. Sam Buchanan. Cruise leaves the Portofino's On The River restaurant, in Wyandotte, MI at 10:00 am on June 16.. We'll go where the boats are, maybe up the Rouge River. Bring your camera. To make the trip even more interesting, a pizza buffet will be delivered by the mail boat J. W. Westcott. Cash bar on board. Plenty of free, safe parking at Portofino's. Click here for directions. All this for only $25.00. Limited to the first 100 reservations. We must have a minimum of 50 paid reservations, or the cruise will be canceled and checks returned. Checks and reservations must be received no later than June 2, 2007. Click here for Reservations Form. Checks will not be cashed until the week before the cruise. No physical tickets will be issued. Your name will be on the Boarding List. Mail your reservation and check today to: |
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Port Huron Marine Mart and Gathering - June 2 Plenty of excitement is in store for BoatNerds, and other folks interested in the Maritime shipping industry, on June 2, in Port Huron, Michigan. The annual Port Huron Marine Mart will be held from 9:00 am To 4:00 pm. This is your chance to buy and sell books and other Great Lakes shipping memorabilia at this show, sponsored by the Port Huron Museum. The location is the Seaway Terminal on the Port Huron waterfront. The mart will remain open until 4:00pm. Admission to the show is free. Also on display will be the ex-USCG Buoy Tender Bramble, and the Tall Ship Highlander Seas. The Marine Mart, will feature dealers selling a variety of nautical items, from books and photos to life rings, flags and other memorabilia. The Seaway Terminal is a great place to hang out and take pictures of the passing traffic. Boatnerds are joining the fun and calling it the Port Huron Gathering. At 2:00pm, the exciting conclusion to the Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping freighter trip raffle will take place at the Boatnerd World Headquarters in the Great Lakes Maritime Center in Port Huron. You do not have to be present to win, but must buy a ticket. Click here to purchase tickets. The deadline has passed to buy buy raffle tickets by mail. You may still buy ticket via PayPal or in person at the Great Lakes Maritime Center in Port Huron. From 5:00pm to 7:00pm, there will be a special 2-hour tour of the St. Clair River aboard the Huron Lady II. Cost is $12.00. Pay as you board with cash or check, but you must make reservations by calling 810-984-1500. |
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Updates - May 28 News Photo Gallery updated. A special Badger Boatnerd Gathering Photo Gallery. Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 26 On 26 May 1888, BLANCHE (2-mast wooden schooner, 95 foot, 92 gross tons,
built in 1874, at Mill Point, Ontario) was carrying coal with a crew of five
on Lake Ontario. She was lost in a squall somewhere between Oswego, New York
and Brighton, Ontario. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Today in Great Lakes History - May 27 CANADIAN PIONEER (Hull#67) was launched May 27, 1981, at St. Catharines,
Ontario by Port Weller Drydocks Ltd. for Upper Lakes Shipping Ltd. She was
renamed b.) PIONEER in 1987. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Today in Great Lakes History - May 28 The 621-foot RICHARD J REISS, Captain Ray O. Frankforther, delivered 14,000
tons of coal to Sheboygan to complete her maiden trip in 1943. The new vessel
was officially christened later in the day. |
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Port Reports - May 27 Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey S. Chicago - Brian Z. Milwaukee, WI - Paul
Erspamer Marquette, MI - Rod Burdick |
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Updates - May 27 News Photo Gallery updated, including pictures of the Edward L. Ryerson in the Welland Canal. Public Photo Gallery updated. |
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Port Reports - May 26 Toledo, OH - Bob Vincent
The Detroit Princess came to Toledo Thursday
night for the celebration of Toledo Veterans Glass City Skyway bridge (
I-280). On Friday evening, attending the gala aboard the Detroit Princess
where about 1200 people. The guest had dinner while cruising the Maumee
river. At 10 pm a light show from bridge and fireworks lite up the sky.
The event on the Detroit Princess was to raise money for the memorial
sculpture for the five workers who died while working on the bridge and
celebrate the near completion of the Skyway bridge. The Skyway will open
for traffic on June 24.
On the coal side, Friday the CSX dock had
the Lee A Tregurtha which finished loading around 7 pm. Following the
Tregurtha was the Sam Laud. Both boats loaded for Essexville,
Michigan. The Consumer Power plant up there. The Detroit Princess
followed the Lee A. Tregurtha out of Toledo. Next coal boat will be the
Philip R. Clarke coming from Huron which is due Saturday about 6 pm.
On ore side at Torco, the next ore boat
will be the Atlantic Huron from Port Cartier due Saturday around 4 pm.
Ludington, MI Milwaukee, WI - Bill Bedell |
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Updates - May 26 News Photo Gallery updated, including pictures of the Edward L. Ryerson in the Welland Canal. Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Fuel Oil Spill On The St Marys River 5/25 - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. – Thursday, U.S. Coast Guard Sector
Ste. Marie was responding to a diesel fuel oil spill in the Middle Neebish
channel of the St. Mary’s River. |
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Port Reports - May 25 Marquette - Lee Rowe
Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey |
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Lock the lakes, groups say 5/25 - Milwaukee - A once-radical suggestion hit the mainstream Wednesday when a coalition of 90 environmental groups said it is time to lock saltwater vessels out of the Great Lakes until Congress requires the ships to sterilize their contaminated ballast water. The proposal is tangled with legal and political questions, including whether the United States could make a unilateral management decision for the St. Lawrence Seaway, which it jointly owns and operates with Canada. But there is some serious ballast behind the push. Coalition members include the Nature Conservancy, the National Wildlife Federation, the National Audubon Society, the National Parks Conservation Association and Ducks Unlimited. Coalition spokesman Jeff Skelding acknowledged during a teleconference Wednesday that the conservation community universally dismissed the idea as outlandish when it was broached a few years ago. The topic was explored in depth in 2004 and 2005 in two Journal Sentinel series on the ecological and economic issues plaguing the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. But after conservationists took a hard look at the costs and benefits of the current situation, Skelding said, a moratorium on overseas ships in the Great Lakes actually makes a lot of sense. Money is a big reason. The problem is oceangoing vessels, commonly called salties. But salties account for less than 7% of the cargo moved on the Great Lakes and Seaway, according to the Corps of Engineers. The ships typically arrive with loads of foreign steel and depart with grain. It is a relatively small amount of both, largely because of the Seaway's outdated, undersized locks and the fact that they shut down each winter because of ice. One widely cited estimate of the annual transportation savings associated with overseas traffic in the Great Lakes is $55 million. An estimate of the price to date just for dealing with zebra and quagga mussels since they were first discovered in North America: $2 billion. "Advocating for a shipping moratorium may seem extreme to some," said Skelding, who represents the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. "To those I say: What is more extreme? Offering a solution to protect a resource that millions of people depend on for their jobs, drinking water, public health and quality of life? Or standing by complacently as wave after wave of new invaders enter the lakes, fouling drinking water, killing off fish, disrupting small businesses and costing citizens billions of dollars in damage and control the costs?" 'This is ridiculous' "I'll be among the first scientists to say, 'Let's close the Welland Canal,' " Fahnenstiel, an employee of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said in a Journal Sentinel story. "Let's start there. This is ridiculous." Since then, the normally outspoken Fahnenstiel hasn't said a word on the highly contentious issue, which surfaced again last month when a single conservation group, the U.S.-Canadian Great Lakes United, stepped forward with a similar proposal. Shipping industry advocates bristled. "It's a nice political statement, but it's completely impractical and impossible," U.S. Seaway boss Terry Johnson said in April. Aside from the international political considerations, Johnson said, it just doesn't make economic sense to close the Seaway to oceangoing vessels. "There are sets of assets here - the locks and the ships that ply the locks - that have billions of dollars' worth of investment in them, and the notion of a government and private sector stepping away from billions of dollars of investments is a non-starter," Johnson said. Conservationists agree that billions of dollars are at stake in overseas shipping, but they say those dollars are tallying up on the wrong side of the ledger. There are now more than 180 non-native species in the Great Lakes, and a new one is discovered, on average, about every six months. About 70% of the invasions since the Seaway opened in 1959 are blamed on ballast water discharges. Some slip quietly into the ecosystem, some hit like Alka-Seltzer in a glass of water. Zebra and quagga mussels have rewired the way energy flows through the whole system, ravaging beaches with noxious algae and putting in jeopardy prized native species such as perch and whitefish. The recently discovered VHS virus, which many suspect was carried into the region by freighter, threatens to wipe out entire fish populations. Industry wants ballast law The conservation groups agreed Wednesday that a federal law requiring ballast treatment systems on overseas ships is the best way to go. But absent that, they said, a moratorium on salties is needed to protect what's left of the lakes' ecological integrity. The concept has drawn attention from federal lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar, a Democrat who represents the port city of Duluth, said last month that the only real solution is a federal ballast discharge law, but he said it was "terrific" that people had begun to force the issue by proposing a moratorium. U.S. Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-Mich.) agreed with Oberstar that federal legislation was the best answer, but he said a moratorium "certainly is a serious proposal." In December 2005, the Journal Sentinel published a series of reports detailing the costs and benefits of the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the paper editorialized that lawmakers should "give serious consideration to blocking" salties. The U.S. and Canadian Seaway managers called it crazy talk. "The Seaway has acted as a vital economic gateway to the Great Lakes region for almost 50 years, moving more than 2 billion tons of goods since it first opened. Government, industry and environmentalists are working together to solve the ballast water challenge and are making real progress," former U.S. Seaway Administrator Albert Jacquez wrote in a letter with Canadian Seaway boss Richard Corfe. "We may not agree on every point, but everyone, except for the Journal Sentinel, agrees that closing the door on the Seaway isn't an answer." From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |
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Updates - May 25 News Photo Gallery updated, including pictures of the Edward L. Ryerson in the Welland Canal. Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 25 After conversion to a self unloader, the former A F HARVEY was christened
b.) CEDARVILLE during ceremonies at Cedarville, Michigan in 1957. |
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Port Reports - May 24 Marquette - Rod Burdick Lorain - C.
