SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – What’s it like steering a huge Great Lakes freighter across nothing but open water on an inland sea? And does it take nerves of steel to guide that boat into the Soo Locks on a stormy day?
Freighter fans will get their chance to ask these questions and mingle with some Great Lakes ship captains and maritime professionals this weekend, all while raising money for a good cause.
The Voices at The Valley Camp event will be held this Saturday, July 18, from 7 to 10 p.m. aboard the Museum Ship Valley Camp in Sault Ste. Marie. The gathering is designed to be a fun and informative event for ship enthusiasts, and a way to raise money for the International Ship Master’s Association (ISMA) Scholarship Fund.
Tickets are $40 per person. You can buy them at the link online here, or get them from event organizer Andrea Guerriero, an ISMA member and owner of Dre Designs Great Lakes Marine Products. Email andrea@dredesignsGLMP.com, or call or text 705.971.4076.
The event will feature a door prize drawing, a silent auction, and the chance to talk to Great Lakes ship captains.
“It’s your chance to meet Great Lakes Shipping professionals and ask them the questions you’ve always wanted to ask,“ Guerriero said. “Take pics, get autographs, eat some amazing food from the Sault Ste. Marie Country Club, and maybe even win a door prize.”
The funds raised go toward four ISMA scholarships of $1,500 each that are given annually to maritime cadets and working mariners from both the U.S. and Canada. Because Guerriero lined up 18 sponsors for the event, all money raised by the ticket sales and auction items will go to fund the scholarships.
The panel of captains featured at the Saturday event will include:
Capt. Bob Thibaudeau, retired from the Paul R. Tregurtha, the longest freighter on the Great Lakes.
Capt. Joe Ruch, retired from the Hon. James L. Oberstar
Capt. Mark Mather, retired from the Clyde S. VanEnkevort/Erie Trader articulated tug/barge
Capt. Sam Buchanan, senior captain of the JW Wescott mail boat
Capt. TJ Pryor, from the Algoma Buffalo
Capt. Joe Walters of the U.S. Geological Survey Research Vessel Kiyi
Capt. Paul C LaMarre III of the tug America, and director of the Port of Monroe, and president of the American Great Lakes Ports Association
For more information, check the events page here
