5-20 The Army Corps tug Cheraw was inbound at the Buffalo Traffic Buoy at 7:20 AM. 

5-17 I spotted the Rebecca Lynn - A-397 heading up the Black Rock Canal at the Ferry St. Draw
 around 1:45 PM with her barge on the push. They must have switched their tow around in the Outer
 Harbor because Paul then saw them leaving with the barge on the wire around 2:52 PM via the
 North Entrance Channel. 

5-15 The Rebecca Lynn - A-397 should be arriving for Tonawanda around 2 AM tomorrow morning. 

5-10 Paul said the Mariner backed out this evening from General Mills. 

5-8 10:30 PM: The Mariner is currently inbound for the Buffalo North Entrance on her way to General Mills. 

5-8 The Mariner should be here late today with wheat for General Mills. 

5-6 The Thompson is currently tied up & unloading at the Gateway Metroport Main Dock in Lackawanna @ 7AM. 

5-5 The tug-barge Joseph H Thompson is currently Eastbound on Lake Erie with an AIS destination 
 of Buffalo. This would be the first time that I know of that she's ever been here in at least the last 25 years.

5-5 The Rebecca Lynn came around 3PM on the 4th. She is currently unloading at the Noco Product
 Terminal in Tonawanda at 7:30 AM. 

5-3 The Rebecca Lynn was Eastbound on Lake Erie this evening with a AIS destination of
 Tonawanda. She was making 8.4 knots while passing Point Peelee which would put her at the
 Buffalo North Entrace around 2PM on the 4th if she continues on that speed. 

  The USCGC Hollyhock was just off Dunkirk thise evening, I'm assuming she's there to switch out the markers for the Entrance Channel to the harbor. 

5-2 The American Mariner is scheduled to load grain in Duluth on Saturday the 4th for General Mills in Buffalo. 

5-2 The 635-foot Great Republic made her first trip to Lackawanna with her new
 name today and was also the first commercial vessel to call at the Gateway
 Metroport for the 2013 shipping season. They unloaded Limestone during the
  afternoon & she departed around 6 PM this evening from Lackawanna. 

5-1 The Great Republic is currently downbound in the Detroit River @ 7:26 PM with an AIS destination of Buffalo. 

4-30 The English River was at LaFarge unloading cement on the afternoon of the 29th and is now 
  downbound on the Welland Canal at 7:00 AM. 

4-28 The English River is on the hook about 1/2 way between Buffalo & Point Abino. She arrived
  there this evening after departing the Welland Canal. I have no idea at this time why they are out
  there. 

4-25 The American Mariner will arrive in Buffalo around 8AM on Friday the 26th. I'm not sure where 
 they're headed yet, but as of 8PM on the 24th they were off Mentor, Ohio & headed East. 

  The tug-barge Defiance - Ashtabula was unloading at the Sand Supply Co. Landing on the City 
 Ship Canal at 8PM this evening. 

4-23 The Alpena departed some time on the afternoon of the 23rd. 

4-23 The steamer Alpena is currently tied up at LaFarge Cement on Ganson St. @ 7:21 AM. 

4-22 The Rebecca Lynn - A-397 just departed the North Entrance bound for Detroit at 8:00PM. 

4-21 Jason spotted the Rebecca Lynn - A-397 tug barge unit at the Marathon dock in Tonawanda 
 tonight. This was the first commercial vessel to Tonawanda for the season so far. 

Dredging update:

http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130417/CITYANDREGION/130419198

4-15 The Mariner should arrive around 5 AM on the 16th fir General Mills. She'll be the first vessel transit of the year.

4-14 the Mariner is now downbound @ the Soo at 07:13. Her AIS ETA for Buffalo is 06:30 on Tuesday the 16th. 

4-3 The American Mariner is on the list to load wheat in Duluth on April 9th. 

2-25 The attempt to get the Algoma Enterprise into Lackawanna has apparently been called off. Rob
 saw the CCGC Griffon depart the area around 1:30 PM. The AIS reports showed her escort the
 Enterprise to Port Colborne, where she will supposedly unload her salt cargo. A U.S. Coast Guard
 press release states that the official reason was the presence of five foot thick "brash ice" that was
 impassable to either the Griffon or the Neah Bay. It would seem that there were no plans in place to
 call in a larger ice breaker since the Mackinaw and Samuel Risley were both busy assisting other
 vessels elsewhere on the lakes at that time.