Macklin |
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Two "Know Your Ships" Book Signings Scheduled 5/24 - "Know Your Ships" Editor and Publisher Roger LeLievre will
help The Book Blues, 102 Broadway St., Marine City, Mich., mark its one-year
anniversary with a book-signing session from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. Saturday, June 9.
The Book Blues is located right on Marine City¹s waterfront, on the corner of
Broadway and Water Street. Anyone getting a book signed will be able to tour the Boyer for free; a portion of the book sales will go to benefit the Boyer museum. For more information and directions to this historic laker:
www.willisbboyer.org |
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Updates - May 24 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 24 The WILFRED SYKES arrived at Indiana Harbor on this date in 1951, with
20,084 tons of iron ore in her holds. It was the first time in Great Lakes
History that a Great Lakes vessel carried more than 20,000 tons of cargo on a
single trip. |
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Tug and Barge Stuck on Lake St. Clair 5/23 - While down bound on Lake St. Clair Tuesday afternoon the
Olive L. Moore and barge Lewis J. Kuber became stuck just outside of the
shipping channel below the Crib Light above Buoy 19. The tug and barge were
unable to free themselves. |
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Port Reports - May 23 South Chicago - Brian Z. Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey Toledo -- Bob Vincent
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Lack of Product Slows Lakes Stone Trade in April 5/23 - Cleveland - Low inventories of limestone slowed the
resumption of the trade on the Great Lakes in April. |
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June 2 is deadline to make reservations for BoatNerd Detroit Up River Cruise The second annual Boatnerd Detroit Up River Cruise is scheduled for
Saturday, June 16. To make the trip even more interesting, a pizza buffet will be delivered by the mail boat J. W. Westcott. Cash bar on board. Plenty of free, safe parking at Portofino's. All this for only $25.00. Limited to the first 100 reservations. We must have a minimum of 50 paid reservations. Checks and reservations must be received no later than June 2, 2007. Click here for Reservations Form. Checks will not be cashed until the week before the cruise. No physical tickets will be issued. Your name will be on the Boarding List. Mail your reservation and check today to: |
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Job Openings at American Steamship Company 5/23 - American Steamship Company has openings for the following
positions: |
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Port Huron Marine Mart and Gathering - June 2 Plenty of excitement is in store for BoatNerds, and other folks interested in the Maritime shipping industry, on June 2, in Port Huron, Michigan. The annual Port Huron Marine Mart will be held from 9:00 am To 4:00 pm. This is your chance to buy and sell books and other Great Lakes shipping memorabilia at this show, sponsored by the Port Huron Museum. The location is the Seaway Terminal on the Port Huron waterfront. The mart will remain open until 4:00pm. Admission to the show is free. Also on display will be the ex-USCG Buoy Tender Bramble, and the Tall Ship Highlander Seas. The Marine Mart, will feature dealers selling a variety of nautical items, from books and photos to life rings, flags and other memorabilia. The Seaway Terminal is a great place to hang out and take pictures of the passing traffic. Boatnerds are joining the fun and calling it the Port Huron Gathering. At 2:00pm, the exciting conclusion to the Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping freighter trip raffle will take place at the Boatnerd World Headquarters in the Great Lakes Maritime Center in Port Huron. You do not have to be present to win, but must buy a ticket. Click here to purchase tickets. From 5:00pm to 7:00pm, there will be a special 2-hour tour of the St. Clair River aboard the Huron Lady II. Cost is $12.00. Pay as you board with cash or check, but you must make reservations by calling 810-984-1500. The Huron Lady II departs from the southeast corner of Military Street and the Black River, next to the Standard Federal bank and the bridge. Huron Lady II parking is available at the bank lot on Water Street just east of the Standard Federal Bank along the river. It is only a short walk from Vantage Point, at the foot of Water Street, to the Huron Lady II dock. Additional parking is available in public lots at Fourth and Pine streets, and on the north side of the river at Quay and Michigan streets, and Quay Street west of the bridge. |
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Updates - May 23 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 23 The FRANK H GOODYEAR, Captain F. Russell Hemenger, sank off Point Aux
Barques in 1910, after colliding with the JAMES WOOD. The GOODYEAR had an
unusual deck doghouse that was the former Buffalo & Susquehanna Railroad Car
No. 101 (named Sinneamahoning). |
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Port Reports - May 22 Kingsville - Eric Zuschlag Alpena & Stoneport - Ben & Chanda McClain Marquette - Rod Burdick Soo - Jerry Masson |
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Low Inventories at Stone Quarries Affect
Fleet Total 5/22 - Cleveland—U.S.-Flag Lakers moved 9.9 million net tons of
dry-bulk cargo on the Great Lakes in April, a decrease of 3.8 percent compared
to a year ago. While loadings of iron ore and coal were in line with a year
ago, low inventories of limestone produced a 9-percent decrease in that
commodity. |
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The light is out, but somebody's home 5/22 - Lorain - Mickey Van Wagnen has heard the question more than once. "You've been working on the lighthouse for 18 years and it still isn't done?" Van Wagnen, chairman of the restoration committee, can only laugh. The historic landmark will never be finished, he tells them. Once all the interior work is complete, volunteers will head back outside to do maintenance and repairs. In other words, a 58-foot-high, 90-year-old concrete building that sits nearly a mile offshore needs a lot of upkeep, and Lake Erie does not make it easy. Still, "Mr. Lighthouse" and the dozens of other volunteers are celebrating a milestone. This summer the Lorain Port Authority will launch two shuttle boats and offer tours to the public. Executive director Rick Novak said the boats should arrive in early June and be operational in time for the city's International Festival, which begins June 22. The shuttle will pick up passengers on the east bank of the Black River by the Coast Guard station. Cost of the excursion has not been determined. The Port of Lorain Foundation Inc., a nonprofit that bought the lighthouse in 1990, plans to begin a $3 million capital campaign this summer. Money is needed to improve the dock and finish the interior, including adding a restroom, said Steve Luca, chairman of the board. The lure of lighthouses like Lorain's is strong, but living there was no picnic. "It was almost like a punishment to work here," said Van Wagnen, who has taken former keepers out to the lighthouse for reunions. He has also arranged boat trips for two engagements, a burial (the ashes were scattered in the water) and a high school graduation picture. Also, special tours for the public have been offered during Lorain Port festivals. But over the years visitors have mainly been volunteer workers, who are shuttled by boat for the five- to 10-minute trip out to the lighthouse. Workers and contractors have replaced the 23 windows and metal shutters, sandblasted the interior, installed spotlights (which have been turned off because of cost) and replaced the roof. The U.S. Corps of Engineers repaired the base, adding six feet of standing room, which makes for a roomy observation deck. But the best view, of course, is 58 feet up. The lighthouse is part of a navigational network and beams a red light. Van Wagnen estimates at least $2.5 million has been spent, a big chunk of that federal money. But the restoration fund is running low, and volunteers are going to take a much-needed break this summer. "Tours are not the salvation of the lighthouse. Grants and businesses are," Van Wagnen said. As he motors around the lighthouse in the late afternoon sun, the white concrete walls, gray shutters and maroon window sills cast a nostalgic spell. Van Wagnen feels proud of what he and his committee have accomplished, doesn't he? "When I look at it, I see what has to be done," he said, adding, "You got to admit it looks a lot better than it did." From The Cleveland Plain Dealer |
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Fire Damages Cutty Sark 5/22 - London, England - British fire crews are battling a blaze on the Cutty Sark, the famous 19th-century tea clipper moored as a tourist attraction in south east London, a fire service spokesman said on Monday. "There is substantial damage," a London Fire Brigade spokesman said. "We've got eight fire engines and 40 firefighters there." There were no reports of any injuries. Television pictures showed the ship well ablaze with flames leaping high into the air. Eyewitness Bruno Mahsoudi described seeing "massive flames" coming from the ship. The ship, launched in 1869 on Scotland's river Clyde to make the run to China for the tea trade, was undergoing a $49.31 million refurbishment. Built by Scott & Linton, Dumbarton, the Cutty Sark was one of the world's only surviving fast tea clippers. The London landmark swapped the high seas for a concrete dry dock in Greenwich on the banks of the River Thames 50 years ago. Richard Doughty, chief executive of the Cutty Sark Trust, the body overseeing the work, said the fire may have been started deliberately. "All I know is that it is being treated as a suspicious fire at the moment," he told BBC television. "It is just unbelievable. We are losing history." He said half of the ship's timbers had been removed for renovation before the fire. Reported by Bruce Wittkopp from CNN.com |
