Lake Erie’s Goodtime I freed from Buckeye Reef
PUT-IN-BAY — A local ship grounded on a lake reef was freed on Friday. The Goodtime I ran aground on Buckeye Reef near Ballast Island in Lake Erie on Thursday.
The incident was reported at about 5 p.m., according to Lt. Kyle Rivera, a United States Coast Guard public affairs officer. Ballast Island is east of Middle Bass Island and northeast of South Bass Island.
Just before 4 p.m. on Saturday, Rescue Marine, a naval salvage company based in Lakeside Marblehead, announced that the vessel was freed.
“Our captains, Jake Dunfee, Cory Schenk, Dustin Mulligan and Cole Heffernan worked long hours to complete this complex salvage operation,” a social media post from the company states.
Attempts to free the vessel on Thursday were unsuccessful, Rivera said.
Further attempts were scheduled for Friday. The vessel was freed at approximately 10 p.m., according to the post.
The attempts on Friday included lightening the vessel. About 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel were removed from the ship, according to Rescue Marine.
The tugboat Prairieland, from the George Gradel Company, pulled the Goodtime I free of the reef, the post states.
After the vessel ran aground on Thursday, ships from the coast guard, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Sonny S removed 107 passengers and six crewmembers from the stricken Goodtime, Rivera said.
A scheduled Friday evening cruise set to depart from Sandusky, where the vessel is normally docked, was cancelled due to the grounding. Sunday’s scheduled cruise was also canceled, according to the boat’s operator, Joe Lamb.
Sandusky Register
Fun-filled Engineers Day despite chilly, damp weather
SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – The weather may have been chilly and damp Friday for the annual Engineers Day event, but visitors still came to Sault Ste. Marie to take part in the celebration of the engineering marvel known as the Soo Locks.
The event, which ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., was hosted in partnership with the city of Sault Ste. Marie and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It celebrates the engineers who built the locks, along with the men and women who maintain them today.
Linda Hoath, executive director of the Sault Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said she was pleased with the turnout despite the rain — and the fact that, unlike previous years, the public was not allowed to walk across the locks.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers made that decision last week, citing an abundance of caution due to uncontrollable circumstances and a need to prioritize public safety.
“We managed well. I thought the weather was going to be a lot worse, but it wasn’t,” Hoath said. “At 9 a.m., the rain pretty much ended and we ended up with just drizzle. It was a beautiful day with all the people here. People came from all over. I was walking around and looking at the license plates on the cars — they were from all over, so it was a good day. At our Sault Area Convention and Visitors Bureau booth, we heard no complaints about not being able to walk across the locks.”
Jeremy Tabor and his family made the trip from Huron Township, just southwest of Detroit, to take part in the festivities. They visited Engineers Day for the first time in 2024 and were eager to return this year.
“The oldest is seven. The youngest is four-and-a-half. And they absolutely loved it,” Tabor said. “That’s the reason why we came back. They enjoy freighter watching, the boat watching. They’ve turned into a couple boatnerds themselves. I enjoy it. Mom enjoys it.”
Events extended from the Soo Locks east along Portage Avenue to the Carbide Dock, where an official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at 10 a.m.
Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Don Gerrie was among several dignitaries who spoke about the significance of the $40 million in improvements to the historic site on the St. Marys River.
“Sault Ste. Marie is proud to be a major component of the national waterway transportation system and is also the start of the I-75 highway system,” Gerrie said. “Today we are here to celebrate the completion of a critical project to rehabilitate the 135-year-old Carbide Dock and its connector road, Easterday Avenue.
“The dock was built in 1890 as the deep-water port for the Lake Superior Carbide Company, which merged with two other companies to form Union Carbide in 1898. The dock was expanded in 1924 and used in the company’s continued operations until the 1960s.”
Gerrie noted that the dock’s reconstruction was designed to last 100 years, using a 65-foot marine-grade steel sheet pile seawall anchored into bedrock. A secondary wall was added to support the seawall and prevent bowing. The dock face is now 775 feet long, with a 340-foot west end, large enough to accommodate lake freighters and cruise ships.
“The amenities include hookups for full fire protection, potable water, a sanitary sewer dump station, and full shore power facilities to service any ship that docks,” Gerrie said. “It also features modern charging stations for electric recreational vehicles and tugs. This unique project marries an industrial marine port with educational programming at the LSSU CFRE and recreational park space, including a safe public fishing site.”
Soo Leader