2-24 11PM: The Neah Bay is now departing the area for Cleveland due to logistical shortages (fuel,
 etc?) and the Griffin is going to have to bring in the Enterprise herself.  

2-24 9:30 PM: The Griffin & the Neah Bay must be having a meeting of the minds. Both vessels are
 sitting in the ice about 500 feet apart from each other, roughly 5 miles West of the Buffalo South
 Entrance at this time. They are either forming a plan to get in tonight, or possibly waiting until
 morning before attempting to make it to Lackawanna. 

2-24 8PM: The Neah Bay has given up for the evening & is now sitting about five miles off the South
 Entrance while she waits for back up from the Griffin which is passing through C.I.P. 16 at this time.
 The Griffin is about 11.1 NM from the Neah Bay & making 10.8 Kts due East to come help her out. 

2-24 6:20 PM: The Neah Bay isn't much further than she was 3 hours ago, with 5
 miles still between her & the South Entrance at Lackawanna as she continues to
 back & ram her way through the heavy pack ice off Buffalo. The Algoma
 Enterprise is at anchor about 10 miles out, roughly abeam of Point Abino. The
 AIS is showing that the CCGC Griffin has now departed the Nanticoke area,
 leaving the Victorious - Carrick at the piers, and is making a bee line for
 Buffalo at 11.5 Kts, more than likely on her way to assist the Neah Bay with
 the entry into Buffalo Harbor. 

2-24, 4:15PM: The ice breaking operation into lackawanna has slowed to a crawl. The Neah Bay is
 now working her way through the hard pack ice off Buffalo by backing & ramming while the Algoma
 Enterprise has come to a stop a few miles behind her, near Point Abino. The ice breaker should
 arrive at the Buffalo South Entrance some time around 6PM once they punch through the pressure
 ridges outside the harbor breakwall and then go back out to escort the Enterprise in this evening. 

2-24, 2:30PM: The Griffon is now escorting the Victorious into Nanticoke while the Neah Bay is
 headed for Buffalo with the Algoma Enterprise. They should arrive off Lackawanna around 4PM. 

2-24 Additional info. The make up of the ice breaking escort is as follows: The Neah Bay was 
 roughly 2,000 feet ahead of the Enterprise, with the Griffon about 4 miles behind, and the 
 Victorious-Carrick following the Griffon at a distance of about 2 miles. The ships were making
  different speeds at different times as they came down the lake. At 7:30 AM the Neah Bay was
  doing 13.7 kts, the Enterprise was at 11.6, the Griffon was making 8.4, and the Victorious was
  around 8.8 kts. I would assume that the Neah Bay was surging ahead to hit the ice & then slowing
  down in the thicker sections as the other three would catch up. 

2-24, 7:00 AM: A convoy of sorts is currently on it's way down Lake Erie at this time. The U.S Coast
 Guard ice breaker Neah Bay was leading the Algoma Enterprise, closely followed by the Canadian
 Coast Guard's Griffon that was also escorting the Articulated Tug-Barge unit Victorious - John J
 Carrick. The four vessels were all in line at mid-lake, just off Ashtabula at 7:00 AM with an estimated
 arrival time of around 5PM for Lackawanna. I'm assuming the Victorious - Carrick was probably
 going to head for either Nanticoke or Port Colborne so I don't know what order the two ice breakers
 will be assisting either vessel in at this time. 

2-22 The Algoma Enterprise is coming:

http://downtown.wgrz.com/news/news/73334-icebreaking-set-buffalos-outer-harbor-area

2-15 Rob spotted the former US Coast Guard 110-foot tug Apalachee at the Erie
 Basin Pier, near the fuel dock. She's been there at least about a week.

 My thanks go out to everyone that helps me with this list, my family is going through some tough
 times due to the death of my dad & my mom's illness so this hobby gives me something fun to do
 and without your input, my vessel updates wouldn't be half as good as they are. Happy New Year,
 & lets keep it rolling in 2013!

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