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Updates - May 22 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 22 On this date in 1917, 38 vessels were trapped in an ice blockade estimated
to be 30 feet thick off Duluth. The ice field broke up on May 25, returned on
June 6,and finally dissipated on June 7. |
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Reserve departs Duluth 5/21 - Duluth - The steamer Reserve departed Duluth Sunday morning with a
cargo of pellets from CN Dock 6 in West Duluth. |
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Port Reports - May 21 Milwaukee - John N. Vogel Holland -
Bob VandeVusse |
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Tug Seneca going to auction 5/21 - Chicago - The classic 1939 ship-docking tug Seneca is being
offered at auction on June 7, by Marine Auction Exchange. |
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Big cargo ships sailing into sunset 5/21 - Chicago - For decades, big ships lumbered into Waukegan
Harbor ferrying all kinds of cargo -- wheat, cattle, steel, even outboard
motors -- to and from the city's waterfront, a hive of warehouses and
factories. |
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Fire aboard Umiavut 5/21 - Brest (France) - On Friday a fire broke in the engine room
of the saltie Umiavut.
The crew stopped the fire. The ship was towed to the port of Brest (France)
by the tug Abeille Bourbon. |
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Author Fred Stonehouse Named Historian of the Year 5/1 - Port Huron - Great Lakes author and marine historian
Frederick Stonehouse was named Historian of the Year at the Marine
Historical Society of Detroit's 63rd annual spring dinner Saturday night
held at the Seaway Terminal in Port Huron. |
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Deadline Approaching for BoatNerd Freighter raffle 5/21 - The deadlines are rapidly approaching for the First Annual BoatNerd Freighter Trip Raffle. Mail orders must be received no later than Friday, May 25. PayPal orders must be received by 7 p.m. June 1 and in person purchases will be accepted until 1:00 pm on the day of the drawing. Your ticket(s) will be promptly mailed to you. Winners need not be present at drawing to win and will be notified by mail and/or phone. Donation is $10 (U.S.) per ticket - 3 for $25 - 6 for $50 - 12 for $100. Drawing will take place at 2 p.m. on June 2, 2007 at the BoatNerd.Com World Headquarters in Port Huron, MI. |
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Updates - May 21 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 21 Captain Thor Nelson, Master of the ARTHUR M ANDERSON, was appointed the
second Commodore of the Pittsburgh fleet in 1959. Captain Nelson replaced
the retiring Captain Don E. Manuel. |
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Port Reports - May 20 Kingsville - Eric Zuschlag Hamilton - Eric Holmes |
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Wallaceburg Barge Service on hold 5/20 - Wallaceburg, Ont. - In late 2006 a new barge service began
between Wallaceburg, Ont. and Toledo, Ohio with Canadian-produced corn
transited to the U.S. |
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Updates - May 20 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 20 The tug ATOMIC, Captain J. Earl McQueen, was the winner of the first
International Tug Boat race on the Detroit River in 1950. The ATOMIC covered
a distance of slightly more than 4 miles in a time of 18 minutes. Renamed
b.) JARRETT M, in 2006. |
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Seaway Trip Next Week for Edward L. Ryerson 5/19 - In a first for the 1960-built steamer, the Edward L. Ryerson will head east through the Welland Canal and the St. Lawrence Seaway next week. She is due at the port of Quebec May 25, according to the port of Quebec web site list of arrivals. The Duluth Shipping News reports the vessel is currently en-route to Superior for taconite. Whether she will carry that cargo to Quebec or stop in Lorain to unload is unknown. It is also unknown what she will bring back up the Seaway but is expected to unload at sections 52-53. This is a very unusual trip for a U.S.-flag laker, and especially the Ryerson, which was reactivated after an eight-year lay up in 2006. Reported by Jeff Beauvais |
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Port Reports - May 19 Twin Ports - Al Miller Marquette - Rod Burdick
Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey
Hamilton - Eric Holmes |
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Ships idled in Sarnia 5/19 - Three Great Lakes freighters are sitting empty at a Sarnia dock after the crews left the ships last week because of a labor dispute. The Wolverine, the David Z and the Earl W are in the North Slip in Sarnia, south of the Blue Water Bridge Members of the American Maritime Officers, a marine officers and stewards union, left the vessels May 10. The freighters are owned by the Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company of Lakewood, Ohio, a subsidiary of Sand Products Co. in Toledo. A statement on the on the American Maritime Officers’ Web site says the company did not sign a contract agreed to by three other Great Lakes operators. The president of Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Company said companies that have approved the new agreement deal with larger-capacity vessels. “Our vessels do not have the capacity to compete with larger vessels carrying two to four times the cargo with nearly identical crew costs,” he said in a statement. In August 2006, the Wolverine, the David Z and the Earl W were sold from the Oglebay Norton Marine Services Co. to Wisconsin & Michigan Steamship Co. Reported by Port Huron Times Herald |
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Carferry Reunion in Manistee 5/19 - Manistee - Visitors to the S.S. City of Milwaukee will enjoy stories, music, lectures and more at
the Carferry Reunion, on Saturday, May 26, from 1 to 8pm. |
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Batchewana eyes Sault canal; 5/19 - Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. - Batchewana First Nation will begin
a process soon that could see it take possession of the Sault Canal National
Historic Site, and the island it sits on, in less than two years, says Chief
Dean Sayers. "The ball is rolling," toward Batchewana being given St. Mary's
Island by the federal government and toward a "major tourist development,"
Sayers told the Sault Star on Thursday. |
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Updates - May 19 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 19 The Chief Engineer of the GEORGE B LEONARD, Charles A. Rose, was fatally
injured following an on board explosion in 1923. He started sailing with
Great Lakes Steamship Company in 1913 and had held the position of Chief
Engineer since 1920. |
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Welland Canal Traffic increased in 2006 5/18 - St. Catharines - Recently released figures show that 230 more vessels transited the Welland Canal in 2006 compared to 2005. A total of 3,673 ships made the trip through the canal in 2006. 1,840 were
up bound and 1,833 were down bound. Cargo tonnage increased nearly 8% as 37,419,664 tons were carried through the canal. This compares to 34,149,554 tons in 2005. The recent record year for tonnage was 1988 when 43,536,317 ton made the trip. Reported by The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation |
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Port Report - May 18 Sandusky - Jim Spencer |
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Spirit of LaSalle Cruise Line kicks off inaugural season 5/18 - Menominee, MI - The Spirit of LaSalle Cruise Line officially opened for business in Sturgeon Bay, WI and Menominee, MI on Thursday. A group of local dignitaries were among those aboard the cruise lines newest ship, Grampa Woo III, when it docked in Menominee arriving from Sturgeon Bay around 11:30 a.m. local time. The new company will run daily ferry service between Menominee and Sturgeon Bay along with daily tours from Menominee, of Menominee & Marinette along the bay of Green Bay, and tours from Sturgeon Bay along each side of the Door Peninsula. Charters will also be available. The cruise line has two ships - Grampa Woo III (soon to be renamed "Spirit of LaSalle") and Isle Royale Queen III, which will keep that name for now. Additional information about the service is available at
http://www.spiritoflasalle.com
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Updates - May 18 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 18 On this day in 1961, Mrs. Vaugh P. Rubin, daughter of Walter A. Sterling,
christened the steamer WALTER A STERLING during ceremonies at Lorain, Ohio.
