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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. |