The STERLING was the converted WW II T-2 tanker a.) CHIWAWA. The vessel sails
today as the self-unloading motor-ship f.) LEE A TREGURTHA of the Interlake
fleet. |
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Man rescued from river as small boat takes on water 5/17 - Marine City, MI- A barge crewman was rescued Tuesday from the St. Clair River after he held onto a residential dock when the work boat started taking on water. Sgt. Ed Golden, with the St. Clair County Sheriff Department Marine Division, said the incident happened about 9:25 p.m. as McKee Sons, a self-unloading barge, was changing crews while docked at the gravel yard in Marine City. Three crewmen left the barge in a steel boat, Golden said, but they did not insert the plugs in the bottom of the boat, he said. The person driving the boat, Jimmy Maldonado, 27, of Alpena, took two people to shore and was returning to the barge when the motor quit. Officials said the boat drifted between 300 and 400 yards downstream before authorities found Maldonado clinging to the dock at 1929 S. Parker St. Maldonado was rescued and treated at the scene for mild hypothermia. He did not require treatment. The boat did not sink, though authorities said it was rapidly filling with water. Golden said when marine division deputies and Marine City police inspected the steel boat, the two plugs were "on a chain (and) neither one of them was put in the drain hole." Frank Frisk, a research assistant at the BoatNerd.Com world headquarters at Vantage Point in Port Huron, said McKee Sons was docked in Marine City to deliver a load of stone. The 597-foot barge is owned by Lakes Service Shipping Company of Grosse Pointe Farms. It is powered by the tug boat Invincible. From the Port Huron Times-Herald |
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Port Reports - May 17 Marquette - Rod Burdick
Twin Ports - Al Miller |
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Don't give up the ship 5/15 - Toledo's budget problems are about to sink one of the city's most unusual museums. The Willis B. Boyer is docked at International Park, but its future is now in doubt. The Boyer is 96 years old and needs some work. But Toledo City leaders say they just don't have the money to keep the project afloat. The S.S. Willis B. Boyer opened its doors for tours this month, but this spring might be the last for the floating maritime museum. S.S. Willis B. Boyer Executive Director Paul LaMarre says, "This is undoubtedly the most historic ship on the Great Lakes today and the most historic Great Lakes ship ever." LaMarre also says that it really is Toledo's flagship. "She loaded her first cargo in Toledo on October 9, 1911, at the exact location where she sits today. The Maritime Industry as well as the Rail Industry was the foundation of Toledo's economy nearly a century ago." Lamarre acts as executive director, marketing director, tour leader, cleaner-upper and most recently, floor sander. He and a committed group of volunteers keep things ship-shape. But it has been a battle to keep his job. "The city of Toledo wanted to let me go as the ship's director late last year and it really has been a fight to keep on this long. I'm currently operating on funds that the ship brought in last year and that run out June 30." When the funds run out, so does his job. Without a director, the museum will close. The city of Toledo says it just can't afford it right now. Mayor's spokesperson Brian Schwartz says, "The city has an ongoing budget problem and has made cuts, and as much as we treasure the Boyer, we simply can't afford to pay its curator nor can we afford the repairs that are necessary for the ship to stay there." For now, the elaborate dining room and antique furniture remain, under a flag flying this season's motto, "Don't give up the ship." The port authority is considering taking ownership of the Boyer and paying LaMarre's salary. Its board will decide late next week. Also, a $300,000 federal grant could fund repairs but that depends on whether the Boyer gets designated as a national historic landmark. From WTVG-TV, 13abc Toledo |
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17th Annual Memorial Day Cruise to Port Huron Sold Out We have been advised that the annual Marine Historical Society of Detroit, and BoatNerd.com sponsored the Memorial Day Lake St. Clair and River Cruise aboard the Diamond Belle has been sold out. Everyone enjoy the trip. |
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More prizes added to BoatNerd Freighter raffle 5/17 - Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping Online is pleased to announce that more prizes have been added to the list for the First Annual BoatNerd Freighter Trip Raffle. NEW - A 1-1/2 hour sightseeing cruise of Duluth-Superior for two
aboard the Vista Fleet. (3 prizes) Donation is $10 (U.S.) per ticket - 3 for $25 - 6 for $50 - 12 for $100. Drawing will take place at 2 p.m. on June 2, 2007 at the BoatNerd.Com World Headquarters in Port Huron, MI. Deadline approaching - Mail orders must be received no later than Friday, May 25. PayPal orders must be received by 7 p.m. June 1 and in person purchases will be accepted until 1:00 pm on the day of the drawing. Your ticket(s) will be promptly mailed to you. Winners need not be present at drawing to win and will be notified by mail and/or phone. |
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Updates - May 17 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 17 On 17 May 1887, the WILLIAM RUDOLPH (wooden propeller "rabbit", 145 foot,
267 gross tons. built in 1880, at Mount Clemens, Michigan) was raised from
Lake St. Clair. She sank in the Fall of 1886. She was towed to the Wolverine
Drydock in Port Huron, Michigan where she was repaired. She lasted until 1913,
when she was beached as shore protection near Racine, Wisconsin. |
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Port Reports - May 16 Lorain - Jim Bobel Grand Haven - Dick Fox Holland - Bob VandeVusse
Sandusky - Jim Spencer |
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Badger missed Tuesday sailings 5/15 - Ludington - The Badger did not cross Lake Michigan Tuesday
due to a mechanical problem with one of the engines. |
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Flower Market Saturday at Vantage Point 5/15 - Port Huron - Vantage Point will host an giant flower market,
on Saturday, May 12, along the St. Clair River. |
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Updates - May 16 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 16 On 16 May 1894, the SHENANDOAH (wooden propeller freighter, 308 foot, 2,251
gross tons) was launched by J. Davidson (Hull #60) in West Bay City, Michigan.
She lasted until 1924, when she was abandoned. |
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Sandusky coal dock fire follow up report 5/15 - Sandusky - Firefighters said Monday that the Saturday night blaze at the NorfolkSouthern coal dock, on the city's west side, caused heavy damage to about 100 feet of rubberized conveyor belt and associated electrical wiring. No damage estimate had been completed, a fire department spokesman said, adding that their investigation continues. The two-alarm fire was discovered before midnight, a short time
after the Arthur M. Anderson had cleared the dock bound for Detroit. |
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Port Reports - May 15 South Chicago - Brian Z. Marquette - Rod Burdick Alpena & Stoneport- Ben & Chanda McClain |
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IJC embarks on $17.5-M study of water
levels; 5/15 - Soo, Ont. - Are the upper Great Lakes shrinking because of
dredging on the St. Clair River? That's one contentious theory the
International Joint Commission (IJC) is trying to sort out. |
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Training ship State of Michigan to visit the Twin Ports 5/15 - Duluth - The Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute (GLMRI), a
consortium of the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) and the University of
Wisconsin-Superior (UW-S), along with the Great Lakes Maritime Academy (GLMA)
invite members of the community to tour the The T/S State of Michigan. |
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Boatnerd gear for sale The boat watching season is upon us. Are you able to be identified as a
BoatNerd? |
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Updates - May 15 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 15 Between May 15 and June 22 in 1940, The COLONEL JAMES M SCHOONMAKER struck
the dock at Superior, Wisconsin, struck the dock at Conneaut, Ohio, struck the
piers at Sault Ste. Marie, and hit an obstruction in St. Louis Bay.
Collectively, these accidents caused $22,015.93 in damage to the SCHOONMAKER.
Renamed b.) WILLIS BOYER in 1969, and is in use as a museum ship in Toledo,
Ohio. |
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Port Reports - May 14 Sandusky - Jim Spencer Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey Soo - Jerry Masson Toledo - Bob Vincent
Lorain - C. Mackin |
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Freighter 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. Donation: $10 per ticket, 3 for $25, 6 for $50 or 12 for $100. 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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17th Annual Memorial Day Cruise to Port Huron The Marine Historical Society of Detroit, and BoatNerd.com, are sponsoring the 17th Annual Memorial Day Lake St. Clair and River Cruise aboard the Diamond Belle . The cruise departs from Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit, on Sunday, May 27, and cruises across Lake St. Clair, up the St. Clair River, and out into Lake Huron for a short distance, weather permitting. There is a Continental breakfast and a buffet luncheon on board, and the trip includes a buffet dinner at the St. Clair Inn. 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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Port Huron Marine Mart and Gathering - June 2 Plenty of excitement is in store for BoatNerds, and other folks interested in the Maritime shipping industry, on June 2, in Port Huron, Michigan. The annual Port Huron Marine Mart will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is your chance to buy and sell books and other Great Lakes shipping memorabilia at this show, sponsored by the Port Huron Museum. The location is the Seaway Terminal on the Port Huron waterfront. The mart will remain open until 4:00pm. Admission to the show is free. Also on display will be the ex-USCG Buoy Tender Bramble, and the Tall Ship Highlander Seas. The Marine Mart, will feature dealers selling a variety of nautical items, from books and photos to life rings, flags and other memorabilia. The Seaway Terminal is a great place to hang out and take pictures of the passing traffic. Boatnerds are joining the fun and calling it the Port Huron Gathering. At 2 p.m., the exciting conclusion to the Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping freighter trip raffle will take place at the Boatnerd World Headquarters in the Great Lakes Maritime Center in Port Huron. You do not have to be present to win, but must buy a ticket. Click here to purchase tickets. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., there will be a special 2-hour tour of the St. Clair River aboard the Huron Lady II. Cost is $12.00. Pay as you board with cash or check, but you must make reservations by calling 810-984-1500. The Huron Lady II departs from the southeast corner of Military Street and
the Black River, next to the Standard Federal bank and the bridge. Huron Lady
II parking is available at the bank lot on Water Street just east of the
Standard Federal Bank along the river. It is only a short walk from Vantage
Point, at the foot of Water Street, to the Huron Lady II dock. Additional
parking is available in public lots at Fourth and Pine streets, and on the
north side of the river at Quay and Michigan streets, and Quay Street west of
the bridge. |
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June 2 is deadline to make reservations for BoatNerd Detroit Up River Cruise The second annual Boatnerd Detroit Up River Cruise is scheduled for
Saturday, June 16. To make the trip even more interesting, a pizza buffet will be delivered by the mail boat J. W. Westcott. Cash bar on board. Plenty of free, safe parking at Portofino's. Click here for directions. All this for only $25.00. Limited to the first 100 reservations. We must have a minimum of 50 paid reservations. Checks and reservations must be received no later than June 2, 2007. Click here for Reservations Form. Checks will not be cashed until the week before the cruise. No physical tickets will be issued. Your name will be on the Boarding List. |
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St. Marys River Fest 2007 Events Scheduled 5/14 - Soo, MI - The 2007 St. Marys River Fest, In Sault Ste. Marie,
Michigan, will coincide with Engineer's Day at the Soo Locks. Events have been
planned beginning on Thursday, June 28 and running through Sunday, July 1. |
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Lake Erie Lighthouse may be given away 5/14 - Cleveland - The U.S. government is offering to give away one
of two iconic lighthouses on Lake Erie that mark the opening to the city's
harbor. From NewsNet5.com |
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Updates - May 14 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 14 The steamers PENTECOST MITCHELL of the Pittsburgh fleet and SAXONA of the
Tomlinson fleet were involved in a head on collision on the St. Marys River in
1917. Both vessels sank in 40 feet of water at Watson’s Reef near Pipe Island.
There were no casualties but the cost of raising the two boats was estimated
at $150,000 - $200,000. |
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Fire at Sandusky Coal Dock 5/13 - Sandusky - A fire broke out about midnight Saturday at the NorfolkSouthern coal dock. Sandusky firefighters reported a rubberized conveyor belt burning when they arrived. Damage to the conveyor is unknown and the effect of the blaze on operations
at the dock wasn't immediately known. Reported by Jim Spencer |
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Port Reports - May 13 Hamilton - Eric Holmes Calumet River -
Tom M.
Buffalo - Brian Wroblewski |
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Marine Historical Society of Detroit 5/13 - Detroit - The Marine Historical Society of Detroit has announced that the Annual Dinner and Program has been opened to non-members and potential members. The dinner will be held at the Seaway Terminal in Port Huron, on Saturday, May 19. The featured speaker is Harry Benford who will present the program "A Pictorial History of My Coal Passing Career." It is based on notes, sketches, photos, and cartoons that Harry made in 1936 and 1937 while doing summer work on Great Lakes ships. The pre-dinner reception is at 6:00 p.m. (BYOB, mixers will be provided), followed by a buffet dinner at 6:45 pm including Roast Beef, Fish, Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Garden tossed salad with a variety of dressings, Corn, Green Beans, Potatoes, Rice and Dessert. Wait staff will be standing by for those who need assistance with their plates. The cost is $35.00 (U S Funds) per person. Reservations must be received by Monday, May 14. You may reserve Online at www.MHSD.org/Dinner |
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Updates - May 13 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 13 The tanker GEMINI (Hull#746) was launched at Orange, Texas by Levingston Ship Building Co. in 1978, for Cleveland Tankers Inc., a subsidiary of Ashland Oil. Sold into Canadian registry and renamed b.) ALGOSAR in 2005. The tanker JUPITER made her maiden voyage May 13, 1976 from Smith's Bluff, Texas loaded with lube oil bound for Marcus Hooks, Pennsylvania. She was destroyed after exploding in the Saginaw River on September 16, 1990. On May 13, 1913, Pittsburgh Steamship's THOMAS F COLE collided with the barge IRON CITY on Lake St. Clair. The barge was cut in two. Delivered May 13, 1943, the steamer THOMAS WILSON departed under the command of Captain Henry Borgen on her maiden voyage from Lorain, Ohio light bound for Duluth, Minnesota to load iron ore. The WILSON was the first of the sixteen maritime class freighters built in 1943. The green-hulled schooner EMMA C HUTCHINSON was launched at 4:00 p.m. on 13 May 1873, at the E. Fitzgerald yard in Port Huron. She was the largest vessel built at that yard up to that time. She was named for the wife of Mr. J. T. Hutchinson of Cleveland. Her dimensions were 195 foot keel, 215 feet overall, 35 foot beam, 14 foot depth, 736 tons. She cost $55,000. Frank Leighton was her builder and Matthew Finn the master fitter. She was outfitted by Swan's Sons of Cleveland. Her painting was done by Ross & Doty of Port Huron. On 13 May 1874, The Port Huron Times reported that someone had stolen the schooner ANNIE FAUGHT and that John Hoskins, the owner, was offering a reward for her recovery. May 13, 1898 - The steamer JOHN ERICSSON, having in tow the barge ALEXANDER HOLLEY, bound down with ore, went aground while making the turn at the dark hole in little Mud Lake, She is on a sand bottom. Tugs and lighters have gone to release her. When the steamer grounded the barge ran into her, damaging the latter's bow and causing a large hole above the water line on the starboard side of the ERICSSON. Both can be repaired temporarily. On 13 May 1871, NORTHERNER (wooden barge, 220 foot, 1,391 gross tons) was launched by Capt. Wescott at Marine City, Michigan. Her master builder was John J. Hill. She was towed to Detroit to be fitted out and there was talk of eventually converting her to a passenger steamer. She remained a barge until 1880, when she was converted to a propeller freighter in Detroit. She lasted until 1892, when she burned at L'anse, Michigan. Data from: Jody Aho, Joe Barr, Dave Swayze, Father Dowling Collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Ahoy & Farewell II and the Great Lakes Ships We Remember series, the Detroit Free Press and the Duluth Evening Herald. This is a small sample, the books includes many other vessels with a much more detailed history. |
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BoatNerd Tops 11Million 5/12 - Friday morning, over 11,000,000 visits had been recorded to
the main page of the Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping home page. The counter was
started as the page was launched in 1995. |
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Port Reports - May 12 Marquette - Lee Rowe Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey |
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Updates - May 12 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 12 The CABOT (Hull#649) was launched May 12, 1965, at Lauzon, Quebec by Davie
Shipbuilding Ltd., for Gulf Ports Steamship Co. Ltd. (Clarke Steamship Co.
Ltd., mgr.). In 1983, the CABOT's stern was attached to the bow section of the
NORTHERN VENTURE to create the CANADIAN EXPLORER. |
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Port Reports - May 11 Menominee - Dick Lund Sarnia The vessels are owned by the Wisconsin and Michigan Steamship Company, Lakewood, Ohio and operated by Lower Lakes Transportation of Williamsville, NY. No official information about the reason for the vessels lay-up is available at the present time. Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey |
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Town of La Pointe to receive emergency dredging funds 5/11 - Madison, Wis. -- State Sen. Robert Jauch, D-Poplar, said the state has approved a plan to provide emergency dredging funding for the Town of La Pointe. "Low lake levels have put at risk the safe passage of residents and goods to Madeline Island," said Jauch. "The authorization of this emergency dredging appropriation will allow the community to address this growing safety concern." The emergency appropriation is part of a package of $97 million in unanticipated federal transportation dollars. Jauch requested Gov. James Doyle's administration include $104,000 for emergency dredging as part of the state plan to expend the money. The Joint Committee on Finance, of which Jauch is a member, approved the plan, allowing the administration to release the dollars. "Falling lake levels have now been cause for concern for two summers and are becoming a real threat to tourism expenditures, residential travel, as well as to the shipping industry," Jauch said. "This much needed funding will assist the community in making sure channels are safely passable throughout the year." The federal Park Service has indicated while ferries and ships running to Madeline Island are still able to pass through the channel, they are only able to do so under optimal weather conditions. If Lake Superior were to drop just a few more inches, it would be nearly impossible for larger ships to reach the island under any circumstances without the emergency dredging. Jauch said for port communities along Lake Superior's shore, the need for
dredging has become critical. "Driving along Highway 13, I was able to see
nearly a hundred feet of sand stretching out beyond the typical shoreline," he
noted. "Sand dunes are popping up all along the south shore, and serve as a
warning sign that lake levels are demonstrably low." |
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Detroit Free Press Editorial Open the way for new Soo lock 5/11 - Detroit - Michigan has a big stake in legislation the U.S. Senate may take up as soon as today. Congress appears ready to renew the Water Resources Development Act, with a House-passed version already authorizing a second lock for 1,000-foot boats at Sault Ste. Marie. Michigan's senators are working to include the language U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, put in the House bill to have the federal government build the lock without requiring further studies. The water bill, which Congress takes up only about once a decade, becomes the directory for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects. The bill contains no funding, but if a project isn't listed in this act, Congress isn't likely ever to budget it. The plan for a second identical lock for the biggest boats has been around for years. Of the four Soo locks, only the Poe lock, opened in 1968, can handle the 1,000-footers. Damage to the Poe or a major maintenance problem would cripple the movement of iron ore and coal from Lake Superior ports to steel and power plants in the rest of the Great Lakes. Getting the lock authorized in this bill is only a first step. Michigan and the other Great Lakes states -- and Canada -- then would have to press for project funding, now estimated at $342 million. Sadly, it may be a test of political clout that the region no longer can meet. A surer bet, fortunately, is support for two electric barriers south of Chicago in an effort to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. The project appears in both House and Senate versions; passage should assure that the barriers become a routine annual budget item. |
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Job Posting - Pere Marquette Shipping Co. 5/11 - Ludington - Pere Marquette Shipping of Ludington, MI is looking for an experienced captain for their integrated tug-barge operation. Interested parties should contact Chuck Leonard at (231)845-7846 or
cleonard@pmship.com |
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Boatnerd Heading for 11 Million 5/11 - The counter on the main page is expected to top 11,000,000 visitors sometime this weekend. (the counter is located at the bottom of the main page at www.BoatNerd.Com. This counter was started as the page was launched in 1995 and topped one million visits in October 2000, two million in November 2001, three million in September, 2002, four million in June, 2003, five million in February, 2004, six million in October, 2004, seven million in June, 2005, eight million in December, 2005, 9 million in June, 2006, 10 million in November 2007. |
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Updates - May 11 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 11 On this day in 1906, the keel was laid for the J Q RIDDLE at the American
Shipbuilding Yard at Lorain. Fifty-one days later, the RIDDLE was launched.
The boat was renamed b.) J J TURNER in 1915, c.) GEORGE R FINK in 1931, and
c.) W WAYNE HANCOCK in 1955. The HANCOCK sank in the Atlantic on December 8,
1962, during a scrap tow to Italy. |
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Effects of low water levels being felt 5/10 - Mackinaw City - Docks along the Lake Huron shoreline of Mackinaw City again needed to be dredged this spring to accommodate ferryboats, and the same procedure was used to provide deep water last summer for access to a new marina being built here. More and more waterline paint has become visible on ships transiting the Straits of Mackinac under the Mackinac Bridge. The effects of low water are being felt all across the Great Lakes, and a message delivered Wednesday in Washington, D.C., by the country's top iron ore producer, said that a dredging crisis is affecting the region's economy. Joseph A Carrabba, president and chief executive officer of Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc., said the Bush administration must commit itself to restoring the Great Lakes navigation system to project dimensions. “The dredging crisis is directly affecting Cliffs' ability to meet its customers' requirements efficiently,” Carrabba said while speaking before the Great Lakes Task Force's 12th Annual Informational Briefing for the Great Lakes Delegation. Carrabba emphasized that Cliffs' iron ore mines can annually produce more than 37 million long tons of iron ore pellets when the North American steel industry is operating at high levels. “Virtually all of those pellets are delivered to our steel mill customers in U.S. - and Canadian-flag Great Lakes vessels,” he said. According to Carrabba, lack of adequate dredging and low water levels have reduced the amount of iron ore Great Lakes freighters can deliver each trip. “On April 6, a 1,000-foot U.S.-flag vessel with a rated capacity of 71,120 tons departed Superior, Wis., with less than 59,000 tons of Cliffs' pellets onboard,” Carrabba said. “Nearly 17 percent of the vessel's carrying capacity, or 12,000 tons, was negated by the dredging crisis and low water levels.” Carrabba also warned that the dredging crisis is worsening. “Budget shortfalls have canceled dredging in several ports this year,
including Huron, Ohio,” he continued. “That port can receive more than 700,000
tons of iron ore in a given year, but the channel is so clogged that the first
cargo of 2007 represented only 77 percent of the vessel's rated capacity. The
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not receive enough money to maintain the
Great Lakes navigation system.” |
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Port Reports - May 10 Detroit River - Joe Provost Ludington - Bob Kalal Twin Ports - Al Miller Port of Indiana - Brian Z. Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey Point Edward/Sarnia - Marc Dease
Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer |
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HMCS Halifax Great Lakes Tour 5/10 - Detroit - The Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Halifax will be docked at the downtown Windsor waterfront from May 19 - 21 as one of the stops during it’s Great Lakes tour. Public tours will be available between 1-4 p.m. Reported by Joseph Woytta |
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Cleveland-Cliffs names new top officer 5/10 - Duluth - Iron ore supplier Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. has a new chairman of the board. Joseph Carrabba, Cleveland-Cliffs president and chief executive officer, replaces John Brinzo. Brinzo retired as chairman of the board Tuesday. “It has been my pleasure and privilege to be a part of the Cliffs family for the past 39 years,” said Brinzo, a former president and chief executive officer, said in a news release. “As I step down as chairman today, I do so with complete confidence that our company's assets and resources are in very capable hands.” The company also announced that David Gunning retired as a director on the board. Cleveland-Cliffs operates six iron ore mines in North America, including Hibbing Taconite, Northshore Mining Co., and United Taconite. From the Duluth News-Tribune |
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Retired icebreaker inches closer to land;
5/10 - Kingston, Ontario - The season opening of the Alexander Henry
Bed and Breakfast, prized artifact of the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes,
will be delayed this year until July. |
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Old barge target of beach dig; 5/10 - Southampton, Ontario - Volunteers have returned to what has
become an annual archeological dig on the beach in Southampton. |
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Updates - May 10 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 10 Captain C. S. Montague died on board the steamer JOHN B COWLE of the Great
Lakes Steamship Company while crossing Lake Superior on this date in 1923. He
had sailed as Captain for 35 years and had been in command of the COWLE since
1917. |
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Lake Superior recedes to lowest level in 80 years 5/9 - Sault Ste. Marie, ON - Hey, who pulled the plug from Lake
Superior? |
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Port Reports - May 9 Marinette - Dick Lund |
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Updates - May 9 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 09 On this day in 1906, three schooners, the ALGERIA, IRON QUEEN, and M I
WILCOX, sank in Lake Erie. The three boats were lost because a tug strike at
Cleveland prevented them from entering the harbor during a storm. Martin Elnin,
Captain of the ALGERIA, drowned in the tragedy. Captain Elnin had previously
survived the sinking of the schooner DUNDEE on September 12, 1900. |
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Dredging Work Begins at Holland 5/8- Holland - Late last Friday evening, the King Company's dredge
Buxton II and all of its support equipment came into Holland harbor. |
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Port Reports - May 8 Rouge River - Mike Nicholls Mackinaw Bridge - Rod Burdick Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey |
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BoatNerd Headquarters Now Even Closer to the Action 5/8 - Port Huron - The BoatNerd.com World Headquarters in Port Huron has upped anchor and moved even closer to the St. Clair River. It's now located in the 6,000-square foot Great Lakes Maritime Center building along the waterfront at Vantage Point. The new address is 51 Water Street. The move allows the facility longer hours, increased visibility and an even better view of passing vessel traffic, it is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. seven days a week. The old stand-alone building opened in 2005, and more than 24,000 people visited the facility in 2006. |
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17th Annual Memorial Day Cruise to Port Huron The Marine Historical Society of Detroit, and BoatNerd.com, are sponsoring the 17th Annual Memorial Day Lake St. Clair and River Cruise aboard the Diamond Belle . The cruise departs from Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit, on Sunday, May 27, and cruises across Lake St. Clair, up the St. Clair River, and out into Lake Huron for a short distance, weather permitting. There is a Continental breakfast and a buffet luncheon on board, and the trip includes a buffet dinner at the St. Clair Inn. 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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Time to make your BoatNerd Gathering Reservations The annual series of BoatNerd Gatherings is rapidly approaching. Many of these events have limited space. Don't wait to make your reservation until it is too late. Saturday, June 2 - Special Boatnerd Cruise - A special 2-hour tour of the St. Clair River aboard the Huron Lady II, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, June 16 - Boatnerd Detroit Up River Cruise - A 3-hour freighter chasing cruise on the lower Detroit River aboard the luxurious Friendship, driven by Capt. Sam Buchanan. Friday, June 29 - Annual Boatnerd Freighter Chasing Cruise at the Soo - The annual trip aboard the Chief Shingwauk for a full three (3) hours leaving from Roberta Bondar Pavilion in Soo, Ontario. Saturday, July 14 - Annual St. Clair River Gathering aboard the Hammond Bay - The Hammond Bay will depart their dock 2 miles south of Sombra, Ontario at 11:00am for a 3-hour narrated cruise passing Fawn Island, Sombra, Courtright, St. Clair, and Marine City. Saturday, August 11 - Boatnerd Detroit Down River Cruise - A 4-hour freighter chasing cruise on the lower Detroit River aboard the luxurious Friendship, driven by Capt. Sam Buchanan. Go to the Boatnerd Gatherings page for all the details and reservation forms. |
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Updates - May 8 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 08 In 1981, the newest 1000 footer to enter service on the Great Lakes was
christened COLUMBIA STAR when Mrs. John J. Dwyer broke a bottle of champagne
across the bow. The new boat was named to honor the Columbia Transportation
Division of Oglebay Norton Company and the brig COLUMBIA that carried the
first cargo of iron ore through the Soo Locks in 1855. She was renamed b.)
AMERICAN CENTURY in 2006. |
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Port Reports - May 7 Menominee - Dick Lund Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey Green Bay - Scott Best |
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Dossin Great Lakes Museum’s Webcam Returns Detroit - The Detroit River webcam is back up and running at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle. Now, visitors to the Museum and shipping enthusiasts anywhere in the world can access the webcam.The Detroit River Webcam, a special project of the Detroit Historical Society and its Maritime Auxiliary Group, has returned thanks to the efforts of some persistent volunteers and a local business. After three years of broadcasting views of the Detroit River, Belle Isle, the Ambassador Bridge and the downtown skyline over the worldwide web to viewers around the world via a camera mounted atop the S.S. William Clay Ford pilot house, the camera went off line in March 2006 when the wireless Internet service provider serving the Museum went out of business. "When our connection went down, the future of the camera looked bleak," said Webcam volunteer project manager. "When the camera went online in 2003, the only economically feasible solution was wireless as the museum's remote location made the cost of a wired connection out of reach. "We looked at several providers -- including a signal from Canada – however, we were again faced with connection charges that far exceeded our budget," he added. The solution was found courtesy of Paul Huxley with Strategic Staffing Solutions, a Detroit-based IT company known for its charitable work in the community. The company worked with AT&T to have a wired high speed internet connection run to the museum for free with monthly charges equal to the cost formerly paid for the wireless connection. "Without the assistance of Strategic Staffing Solutions, the installation charges alone would have exceeded the annual budget for the camera," the project manager said. The company also donated equipment, and their staff helped install the Internet connection, he added. The webcam offers a 340-degree view of the passing freighter traffic on the Detroit River and activity in Belle Isle Park. It can be controlled from any online personal computer, and is active 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The camera attracts a large audience, including many transplanted Detroiters who enjoy viewing Belle Isle and the Detroit River from locations in other states and countries. Visitors to the Dossin Great Lakes Museum can also enjoy the webcam views from a kiosk in the popular City on the Straits exhibit. "It’s great to have the webcam back online, and we thank Strategic Staffing Solutions and our volunteers for their support” said Bob Bury, executive director of the Detroit Historical Society. “This is a great use of today’s available technologies to present the maritime story of the region, and we hope it encourages people to visit the newly renovated Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle.” The Museum has enjoyed record attendance since reopening last month after a 12-week makeover of exhibits and facilities. The Dossin Great Lakes Museum, located at 100 Strand Drive on Belle Isle, is open Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free at the Museum for the duration of 2007 through the generous support of Masco Corporation, however, donations are welcome. Permanent exhibits include the Miss Pepsi vintage 1950s 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 visit www.detroithistorical.org |
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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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Updates - May 7 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 07 The AMASA STONE, Captain George B. Mallory and Chief Engineer Alonzo
Arnold, began her maiden trip in 1905. After a long career with Interlake
Steamship Company, the AMASA STONE was sold to Medusa Portland Cement in 1965,
for use as a dock at Charlevoix, Michigan. |
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Port Reports - May 6 Straits Traffic
A parade of boats past through the Straits of Mackinac on a sunny
Saturday morning. Burns Harbor came through the Round Island Passage and
passed west bound under the bridge at 10 a.m.
Atlantic Erie followed the same path, clearing the bridge 15 minutes
behind Burns Harbor. Kaye E. Barker came up the inside passage
from Lake Huron and went under the bridge at 10:40 a.m.
Paul R. Tregurtha came from Lake Michigan, passing the Grand Hotel at 11:15
a.m. heading for DeTour.
Goderich - Wayne Brown Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer The barge St. Marys Conquest and tug Susan W. Hannah arrived in Milwaukee's inner harbor at about 11 a.m. Friday morning and proceeded up the Kinnickinnic River to their terminal to unload cement. Conquest departed onto Lake Michigan at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Also Friday, Federal EPA Research Vessel Lake Guardian arrived and docked at the Univ. of Wis. Sea Grant slip at about 8 p.m. |
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Boyer in the News Editorial from the Toledo Blade - Keep Toledo history afloatToledo's ties to the Great Lakes and the maritime shipping industry are at the heart of what this region is about. Water defines us. The shipping season brings lake freighters and foreign vessels to our riverfront and Maumee Bay docks, to discharge or take on cargo and underscore this community's enduring status as an important American seaport. Those ties are evident every day at one of this country's most unusual "museums." This one floats. It's the Willis B. Boyer, and it's tied up at a berth in International Park, almost in the shadow of the Anthony Wayne Bridge. Even though it was once one of the most important vessels on the Great Lakes, it's in danger of sinking. Not literally, of course. But figuratively, the Boyer's status as the centerpiece of the downtown riverfront is in jeopardy. The City has decided its financial crunch is too severe to continue supporting the Boyer financially, and Paul LaMarre III, executive director of the museum ship, will lose his City position at the end of June. Unless another funding source can be found, the Boyer quite likely will simply go away, sold by the City for scrap, bringing to an ignominious end the vessel's rich history. Mr. LaMarre has proposed that the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority purchase the Boyer for a dollar and lease it back to a nonprofit board, which would operate it. It's a proposition that will come with costs. Mr. LaMarre's salary is $50,000 a year and he has suggested an annual budget of $100,000. In addition, the ship needs work. Despite Mr. LaMarre's labors to repair and maintain as best he can, the hull needs major attention. But federal money is available to help with that expense and a grant application for $300,000 has already been made. As the port authority ponders a decision, it should keep in mind that other communities on the Great Lakes, including Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., which is certainly smaller than Toledo, operate ship museums. Maintained and aggressively promoted, the Boyer would become a significant tourism draw. It has to be the most historic vessel still floating on the Great Lakes today. It was considered the world's largest bulk freighter when it was built in 1911. A Blade headline from Oct. 9, 1911, proclaimed the Boyer the "Queen of the Lakes." Sending it to the scrap yard as the boat's 100th anniversary approaches would be no way to treat a queen. |
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Updates - May 6 News Photo Gallery updated Public Photo Gallery updated |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 06 On May 6, 1984 the CANADIAN RANGER sailed from Port Weller on her maiden
voyage to load coal at Toledo, Ohio. |
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Port Reports - May 5 Calcite - Dave Wobser
John G. Munson arrived at Calcite at 4:45 p.m. Friday.
Huron - Jim Spencer Buffalo - Brian W. |
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Help Wanted
The Great Lakes Towing Company is now accepting applications for both
day and evening Operations Coordinators. If interested, please download
the standard application at their corporate website
corporate web site attach a resume, and submit to:
Edward C. Hertz
Operations Manager
The Great Lakes Towing Company
4500 Division Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44102-2228
General Job Description:
Schedule and coordinate flow of work. Notify tugboats to advise
ships entering or leaving port of traffic and coordinate barge
movements. Select and schedule crews for tugboats and barges.
Maintanins records and prepares bills for services. May notify
captain of tugboat of order changes via telephone or radio. May
call out crews to tugboats to respond to emergency requests from
captain. Track company and crew performance activities, and
safety statistics.
Representative Duties:
Schedules and coordinates flow of work based on customer orders,
establishes priorities and availability of personnel, equipment,
and resources. Ensure tugs and barges are properly crewed and
operated. Maintain records and prepare bills for services.
Develop and monitor procedures and programs to track company and
crew activities.
Email: ech@thegreatlakesgrop.com
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Updates - May 5 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 05 In 1957, the HARRY W CROFT, Captain Irving Hallberg, rescued three
fishermen when their boat began sinking 20 miles north of Chicago in the
choppy waters of Lake Michigan. Built as the FRED G HARTWELL in 1908, by the
Toledo Ship Building Company (Hull#112), she was renamed b.) HARRY W CROFT in
1917. She was scrapped at Santander, Spain in 1969. |
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Port Reports - May 4 Milwaukee - Paul Erspamer & John N. Vogel Twin Ports - Al Miller Alpena & Stoneport - Ben & Chanda McClain Toronto - Charlie
Gibbons |
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Michigan City landmark lighthouse looking for new owner 5/4 - Michigan City, Ind. — The federal government is looking to
give away a century-old lighthouse on Lake Michigan. Fred DeVries, chairman of the Michigan City Historical Society, said he is
sure some group will want the local landmark, which was built in 1904. “This
is something we want to keep. It’s a symbol of Michigan City,” DeVries said. |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 04 On May 4, 1958, the JOHN SHERWIN entered service. The SHERWIN has been in
lay-up for half of her life on the Great Lakes. She last sailed on November
16, 1981. She was towed from Superior, Wisconsin to Chicago in 2006, for use
as a grain storage barge in Lake Calumet. |
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Chi-Cheemaun set to sail home; Massive upgrading complete 5/3 - Sarnia - A local company has made Ontario's most famous car
ferry shipshape for another three decades. From the Sarnia Observer |
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Port Reports - May 3 Sandusky - Jim Spencer Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey Rochester - Tom Brewer |
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Annual Shipwreck Show in Holland 5/3 - Holland, MI - On Saturday, May 5, at 7 p.m., Michigan
Shipwreck Research Associates will present their annual "Beneath the Inland
Seas" program at the Knickerbocker Theatre, 86 East 8th Street, in Holland
Michigan. |
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Updates - May 3 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 03 The QUINCY A SHAW collided with the barge HARRIET B, a.) PERE MARQUETTE 16,
in heavy fog off Two Harbors, Minnesota in 1922. The HARRIET B sank and the
damage to the SHAW exceeded $64,000. |
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Yankcanuck returning to service 5/2 - Soo, Ontario - The Yankcanuck is being put back into service.
She was on the St. Marys River Tuesday morning for trials. Reported by Bonnee Srigley |
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Port Reports - May 2 Saginaw River - Todd Shorkey Port of Indiana - Brian Z. Goderich - Dale Baechler Toronto - Charlie Gibbons Lorain - C. Mackin |
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Welland Lock spill washes out road; 5/2 - St. Catharines - A stretch of road along the Welland Canal
from Glendale Avenue and lock 7 will be closed for most of the week because of
damage from a water leak in one of the locks. |
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Coast Guard cutter back in service 5/2 - Duluth - Divers have apparently repaired an oil leak on the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Alder. “Once we’ve gone through our final testing over the next couple of hours, and everything goes well, we will depart Duluth, head out and start getting some work done,” Lt. Kenny Pepper, the Alder’s spokesman, said this morning. Drivers began repairing the Alder on Thursday, and “have been working every day since,” Pepper said. The cutter went for a brief cruise on Lake Superior this morning to help test the repairs. The Coast Guard discovered hydraulic fluid leaking though a bad seal in the ship's controllable pitch propeller system during machinery trials on March 8. The Alder had remained at its dock at the Duluth Coast Guard station since, a boom floating behind its stern to contain any leaking oil. Earlier this month the federal government awarded a contract to a Chesapeake, Va., diving company to repair the cutter in the water at its dock. The 225-foot, 2,000-ton Alder was launched in 2004 in Marinette, Wis. It was stationed in Duluth to replace the World War II-era Sundew, and is responsible for icebreaking, search and rescue, and placing aids to navigation. Reported by Al Miller from the Duluth News-Tribune |
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Port Huron Museum names new president 5/2 - Port Huron, MI - The Port Huron Museum Board of Trustees
announced today Dennis Zembala has been named president of the museum. |
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Updates - May 2 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 02 In 1914, the MATTHEW ANDREWS of the Kinsman fleet establish a new record
for oats by loading 606,000 bushels at Duluth. Renamed b.) HARRY L FINDLAY in
1933, c.) PAUL L TIETJEN in 1965. She was scrapped at Ashtabula, Ohio in 1979. |
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Port Report - May 1 Twin Ports - Al Miller |
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Updates - May 1 News Photo Gallery updated Win a Trip on a Great Lakes Freighter Public Photo Gallery updated. Make reservations for one of the BoatNerd Gatherings |
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Today in Great Lakes History - May 1 n her first trip of the 1947 season, the DONNACONA passed downbound at the
Soo with a cargo of 589,844 bushels of barley from Fort William-Port Arthur.
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News Archive - August 1996 to present
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